These are Toronto's Top 10 influencers of 2025. They shape how millions of us shop, eat and live. Who are you following?

When asked about her future plans, Lisa Corbo fires back: “Do you have all day to hear about my career goals? I might be 64 but trust me when I say I’m just getting started.”

Corbo already had one legendary career in fashion: She presided over high-end Yorkville boutique George C. for almost two decades and is a longtime fixture on Toronto’s sartorially savvy society scene. In 2021, she segued into her next act online, proving via her fabulous ’fits that style is truly ageless — and that individuality rules above all

“Over the many years I fell in love with helping my loyal clientele find confidence through fashion and embrace their own personal style,” she says. “Now, as a digital creator, my goal remains the same. If I can help someone starting out, at any age, to find their style, their esthetic, through my content, that’s my reward.” Next up? Corbo has Fashion Week front-row seats, a book and a new Substack on her to-do list. She’s determined to do it all: “I realized over the last few decades that life is no dress rehearsal!”

First, Spencer West conquered Facebook, using that platform to document his quest to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2012. Then, he tackled Instagram, filling his grid with behind-the-scenes footage of his gig as an opening act on Demi Lovato’s 2014 tour. In 2017, West mastered YouTube, creating videos about his adventures as a motivational speaker and lived experienced as a gay disabled man (his legs were amputated due to a congenital condition). Finally, in 2021, he triumphed on TikTok, where a pair of viral videos sent his follower count from 20 into the millions, leading him to take the plunge into creating content full-time.

West is working on a book (his second), and he’s parlayed his social success into a recurring role on Canadian institution “Murdoch Mysteries.” But he says he’ll always cherish his social media work as a prime platform for his advocacy work. “I give people a glimpse into how I navigate the world, showcasing the barriers I encounter, challenging conventional narratives and promoting inclusivity,” he says. “My hope is by sharing my journey, it will not only inspire others but educate and advocate for systemic change.”

Even though he’s been a social star for more than a decade, he’s still humbled by the daily messages he receives from followers: queer and disabled folks thank West for improving representation; others tell him he changed their perspective or empowered them to start advocating for inclusion in their community. “Anytime someone says they feel seen or that they learned something and felt empowered to take action,” says West, “I know I’ve done my job.”

The beauty industry can take itself way too seriously, according to Abdullah Zaidi, so he’s happy to have some fun with the occasionally self-important sector. “As a straight man in a traditionally feminine space, I use satire to poke fun at the quest for perfection, which is unrealistic for anyone, let alone the young girls and women that are usually targeted,” he says.

Zaidi started his channel less than two years ago “as a playful jab at influencers’ glamorous lives.” It’s since become “a way to embrace imperfection, tell jokes and have fun.” That down-to-earth perspective resonated immediately: His second video — a tongue-in-cheek take on an influencer’s cooking video — went viral with 10 million views. “That’s when I realized I could have fun sharing my humour on this platform,” says Zaidi. While others may showcase a glamorous lifestyle, Zaidi highlights the humour in things like deciphering ingredients or elaborate beauty routines. One of the best parts of the gig is the friendships he’s forged with fellow content creators: “It’s incredible that some of my close friends now are people I once admired as a fan.” If you told someone 15 years ago that people would be recognized for creating from home, it would have been unthinkable, he says, and he remains grateful for any fan interactions. “Whether it’s someone asking for a picture or just a smile on the street,” he says, “it’s always incredible.”

Feeling truly empowered at work can change your life, says Emily Durham. “For most of us, our job isn’t just a job — it’s where we spend the majority of our time, where our identity is shaped, and where so much of our confidence either grows or shrinks,” says Durham. “Helping someone land a new role, ask for a raise, or even just feel less alone navigating workplace politics? That’s the best feeling in the world.”

