How Eliza Reid Went From Laid Off to First Lady of Iceland

One night in 2016, Eliza Reid was cooking dinner for her four young kids when a stranger called the family landline and asked if her husband would consider running for president. Within 24 hours, a tsunami of messages followed. Eliza, a Canadian immigrant, Oxford graduate, and freelance writer, never planned to become the First Lady of Iceland. On this episode of The Messy Parts, Maryam sits down with Eliza, author of “The First Lady Next Door,” for a candid conversation about that unexpected phone call, being overlooked at receptions, and why sometimes you have to be a "nasty woman." Plus: her advice for anyone who's been laid off, feels stuck, or is afraid to say yes to something scary.

Key Moments

01:49 - The Ordinary Girl with Extraordinary Adventures 🎲
Eliza traces her path from wanting to be a flight attendant, then a lawyer, to Oxford and eventually Iceland.

03:53 - "I'll Look Like a Stalker": The Raffle Ticket That Started a Marriage 🎟️
She puts 8 of her 10 raffle tickets in one cup at an Oxford fundraiser, and he draws her name.

05:29 - "He Didn't, So I Did": Why Eliza Proposed to Her Husband 💍
Before moving to Iceland, she decides to ask him to marry her rather than wait.

11:09 - "It Felt Awful": Getting Laid Off in a New Country 💼
Eliza loses her job at a startup and then struggles to get a single interview in Iceland.

13:48 - How a Eurovision Story Launched a Freelance Career 🎤
She turns a conversation with a singer at her gym into her first assignment.

15:27 - "Your Job Is Looking for a Job": Eliza's Advice for Anyone Laid Off 🔍
Apply for things you don't fit, use your networks, and not take it too personally.

20:45 - The Landline Call That Changed Everything ☎️
A stranger calls while she's cooking dinner, and within 24 hours the messages pile up.

24:51 - "What Did You Achieve?": Imposter Syndrome as First Lady 🪞
While riting her book, Eliza doubts herself, then realizes she did her part to nudge things in the right direction.

26:11 - "Sometimes You Have to Be a Nasty Woman"🧣
How she confounded expectations, from turning down “soft” events to meeting immigrants and startup founders.

29:40 - "Life Is Messy": Why We Need to Keep Talking in a Polarized World 🌍
Eliza argues that disagreeing on point A shouldn't stop us from finding common ground.

33:43 - "Why Wasn't I More Assertive?": The Handshake Story 🤝
At receptions, people shook her husband's hand and walked right past her, and she explains the small fix that took her years to try.

36:06 - "You Have a Unique Story": Advice for Anyone Having a Crisis of Confidence ✨
In the rapid-fire close, Eliza says your own narrative can give you the tools to tackle whatever you're facing.

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