Core Message - The speech emphasizes the importance of authenticity and self-acceptance over fitting in [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] - It highlights the negative impact of pretending to be someone else, leading to loneliness and a loss of self [6] - The speech advocates for finding one's "tribe" by being genuine and sharing one's true self [7][8][9][10][11][12] Strategies for Authenticity - The speech suggests finding groups and activities based on genuine interests [11][12] - It encourages individuals to embrace their differences as strengths rather than flaws [12] - The speech promotes self-acceptance by knowing one's values, honoring interests, and respecting feelings [11] Impact and Transformation - The speaker shares a personal transformation from feeling invisible to being seen and accepted for who they are [1][13] - The speech challenges the audience to remove their masks and share their authentic selves with the world [14][15] - It assures those feeling invisible that they are not broken and that there are people who need what they have to offer [13][14]

Bro, stop. I almost >> What do you sell? My favorite memory from my time at Walt Disney World actually would happen every night at nine o'clock without fail. The fireworks would light up the sky behind Cinderella's Castle in Magic Kingdom. And across the Seven Seas Lagoon, there's a beautiful Victorian style resort called Disney's Grand Fian Resort and Spa where I had the pleasure of serving as a guest service manager. Now, every night around 8:45, 60 to 80 people would gather behind the resort that had a p ...

There's a question I've never been able to answer easily. Where are you from. I know it sounds simple, but for many of us it isn't.Because when your family has crossed borders for four generations, the answer is no longer one place. It's a story. Mine begins with my great-grandfather.He left southern Italy before the First World War. His mother and daughter sent there, my grandmother, to England at the age of 11, just a child, to work. And my mother, she grew up between two languages, building a network of ...

So, please join me in welcoming Miss Sally Anderson. [applause] In elementary school, my family moved Mali in West Africa to Italy in Europe. We had been living in Mali for about six years at that point. Big villa, nice, cool that I love, friends, family nearby, language that I spoke. Moving to Italy, everything was different. It was a small apartment, new school, definitely didn't speak the language. While it wasn't my first move, it was definitely the first move that gave me culture shock. Mainly because ...

[applause] Let me ask you a question. Have you ever stood in a room where it's full of people? The noise is deafening and it's full of liveless, but you feel a chill sensation. You feel a silence that rings just for you. You would feel a million miles away. The feeling lingers. It whispers in your ears. You do not belong here. Have you ever felt this? Like a broken piece that does not belong in the box. Perhaps lacking what others have? The existential loneliness that hunts us every day. Although we're more ...

[applause] Let me ask you a question. How many places have you lived in? Cities, countries, continents, anywhere. So far, I have moved 12 times and lived in a total of nine different cities. Nashville and Arlington in the US, Sudat Huarez in Mexico, London in the UK, Ekkatarinberg, St. Petersburg and Moscow in Russia, Astana and Kazakhstan, and Beijing, China. That's the average number of moves most people experience in their entire lifetime, much less in the first 14 years. Although my parents are CubanAme ...

They can stamp my passport, deny it, revoke it, shred it, burn it to ash, but they will never erase me. Because the passport is paper, fragile, temporary, a mere bureaucratic bookmark in a much larger story. The mosaic is me carved from Mumbai streets colored with Botswana slang lit with [snorts] Costa Rican rhythms.I am fragments stitched together not flattened into one box. And here's the truth. If globalization keeps reducing us to paper, it will erase every unrecorded song, every unpronounced name, and ...

[applause] Hi, my name is Bertine Prevacore West. What's your name? That may seem like a simple question, but it's actually layered with complexity. That's what brings me here today. I was made in America with Asian parts. My mom Tulia and my father Robert were originally from Haiti. So I'm a proud first gen. From the time I was 2 months old to 2 and a half years old, I lived in hate. Little did I know how that experience was fundamental to my identity. My aunt Maurice loves to tell a story of my first day ...

[applause] My comeback didn't begin in a stadium or at a life-changing conference. It began in aisle 5 of a Walgreens. It was a cold January day. I was picking up toothpaste, nursing a hangover again, clutching a coffee, and feeling the pain rock my brain from back to front. I studied myself. Shopping basket on my arm. The fluorescent lights a little too bright for me. Valentine's Day was around the corner, but I was worried about my friend Steve. He'd been acting erratically the night before, and I'd stepp ...

Have you ever felt the frustration of being left out of a decision that shaped your life. I can guarantee everyone in this audience has specific needs. You might want to adjust your posture, stretch your legs.You may take comfort in having your own seat, your own spot. You may even want to glance at someone nearby and share a comment. These are all natural impulses to move, to connect, to feel comfortable and secure.They can help give you a sense of belonging. I've been an educational researcher for almost ...