It's Not That Hard: Reclaim Your Name, Reclaim Your Identity

𝙈𝙮 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙨 Janvière.

"How do you say that?”

“Can I call you something else instead?”

No.

It's not the easiest name to pronounce if you haven’t taken French.

Or if names that don’t fit neatly into your world feel… unfamiliar.

When I was younger, no one really called me by my real name.

Somewhere along the way, my name got lost, and a nickname took its place.

I don't even remember when it started, just that it made things 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘳.

Easier for teachers to go down the roll call.

Easier for classmates who didn’t want to try.

Easier for adults who would have a hard time.

It meant avoiding that moment in school when the teacher scanned the list… paused… looked confused…

And before they could even try to pronounce it, I’d raise my hand. “That’s me.” 🫠

So I adjusted.

What I didn’t realize back then was this:

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙄 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙄 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧.

I protected everyone from awkwardness while carrying the cost of being partially erased.

But my name isn’t complicated.

It’s just 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳.

Just like I like to tell my son, things aren't hard, they're just NEW.

And unfamiliarity isn’t a burden .

It’s an invitation to expand your understanding.

In my mid 20s, I decided to present myself fully.

No more nicknames for other people's convenience.

Today, I would rather someone struggle with the syllables of my real name than call me by a version that isn't mine.

Because a mispronunciation can be corrected. But shrinking yourself to please others? That takes years to unlearn.

The shift wasn’t about being strict; it was about reclamation.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵.

It’s the bare minimum.

✨ This, too, is what Hidden Talent Syndrome is about.

 Not just what we do, but who we’ve learned to become just to fit in. And the journey back to who we fully are.