You can take what you need from this and leave the rest.
I began writing this with the busy, outspoken Black girl in mind. I know her because I am her. But if you have ever been asked to make yourself easier to explain, there is room for you in this letter too.
People love a simple introduction: one title, one lane, one answer to “What do you do?” My answer has changed because I have kept learning. I have taught mathematics, coached educators, helped people make sense of technology, designed operations, studied leadership, and built a company. Each chapter gave me a different tool. Together, they tell a fuller story than any one job title could.
Indecision might be information.
Sometimes you have not chosen because none of the choices in front of you are big enough. Give yourself room to test an idea, change a plan, or name a new direction. You can move with intention while you are still learning what fits.
“When your baseline is DEPTH, everything is THAT deep to you.”— Nat Chapman
Your voice belongs in the room.
If you ask the question everybody else is avoiding, that question may be the start of a better answer. If you see a gap, you may also see the beginning of a new design. Speak with care. Listen closely. Then trust yourself enough to say what you mean.
Coloring outside the lines does not mean you have to turn your life into a performance. Rest is part of the picture. So are revisions. So is the quiet work nobody applauds while you are doing it.
Build a life roomy enough to hold your curiosity, your convictions, your ambition, and your humanity. I’m doing that work too.
With room to grow,
Miss Nat.