#Why Netflix’s ‘My Unorthodox Life’ Is Less ‘Real Housewives,’ More Inspiration (VIDEO)

It’s hard to not feel inspired by the triumphant story of self-made fashion mogul Julia Haart in Netflix’s engaging new reality series, My Unorthodox Life. Now CEO of talent company Elite World Group, Haart boldly left a fundamentalist ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, where “[women] only exist in relation to a man,” and started over with nothing.

“My children saved me,” Haart explains of where she mustered the strength to leave. “I didn’t want them to live in a world of ‘no.’”

Now remarried in New York City, the businesswoman juggles a busy work-life with managing four kids, ages 15 to 28, all torn between Orthodox and modern life. “It’s my job to give them every opportunity but it’s up to them to choose what to do,” she says.

TV Insider grabbed some time on Haart’s schedule to discuss setting the tone for the docuseries in a landscape where trashy reality TV often rules. “What we wanted to create was a positive message about love and family,” she details. “Being yourself and personal freedom — and, of course, freedom for women — is what my life is really about,” Haart adds.

Check out the interview above for more.

My Unorthodox Life, Series Premiere, Wednesday, July 14, Netflix