The Extraordinary Principles of Kiara Streater

From great obstacles can emerge a greater being, Kiara Streater is one individual who fits this description because she has overcome to become the powerhouse she is today. Our SHEEN readers were introduced to Kiara in November of 2020. She told her touching story about how a tragic car accident left her to start at ground zero. Like a phoenix, she reclaimed her life with the help of her husband, Julius, and both of their families. Kiara and I had a chance to talk about motherhood, what it’s really like as a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, and much more! Grab your favorite soothing drink and dive into the legendary story, Kiara Streater!

“We went through a phase where my husband was like, ‘Okay, you’ve gone through feeling sorry for yourself, and it’s time for you to fight. We gotta fight through it.’” As someone who hadn’t experience illness, Streater’s experience was a drastic change in her life. In the spring of 2018, Kiara was in a terrible accident, leaving her with a serious brain injury – causing her to begin speech therapy and regain memories. She used her principles of faith and the foundation of family to mold what recovery would look like.

Now, this modern-day superwoman carries those principles with her. She runs Certified Minority Enterprise and Extraordinary Headhunters LLC, a full-service staffing and marketing company, which recently opened three operations in Colorado Springs, Seattle, and Denver, CO. “It has been a beautiful lesson on every. It’s so amazing how you can take a negative situation and turn it positive. With having my personal cheerleaders’ support, we’ve been able to open in major markets and provide career opportunities. My husband is my business partner, so we’ve been able to see our hard work pay off. My mother runs our north region, and my mother-in-law runs all of North and South Carolina. It’s just all funny how they were there to push us, and now we’re able to give and love on them because we believe one hand washes the other. Every time we’ve been blessed, we reach out to the community to give back. It’s a beautiful blessing to overcome something so traumatic and turn it into this global overnight sensation.”

Just as Kiara was diving into this topic, her own community filed into the house with so much to love to give. Her mini troop includes 2-year-old Kareem, 4-year-old Julius Jr., and 6-year-old Imani; you can hear the joy as it erupts in her household. The thing I love about Mrs. Streater is that she isn’t afraid to ask hard questions. Fun fact, this is the same woman who contacted KeKe Wyatt’s manager so that she could have a stellar performance at her wedding! She quickly refocused and answered what may seem to some a simple question yet something that can be so complex – how would you describe yourself? “I would describe myself as a devoted wife and mother. Everything I do at the core – traveling nationwide, being such an inspiration and motivation with my testimony for people, and my family are everything. My mentor happens to be Mrs. Sonja Norwood, and she’s just such a business powerhouse. When my husband and I set out to start this business, we wanted to do it right, and often I think about Mrs. Norwood’s advice.

I’ve been quoted as South Carolina’s Most Tenacious Businesswoman, and I’m starting to think that may be true. (Laughs) To balance being a mom, to serve on so many committees – continuing to go nonstop during the pandemic, I’d like to say that I’m a philanthropist because I really care about the community and seeing people work hard to accomplish their goals and live their dreams.”

Streater’s hefty to-do list speaks heavily to the fact that she’s always on the go, but self-care is a principle that is important to her as well. “I’m very fiercely in tune. I’m very big on meditation and yoga; my husband and children meditate as well. If you come to my house, you’ll find a good candle, incense, and some lavender oil. I work extremely hard. Most recently, my brother was murdered, and that was very traumatic for my family. Now with that, I’m making a practice every day to stop, enjoy the moment, and all the wins. For instance, there’s a competition called Most Funded Companies, and someone recommended our company. We were advanced to the final round. It was like a surprise blessing! I was overwhelmed like, ‘Oh man, I didn’t do this or that,” then I had to stop and think, I had accomplished ten different things in a week that could take years.”

Her on-the-go mentality leaves little room for extra steps so when she going to secure another bag or serve in her philanthropy, her on-the-move beauty items include: a matte red lipstick, a business suit (Kiara’s ideal suit color is black or a powerful red), and comfortable shoes (whether it be heels or flats). Recognized for her staple appearance, Streater knows the importance of a classic professional look!

While being the highly positive executive that she is, the meaning of having those like-minded people on the same wavelength is so essential to Kiara. Her husband, Julius, reminds her to give herself grace and reflect on her accomplishments. As well as Julius, she has a tribe, “They’re my close friends, and we all kind of do different things in our professional life. One of my close friends owns an event planning company, and he plans big events for celebrities. Another friend in my tribe owns a makeup line, and she’s a cosmetologist – everybody just runs their businesses. Along with trying to be a husband or wife and trying to figure everything out, it’s good to balance. Self-care, that mental break, or a moment to yourself, and it’s also good to have a tribe to have a balance to have that encouragement. They’re my biggest support.”

Streater shares that love and support with others to pay it forward and advises everyone to “never accept defeat. No matter how hard it gets or what others may have to say around you. Always be tenacious and believe in yourself.” As for her and her company, they never stopped working during the pandemic. Instead, they picked up and found additional opportunities for other people by creating jobs and getting resources together to provide. During the midst of COVID, Extraordinary Headhunters LLC has provided more than 70,000 free tests in South Carolina, Jersey City, New York. They’ve also provided more than 70,000 careers globally and donated over $300,000 for COVID relief.

“It’s all about knowing your moment in life and believing you can literally accomplish anything. Everything I have, I was told I wasn’t getting any of it and that it wasn’t possible. Individuals I used to work for are now coming to me for advice/employment, so I say always be graceful and do right by other people.”

In totality, Kiara Streater is an undeniable powerhouse that will continue to make great strides, and we see her do it often. Whether it be as the honoree of the 35 Best and Brightest or being rewarded as a Silent Hero or taking time for herself, “When I have to just be at home with my kids, with my candles or incense and some relaxing music or watching movies. I also love reading self-care books. I love love love Beyoncé, so I watch old music videos or old interviews for inspiration. (Laughs) I’m also a part of a sisterhood group for like lifestyle and women’s empowerment, and I make sure to always be connected. So really just making sure I have a balance, regardless of if you’re a mom or wife, you have to have balance.”

My fearlessly, Beyoncé loving new friend in my head wrapped up by giving simply her plan – and not just any plan but for the next 60 days! (Does she ever stop creating success?) “I would like to do a documentary with Lifetime or Netflix around this pandemic to help businesses get back to a good place business-wise and showcase what we’ve been doing in the community. From helping businesses create jobs, our experiences in the pandemic, and you’re covering all these different areas are my dream to accomplish in the next 60 days. I want it to be very inspiring. We’re going to expand and open new locations; the next location I’d like to open in California, so I’m working on that now. Creating more opportunities for myself, and I’d like to have a TV show surrounding the job market.”

She’s unstoppable and quite frankly on the move to make the world a better place so remember her name! Kiara Streater is the definition of a real-life superwoman!