Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Tara Struss of New York, NY

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Tara Struss. Check out our conversation below.

Tara, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I’m most proud of building habits for myself little by little that only I can see that feel the difference of initially-and then maybe they show up to others overtime. Recently, in the past year, I was having some very challenging struggles with anxiety-and it’s probably not a coincidence that I had fallen off HARD with my daily mediation practice simultaneously. It’s funny how things like that can go hand in hand! Instead of letting the feelings of failure and disappointment that came with that realization linger, I just started picking it back up again-little by little. Now I haven’t missed a day of meditation in about 6 months! Some days are better than others, but I am only one that can really see how much confidence, self reliance and self respect that I am building because of it.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Absolutely! Born and raised in New Jersey, I’m now an official New Yorker after having been here for over a decade(!!!). Im a creative, passionate, curious person, and always looking to try new things. New York City has proven to be a perfect match to satiate my love of life and various pursuits. Singing, VoiceOver work, commercial modeling and content creation are ways I make a living but also ways that keep me feeling fulfilled. I’m still writing my story, and that makes life very exciting for me. I have a couple projects that I want to accomplish that I would love begin work on soon in fields I’ve never explored before too, so things feel full of possibility for me right now.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Wow this is such a great question-I love to think about things like this! I think for many years I beat myself up ALOT-from small everyday things to big life goals not being fulfilled (as of yet). But recently, I’ve realize that this not only gets me nowhere-because it doesn’t motivate me- it actually hinders me. I know it’s so corny but talking to yourself like you’re your own best friend or someone you love is so so important. Being able to recognize these thought patterns and work on changing them is a very powerful tool for self discovery and change. So releasing that version of myself and being able to be more encouraging to myself has been a real game changer for me. To circle it back to your earlier question, it’s the work we do on ourselves that no one can see that matters the most.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
You mean I have to pick just one?! Haha. Well, I think the fear of being seen has been the hardest for me to overcome, and frankly I’m still working on it. Some days it feels easier than others to be authentic and show up in ways that I know are right for me, and other days it’s such a struggle. But the more I do it the easier it gets, and action is really the only way out of it. Changing my perceptions about myself and to stop worrying what people will think is very difficult, but the more I shift out of those mindsets to easier it gets to do it on an ongoing basis.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think the biggest lies the industry tells itself-whether its music, VoiceOver, acting, etc-is that humans are replacable and replicable. There’s obviously been a huge shift in just the past few years for AI and various technologies to sweep in and “create” art faster and cheaper, but I truly believe the human component in anything creative is what makes it so special. Musicians playing together in a room to record, a fashion designer sketching and draping fabric, actors listening and playing off each other on camera-these things are magical and make life worth living and inspiring. I understand everyone wants to maximize profits and make things easier-but that doesn’t mean it will be better and frankly it makes everything feel so disposable to me. There’s a distinctive lack of soul that is tough to articulate for most people but we just can feel that something is missing. I really hope there will be a pendulum swing the other way.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop overthinking and just take more action, immediately, about almost everything. Honestly I should just do that anyway.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Erbert Chong

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?

Coffee? Workouts? Hitting the snooze button 14 times? Everyone has their morning ritual and we

Highlighter Series
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?

Our deepest wounds often shape us as much as our greatest joys. The pain we

Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than