Every issue, GRAZIA USA highlights Game Changers who inspire, educate, and celebrate individuality, beauty and style. Meet Sai De Silva, the fashionable digital content creator who opens up about forging her own career path — and what’s next as she joins the cast of The Real Housewives of New York City.

I was late to the game when I got my first internship at 28. I worked for Alberta Ferretti as an intern in their PR department and it was the hardest job I’ve ver done. That was a time when they wouldn’t even give you a MetroCard, but I learned a lot. I thought to myself, “Okay, I definitely want to be in the fashion industry.” And I found myself wanting to be very creative, but I’m not an artist in the traditional sense. I don’t make sculptures or paintings or anything like that, so how could I stand out in this industry? I thought I was going to be some sort of creative director, possibly at a magazine. Blogging was the last thing that I thought I would do. It was a complete accident. It was just something that I did because I liked to write and take photos with my daughter. I was a new mom and starting my blog Scout the City was an outlet for me.

Somehow it kind of turned into a career after BuzzFeed picked it up and they wrote an article on it. People started talking about it, and I thought, “Wait a minute, is this a job?” It just kind of fell into my lap.

It all ended up kind of working out for me, and I’ve kind of been manifesting along the way. I think that’s life, though, right? We may think we’re supposed to go on a certain path, but life is about learning along the way. I went to school as a biology pre-med major. I thought I was going to be a doctor. Sometimes you may think, “Wait a minute, I want to choose this path instead” and you’re so much happier because of it. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, and you have to be able to pivot and go with it. Looking back, I didn’t realize I would get to this point in my career, but I’m very, very happy I’m here.

I don’t think one should ever stop dreaming. I have so many goals. There’s always something that you can add, some goal that you can crush. There are a lot of brands that I’m still not working with that I would love to be involved with. I’ve been a longtime fan of Chanel. Miu Miu is also another big brand that I absolutely love. As someone who is a glam girl and loves to try all different types of hairstyles and things like that, I would love, love, love to create products in the hair space one day.

I also have this whole other completely different job that I’ve taken on that I’m very excited about with The Real Housewives of New York City. As someone who is a creator and in full control of my image and editing, I think the scariest thing about being on the show so far is allowing someone else to be in control of that. It’s a little bit intimidating and scary for me because I don’t know how everything will be perceived. But at the end of the day, I guess it’s like, what I give you is what you get. The most exciting part of filming the show is that it’s a nice change, I like to do things that scare me a little bit and this is something that I’m embracing. It’s a fun show, we’re entertaining and we’re going to give viewers tons of fashion. I think we’re putting RHONY back on the map and I’m excited to be part of this new cast. Right now, the sky’s the limit. I’m just going to ride this wave and see where it goes.

Attending shows during fashion month is always a full production with my team but I love that time of year. It’s tiring and exhausting, but there’s creativity behind it and at the end of the day, I love to create. Fashion is just my jam, it’s my personality, it’s the ability to wear your personality without having to say anything. I like to have fun. I don’t take myself too seriously. There are some behind- the-scenes moments where I’m literally changing in the back of a car. It’s not as glamorous as one might think, but I just love it. It’s sometimes a little chaotic and hectic but I’m here to make it look effortless.

— As told to Colleen Kratofil

Read GRAZIA USA’s Spring issue featuring cover star Lucy Boynton: