Growing up, I was the awkward kid. And the annoying kid. I tried so hard to get people to like me that I often came on a little strong. Or a lot, honestly. I filled silence with words. I overshared. I worried constantly about upsetting people. And big groups - especially familiar ones - made my chest tight with anxiety. For a long time, I thought that meant something was wrong with me. I was a nerdy kid, too. Never fully comfortable in my own skin. Always wanting more - more confidence, more friends, more ease. It was hard to be content with who I was, because I was always measuring myself against people who seemed so effortlessly themselves . People like Mama Nance. Today, I went to a wake for some dear family friends. One of my mom’s best friends, Mama Nance (in the purple here), passed away last weekend. She was like a second mom to me - one of the Breakfast Club Mamas - and one of the first adults I ever knew who truly lived out loud. She had a self-confidence that didn’t as...