Meeting My Younger Self for Coffee
This is another in our series: Nerdy Notes: Science in Story & Verse
In these posts, our Nerdy Girl scientists and clinicians will share personal stories, insights, poetry, and more. While these posts may be lighter in terms of numbers and figures, they will still be rooted in our tradition and commitment to providing accessible and trustworthy information.
To commemorate National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (also known as BIPOC Mental Health Month), Nerdy Girl Kenzie reflects on her recent experience “meeting her younger self for coffee”. Inspired by a viral social media trend, Kenzie uncovers a deep level of inner healing — and a guiding framework for her health advocacy — that extends far beyond what she expected from a “fad” self-reflection exercise. Through an honest, and at points painful, excavation of her Black girlhood, she is reminded of a truth that will forever shape her practice as a health educator and communicator: meeting someone with gentleness at their greatest point of vulnerability nurtures trust, drives positive behavior change, and promotes a healthful future better than almost anything else.
Listen to her short story, “For Her Sake”, detailing her coffee date. We also invite you to try out this exercise for and with yourself. If you do, let us know how it goes!
