Influencer Merlyn Oliver Honors Brooklyn—and her Health

Maven may mean expert, but don’t let the name Bklyn Mavens (@bklynmavens) lead you to believe its creators claim to know everything about the city. In fact, Merlyn Oliver and her creative partner, Lauren Riley, say their 50,000 followers are Brooklyn experts, too.

Friends since high school, Oliver and Riley created a social media platform to promote their borough. They highlight business owners, promote events, and share tips and insights into their favorite spots, like Hibiscus Brew, a Jamaican-owned smoothie shop loved for its natural products. Oliver, who was born in Jamaica, says there aren’t a lot of healthy food and beverage options in Black communities.

The health-conscious creative professional is mindful of her physical and mental well-being, which includes ensuring that she has health care coverage. As a self-employed content producer, Oliver says independent creative professionals like herself don’t always feel like they can afford health insurance. But her mother was a health care professional, and both of her parents have diabetes and other health conditions that require regular monitoring, so insurance has long been a priority. Oliver became a MetroPlusHealth member when she lost her job during the pandemic, and she says her coverage gives her the peace of mind to focus on her career.

“Having health insurance is amazing because I can afford it.” She says the savings from having low-cost insurance allows her to “use that money towards other things like my camera, some apps that I need to download for editing, and also for travel. It makes my life a little less stressful knowing that I can worry about other things, such as clients and making sure I’m meeting my deadlines.” Here’s more on Oliver.