Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kira Ayla Friedman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kira Ayla, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
As a young child, I always despised injustice. Discrimination and inequality was rampant in both my community and societal environments. Many times I felt powerless, as I witnessed people in my inner circle being treated cruelly and unfairly. The words, the derogatory terms, the jokes, the microaggressions, and the phrases that were often said were awful and upsetting to hear. When I gained the courage to speak up, I was immediately put in my place, which hurt me very badly and shattered my self-esteem. I felt angry and voiceless. Other traumas soon followed, and due to my broken confidence, I became a target for bullies at school.
I felt powerless over the circumstances in my life, and as a form of therapy, I began playing the violin. Music was always a part of my life, as I had played the piano for about five years before picking up the violin. Playing the violin was a light that gave me solace in the chaos. And I would say it led me to great places. I was accepted into one of the top youth orchestras in my state and I got to play Carnegie Hall. A few years later, I was being prepared by a top teacher from Juilliard to attend the school and study with her there.
Unfortunately, the traumas soon caught up with me, and my musical dreams, goals, and aspirations were shattered right in front of me. Watching my mother being treated unequally as a woman in my environment, which caused her to give up her dreams, broke my spirit. Feeling powerless, I knew that something needed to change. I also knew that my mother and I weren’t alone, and that many people with dreams such as ours were being hindered and blocked as a result of these injustices in our world.
Eventually, my mother found the courage and the strength to remove us from these toxic situations in our lives. A few months after we were free from those circumstances, we both came together and found the same purpose. My mother wanted to speak up for those who were silenced as well as I, and we created our movement It’s OVER. End Discrimination NOW.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am the co-founder of the movement It’s OVER. End Discrimination NOW. I created this movement with my mother, and the goal of our movement is to end discrimination and inequality in the world. These unjust practices infiltrate our world on a daily basis. Human rights are being violated daily, and people’s dreams, goals, and aspirations are being blocked simply because of who they are and who they love. We need to end this in our world once and for all, and to live in a world where hope overtakes hate. Our future generations deserve to be born into a much happier world, and I hope that this movement will help make that wish a reality. It’s my hope that every baby, toddler, child, teen, and adult’s voice is heard, valued, and accepted for exactly who they are, who they desire to be, and the dreams they want to accomplish in their lifetime.
After several months in the making, I am very excited that our website is almost ready to launch!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
One of the areas of knowledge that was the most impactful on my journey was that I learned to always listen to my intuition, as it never lies. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s because it most likely isn’t right. A lot of times, our intuitions try to warn us that something is wrong or that something is off, but we end up not understanding or listening, and therefore, we can end up overlooking the red flags and making the wrong choices. Listening to your intuition can pay off big in the long run, and it can save you from many years of loss, heartache, and grief. Listening to your intuition can also guide you towards making the right choices in your life. Using your intuition can take a lifetime of practice and skill. It is usually not something that is developed overnight, but rather is usually something that is developed through experience. The more experiences you learn from in life, the more you will develop your intuitive radar. Meditating, journaling, and being in tune with your feelings about a certain situation or person can also help you be more in sync with your intuition as well.
Another area of knowledge that was the most impactful on my journey was to always be prepared. If you aren’t prepared at the right time or the right place, a life-changing opportunity could pass you by as a result. You can start developing this skill through constantly working, improving your craft, and most importantly, finding a way to show something for it whether it is by making a website, having a portfolio, creating a sizzle reel, developing a presence on social media, and more.
Lastly, I learned that communication is key. Miscommunication with others can potentially lead to a lot of unnecessary discord, chaos, and fights. I learned to always say what you mean and mean what you say, so it lessens the chance of others misinterpreting what you are trying to say and jumping to false conclusions. It’s also important to communicate with others when something is wrong and to tell them how you feel. You can practice this skill by developing the courage to be an advocate for yourself and speak up if you feel like something is unfair or wrong. You can practice communicating more clearly to others by not leaving things implied or using vague words/sentences that are open for interpretation. This is a skill that you will most likely work on throughout your life.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
I would say my biggest area of growth in the past twelve months was picking up the violin and playing again after leaving it behind for four years. I had stopped playing the violin as a result of the damaging effects the toxicity in my environment had on myself, my violin playing, and my dreams. No matter how hard I was working, everything was falling apart, including all the things that mattered most to me. A couple days before the beginning of 2024, I found the courage to pick up the very instrument, which was once a colorful light in my life, that caused me pain and grief in the end. Picking up the violin after four years of it being packed away in its case meant having to face my failures, traumas I tried to runaway from, and wondering if I would ever sound good again. It was scary. It was also scary that the musical notes I was hearing sounded a bit distorted. For example, the note C would sound like a C# and the note G would sound like a G#. This felt terrifying because it left me wondering if hearing distorted notes would hurt my ability to play in tune. Not to mention the fact that I was quite rusty on the violin as expected.
I began to play the violin a little bit on my own very slowly, and when I felt more comfortable, I began playing some of my favorite pieces/tunes that have a special place in my heart.
Also, my dream website, which has now been in the works for several months, should finally be coming out soon, and I cannot wait to share it with the world!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/itsover_endnow?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554483174267&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@itsover.enddiscrimination?si=4AMvGbXfAHcgvaCB
Image Credits
Julie Dassaro Photography
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