Today we’d like to introduce you to Kniyah Pollard.
Hi Kniyah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
First and foremost, I want to give all the glory to Jesus Christ, because without Him, none of this would even be possible. Everything I’ve accomplished is because of His love and grace.
I come from a big family with deep roots. My great-grandparents traveled from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia, chasing a better life. My great-grandmother, who lived to be in her 90s, and my great-grandfather had 15 children. Her sister had 18 kids and also lived a long, full life. My grandmother had three children, and my mother was the second. On my father’s side, My grandmother had 3 kids, my father was the youngest on my grandmothers side, my father was on the oldest on my grandfathers side. Most of my upbringing was shaped by my mom’s side. I have one older brother from my mom and dad, and two little brothers and a little sister from my dad.
I was born and raised on the north side of Philly until I was about five. In 2005, after my mom and stepdad got married, we moved to the Bronx. We lived in a shelter for about two years. And if you know anything about New York, their shelters are different — this one felt like an apartment, fully furnished, with after-school programs for kids. But I still remember the struggle: my mom boiling water so we could take warm baths at times, always setting mouse traps in the kitchen because that’s just how it was. We stayed on 1605 Nelson Avenue, and I went to PS 199x Shakespeare Elementary. Even today, I remember writing those headers at the top of every page in school.
In 2007, we made another big move — to Austin, Texas. My stepdad went ahead to check things out first. I’ll never forget how shocked he was by how clean and pretty it was here compared to north philly. He called my mom and said, “You’ve got to see this.” So they took that leap of faith and started over. I grew up on the south side of Austin in Dove Springs. I went to Rodriguez Elementary, and my brother went to Mendez Middle School. The environment was a complete change from Philly — safer, quieter, and it took us a while to adjust.
Growing up here, I struggled with making and keeping friends. The kids on my block didn’t understand my background, and I was often teased and called the N-word — not realizing I’m Latina too. I spent most of my time around boys, even through high school. I dealt with self-love struggles, figuring out who I was and what I deserved, but I was always someone people gravitated toward. Over time, the boys I grew up with from middle school, became like family, and their families became mine, all of my own family was still back in Philly.
Life seemed to be going well until 2015 — that’s when it felt like all hell broke loose. That year, I went to my first funeral since my grandmother passed in 2003. She had osteosarcoma, it is a type of cancer to cause bone breakage. Although I was very young I remember conversations with her vividly. My Uncle Peachy died, my step dads brother, and that was the beginning of a really dark season in my life. On July 1st 2016, my nephew’s dad passed away. Joseph was like a big brother to me. He was the first man in my life who really showed me what self-love should look like & how important it is to speak life into myself. I never had to tell Joseph much, he could always read me. He said something to me that would stick with me forever after I told him it was hard to love myself, he said ” A young beautiful growing woman who is just as intelligent as she is funny.. With an outgoing personality that makes you want to get to know her, yet when you do you realize her heart is her best feature. Though she won’t admit it, she is lost, not really knowing what she wants or how she feels. Pointing out flaws when they are what makes you… You, don’t doubt yourself, you are stronger than you know, you need love yet don’t want to see you looking in the wrong places. All for a man who never appreciated you, though look how great you have turned out. You need no one but you, you never have to question your worth when you know what you bring to the table. I could go on and on, so much good to say yet your negative mind frame ain’t cute, your tongue is more powerful than you know. Let other people talk bad about you, speak nothing but positivity in your life, find your dreams and chase them. But Remember, money is numbers and numbers never end, therefore, your chase for happiness will never end. Just work on creating a life you don’t need a vacation from.” He was referring to my father when he stated a man who never appreciated me, I never told him how bad I wished my dad was around, he just knew things about me because he was observant, he was intelligent, 10x funnier than I will ever be, besides his face, his best feature was his heart as well. Joseph was a friend I will never find in anyone else ever again. People who speak life into you like that are rare and hard to come across. I am blessed to have been able to experience him. His death hit me hard. Just a month later, I found out I was pregnant with my oldest son whose middle name is now Joseph. I had to relive the trauma during the trial, watching videos of him being killed — over and over again. It was devastating. He has 3 beautiful babies & a sister who I am blessed to even have access to. All four of them look just like him & are like him in so many different ways.
