Interview with The Wizard Liz

Introduction

• Interviewee: The Wizard Liz
• Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
• Follower count: Over 10 million
• Content: Advice on becoming one's best self

Childhood and Immigration

• Immigrated to Europe at 1 year old due to war
• Parents' struggles due to starting from scratch
  • Mental struggles, especially mother's depression
  • Attempts to hide financial struggles from Liz
• Childhood realization of financial struggles
  • Desire to become wealthy to fix problems

Early Sense of Responsibility

• At 12, wanted to work to help family financially
• Realization of poverty through luxuries like food and carnival outfits
• Early memories of trying to build a house from sticks

School Experience

• Bullied at school, became class clown for acceptance
• No real friends, just peers taking advantage
• Disconnected from reality due to abusive household
• Finding peace in isolation

Abuse and its Impact

• Earliest memory of abuse: beaten with electrical cord at 3 years old
• Normalization of abuse, thought it was common
• Realized the abnormality of her abuse only 3 years ago
  • Ex-boyfriend's perspective provided sanity
  • Advocates for finding people with non-abusive backgrounds for perspective
• Emotional and physical abuse towards siblings and mom
  • Felt helpless and protective, especially of her mother

Love and Gratitude for Mother

• Deep love for her mother, who represents strength
• Mother's resilience through multiple hardships: war, discrimination, abusive husband, raising disabled child
• Liz’s goal since childhood: financially support her mother

Psychological Aftermath

• Depression perceived as normal; lives to not be sad
• Feels normal is sadness, tries to accept it rather than strive for happiness
• Comfort can lead to lack of motivation and overthinking

Coping Strategies

• Looks in the mirror to motivate herself
• Advises others to examine their daily lives and sense of purpose
• Importance of staying busy to avoid overthinking and depression

Social Media Impact

• Liz wanted to help people since a young age
• Unexpectedly gained millions of followers
• Positive feedback from fans motivates her to continue
• Example: A fan saying Liz's videos saved her life

Criticism and Self-Perception

• Accusations of narcissism and being self-centered
• Attributes this to societal discomfort with self-love
• Clarifies her message about healthy boundaries and self-care
• Embraces balance between positive and negative feedback

Public Persona

• Discomfort with fame; tendency to avoid public interaction
• Continued childhood trait of trusting easily
• Dependence on people around her who are more skeptical
• Fans see only part of her personality

Purpose and Future

• Purpose: Live best life and help others realize they can do the same
• Fulfillment through helping others via content creation
• Future outlook: Believes she will achieve great things

Conclusion

• Gratitude for opportunity to share her story
• Anticipation for her future achievements