Gia Giudice Says She'll 'Always Have My Family’s Back’ amid Legal Drama but Also Wants to Be Seen as 'an Individual'

Growing up on 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey', Gia tells PEOPLE she's had to develop "tough skin," but she's now ready to show fans a new side of her with a new podcast and Bravo show: "I am driving the bus, I'm in control"

• Gia Giudice tells PEOPLE she is looking forward showing fans a new side of herself on her new podcast, Casual Chaos, and upcoming reality series, Next Gen NYC
• Gia's life has been documented since 2009, when her mom, Teresa Giudice, joined the debut season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey
• Amid recent news that Teresa and her husband were hit with $3 million in tax liens, Gia says she's had to develop "tough skin" growing up in the spotlight but hopes to be seen as "an individual" with her new projects

Gia Giudice hopes people can get to know her authentic self.

With the ups and downs of her family’s personal life documented on the past 14 seasons of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Gia, 24, is creating a new narrative for herself.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, she opens up about starting her iHeartRadio podcast, Casual Chaos, and starring in the upcoming Bravo reality series Next Gen NYC. 

“In a way, I'm one of the main characters now — I am driving the bus, I'm in control,” she explains. “So it's really cool to be on my own and in my own light.”

Her mom, Teresa Giudice, has been a cast member on RHONJ since its debut in 2009, when Gia was just 8 years old. Since then, cameras have followed her family’s ups and downs, including her parents’ 2014 criminal convictions and subsequent incarcerations, her dad Joe Giudice’s 2019 deportation and the complicated relationship between Teresa, her brother and his wife, Joe and Melissa Gorga.