And sometimes the things about us that we perceive to be different are so wildly uncomfortable

that we feel like we need to keep them secret. The thing is, it is my gut feeling about life,

that keeping those things secret inevitably hurts us. It causes us pain. And no matter how large

those things are, when we find a way to speak them, we begin to heal ourselves. And even more hopeful,

we begin to heal our relationships with the most intimate people in our lives.

So what's your biggest secret? And what's the cost you've been bearing for living or trying to

live under the weight of it? Well, for many of us, it's wrapped around our sense of identity.

There's something about us that we don't want others to know. The idea of being 100% authentic,

meaning no secrets, no masks, no pretending, no hiding. In front of our family, our friends,

our colleagues, all people. It's something that sounds terrifying if not impossible, but what if

the opposite were true? What if living under the weight of that facade was actually the more

brutalizing experience, one that sustains possibly for years, decades, even life? In contrast,

to the momentary or even season of disruption, inciting by coming out as your true self,

yet also unlocking a lifetime of liberation and freedom and lightness.

Well, that's where we're headed in today's conversation with Jesse Hempel, whose own

revelation about her sexual identity became the first in a chain of coming out events that touched

every member of her family. Jesse is the host of the award-winning podcast Hello Monday,

and she's a senior editor at Largett LinkedIn. And for nearly two decades,

Jesse had been writing and editing stories about work, life, and meaning in the digital age,

profiling many of the biggest names in industry and appearing on major networks in the news.

And her striking memoir, The Family Outing, it's a fascinating look into Jesse's seemingly

picture-perfect American family whose lives slowly start to unravel after a series of coming out.

...