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Yet, the decision to share her story came with its own set of fears and uncertainties. Palmer grappled with a fear of judgment, of being ostracized, and of being misunderstood by those around her. “Past me didn’t make the best decisions,” she says, acknowledging her own imperfections. And if those close to her were questioning her choices, what would the general public think? But as she embraced her truth and began to unapologetically share her story, Palmer found a sense of liberation. “It feels so good to just be like, ‘You know what? This is me,'” an empowering statement in a world that doesn’t grant Black women permission to go against the grain, embrace our vulnerability, and own our stories.