When You Finally SEE the Wiz

There’s a moment in The Wiz when the curtain is pulled back....

...you finally walk inside the room and SUDDENLY everything changes.

The title.

The role.

The program.

The opportunity.

The certainty we assumed lived at the top.

GONE.

Instead, you see the curtain move and to your surprise...

...what’s left is a human being...

• doing their best,

• improvising,

• sometimes guessing,

• often without the credentials, receipts, or clarity we believed were required to win.

And in THAT moment, the jarring truth rushes in. It is clarifying yet shocking.

Because once you SEE THE WIZ, you cannot unsee it.

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This week, I’ve been in conversations that feel exactly like that moment.

With leaders who just received promotions and are now understanding why dysfunction exists at the top not because people are careless or incapable, but because many were elevated without the support, self-awareness, or alignment required to lead well.

With students who are learning how to get what they want in life and realizing the path looks nothing like what they were told. The formulas, the checklists, the viral advice: all confident, all loud, all incomplete.

With parents who are guiding with deep love, but recognizing that good intentions alone are not enough in a system this complex. Parents who are realizing that the right advisors don’t replace their role; they strengthen it.

Different conversations.

Same realization.

The Wiz isn’t who we thought.

And here’s the truth that matters most:

That doesn’t mean the dream was wrong.

It means the story we were told about how to reach it might be.

We are living in a time where information is coming at us faster than ever before. Erroneous teachings are everywhere packaged well, repeated often, and absorbed quickly. People soak them up not because they lack discernment, but because they’re searching for certainty. And certainty can't be there, y'all!

But the problem isn’t that we need more information. What we need is more truth.

Truth is quieter.

Truth takes longer.

You can find truth here: John 16:13 NIV

Truth asks us to pause, reflect, and choose with intention instead of comparison.

So what should we do when we recognize that the Wiz, the destination, the dream can be achieved… just not in the way others are professing online as their truth?

• Students: You don’t need to chase someone else’s version of success to earn your future. College and life beyond are not rewards for perfect resumes or borrowed strategies. They are built through self-awareness, aligned choices, and guidance rooted in reality not performance.

• Parents: Your awareness is not a weakness; it is wisdom. Recognizing that the landscape has changed doesn’t mean you’re behind; it means you’re paying attention. Seeking experienced advisors isn’t a loss of control; it’s an act of strategic care.

• Leaders: If you’ve seen behind the curtain and realized the system isn’t what you imagined, resist the urge to either retreat or conform. This is your moment to define your true north and lead with integrity rather than imitation.

Seeing the Wiz can be unsettling.

But it is also freeing.

Because once the illusion falls, you realize something essential:

• You were never meant to become the Wiz.

• You were meant to become yourself grounded in truth, supported by wisdom, and brave enough to choose alignment over noise.

That’s how real progress happens.

That’s how trust is rebuilt.

That’s how futures are formed.

Now the question is, what will you do differently now that you know what's behind the curtain?

Just checkin' in, with love and light.

— Dr. Meesha

If you have a lil more time and you’re wondering what comes next, ask yourself these questions:

1. What assumptions have I been operating under that may no longer be true?

2. Whose voice or version of success have I been following? Does it actually align with my values?

3. Where am I mistaking visibility or confidence for truth?

4. What would it look like to slow down and choose discernment over urgency?

5. Who do I need in my circle (advisors, mentors, or partners) to help me move forward clearly?

6. If I led, learned, or planned from truth instead of performance, what would change?

#TheCheckIn #TruthOverTrends #CollegeStudentSuccess #LeadingAuthentically #LeadershipDevelopment #AuthenticLeadership #RedefiningSuccess #CollegeReadiness #StudentSuccess #ParentingTeens #CareerGrowth #PurposeDriven #LeadingWithIntegrity