“Why not let people around you know who you really are?”

It’s hard to figure out who you are, then reflect that discovery to the world around you. In this episode, Kat Franchino interviews Kelly Hughes about her experiences discovering her authentic self and learning how to stay true to that – especially while also dealing with anxiety. “That’s how you adhere to authenticity—by knowing enough about yourself to know who you are, being able to show yourself to other people, but also when, you know, shit hits the fan, being able to say, ‘OK, I’m going to hold on to this, I’m not going to budge on this.’”

It takes a lot of introspection and questioning. “The best tomorrow will actually come from asking questions about today.” Kelly points out that it’s a constant journey, as well. Don’t get too comfortable with the status quo, or you may lose sight of who you’ve grown into. “Certainty is the enemy of my authentic self.”

And once you’ve started to figure it all out? Don’t hold back! Trying to pretend to be someone you’re not will drain you and make it hard to live your best life. “You [will] have a lot more energy for the other elements of your life if you remove the energy your spending filtering yourself.”

You’re inevitably going to go through some phases, make some mistakes, and learn along the way. That’s absolutely normal.

“For me, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re doing the best you can, so keep going.”