Henna Pryor

And all of a sudden, it may feel awkward, but it stops being bothersome.

And there's a difference between those two things.

I don't think anyone as a little girl thinks I'm going to be the awkwardness expert.

Although I was the expert, just not from an academic sense.

I felt that was my lived experience.

And my interest in the topic came from, despite whatever confidence or eloquence people might perceive now, I am a keynote speaker for a living.

I felt very awkward growing up.

I'm the first born of immigrant parents.

So my clothes were different.

My lunch smelled different.

My name is Hena.

I grew up in the early 80s where everybody was Jennifer, Jessica, Samantha.

I just desperately wanted to fit in and assimilate.

rather than feeling like every one of my bumpy edges was sticking out.

I felt awkward about it all.

And then I got to high school, started to find a little bit of my sense of self, got to college.

That's when I really started to find a little bit more of my personality and sense of self.

But then I got to the workforce.

And every time I felt like I was in a new situation or at an inflection point or in transition, those little henna feelings of,

oh my gosh, I feel so embarrassed.