We do not speak the same way to everyone. With some, our voices soften, careful and measured. With others, we are louder, more certain, unafraid of being misunderstood. Our words shift, our tone adapts, our sentences rearrange themselves depending on who is listening. There are people with whom we are our truest selves, unguarded, unfiltered, speaking without the need to explain. And then there are those with whom we edit, choosing words carefully, adjusting our truths to fit the space they allow. It is not always deception; sometimes, it is survival. Sometimes, it is simply habit. We even do this with ourselves. The way we speak in our minds, the way we narrate our own lives, it changes depending on what we believe in that moment. Some days, we tell ourselves we are capable. Other days, we tell ourselves we are not enough. The voice inside us, just like the voice we share with the world, is always shifting. But who are we beneath all the adjustments? When no one is listening, when there is no need to explain, no need to be anything but real, what do we sound like then? And how often do we let that voice be heard?