I used to believe that if I wasn’t perfect, people would leave me. We all tell ourselves a limiting lie. A story that plays on repeat in the back of our minds. “If only I was–fill in the blank–prettier, smarter, curvier, skinner, bolder, quieter…I would be loved”. All these limiting lies are based on the biggest lie of all: that in order to be loved, we need to be someone other than who we are right now. The morning of SheFi Summit, I paced around my AirBnB in Buenos Aires trying to memorize my opening speech, Summer screaming while Jon changed her diaper. "Just wing it," Jon offered. "Not helpful," I snapped. Summer fussed in the car. I ran through my opening lines again. Jon–bless him–didn't try to fix my nerves. He handed me water. He showed up. As soon as I walked into the venue, my shoulders fell. I relaxed. Ela and Naomi bustled around the greenhouse where our sponsors Octant, Avalanche, and Celo had set up their displays. The next minute, they sorted out the breakfast table. I blinked and the main stage was ready for action. I didn't have to think about logistics once. All I did was show up. And you did too. This was the first SheFi summit where, even after the last talk, so many of you lingered in the courtyard to continue conversations you had started in the morning, to meet the people you hadn’t yet met, and to soak up the very last drop of high frequency SheFi vibes. This summit was perfectly imperfect. I ultimately read parts of the opening speech from my phone. One of our panelists showed up late to her talk. I bounced Summer on my lap for my final interview with Jon. These details that, in the past, I would've been reviewing in my head for days afterwards now feel like exactly what they are: life. Life does not conform to your schedule. It shows up late, it loses the keys to your apartment, it throws a tantrum in the middle of your big speech, and on and on. I used to see these moments as life getting in the way. Life doesn't get in the way. Life is the way. Life is so much easier in community. I didn't feel embarrassed about reading off of my phone because I trust that my community will love me no matter what. I don't need to have a perfectly memorized speech to give the keynote. I don’t need to be perfect at anything to share it. And neither do you. When we are surrounded by people who truly support us, we can show up exactly as we are. I'm so grateful for everyone who showed up—all our sponsors, our speakers, our volunteers, our chapter leads, for my team Ela and Naomi, and my dad, Summer, and Jon. I’m so grateful for everyone who engaged with the POAPs, everyone who introduced themselves to someone they didn’t know, and everyone who pushed themselves to learn something new. And I’m grateful for everyone who couldn’t make it but was following on socials or with us in spirit. Thank you for being in SheFi. Thank you for being exactly who you are.