Person Being Interviewed
Liz Muñoz
Position
CEO
Place of Work
Torrid
Interviewer: As a kid, what was something that you dreamed of doing or becoming?
Liz Muñoz: That changed over time. When I was really young, I wanted to be a teacher more than anything. I have always loved kids and was always about that. I wanted to be a teacher and a mother when I was really young. I didn't figure out what I wanted to ultimately do as a career until much later.
Interviewer: Who or what inspires you to be the person you are today?
Liz Muñoz: The inspiration comes from so many different people and places throughout your life. I think it's a series of moments and people that you encounter. I would say that my High School teacher changed my life and asked great questions that caused me to think about where I want to go. My husband, who, as I said, has been my boyfriend since we were 13, has been such incredible support. No matter what I wanted to do in life, he would also say, "Okay, let's do it!" I respect and love my parents for what they did. They left everything behind. They came to a country they didn't know and had to start over in it, and I think my first boss at Bongo was tough and taught me a lot about making it through and keep going no matter how hard it is, but I think inspiration comes from everywhere.
Interviewer: What did you think when you became CEO of Torrid?
Liz Muñoz: It was a rush of a motion. I was a little in shock looking back from where I came and how I started my life that I ended up being the CEO of this company that I love so much. It was not my dream. It was not something I thought I could ever do. I had a moment outside of myself saying, “Wow, you did this. I can’t believe it,” and I was proud, incredibly proud that I had come from where I come from. I remember sitting in Kindergarten, not understanding what was being said because I didn’t speak English to end up where I am today was something I was so incredibly proud of, and I was scared I couldn’t do it. It was a combination of excitement and fear.
Interviewer: If you could go back in time and give advice to your younger self what would you say?
Liz Muñoz: These two are related. First and foremost, I would tell myself, "I am enough!" You know when you're not a great student, and you struggle, and you come from where you come from, and it's a hard life, you start to believe you're not good enough, and the feeling you're not good enough leads to a lot of anxiety and a lot of worries. I would tell myself, "Worry less." I would tell myself, "I am enough." As I got older and older, I had a lot of anxiety, a lot of worries. It was like a record player that, when it ended, I picked up the needle and dropped it at the beginning again and started it over. I would tell young women, especially, is to tell yourself you are enough and worry less's going to be okay. That's the advice I would give myself. Find the thing that you love in life, the thing that excites you, the thing you're good at, and go after it. I started as a pattern maker. The journey between the pattern maker and a CEO is a crazy disconnected one. I always worked hard. I did everything that I was asked to do in my job, and I asked for more. I always gave it everything I had, and it always led to the next great thing.
