Our Story
NINETEEN Lifestyle Magazine was created with a simple belief: every story matters, and every person deserves the freedom to become who they were meant to be. What began as a vision for a magazine has grown into a platform where lifestyle, culture, mindset, purpose, and real stories come together to inspire meaningful conversations and authentic living.
But the name NINETEEN carries a story of its own.
For founder and editor KeKe Chanel, the number 19 has been woven through some of life's most defining moments. She became a mother for the first time at nineteen. Her daughter entered the world at 11:19 p.m. Years later, her son was born on December 19 at 3:19 a.m. The number became connected to love, family, growth, and the moments that helped shape the woman she was becoming.
Nineteen also carries the weight of loss. In 2020, KeKe's bonus daughter, Ryan, passed away at the age of nineteen. Her life added an even deeper meaning to a number that had already become profoundly personal.
Today, NINETEEN represents more than a number. It represents Life. Love. Loss. Becoming. Legacy. It is a reminder that our stories—the beautiful chapters and the difficult ones—have the power to shape us without defining our limits.
Through every issue, NINETEEN creates space for people to be seen, voices to be heard, and stories to live beyond the page. Because this magazine was never created simply to be read.
It was created to mean something.
More than a magazine. A story rooted in purpose.
THE STORY BEHIND NINETEEN
MEET THE FOUNDER
KeKe Chanel
Founder & Editor, NINETEEN Lifestyle Magazine
KeKe Chanel is an award-winning author, certified mindset and personal growth coach, media entrepreneur, podcast host, and storyteller whose work is rooted in the power of words, personal transformation, and authentic connection. A native of Greensburg, Louisiana, KeKe’s love for storytelling began early and grew into a career that has spanned independent publishing, lifestyle writing, coaching, podcasting, workshops, and creative media. After studying psychology at Southeastern Louisiana University, she continued building a path centered on helping others recognize their potential, shift their mindset, and move intentionally toward the lives they desire.
In 2020, KeKe founded P.U.S.H. Life Coaching, expanding her work in personal growth and mindset. Her lifestyle platform later evolved into a weekly live show and, in 2022, became Kickin’ It With KeKe: Life, Love, & Mindset, a podcast built around honest conversations about the experiences that shape who we are and who we are becoming.
In January 2024, KeKe expanded that vision again with the launch of NINETEEN Lifestyle Magazine. As Founder and Editor, she has cultivated NINETEEN into a platform where compelling stories, diverse voices, culture, lifestyle, mindset, and purpose meet—creating space for people not only to be featured, but to be seen, heard, and remembered.
Today, KeKe continues to create across publishing, podcasting, coaching, and media with one common thread connecting it all: stories have the power to change the way we see ourselves, one another, and what is possible.
Our Mission
NINETEEN Lifestyle Magazine exists to create space for stories that matter, voices that deserve to be heard, and conversations that inspire people to live, grow, and become with intention.
Through lifestyle, culture, mindset, wellness, inspiration, and authentic storytelling, we celebrate the experiences that connect us while honoring the individuality that makes every story unique.
Our mission is to go beyond beautiful pages. We aim to create a platform where people feel seen, heard, inspired, and empowered—where stories spark conversation, perspectives create connection, and every issue leaves something meaningful behind.
Because at NINETEEN, every story matters.