Diane Wu

So, Quenetta, can you say where you are right now?

And before you were incarcerated, what was your job? What was your special expertise?

Yeah. Where is that? Where are you standing?

So you and I have been working on this story for a while now, right? Yes, it's been a minute. Yeah, and we were hoping to come to the prison and record you, but they denied our request. And since the phone line is bad and we don't want you to have to read the story standing on top of your toilet, we decided to bring in an actor to read the essay instead.

Could you read the first couple lines of the story to get us started, and then we'll crossfade to the actor?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yuna's default mode is to be completely competent in everything she does. She hates being underestimated or condescended to. This is her way of protecting herself from all of that. But talking to Harriet, she realizes it might come with a downside. Like when Yuna's friend invites her to go salsa dancing, even though she wants to try it, she doesn't.

She worries the way she dances might look embarrassing. You know what I mean?

Accept yourself. It's hard to know what to do with that kind of advice.

Harriet gives her a concrete thing to try. Yuna's been taking jujitsu classes that she really loves with mostly guys. And she has a crush on one of them.

Very wise person once tweeted, a crush is just a lack of information. Though, for Yuna, getting that information, progress. Yuna, determined to follow Harriet's instructions, actually continued befriending the guy, who ended up being much more fun to talk to later. She still seems a long way from ever making the first move. But now, at least, she knows it's an option.