Shabaz Ali - ‘I’ll be a diversity quota as long as I get paid’
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
Empathy as Strength and Burden
Shabaz describes empathy's role in his life and how it makes success bittersweet and emotionally heavy.
A few years ago, Shabaz Ali was a chemistry teacher in Blackburn. Today, he’s one of the internet’s most beloved creators, best known as Shabaz Says, with millions of fans and a knack for skewering the most outrageous (and often tasteless) displays of online excess.
Since quitting the day job, Shabaz has launched a podcast, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and published his book I’m Rich, You’re Poor. Beneath the humour though, there’s always been something more serious at play: a sharp commentary on the psychological erosion that comes from spending too much of our lives online.
In this episode, we talk about Shabaz’s upbringing, being bullied at school, how his taxi-driver Dad didn’t even realise his son was famous until recently and why no-one should ever spend £10,000 on an outfit.
✨ IN THIS EPISODE:
00:00 Introduction
03:03 The Impact of Social Media on Youth
05:14 Navigating Imposter Syndrome and Success
10:53 Embracing Authenticity and Overcoming Criticism
12:46 Growing Up in Blackburn
15:45 Challenges of Intersectional Identity
22:36 Family Perspectives and Cultural Expectations
24:04 Struggles with Poverty
25:20 Empathy
30:15 From Teacher to Social Media Star
31:24 Unexpected Career in the Hospital Morgue
33:38 Finding Viral Success Online
37:16 Representation and Finding Your Voice
💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:
You can be a man and still speak up for women's rights. You don't have to be a black person to speak up for black people. You don't have to be trans to speak up for trans rights.
How you present yourself is always how the world's going to treat you.
[Death] definitely gave me an appreciation for life. It gave me appreciation for human beings... I have so much love to give for humanity.
I don’t care if I’m palatable for you.
🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:
Shabaz’s book, I'm Rich, You're Poor - is out now
Join the How To Fail community: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
Elizabeth’s Substack: https://theelizabethday.substack.com/
📚 WANT MORE?
John Bishop - on how insecurity, self-doubt and feeling like an outsider shaped both his comedy and his life. Plus: almost getting divorced but then changing his mind swap.fm/l/wRGKwuonJFQoujFlmDHI
Celeste Barber - on using humour to challenge impossible beauty standards, early struggles with rejection and how embracing authenticity changed her life swap.fm/l/qLmwfjyeSolWuFeaHGdt
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👋 Follow How To Fail & Elizabeth:
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Website: www.elizabethday.org
Elizabeth and Shabaz answer listener questions in our subscriber series, Failing with Friends. Join our community of subscribers here: https://howtofail.supportingcast.fm/#content
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Production & Post Production Coordinator: Eric Ryan
Engineer: Matias Torres
Assistant Producer: Shania Manderson
Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot
Executive Producer: Alex Lawless
How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production.
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