Corporate Natalie Shares Her #1 Workplace Ick

In Chill Chat, Bustle sits down with celebrities and influencers to talk about all things wellness, from daily routines to hacks for getting a good night’s sleep. Here, TikTok creator Natalie Marie, aka Corporate Natalie, shares her daily routine, her go-to bedtime habit, and her biggest workplace pet peeve.

Corporate Natalie, the queen of work-from-home jokes, has been growing her social media following since she first went viral in 2020 for her career-related humor. “The day I downloaded TikTok, I made a video and said to my friends, ‘I'm going to be famous.’ And they were like, ‘Shut up, Natalie. There's no chance,’” the 27-year-old tells Bustle.

What began as a fun side project poking fun at the WFH era quickly became her “Corporate Natalie” persona that highlights the weirdness of work life, office culture, email lingo, the horror of receiving constructive criticism, and realizing you do, in fact, have to turn on your Zoom camera. There are other characters in her social media multiverse, too, like the co-worker with a walking pad, the overdressed new hire, and the friend who doesn’t get Sunday Scaries — people you might have come across in your own career.

By 2022, the creator left her senior manager position at Palo Alto Networks to work on her social media account full-time. Now, Natalie has over 2 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, she’s the co-host of the Demoted podcast alongside Ross “Corp” Pomerantz, and she works on big brand deals, like her recent collaboration with Suja Organic, which offers cold-pressed juices, protein shakes, immunity shots, and more.

Corporate Natalie videos may get millions of views, but IRL the creator says she makes a concerted effort to stay grounded: she lives with three roommates in San Francisco and watches reality TV dating shows on the regular.

Below, Natalie shares her coffee order, go-to workout, and her best tip for feeling productive while working from home.

How do you start your morning?

I wake up around 6 a.m. I’ll drink a Suja immunity shot, take my supplements, and then go on a walk. Sometimes it's on my walking pad, sometimes it's outside, and sometimes it’s at the airport — so you might see me pacing around the terminal when I’m traveling. I also always take a shower and listen to a news podcast, like The Daily.

What workouts are you into right now?

I preach 10,000 steps a day. I don’t always hit it, but that’s my guiding light. I also love Pilates and Barry's Bootcamp to mix it up. 2020 Natalie would be pissed at myself if I didn't go to Barry's six days a week, but now I realize it’s all about balance. A walk or a lower-impact Pilates class counts as a workout, and I'm proud of myself for just showing up.

Are you a coffee person?

Caffeine is a constant, but what I want is always changing. I’ll have a pumpkin spice, peppermint, or a vanilla sweet cream. It's embarrassing when someone's like, "Can I grab you a coffee? What do you want?" because my orders are always so specific.

How do you stay productive while working from home?

I have to get dressed. I find it helpful for me to get up and put on an outfit and a swipe of mascara.

What’s your biggest corporate pet peeve?

Corporate lingo. Mansplaining is also up there.

Do you carry a water bottle everywhere you go?

Oh, my emotional support water bottle? Yes, it's attached to my hip. I actually just left for the airport and had to leave my bottle behind, and it was an emotional goodbye.

What’s your go-to trick for getting a good night’s sleep?

Three nights a week I'm committed to charging my phone in my office. I love my nightly serotonin-boost scroll, so it’s daunting to try to fall asleep without it. But on those nights I’ll sit in bed alone with my thoughts and try to unwind naturally.

That does sound scary. Do you actually sleep better on those nights?

According to the data on my Oura Ring, yes.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.