In February 2017, I lost my Godfather. I still remember my mother telling me the news like it was yesterday — it felt like my heart shattered all over again. Then in 2018, tragedy struck again. My best friend Devonte Ortiz was shot on the 4th of July by a racist white man angry at him and our friends for popping fireworks. He held them all at gun point while making comments like ” black monkey ” and just mean things that I really do not want to repeat. I watched the video of him getting shot, and that image will never leave me. A month later, I found out I was pregnant again. Both of my babies ended up with the same birthday month. It’s like God knew I needed those blessings in the middle of my pain. Devonte and Josephs death were the hardest for me. Devonte was the person I went to for everything, and vice versa. We were inseparable.
But the losses kept coming. On New Year’s Eve 2019, my stepdad, who raised me since I was two — passed away. I was the last person with him. For so long, I blamed myself, thinking maybe I could’ve done something. But as I’ve grown, I understand now that it was out of my hands. He treated me as if I was his own child since day one.
At the time, I was working at the club as a waitress, one of their best actually, but I started to find myself trying to numb the pain with alcohol. I told myself I was just “having fun,” but looking back, I see that I was abusing it. I was trying to drown the grief. Then, in 2020 two more huge losses — my best friend Paul passed, and just two weeks later, Desmond. We all went to Travis High School. We grew up together. I loved them like my own blood. A year later, another close friend Eric, died in a motorcycle accident. We used to laugh so hard it felt like our stomachs would burst. When we were together, it was like being in a movie — those moments felt magical.
For years, I tried to bury the pain by working constantly, drinking every night. Bad choices piled up. I even found myself questioning God — why am I still here? I felt like I should’ve been gone too. But deep down, I knew God had other plans. Like it says in Jeremiah 29:11 — ” For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Since I was a little girl, I always knew I was meant for something greater. People around me saw it too — they would tell me. I didn’t have a role model; instead, I had examples of what I didn’t want to become, Joseph was the closest thing to a role model that I ever had in my life. So many people in my family had a boxed-in mentality, it seemed like they were content and comfortable with a regular 9-5 life and I refused to follow that path. I wanted more for myself, especially once I had kids.
I worked at the club from 19 to 23, making good money — some months I’d bring in $5,000 to $13,000. But after a while, I realized money was the only thing I had. I wasn’t truly happy. I wasn’t grounded. I wasn’t growing in the ways that mattered. I had financial freedom, but no real direction or peace. That’s when I started calling out to God. I knew I didn’t want my story to end in that environment. And eventually, He made a way out for me. Once I read Matthew 6:22-23 I understood why I felt everything but peace in that environment.
After leaving the club and truly tapping in with God, I thought life would immediately get better — but instead, things seemed to fall apart at first. And I’ve learned why: anything you receive outside of God’s will, you have to stay outside to keep it. But when you come back into the kingdom, He will strip away everything that isn’t of Him — and bless you with seven times more. That’s exactly what He did for me.
In the middle of losing everything I thought I needed, God started building me up the right way. I got my real estate license. I passed my life insurance exam and became licensed, I have met some amazing people at PHP my coaches Bruno & Gardenia top earners in the whole company around the US, they are truly amazing shout out to them and the whole DTS team, which stands for “determined to serve” — now I’m basically a financial broker, able to assist people all across the U.S. with life insurance, annuities, index funds, and more. I took my last $250 at one point and invested it into becoming a tax preparer — and now I’m building my own tax team with Wealth Empire & Co. CEO Desirae Anderson, someone I went to middle school with, shout out to Desirae and our whole team. Soon, I’ll have like-minded individuals, partners, on my payroll, working together toward success. I’m also back in college, continuing to grow. If anyone is interested in FREE college, Capital Idea is a organization that PAYS for your full ride of college. I know it sounds too good to be true, but look it up and take advantage of that resource.
I’m in therapy, healing my inner self, doing the work that matters most. And the truth is — there is nothing God hasn’t given me that I’ve asked for. Over and over, He’s shown me how resilient I am. My past doesn’t define me, no matter how much it might feel like it at times.
