Speaking at Career Day

In January, I spoke at career day at a local Brooklyn high school and it warmed my heart on this cold day. I talked about how having so many choices for ways to communicate is making us overwhelmed and how the most high-achieving folks struggle with confident communication the most. And how, despite technology both enhancing and complicating communication, in-person connection has never been more important.

It never ceases to amaze me how students (or anyone of any age, really) express the same exact challenges as people working at the highest levels of their profession. How can I speak with more deliberate intention? How do I manage anxiety when speaking up? How can I say what I mean? I live for these questions and getting to spend the morning with these students reminded me how important and relevant it is to talk about talking and the ways we interact. What I said to them is, If you can speak on purpose and say what you mean in this world, you will have more control over your life. It’s not always simple (we talked about societal aggressions and systemic racism, misogyny and homophobia) but it’s the only way I know how to be in the world.