Durham worked as a recruiter for years, where she witnessed firsthand how access to career education and mentorship directly impacted interview results, promotion rates and salary — and how a lack of support disproportionately affected women and under-represented groups. She wanted to talk about it. In 2020, Durham launched“The Straight Shooter Recruiter” podcast, then started making career guidance videos, which quickly went viral. “When I think about my purpose online, it’s really to empower people in their careers and democratize access to the kind of information that’s so often gatekept,” she says. “My goal is to help people feel confident, satisfied, and — above all — get paid.” Achieving success in the crowded social world also allowed Durham to make one of her cherished childhood dreams come true: her first book, a career guide for Gen Z women entitled “Daddy’s Not a CEO,” comes out next year.

Growing up, Brendan Carpenter was a big kid who yearned to see bodies like his represented in media and online: “I didn’t really know where to look or have anyone to turn to on the internet.” When he started running in 2016, Carpenter decided to document his weight-loss journey on social media to help others feel less alone. “It turned out people did care,” he says. That support offered more than motivation: it gave him purpose. “I wanted to keep working at it as I shared my ups and downs.”

In the nine years since, Carpenter has branched out into all manner of lifestyle content, from mental health and men’s fashion to cooking and cleaning. “I’m a larger-bodied human, so I love to show that we aren’t confined to being pigeonholed into one space,” he says. Carpenter’s inclusive, feel-good content has led to partnerships with brands like Air Canada (he took his dad to the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals with the airline), and to shooting a running commercial with SportChek. “I always thought you had to be skinny and model-like to be included in something like that, but over the years, I’ve learned that all bodies are runners’ bodies,” he says. “It showed me that anything is possible.”

As a teen, Tara Sigari was fascinated by how flawless celebrities appeared on TV. How did they look so good? She vowed to learn their beauty secrets. After high school, Sigari studied Chinese medicine, but she had this nagging feeling: “If I didn’t take the risk and give (full-time) content creation a real shot, I’d always wonder, What if?” she says. “I knew I had to try, even if it was scary.” In 2018, Sigari committed to creating videos breaking down celebrity makeup artist secrets, making the tips and tricks accessible to everyone. Her risk paid off, big-time. Now, if she wants to know how a Jenner or Kardashian — or even Beyoncé — achieves a look, she can simply contact their makeup artist and get the goods. “Then I’ll come back and teach it in a fun, digestible way that anyone can understand,” she says.

What makes her content different? “I’m a researcher at heart. I do the legwork so my audience doesn’t have to.” I want them to feel like they’re getting the same beauty tips celebrities pay thousands for, for free.” Sigari is eager to become one of the top creators in the beauty space and represent both Canada and her native Iran on the world stage. She also plans to expand into longer-form content, sharing deeper tutorials, behind-the-scenes moments and more of the heart behind the glam: “I want my audience to not just learn techniques but to connect with the ‘why’ behind them.” Sigari may be a burgeoning global sensation, but she hopes to always call Toronto home. “This city is such a beautiful mix of cultures, voices and stories. It’s a place where individuality is celebrated, not silenced. Being surrounded by that kind of energy constantly inspires me to create with pride and purpose. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to create anywhere else.”

She may be a burgeoning global sensation, but she hopes to always call Toronto home. “This city is such a beautiful mix of cultures, voices, and stories. It’s a place where individuality is celebrated, not silenced. Being surrounded by that kind of energy constantly inspires me to create with pride and purpose,” she says. “Toronto is where I was born and raised, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to create anywhere else.”

The first video Jacob Balshin ever posted was a love letter to Bathurst Station, a frequent transit destination for the comedian, as he bussed into the city from his parents’ place in Thornhill. He’s been making videos for just over a year; each one is an ode to the struggle he faced as a broke comedian trying to make ends meet in Toronto. His popularity on social spiked, however, when he debuted his apartment tours of places like, as he puts it, “the windowless, rat-infested basement I once called home.” His sweet spot is the sides of Toronto that people don’t typically highlight, he says: “From resilient family businesses that don’t have advertising budgets to broken-down apartments where people are struggling to make ends meet, it’s my goal to highlight the experience I’ve had living in Toronto, instead of a glamourized version.”