If there’s one thing I want people to know, it’s this: it doesn’t matter where you come from, how you were raised, or what you’ve been through, what you look like, how old you are — don’t let your environment consume you. Don’t let your past stop you. Read books to elevate your mind, surround yourself with individuals who are smarter than you, if you are the smartest in the room you are in the wrong room, do not listen to peoples opinion when it comes to your dreams, figure out what you want to do and what it takes to get there and work towards that goal, baby steps are better than no steps at all, remember when you start anything new strangers will support you before your family does, its just how it is! If you have a supportive family you are blessed. Keep going — because with God, you’re never alone on the journey.
Nothing is impossible, those visions and dreams you have of your future and the life you want are not for no reason. You can achieve anything you set your mind to, as long you remain consistent & you have Jesus on your side. We can’t do this life without Him. We’re imperfect beings. We can’t guide ourselves through what we’ve never seen before — but God can. The Bible tells us that He’s already gone before us. All we have to do is follow. In Deuteronomy 31:8 says ” The lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Surround yourself around like minded people and take off!!!
Looking back, every challenge — from the shelter, losing the closest people to me, people that meant the most to me, losing everything, making all the mistakes I have made and building myself back up — taught me resilience, faith, and compassion. It’s shaped who I am today, and I’m so grateful for the journey.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. The journey has been filled with ups and downs, and honestly, there were times when it felt like more struggle than success. I’ve experienced deep loss — from losing my godfather, and several best friends to tragic violence, to being the last person with my step dad before he passed. Each of those moments broke me in ways that are hard to explain. I also went through a period where I tried to numb my pain with alcohol and working nonstop at the club, convincing myself I was fine because I was making good money. But the truth was, I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t fulfilled.
When I finally surrendered to God, I thought everything would get easier right away — but instead, He started stripping away everything that wasn’t meant for me. That was hard. I lost a lot, and there were moments I questioned why I was still here, why I was spared when so many people I loved were gone. But through it all, God kept reminding me of my purpose. I learned that anything you get outside of His will, you have to stay outside to keep. But once you step back into alignment, He will bless you seven times more.
I had to rebuild — getting my real estate license, life insurance license, starting my tax business, going back to school, and focusing on healing my inner self. Every struggle shaped me, taught me resilience, and made me who I am today.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m blessed to wear several hats, but at the heart of everything I do is service. I’m a Texas Realtor and leasing agent with Bay Property Management Group and I specialize in helping people — especially leasing homes, and first time buyers — navigate what can feel like an overwhelming process. I also assist with apartment locating throughout Austin and the Central Texas area. Beyond real estate, I’m a licensed life insurance agent and tax professional. I can help people all across the U.S. secure life insurance, set up annuities, index funds, and plan for their financial futures. I’m currently building my own tax team with Wealth Empire & Co. CEO Desirae Anderson, a childhood friend— creating opportunities for other like-minded individuals who want to grow and serve.
What sets me apart is that I genuinely care. I don’t see people as transactions; I see them as souls God has entrusted me to serve. Whether I’m helping someone buy or lease a home, protect their family with insurance, or grow financially, I approach it all with integrity, patience, and compassion. I take pride in educating my clients and making sure they feel confident in every decision. I am getting into the volunteering opportunities my school has to offer as well, I truly want to connect and make a difference in the community. I want to leave a positive impact on every human I encounter. Even those who don’t like me.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that my businesses reflect my faith and values. I want readers to know that when you work with me, you’re not just getting a service — you’re gaining someone who is invested in your success, someone who will go above and beyond to make sure you’re taken care of. My goal is to empower people, break generational cycles, and help families create wealth and stability for the long term, because I know what it feels like to not have that guidance.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love most about Austin is how full of opportunity it is. There’s a spirit here that makes you feel like you can build something from nothing if you put in the work. It’s a beautiful, diverse city with so much growth, and that brings a lot of new connections, ideas, and energy. I also love how family-friendly it is — there are so many places where I can create memories with my kids and give them a different kind of childhood than I had.
What I like least is how expensive it’s becoming. The cost of living has risen so much over the years, and it’s made it harder for families — especially those who grew up here or are working hard to build a future — to afford housing. That’s one reason I’m so passionate about what I do in real estate and financial services. I want to help people navigate those challenges and still win in this city.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: iamkniyah
- Facebook: kniyah pollard
- Youtube: iamkniyah
Image Credits
professional shots image credits go to @ JL_shot_this on instagram
