On Confidence

Brief thoughts on SXSW and belonging.

Speaking about intergenerational trauma and how to break the cycle at SXSW 2024

Circa 2014, I was living in Washington DC, finishing up my psychiatry residency at George Washington University. I was in my early 30’s, had left the cult-like group about a year prior, and was seeing my psychoanalyst in Dupont Circle twice a week. At that time, I had not yet found my partner Justin¹.

There’s a specific memory that stands out to me about this time. I was at a Barre class in Logan Circle. In the middle of the session, I remember glancing up at myself in the mirror and seeing the reflection of a beautiful woman. For the first time that I can remember in my life, I saw myself as pretty. It was a revelation. My next thought was — “I don’t need to keep trying to be pretty. I just need to be more me.”