Kiara Harris - The Facade Project
Kiara harris
Kiara Harris is the inspiration and force behind The Facade Project - a podcast that is breaking down the facades and showing that all that glitters isn’t gold. After moving to Los Angeles Kiara felt lost and distracted from her passions and purpose. Like so many of us, she found herself comparing herself to an image of happiness and perfection she saw on social media. In many ways she was living a facade herself, and she knew it was time to break out of that cycle. Enter The Facade Project - a platform created from Kiara’s own struggles, awareness, and passion.
So many of us portray a certain image of who we are on social media, and it’s easy to get trapped in this cycle of acting like we always have it together. Kiara is on a mission to move past the highlight reel and instead own the truth of who we are. There is so much power in being upfront about who we are and what we’re experiencing. When we lead with our authenticity, everything changes for the better. We begin to feel more comfortable in our skin, we form genuine connections, and we can continue to show up in our lives in beautiful and profound ways. Through the platform Kiara’s created, she’s doing just that.
Kiara was also one of my very first guests on the podcast (episode 11! Check out here episode here!) and I’m so excited for you all to learn more about Kiara, The Facade Project, and to follow along as she continues to follow her joys and passions, and inspire those around her every step of the way.
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
Hello, my name is Kiara Harris! I work in Reality TV by day and am the Founder and Host of The Facade Project by night.
The Facade project is a Podcast that aims to show that all that glitters isn't gold! In this digital age where we are consistently showcasing our highlight reels and posting these "facades" of us living our best lives, breaking down who we really are becomes more important than ever before! We need to quit acting like we have everything together, stop comparing our journey to others, and most importantly, OWN our truth.
Through conversation, my guests open up about what it's like living and working in Los Angeles, California, speak on how they get through the toughest times and break down their fronts to show how they are "facing it until they make it" on their journey to success.
How did you get started?
I started The Facade Project about a year after moving to out to Los Angeles in October 2017. I thought the format up, (interview style podcast) and wrote out a plan about 2 months before releasing the very first episode. I Googled everything, listened to a ton of podcasts beforehand to get an idea of what my style should be and bought a yeti mic. I started reaching out to close friends at first and then kind of branched out from there. My mom told me to start asking my guests to refer me to other dope creatives I could interview so that really helped and then it was also easy to pitch the podcast to people through social media too and I just stayed pretty consistent with it because I knew that's how it would grow.
What inspired the work that you're doing?
The Facade Project was really inspired by two things. My passion for helping people, and realizing how toxic social media can be. The podcast really stemmed from my own struggles with being honest with what I was going through and how I was feeling in my adjustment to LA and I often turned to social media as a way to cope and feel better about myself through the likes and instant gratification I received....which didn't work. When I moved out to LA I definitely had that destination happiness syndrome where I thought California would be this dream come true! All of my friends and family back home thought everything was going great and I was "living my best life" when the truth was I wasn't happy at all. I had a hard time adjusting, I had no friends, no family and no familiarity out here and was a bit lost in my purpose, my passion and my reason for moving here altogether. When I snapped myself out of the deep rabbit hole social media took me and stopped posting just to post and focused on my strengths and self-worth, I started to find my truth, my purpose and passion again. The other side of the story is I always had people reaching out to me... asking how I did it or how I made the move and they were so curious about LA and the lifestyle and the industry I was in. Instead of constantly repeating myself, I thought of a way to draw in the masses and show them a behind-the-scenes look into my life and into the lives of other creatives in hopes that it would inspire people to move out to LA and fight for their dreams as well.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
My biggest passion is showing people the realm of possibilities. To really help individuals believe in themselves and realize that everything we want is on the other side of fear is really fulfilling. I feel like I put passion and purpose behind everything that I do in my life. I am passionate and purpose fueled when recording my podcast episodes, I find purpose in being a good friend and sister and daughter and girlfriend and I think constantly reminding myself to live in the moment has helped me a lot in regards to passion and purpose. Putting that passionate energy towards my job and side project on the daily builds upon my purpose in this lifetime.
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
My joy blueprint is to live every moment, every hour, every day like it's my last because it honestly could be! I find joy in the small things like a letter from a friend, a compliment from a stranger or a walk on the beach. I think I feel most alive right now in my life when I am recording with a guest, I just feel like I am in my element and adding value. I think seeking joy should be a daily task which is why I love YOUR platform so much :)
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
I live intentionally by reminding myself of my why!! Why did I move out of my comfort zone to try and succeed in LA, why did I even start a podcast, why did I get out of bed this morning.... really answering that question of why every single day is so important because if you don't know your why anymore, you might start to lose your sense of self. As far as tools/resources/practices that help me to stay grounded, I would say working out is a big stress reliever for me and spending time with my close friends and going to church. To believe in something bigger than you and to trust that God has a purpose for my life is really reassuring and helps me to stay mindful/grounded. I also love listening to other podcasts and reading books that center around purpose and side hustles and dreams that constantly inspire me to remember to focus on this little journey of mine.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
I'd like to think that my younger self would be super proud of the woman that I am today. I wrote down in my journal in my early 20's that I would be living in California and working towards my goals in Entertainment at some point and I successfully made that happen way before I thought I would. I never knew I would be where I am today and actually thriving and handling life's crazy twists and turns and learning and growing exponentially. To completely grow into myself by the age of 24 (I feel I am a late bloomer but everybody learns on their on time) and to know that I have such a long way to go still when it comes to personal and professional growth is really exciting.
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
Right now my mantra or really daily reminder is to stop turning pebbles into boulders. I get overwhelmed very easily and sometimes panic over the smallest of situations and so remembering not to blow things out of proportion and take it one day at a time is very important. My main mantra is to speak your dreams into existence!
What is your biggest dream?
My biggest dream is to have a talk show where the biggest names in the world and those deemed "successful" talk openly and honestly about the struggles they continue to go through even at the top.
To learn more about Kiara and The Facade Project you can connect with her on her website www.breakthefacades.com and on Instagram @thefacadeproject and Facebook @breakthefacades and Twitter @breakthefacades and check out The Facade Project on iTunes here
Joy Corner is a new interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here