Jenn Sherman and Pam Sunshine: How Unexpected Viral Success Led Two Lifelong Friends to Build a Massive Digital Lifestyle Brand

At times it feels like wellness or elevating one’s well being, is diametrically opposed to high achievement and high performance in one’s career. The stress, mental energy, long hours, lack of restful sleep and preoccupation that result from a high-achievement life seem to directly inhibit wellness. And yet, in order to sustain the creativity, flexibility, mental acuity and resilience that are necessary for high performance, wellness and wellbeing of the mind, body and soul are also mandatory. So how do we achieve both? This is the question I’m hoping to answer through conversations with high-achieving leaders and influencers who are practicing their own philosophies about how to maintain their wellbeing.

As a part of our series about “Social Media Influencers Share Their Top Self Care, Wellness, and Beauty Tips, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jenn Sherman and Pam Sunshine.

Meet Sunny and Jenn, the TikTok duo behind the popular account (@sunnyandjenn, 138.5K TT), created by Peloton’s Jenn Sherman and her best friend Pam Sunshine.

Jenn Sherman, initially hooked on indoor cycling over 15 years ago, evolved into Peloton’s first-ever cycling instructor, sparking an immediate studio frenzy by bringing a focused intensity to every class she teaches, empowering Peloton members with playlists that lift them up. In November of 2023, Jenn celebrated her 10 year anniversary at Peloton and has since maintained her status as one of the platform’s most beloved instructors, and ignites a fire within her members, drawing on her own experiences as a dedicated mom of two.

Pam Sunshine, affectionately known as “Sunny” on social media, boasts over 30 years of experience in the fashion industry. As a mother of two girls, her innate sense of style extends beyond fashion to encompass her love of wellness and self care, food and entertaining, travel and more. Sunny is the ‘go-to’ friend for advice on outfits, the perfect gift, or simply being a trusted source of guidance. She has a keen eye for detail and impeccable taste which her followers can’t seem to get enough of.

Sunny and Jenn’s viral breakthrough on TikTok was from a video from @classofpalmbeach, where the two women broke down their outfits from head to toe on the streets of Palm Beach, FL. What garnered 2M likes and 17M views, the pair knew that perhaps they were onto something.

Sunny and Jenn’s viral breakthrough on TikTok came from the posting of a video from @classofpalmbeach, where the two women broke down their outfits from head to toe on the streets of Palm Beach, FL. What garnered 2M likes and 17M views, the pair knew that perhaps they were onto something.

From their first social video, Jenn received hundreds of DMs and comments on her personal IG asking for more content so the women took to their own account — creating a wildly popular platform on TikTok and Instagram where they document their daily lives, funny mom moments, outfits of the day, home and lifestyle must-haves, and more. Their relatable content has every generation tuning in to laugh, shop, and embrace these virtual BFFs with a friendship that spans decades.

In addition to their array of deals, partnerships, and upcoming events, the dynamic duo is set to launch their podcast, “Sunny and Jenn,” in September 2024. This weekly podcast will capture the same lively banter they’re known for on social media, featuring special guests and offering plenty of laughs, advice, and recommendations.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory of how you came upon this career path to where you are today?

Jenn Sherman: We were on a girls trip in Palm Beach, when we got stopped on Worth Avenue by a woman who wanted to know what we were wearing. That short encounter and conversation was posted and went viral on the @ClassofPalmBeach TikTok account to the tune of 15M views. As 50-something year old women, we didn’t even have TikTok accounts! Our 20 year old daughters called us to inform us that we were blowing up on TikTok and all over their ‘For You’ pages. That’s how the idea for Sunny and Jenn came about — two 55 and 57 year old best friends, for 38 years, out here trying to live our best lives and talking about it on social.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story with us about the most humorous mistake you made when you were first starting? What lesson or take-away did you learn from that?

