Grace Wakelin on being a nepo baby and grabbing the opportunities that come her way
She’s the daughter of two of SA media’s brightest stars — and she’s made a startling admission on how it’s affected her.
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Nepo baby. It’s the term that every Hollywood celebrity seems to run and hide from.
The phrase, first coined on Twitter, refers to someone whose career is similar or related to the line of work their parents have been successful in.
It’s a label that 22-year-old Grace Wakelin is all too familiar with.
As the daughter of two of Adelaide’s best-known media identities, former radio host Rebecca Morse and ABC journalist James Wakelin, Grace had a foot in the door when it came to the industry her parents have devoted their lives to.
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You might say this makes her a perfect fit in the nepo baby category and she would whole-heartedly agree.
Grace, an outspoken, effortlessly cool Gen Zer will gladly tell anyone that she has had a “leg up” in the media space.
Over tropical juice and coconut iced matcha at her local Henley Beach hang spot, Nauti Buoy, Grace dishes on the often-contentious topic.
“I think it’s very silly to pretend like ‘oh I could have done this on my own’ and ‘if I didn’t have my mum, I still might have done it’,” Grace says.
“I am definitely at a point of privilege and it was way easier for me because of my mum’s connections and how hard she worked to build her platform from such a young age that I can now benefit from that.
“I am not necessarily more deserving or talented than anybody else, it’s the fact that I have been given opportunities … and the people that my name has been brought up around.”
Grace has recently launched her media career with the introduction of her podcast, In The Genes which she co-hosts with her mum.
The podcast launched in January and was a smash hit, even charting ahead of American influencer Alex Cooper’s grossly popular Call Her Daddy podcast.
“We hold on to that,” Grace smiles at the mention of this milestone.
The podcast is a real and raw display of Grace and Bec’s mother-daughter relationship with the pair often getting into disagreements while on air.
It’s this authenticity that keeps listeners coming back for more.
“I think the reason my mother and I butt heads so much is because we’re just cut from the exact same cloth,” Grace says.
“More and more people are living with their parents for longer, it’s a new dynamic and not one that my parents were not prepared for.
“I’m not the only person to fight with their parents, it is normal.”
As Grace reflects on her first taste of the media world, she admits she is hesitant to dive right in after seeing her mum’s experiences in what can be a cutthroat industry.
Bec was axed from her role at Network 10 in 2020 before heading into the radio industry where she hosted the breakfast show on SAFM for six years.
This journey came to a shock end last year.
“I have seen her work so hard since I was born,” Grace says.
“She started reading the news when I was two years old or something so I’ve seen her work so hard for my whole life and give everything to her career and sacrifice so many things.
“I think that was really hard just having an insight into how exhausted she would be at the end of the day and the fact that you can give everything to a career and it won’t necessarily give it back to you.”
The podcast has marked the start of a new chapter for both Grace and Bec with the experience bringing the pair closer together.
Their weekly episodes have delved into a range of topics from holiday romances, to underwear choices and breakdowns.
It has also revealed their varying experiences as working women from different generations.
“(Before this interview) my mum was like: ‘Make sure you come across humble, make sure you don’t come across too highly of yourself’ and I was just like: ‘Why?’,” Grace says.
“I think because for her if she ever came across a bit full of herself it would be detrimental to her career and I think hopefully there’s a bit of a shift in that we’re allowing women to recognise their achievements, recognise their talent and not downplay themselves as a way of being more palatable (or) being more accepted.
“I have definitely been described my whole life as a lot, sometimes too much but I don’t think that’s possible.
“I feel like you can’t be too much of anything too good – I don’t think you can be too happy or too excited or too nice.”
While juggling the podcast, Grace is completing a degree in physiotherapy at Flinders University which she will graduate from at the end of next year.
She is also an avid traveller and at the time of this interview was one week out from flying overseas for summer in Europe.
It is clear that Grace has the world at her feet, and she is eager to fill her 20s and beyond with as many adventures as possible.
She looks at life like a candy bar of opportunities and she is excited to try everything on offer.
“I feel like there are so many things that I haven’t done,” Grace says.
“I like having eggs in lots of different baskets because I feel like life is boring otherwise.
“I can’t see myself graduating and that’s just what I do for like the next 60 years.”
She says that this outlook is heavily influenced by her status as a Gen Z woman and the fact that you no longer “have to rely on a man to do certain things”.
While this may be an exciting prospect, she admits it is not always easy to articulate her modern take to others.
“(Gen Z) have so much more choice but it is harder to explain to people … I think like my parents particularly, my mum, just worked hard and she’s progressed in her career and trying to explain to her I don’t really want that for myself (is hard),” she says.
“I don’t really have that drive to be successful, I think I see success as something different … as just being happy.”
Grace is also a big sister, the eldest of three and says the influence of her parents and their occupations was felt in their family home since day dot.
“I love writing and I love words and reading … and I think that’s because my parents, they worked in the same industry so we were always growing up around them talking about things and I think they would have these really intelligent conversations around us as kids,” she says.
“My parents are also really progressive, they brought us up to care about things in the world and to stick up for people.”
Grace says she is constantly inspired by strong females with inspirations outside of her family including British author, Dolly Alderton.
“She is just so intelligent, witty, funny, unmarried, which I love,” she says.
“I just feel like there are not that many inspirations like her, I love her.”
Throughout our conversation, Grace regularly speaks in references, comparing situations in her life to her favourite TV shows, movies and celebrity icons.
Sarah Jessica-Parker’s infamous portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw comes up on more than one occasion with Grace saying her sisters often compare her to the Sex and the City character.
“(Carrie) is a bit embarrassing, she’s a bit of a hot mess but I’ll take it,” Grace says.
“I don’t believe in embarrassment.”
You only need to take one look at her Instagram to realise that Grace has style, which she says is heavily influenced by the TV diva.
So, obviously, we had to talk about fashion.
She’s a huge fan of thrifting and shopping sustainably, with her room filled with mismatched pieces.
“I don’t really see myself as a creative person but I feel like through my fashion and through my style is where I get that outlet to do that,” Grace says.
“I think fashion comes hand-in-hand with identity … like in (the film) The Devil Wears Prada.
“I think fashion, no matter whether you’re conscious of it or not, does reflect your sense of self and your identity …(and) that’s how I feel about myself.”
While she may not be interested in putting herself in a box or committing to a single life path, Grace looks to her future with excitement.
Talking about the next five years is not a scary topic for her as she plans to fill this phase of her life with plenty of travel and hopefully an overseas relocation.
“Ideally, (my) dream life is, (working as a) physio part time and I actually love creative direction … I love being behind the camera,” Grace says.
“I guess I am really grateful to have so many options. My parents are so supportive and I am so grateful.”
So is Grace Wakelin a nepo baby? Yes, sure. But is she also one to watch? Absolutely.
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