Yana Marks: Doing It Her Own Way

Yana Marks joins Kia Jonasson on The Blume Edit for an unfiltered chat about Love Island Australia 2025, her viral rise as Sydney Plumber Chick, building Trade Chicks while she was locked inside the villa, and the moment her ex-boyfriend Kai walked in as a bombshell — only for the two of them to walk out winning the whole thing together.Yana opens up about the fear of "sexualising the trade," finishing her plumbing apprenticeship before stepping into reality TV, the communication breakthrough that saved her relationship with Kai, the night she nearly packed her bags, and the cease-and-desist drama that nearly took down her brand launch before she’d even left the villa.She also gets honest about confidence, Botox, the surgery wishlist conversation, the brutal reality of being treated like "a poster" instead of a person, and why she’ll always be an advocate for women in trades — even now that her life looks a little less dirty boots and a little more glam.If you watched Love Island AU 2025 and have questions — this is the one.HOSTED BY: Kia Jonasson, founder of Blume AestheticsBook a treatment: https://blumeaesthetics.comFollow Blume: https://www.instagram.com/blumeaestheticsFollow Yana Marks: https://www.instagram.com/yana.marksFollow Sydney Plumber Chick: https://www.instagram.com/sydneyplumberchickShop Trade Chicks: https://www.instagram.com/tradechicksSUBSCRIBE for new episodes every week — unfiltered, unscripted, and unapologetic.Timestamps / Chapters(0:00) Intro & welcome Yana Marks(1:18) How "Sydney Plumber Chick" was born during COVID(4:50) Saying yes to Love Island & the fear of sexualising the trade(7:30) Finishing the apprenticeship & walking into the villa(11:00) The shock moment: her ex Kai walks in as a bombshell(13:30) Trapped with your ex 24/7: why communication won(16:15) The hardest moment & nearly leaving on Kai’s birthday(19:00) Two versions of Yana: tradie vs. on-camera(22:10) Pressure to change & doing surgery on your own terms(26:00) Beauty & dealing with the haters(28:10) Building Trade Chicks (and the cease & desist drama)(33:10) Misconceptions, wildest DMs & where to follow YanaKey TakeawaysBuild for love, not clout — Yana grew Sydney Plumber Chick because she genuinely loved her job, and authenticity is what made it stick.Communication is the relationship glue — the villa became Yana and Kai’s accidental couples therapy, and it’s the only reason they’re still together.Going on reality TV is a calculated risk — understand the public exposure and backlash before you sign up; brand deals are not guaranteed.Confidence isn’t cocky — there’s a clear difference between loving yourself and being arrogant, and women shouldn’t be punished for the former.Reality TV stars are still people — being treated like "a poster" is the unglamorous side of fame nobody talks about.Evolution isn’t betrayal — you can pivot industries (trades to beauty/fashion) without abandoning who you are or the community you built.Always finish what you start — Yana refused to go on the show until her apprenticeship was signed off, protecting her long-term career options.Building a business in a media blackout is brutal — the Trade Chicks cease-and-desist hit while Yana was inside the villa with zero contact to the outside world.Women in trades deserve more visibility — representation matters, and brands that actually serve tradie women are still rare.