Fitting In but Still Feeling Like You Don’t Belong — with Urmi Hossain

Have you ever been somewhere where everyone was welcoming, everyone was perfectly nice, and yet you still didn't quite feel like you belonged?It's an interesting thing, isn't it? Because being accepted and actually feeling like you can be yourself aren't always the same thing.That's something Urmi Hossain and I found ourselves talking about.Urmi grew up in Italy with Bangladeshi parents and now lives in Montreal. So when someone asks her, "Where are you from?" the answer isn't quite as simple as people might expect.And that's part of what makes her story so interesting. She's spent much of her life navigating different cultures, expectations, and other people's ideas of who she is, while figuring out what all of those pieces mean to her.We talked about how easy it can be to get really good at fitting in. You learn to read the room, adjust, and sometimes keep certain parts of yourself a little quieter. And you might not even realize you're doing it.But we also talked about what happens when you begin making room for all of who you are.For Urmi, that includes her cultural roots, her career in finance, her writing and creative work, and the woman she's continued to become along the way.What stayed with me is that belonging doesn't necessarily mean finding the right place or the right people to accept you. Sometimes it starts with allowing yourself to be all the different parts of who you are.If you've ever felt like you fit in but still weren't quite being yourself, I think there's something in this conversation you'll recognize.Urmi Hossain is a Canada-based author, speaker, podcast host, and finance professional. She is the author of Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle and hosts Stories Beyond Borders. Her work explores identity and women's empowerment, and she serves as Co-Chair of the Women in Leadership Montreal Chapter.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/urmihossain/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urmamio/Stories Beyond Borders: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-beyond-borders/id1831413373YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@urmihossainBook and more: https://linktr.ee/urmihossainWebsite: https://www.stephaniedinozzicoaching.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephanie_dinozzi/Beyond Fine: https://www.instagram.com/beyondfinepod/ABOUT URMICONNECT WITH URMICONNECT WITH STEPHANIE / BEYOND FINE