An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Whenever you feel overwhelmed by something in your life, accept the fact that this is the best thing you can do for the time being, and you’ll face tougher issues when you’re able to deal with them.
As a part of our series called “Grit: The Most Overlooked Ingredient of Success” I had the pleasure of interviewing Lillee Jean.
Lillee Jean is a New York City director, writer, producer, model, actress and cyberbullying advocate, who is known for her web-series’, that include, “Lillee Jean TALKS! Live”, “Voyager” and “Mind Over Beaute”. Currently she is filming her work on a cyberbullying documentary called “Project: Bullyish”, in which she shares her unbelievable experience of being stalked and bullied online for the last five years. Lillee Jean hopes that the film will shed light on the dangers of the internet, as well as tell her own story about what happened to her.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about the events that have drawn you to this specific career path?
As a child, I enjoyed stop-motion photography for my dolls and creating short videos online. As a result, I decided to experiment with videos and blogs, producing makeup tutorials and product reviews for my blog and YouTube channel. When I was a teenager I began to receive online attacks from a group of people marshaled together by one person, who calls them a cult. My privacy has been violated, and I have been attacked with antisemitic hate, slander, defamation and lies, all aimed at hurting me, and with one goal, to prevent me from flourishing online. All of these people come from the beauty community, and after years of being assaulted online non-stop by these people, I decided to leave this toxic, angry community permanently. It had become difficult for me to conduct business because of the defamation, which adversely affected my business relationships. Since my mindset has changed, I will never represent or interact with such a hateful group of people again. My emotional and physical well-being improved after changing gears. With my new focus on advocacy and filmmaking, I’m sharing my passions with the world in a more creative and productive way. Currently, I’m filming a documentary called Project: Bullyish about my experiences (and what continues to happen to me), and we have several commitments starting in the Fall of 2023 to show our film at several film festivals. My resilience and grit have helped me become who I am, creating both informative and entertaining shows, which make me happy, and I hope share a positive message to the world. I’m currently airing two series, “Mind Over Beatue” which explores what will make you happy, etc., in your life, and “Voyager”, a series about wonderful places to visit in New York. It really takes inner strength to get to new beginnings in your life.
Can you share your story about “Grit and Success”? First can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey?
When it comes to having grit and achieving success in your life, you have to be determined to do what you love, regardless of how hard the road may be. It has been an emotionally draining experience to deal with cyberbullying on so many levels. The cruel game that has been played out has reached a level that I never imagined could be crossed when it became stalking, both online and in person. I have really had to dig inside of myself, and asked myself at times is this worth it? Is this a journey I’m willing to take? Introspectively, I have asked myself these questions over the years, and my answer now would differ from what I would have said years ago. This path has caused me to do things differently, and it has caused me to dig deep within and find my resilience, grit, and inner strength. My hope is that through my story, that I will tell, over and over until changes are made in the law, other people will not suffer at the hands of people so callous that their delusional fantasies and guilty pleasures of being someone else anonymously online made them feel better about themselves.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
I am someone that does not believe that anyone has the right to tell me that I cannot do something. This is not in my genetic makeup, and I will never allow somebody else to dictate my life. Things have at times been unbearable for me, but I will make my way in the world, and nobody will tell me that I need to move because they deemed it so. I was born with this drive within me, and nobody will ever take that from me.
So how did Grit lead to your eventual success? How did Grit turn things around?
The power of determination fuels me every day. Regardless of whether I succeed or fail, I will always do what makes me happy. It’s really that simple. I have made myself who I am through sheer determination, keeping my wits about me, and knowing who I am.
Based on your experience, can you share your “5 Things You Need To Know To Develop More Grit”?
1. Never allow anyone to tell you that you cannot do something;
2. Stick to your guns, and keep on doing what makes you happy;
3. Tune out anyone negative around you that attempts to sabotage your dreams;
4. Create a peaceful environment for yourself;
5. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by something in your life, accept the fact that this is the best thing you can do for the time being, and you’ll face tougher issues when you’re able to deal with them.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped you when things were tough? Can you share a story about that?
My parents have provided me with guidance and support throughout the years. I’m grateful for the friends who have always been there for me, both when I was at my lowest and when I was at my happiest. People should surround themselves with positive people who care about them and will support their future vision.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Through my advocacy, I hope to assist people in any issues they may face similar to the adversity I have faced in my lifetime. The only thing I can do is keep spreading positivity and offering support to others who may need it as much as I once did.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
At the moment, I am working on three different projects at the same time. Currently, I am filming my new web-series, each of which explores a different theme. It is very important to me to finish the documentary I am working on. It is my goal to ensure that no one goes through what I have without support and information again. I seek to make a difference in the world in my lifetime. The world needs purpose, passion, and teachable moments.
What advice would you give to other executives or founders to help their employees to thrive?
Listen to what your employees want, as these are things you can accomplish for them. You need to stay on top of how things are changing in the world and how it affects your employees. Our world has changed since the pandemic, and it is crucial to realize that people have changed in many ways for the better.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
The only thing I want is for the world to be kinder to each other. When people speak to others, they need to pause and consider how they will make others feel. At the end of the day, I hope we all make a positive impact on each other.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
The best advice I ever received was “don’t sweat the small stuff,” which is so true. The best thing you can do is to lay back and allow things to happen, and not micro-manage everything.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lilleejean/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGQF-GZ2oWfgb1NN3QtJJlA (Lillee Jean)
Websites: https://www.lilleejean.com and https://www.lilleejeanbeauty.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/REALlilleejean.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealLilleeJean
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/LilleeJean
Digital Art: https://www.deviantart.com/lilleejean
Giphy: https://giphy.com/lilleejean
Tenor: https://tenor.com/official/lilleejean
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10479689/
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
Lillee Jena On The Five Ways To Develop More ‘Grit’ was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