Thanks to his social-media stardom, he’s doing a little better these days: Once he had to beg people to come to his standup sets; now, his shows regularly sell out. His influence grows daily, too; one day he walked past an Ali Baba’s location that had started selling spaghetti, so he made a video saying, “They should call themselves Al Babino’s.” A few days later when he walked past, the sign for Ali Baba’s had been taken down — replaced with a sign that said Al Babino’s.

Reni Odetoyinbo still remembers the message. In 2020, a person from her Don’t Go Broke Collective financial accountability group told Odetoyinbo that she went from being terrified of money to investing her first $10,000 after following the finance creator’s content for a year. “She said no one had ever explained money to her in a way that actually made sense before, and she felt confident about her financial future for the first time,” Odetoyinbo says. “That meant so much to me because this is exactly why I create content: to make finance feel doable for people who’ve been shut out of the conversation.”

Other followers have told Odetoyinbo they used her advice to get out of credit card debt or take their dream trip without going broke: “Those moments remind me that this work is changing lives in ways I can’t always see online.” Odetoyinbo’s stock-in-trade, she says, is personal finance content that’s simple, practical and relatable, that helps people understand how to budget, save and invest, but to enjoy their money, too — like having a financially savvy best friend break things down in plain language. She was adamant about showing not just the wins but her challenges along the way as she first bought stocks at 18 and purchased a house at 23. She was only a year and a half into making content when she decided to go pro. How did she know she was ready? The money coming in from making content matched the income from her full-time job. Ka-ching.

It was mid-pandemic and Clement Leung was bored. Inspired by folks like Anthony Bourdain and YouTubers Mark Wiens and Sonny Slide of Best Ever Food Review Show, he decided to point the camera at himself while he ate at home. At the time, he was eating a lot of instant noodles; soon, people started suggesting instant-noodle recipes to try. He did — and they went viral. Two years later, Leung was laid off and started making food videos full-time, racking up millions of followers across multiple platforms who delight in the sense of fun and joy he brings to eating out. “One of the important missions of my channel is to shine a light on food I feel deserves more attention, like sharing hidden gems and local mom-and-pop eateries,” he says. “My hope is that my platform can be a blessing to others, as it has been a blessing to me.”

His content has taken him around the world — he recently spent several weeks on a foodie tour of New Zealand — but Leung believes Toronto is the best food city anywhere. “You can find any country’s cuisine here and it’s done well — sometimes even better than back in the home country,” he says. “I feel like more people need to know about the food in Toronto.”

Recently, he met a follower on the subway who shared how much they loved a local restaurant. They were so passionate about the place that the pair talked about the food for the whole TTC ride. Then, video camera in hand, Leung went there, too.

Shriya Agnihotri started small, by posting her favourite vegetarian and vegan food on her personal social media accounts. Then the requests started rolling in: friend after friend asking her where to eat because, as Agnihotri puts it, “They knew I was vegetarian, and they were surprised the food looked good!” Her coworkers encouraged her to go pro, and in 2019, Agnihotri create her own food-focused accounts. Now based in Markham, she’s a go-to source for all things vegetarian in the GTA and beyond. (She’s even been stopped in Japan for meatless recos.)

“I grew up in a Hindu Punjabi household where making food and serving it is a deeply ingrained cultural practice and emphasizes tradition, hospitality and a sense of community,” says Agnihotri. “I grew up in a community of chefs, so at all of my family parties, everything was homemade but tasted like restaurant quality, if not better. It turned me into a person who loves and appreciates food on a deeper level.” She particularly enjoys sharing veggie suggestions with fans. “I’ve had a lot of people DM me saying, ‘My boyfriend or girlfriend is vegetarian and I want to plan a nice date for them. Where should I take them?’ To me, that’s the sweetest thing ever, when someone is planning an evening out for their loved one and thought of asking me to contribute. I take it very seriously!”