“Hi girls, it’s Zoe…” streams through an iPhone speaker while scrolling through TikTok. It’s a familiar voice—it belongs to PWHL star Zoe Boyd. But this isn’t how fans usually hear from her. Typically, she’s sweaty, post-game, sitting at a podium speaking to the media. Here, she’s vulnerable: her hockey pads are off, skates nowhere in sight, and she’s in front of a camera showing her outfit to the world.
Boyd decided to step out of her comfort zone and share parts of herself off the ice on social media. Her agent recommended posting on social media to grow her brand and image.
She decided to give it a try.
Boyd is used to being in front of a camera. As a professional women’s hockey player with the Boston Fleet, she has spent years in media conferences and on television. But off the ice, sharing a personal side of herself was a new challenge. At first, she didn’t know what to post.
A longtime fan of fashion, Boyd noticed her feed was filled with people doing “fit checks,” so she decided to try it.
“It was the most comfortable for me, so I kind of leaned into that,” Boyd told The Hockey News. “I just have fun with it now. I’ll keep trying to make them as long as people like watching and I like buying new clothes—it’s a good excuse to get stuff.”
Her TikTok account, @mamaaintraise, has over 55,000 followers and 1.6 million likes. Each outfit video begins with Boyd addressing the “girls” and then showcasing her outfit for the day. She’s incorporated friends, family, and teammates into the videos.
Other PWHL players, like Emma Maltais and Emma Buckles, have appeared alongside her, with Maltais even participating in an outfit video.
Not every video focuses on fashion. As Boyd has grown more comfortable on the platform, she’s shared other aspects of her life. Her videos now include pregame walk-ins, thrift hauls, and clips with her cat, Sam.
Her social presence off the ice has expanded beyond TikTok. She recently launched a podcast, No Straight Answers, to showcase even more of her life outside hockey.
Although it was uncomfortable at first, Boyd has built a digital following and reflected on the experience:
“It’s important to show the fans who you are and what you like outside of just hockey.”