Daily Inspiration: Meet Rianna DeHart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rianna DeHart.

Hi Rianna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up, I was known as the drama queen in my family. Always performing, sometimes fake crying of course since I’m the little sister (aka my original actor training and basically my foundation for crying on cue). I loved trying out film camp during elementary school and theatre camp during middle school summers. Having to put together an entire show in one week where I had to memorize a 2 hour play and 6 songs as well as help on stage crew excited me so much! I held onto my love for performing as I got older, but never let myself fully embrace it until college.

My freshman year of college, at The University of Kansas, I took an Acting 1 class and then immediately added a theater minor. In college, I acted in multiple short films, performed live in university theater productions, and started working professionally in Kansas City. In addition to acting, I started my own podcast called “Your Journaling Partner” my senior year which I produced through my school’s radio station KJHK 90.7. Acting helped me find my voice and creating a podcast showed me my persistence. With these new discoveries, I decided post-grad was the perfect time to chase my dreams.

After I graduated college, I took a big risk and I moved to Atlanta all by myself. I started taking acting classes, discovered my love for improv, and independently started up my podcast again. Through classes, I met a great network of friends and we started creating our own projects. Why wait for opportunities when you can create your own amazing projects? This led me to producing a short film, “The Shadow I Run From”, which is currently in post-production. I love how many creative roles I have gotten to try and have discovered that I love! It’s been so fun exploring acting in Atlanta, podcast hosting, and producing, and I’m excited to continue growing in these fields.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Navigating post-grad has been a rollercoaster. Lots of ups and downs, a couple loops I wasn’t expecting, but overall an exciting ride. When I moved to Atlanta, I immediately started working a full-time nanny job to pay rent. About a year later, I was still working a full-time job and barely made progress in the entertainment industry. The money was good, I was comfortable, but I could’ve been doing this job anywhere. I could’ve been working back home and saving even more money. I could’ve stayed near friends and family. I wasn’t really pursuing what I initially came out here to do. That’s when I realized I needed to let myself live my dream to really see what career is right for me. So I decided to save up my money and quit my job.

A few months later, I was unemployed and making my own work. I had time to release podcast episodes consistently, I had time to focus on finding a talent agent and signing with The Avenue Agency, and I had enough time to commit to the many aspects of producing. I love that I got to focus on my creative skills and learned that project management is a great fit for me. I’m currently finding a balance in life that will make me feel secure financially and creatively, but taking that first jump taught me something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I am capable. With time and energy, I can put my mind to something and thrive. I’m so grateful that I’ve learned this lesson so early in life, because I now know that letting yourself try something new will bring you one step closer to fully understanding yourself and how you want to live your life.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an actor, podcast host, and producer. I love being in front of the camera and I love that I’m now comfortable behind the scenes too. These roles have made me resilient, creative, and reliable. I’m proud of my ambition to create my own opportunities. I now have several published podcast episodes and short films that I can look back on and say “I helped make that happen”. Each of those are huge accomplishments for me. I love making my podcast, “Your Journaling Partner”, which I think sets me apart from others. I wanted to create a safe space for people who wanted an accountability person for journaling and/or self-growth, because I know it can be easy to not prioritize self care and reflection. Journaling has always given me mental clarity and I wanted to give that to others. Plus there are so many things to journal about and so many ways to journal, which means there are endless topics to yap about on a podcast. Now I’m continuing to produce new projects and creating a short film that I can act in as well in order to tie my two passions together. I’m excited to see what’s in store for me next!

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
There are two pieces of advice that I’d like to share. First, nobody is an overnight success. Ever since I was in high school, I would compare myself to others and it just got worse as I got older because I was so focused on being the best or most successful that I forgot to enjoy the present. Growing up in a world with social media, we consume so much media. When we only see someone’s highlights, like an artist going viral or someone earning their PhD, it feels like they had a perfect journey. Just know that the new artist you saw go viral has probably been making music for several years, working on their craft. The highlight you saw of someone graduating also meant they probably had lots of late nights studying. Everyone is on their own journey and will find a path that is right for them on their own timeline, so you don’t need to spend too much time overthinking your own progress. It’s just like watching grass grow. If you sit and watch it, you can’t see the change. Live life and reach for your goals one day at a time.

My other piece of advice is that I think everyone should move away from their hometown for at least one year. This could be for college or with your besties in your 20s or for a new job in your 40s. There’s not a specific year that you have to move or a certain way that you have to do it, but I think it’s important to experience this at least once in your life. You will learn so much about yourself! Even if you discover that this new town isn’t the right fit, you just learned something new instead of always saying “what if”! You’ll learn how to live on your own, how to balance more responsibilities, how to meet new people in your adulthood, how to feel comfortable in a room when you don’t know anyone yet, what lifestyle is right for you, and so much more. Allowing yourself to live in uncertainty and discomfort will help you become your strongest self.

We only get one life, so enjoy every moment!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Personal acct: @riannadehart ; Podcast acct: @yourjournalingpartner ; Current short film acct: @tsirfshort
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rianna-dehart-82a194415
• Other: Podcast Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/6TbVg3TooddTNd8Tolgd0Y?si=5eccc4a0d9a44ddf