Jenn Sherman: We are still very much in the early phase of this exciting new journey, so we are making mistakes daily and learning from them as we go! There have been so many humorous mistakes — there is no way we could cite just one (for starters, we literally had no clue how to post our first video)! We often say we have no effing idea what we are doing or how to navigate this space, but we are figuring it out as we go and having a blast along the way. We have quickly gained a legion of loyal followers and have started building a community that’s along for the ride. We are very excited to see where we can take this.

Can you share with our readers some of the strategies you’ve used to build an engaged, loyal, and large online community?

Pam Sunshine: First and foremost, we are just being ourselves. We are really comfortable with putting it all out there and we think that is the key to our success. The word “authentic” is so overused these days, but it’s that authenticity that creates the connections with our followers. We are told that we are very relatable and our followers feel like they “know us” and can relate to all of the things we openly discuss — from aging gracefully to parenting and everything in between. Laughter is like oxygen for both of us, so not taking ourselves too seriously is how we live our lives, and we impart that humor into our content.

You are a busy person with a demanding schedule, can you share with our readers two self-care routines, practices or treatments that help your body thrive?

Pam Sunshine: I’m very regimented and do well with routine- it sets me up for a really good day. I start out every day with 20 minutes of meditation (this is non negotiable), followed by coffee! My other daily non-negotiable is my workout — this can be weight training (Rachel Fitness), pilates, a cycling class on my Peloton, or an outdoor walk — I just need to move my body in some way. I do this as much (or if not more) for my mental well being as much as my physical.

Jenn Sherman: I too am a creature of routine and habit. Starting my day with some type of movement is a major priority for both my body and my mind. Strength training has become more of a focus for me these days and of course I get my fair share of cardio in from riding the Peloton 3–4 times a week. Exercising daily, nourishing my body efficiently and prioritizing sleep (which is not as easy as it used to be) help to make me the best version of myself!

Can you help articulate why self-care is so important for your mental wellness?

Pam Sunshine: Self care and wellness is an enormous priority for both of us. As best friends, this has always been one of our common denominators. Our self care routines and taking care of our mental health are a paramount priority for both of us, and a topic that we focus much of our content on. We both share the idea that moving and fueling your body properly is one of the most important and non-negotiable gifts we can give to ourselves. Another important part of our self care routine is spending time with the people that we love — whether that be a girls night out, spending quality time with family, or a date night with our husbands.

Can you share five ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?

5 easy rituals that make us feel beautiful:

1. Clean, fresh hydrated skin. We are both addicted to keeping our skin well hydrated and moisturized. Nothing pretty about dry and scaly skin.
2. A touch of minimal makeup can go a long way. We both subscribe to less is more when it comes to makeup, but the right amount can make a girl feel beautiful.
3. Smelling beautiful equals feeling beautiful. A spritz of your favorite perfume can elevate your entire mood. We both tend to lean into clean, fresh scents that aren’t overpowering.
4. Mani/Pedis. A regular routine of keeping short, clean manicured fingers and toes are an easy way to instantly feel more beautiful.
5. Putting on an outfit that you feel great in is everything. Looking in the mirror and acknowledging that you look damn good is mandatory! Go ahead…..try it!

Is there a particular resource, a practitioner, expert, book, or podcast that made a significant impact on you and helped you to thrive? Can you share a story about that with us?

Pam Sunshine: We are both huge fans of Mel Robbins — she has one specific podcast where she talks about the LET THEM theory — we have both adopted this theory in our everyday lives and it’s been life changing and very freeing.

As influencers, you are people of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Jenn Sherman: I would say leaning into kindness. It should be a non-negotiable practice — and it’s pretty simple. Treat others the way you expect and would want to be treated, offering help when it’s needed. Give a stranger a compliment. Take time to listen to others. Random acts of kindness can be small but so impactful. I truly believe that encouraging people everywhere to be kinder to themselves, others and the environment would create a happier society for everyone.

A small, simple act of kindness is sometimes all it takes to change a person’s day, week or even their life — and that’s a movement we should all get behind.

What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?

Follow along on TikTok at @SunnyandJenn and Instagram at @sunnyandJenn, and stay tuned for more from us very soon (wink, wink).

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!