He walked away from a $500,000 influencer career with no plan, and found his way back to himself. Kasim Hardaway, one of Kansas City's original food influencers, joins Mindy to talk burnout, healing, filmmaking, and the art installation that's moving people all over KC.
Long before everyone had a ring light, Kasim was one of the few people in Kansas City calling himself an influencer. He went from making maps for Google Fiber to launching a recipe blog, covering KC restaurants, and landing national brand deals as an Aldi spokesperson and video content lead for Impossible Foods. Then, during a nonstop summer of 2024, everything came crashing down.
In this honest and hopeful conversation, Kasim opens up about childhood pressure to be perfect, burnout and depression, the day he emailed his agency to say he was done, and what came next: weekly therapy, a daily practice of silence, and a creative rebirth. He talks about The Unbecoming, his six-part experiential short film that premiered in Kansas City and screened at festivals in Culver City and Gary, Indiana, and Take What You Need, the interactive mental health art installation that has popped up at Union Station, City Market, and Americana Festival. He also shares what's next, from The Healing Forest to two original screenplays, plus his own Kansas City bucket list and his perfect KC day, from local coffee to dinner at Fox and Pearl, Town & Co., Novel, or Anjin.
Whether you're a content creator feeling the burnout, someone navigating your own mental health journey, or just love a great Kansas City comeback story, this one's for you.
Content note: This episode includes discussion of depression and passive suicidal thoughts.
KEY TOPICS
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The early days of the Kansas City influencer and food blogger scene
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Kasim's path from New Jersey to North Kansas City High School, Washburn, and UMKC
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Building a food content career with Aldi, Impossible Foods, Whole Foods, and Crockpot
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Walking away from a $500K career and supporting a family through the change
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Childhood trauma, perfectionism, and tying self-worth to productivity
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Burnout, depression, and finding help through therapy
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The Unbecoming film and book, and its six chapters: Stuck, Control, Death, Shedding, The Void, and Return
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Take What You Need, the interactive letter installation, and the stories behind it
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The Healing Forest and Kasim's screenplays, On the Other Side and Picture Perfect
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Advice for content creators and simple mental health practices like silence, journaling, and gratitude walks
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Kasim's KC bucket list and his favorite Kansas City food and coffee spots
LINKS & MENTIONS:
instagram.com/kasimjhardaway/
linktr.ee/kasimjhardaway
facebook.com/kasimjhardaway
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CHAPTERS
0:00 – Intro: The OG days of Kansas City influencers
1:42 – From food influencer to multidisciplinary artist
2:57 – From New Jersey to Kansas City
4:36 – North KC High, Washburn, and UMKC
5:26 – Parks and Rec dreams and making maps for Google Fiber
7:26 – Starting a recipe blog and becoming a KC influencer
9:20 – Nostalgia for the simpler days of social media
10:38 – Restaurants, COVID, and going viral
11:44 – Aldi, Impossible Foods, and big brand deals
13:22 – Walking away from a $500K career with no plan
16:26 – Childhood trauma and the pressure to be perfect
18:39 – Moving back home and family conversations
19:50 – The summer of 2024 and hitting a breaking point
22:42 – Telling his agency he was done
24:25 – Talking to Mom and starting therapy
25:37 – Finding a creative path in film
26:28 – The moment of clarity
28:43 – Intuition and the power of daily silence
31:34 – The Unbecoming: making his first film
34:41 – The six chapters of The Unbecoming
36:39 – Catharsis and the foundation of his work
37:52 – Festival circuit: Culver City and Gary, Indiana
40:04 – The Unbecoming book and six-week reset
41:36 – What is Take What You Need?
42:54 – How the installation came to be
45:10 – Pop-ups, 3D printing, and taking it worldwide
48:09 – Why you should take just one letter
50:02 – Unforgettable stories from the installation
51:57 – The Healing Forest
53:53 – Screenplays: On the Other Side and Picture Perfect
57:24 – Mental health advice: grace, empathy, and time for yourself
59:49 – Gratitude walks
1:01:24 – Who am I when the performance ends?
1:04:05 – Advice for content creators today
1:06:13 – Dream goals: a college tour and directing a feature film
1:08:40 – Kasim's Kansas City bucket list: kayaking
1:09:17 – A perfect day in KC: coffee, cooking, and dinner spots
1:11:42 – Would he ever open a restaurant?
1:12:30 – Wrap-up
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