Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kiara Belen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kiara, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The fashion industry is one that will test your self-awareness and emotional intelligence in ways that many others won’t. So often, I see models fall victim to the standards, false promises, and hope that they will become the next supermodel. Victims lack the guidance, mentorship, and tools that would allow them to actually be successful in this industry. My mission is to be the guide, the mentor, and provide the tools needed to thrive in this industry and in life around it as well. The industry has drastically changed and is changing still. To understand where your opportunities are and how to capitalize on them is half the battle. The other half is a beautiful journey of self-discovery that I feel honored and grateful to be a part of. The Fashion Life Tour is breaking down the walls of industry standards and facilitating a new wave of fashion, art, and discovery in a global way. Bringing amateur models and performers to the big stages and creating celebrity studded productions acts as a perfect platform for our talent to grow themselves and their network. The Fashion Life Tour is an all women-owned business that was built on a foundation of integrity and authenticity. It is extremely important to me that we keep that company culture and can be felt at every single one of our events. It’s a vibe!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was the runner-up for America’s Next Top Model cycle 19. I also played basketball for the University of California, Irvine. This background gave me an interesting approach to creating my model program and overall business. Runway quickly became my most recognizable skill by Tyra Banks and the world after. With my love for coaching and mentorship, I knew I wanted to help young girls chase their dreams in the healthiest way possible. Part of the reason I feel I strive the most, goes back to my athlete’s mentality. This gave me more a strategic lens in which to view the industry, rather than emotional one. I have implemented these ideologies in my curriculum, which would include John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, a legendary basketball coach. The crossover of life lessons learned as an athlete has really helped me thrive in many other areas, including modeling. I’m most proud of all my students who have grown into such incredible and quite impressive individuals. I couldn’t be more grateful for the work I get to do and lives I get to touch.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My story of resilience has been out for the world to see when it aired on America’s Next Top Model. But to recap and then summarize, I grew up in an extremely physically and emotionally abusive household. I ran away at the age of 16 and faced many difficulties such as homelessness, and basic struggles of survival. As the eldest of seven children, with a resilient spirit, I worked hard to earn a full basketball scholarship to one of the top universities in the country. After playing for 4 years, I was invited to compete on America’s Next Top Model and placed second. I was able to travel the world modeling and singing with some of the biggest names in the industry. The moral of the story is, there was plenty of times I wanted to quit, break down, and give up… PLENTY. But if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to see all my dreams come true.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the lesson that I wasn’t worthy. How is this instilled? Well so many of us actually struggle with this. It stems from a very early time in life when your voice didn’t matter, your feelings weren’t relevant and/or annoying, and your overall sense of being just wasn’t safe. Maybe there was a lot of guilting and shaming going on, but for whatever reason, you just end up feeling bad to even breath or exist. As if somehow the space you’re taking up is too much, so you try and get a little smaller. Always apologizing for no reason, ect.. The backstory is, that was my. childhood. After much therapy and shadow work, that is no longer my narrative. I am healed and oh so worthy baby!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thefashionlifetour.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekiarabelen/reels/

Image Credits
Spencer Oliphant Alessandro Levati