I posted a thread, " She Just Needed to Be Her Full Authentic Self, " about my daughter not feeling like herself at an Ivy League school.

The story that reached so many people wasn't where this journey began.

It was where one very long day ended.

The conversation you're about to hear was recorded earlier that day, before my daughter called asking if she could spend the night with me. At the time, I knew she was processing a difficult classroom discussion. What I didn't realize was just how deeply it had affected her.

In this episode, we talk about what it feels like to be one of the few students in the room whose understanding of poverty comes from lived experience instead of observation. We discuss privilege, public health policy, belonging, and the emotional weight of walking into spaces where you sometimes wonder if you have to leave pieces of yourself behind just to fit in.

This conversation isn't about criticizing one school or one classroom.

It's about asking a much bigger question:

How do we create policies for people if we've never truly understood the lives they're living?

I hope you'll listen with an open heart.

And if this conversation resonates with you, I'd love for you to leave a comment. I'd especially love to hear from those of you who have ever walked into a room and questioned whether you belonged there.

Your stories matter too.

Thank you for being here.

— Nikki