Stassie Karanikolaou Wants You to Meet Her ‘Better Half’

In the ever-evolving landscape of influencer culture, few partnerships have demonstrated the staying power of Stassie Karanikolaou and her manager-turned-bestie Alexis Fisher. After a decade of building Karanikolaou’s brand behind the scenes, the pair are stepping into the spotlight together with their new Dear Media podcast, Better Half, out today.

Known to millions as “Stassie Baby,” Karanikolaou has amassed over 10 million Instagram followers. Now, alongside Fisher, she’s ready to pull back the curtain on the realities of being an influencer and both the business and personal sides of their relationship.

Fisher isn’t just any manager in the influencer space. As the founder and CEO of Timeline Management, a top-tier talent management company that’s been quietly shaping the careers of some of social media’s biggest names, she’s been instrumental in navigating the often chaotic business side of influencer culture. While Karanikolaou has been the face, Fisher has been the strategic mind behind countless brand deals, business ventures, and career decisions—all while the industry was still figuring itself out.

“We’ve been talking about doing a podcast for a while,” Fisher explains during a Zoom interview. “For so long, Stas has kind of skated back and forth with the idea of doing it. When this opportunity came about, it just felt like the timing was right.”

The timing comes after what Fisher describes as “11 years of working together and growing the brand substantially.” As Karanikolaou has established herself as a model, entrepreneur, and influencer, the duo felt it was the right moment to share their journey.

“When you get to a certain place in your business life, it’s important to look back and see how you got there,” Fisher reflects. “Hopefully we can shed light for the future generation and let her audience see a different side of her.”

Unlike many industry partnerships, Fisher and Karanikolaou’s relationship began strictly as business before evolving into the close bond they share today. “The business definitely came first,” Fisher notes. “Through the amount of time that we’ve spent together is when the personal relationship evolved.”

That evolution has created what both women describe as a family-like bond. “We fight like sisters, make up like sisters,” Fisher says. “It’s just very rare to find someone that you become so close to within the industry.”

In their debut episode, Karanikolaou candidly defines their relationship: “When people see us, like even my friends who have obviously different teams, they’re like, ‘What the fuck? You and your manager are like—’ We’re best friends. She’s literally my sister, my family, forever and always, no matter what happens in this world.”

Their complementary dynamic—what Karanikolaou refers to as “yin and yang”—is obvious even in the early stages of their podcast journey. During recording, Karanikolaou admits she “freaked out” and “couldn’t make words for the first 20 minutes,” while Fisher carried the conversation. As she puts it in the episode, “Alexis is carrying us right now because my beta blocker has not kicked in.”

This vulnerability is precisely why the podcast exists. As Fisher explains in the first episode: “You’ve grown so much as a person over the past year, year and a half. A lot of real stuff has happened, and I feel like you’re now a different person and more in tune with yourself.”

For Karanikolaou, the decision to share more of herself came from a shift in perspective. “For so long I just cared so much about what people thought, and I think it was because in a sense I didn’t feel like I knew myself,” she reveals in the episode. “I think I just have had so many things happen where I think life is way too fucking short to give a fuck about anything.”

Fisher hopes the podcast will serve as a resource for the next generation. “I hope that this podcast is a place for people to not only have hope but use as a resource and hopefully learn something about the entertainment industry on the business side of things,” she says, adding that between her perspective as a working mother and Karanikolaou’s experience as talent, “there’s probably a little bit for everybody.”

The podcast’s first episode dives into everything you’ve ever wondered about the woman behind the Instagram and the manager that makes it all happen. BBLs? Check. Past relationships? Check. What’s going down in the DMs? Obviously.

The podcast’s first episode is available now on all major platforms, with new episodes releasing weekly. As for a launch party? “Definitely not this weekend,” Karanikolaou laughs during our interview, “but maybe the following weekend.” In the meantime, they’re focused on sharing their story—imperfections and all.

“We’re trying,” Karanikolaou says when complimented on their natural podcast chemistry. “I wouldn’t say perfect. We’re getting there.”