I had a teacher who asked me in front of the class if I would mind if he shared with the class a big accolade I had achieved. He was teasing me, as he took away my choice to say no in that moment. I was immensely proud and excited for that to be shared with the class, but also chose to take a jab back at him. I stated flatly “no, I don’t want that shared with the class.” Before I could say “just joking” or whatever, the awkward silence I had created made me panic and shut down. And after a few more awkward moments we moved on to something else. 20 years later my stomach still churns.