I was listening to Anna Faris talk about her 14-year-old son on Chelsea Handler’s podcast. Her son is Christian and she isn't, and she talked about how she’ll push back on some of his beliefs and challenge him on certain topics. (I attached the interview below, starting right where Anna begins talking about her son, so you can listen for yourself.) Anywayyy, apparently some people didn’t love that because there was a bit of buzz about it on the interwebs. People said she was trying to make him lose his faith. But I had the total opposite reaction. And I blame my dad. Growing up, my dad and I would often be left sitting at the dinner table 20–30 minutes after everyone else had left because he was making me defend some point I’d made. He'd say things like... “Don’t assume I know what you're talking about.” "What does that word mean? Don't use it if you don't really know." or an ole goodie...“Never ask a question to try to stump someone if you don’t know the answer yourself.” It wasn’t until like 5 years ago that I realized this man didn’t even believe half the positions he was arguing! He was playing devil’s advocate so he could teach me how to make my case respectfully. And looking back, I think that was a huge part of building my confidence. I learned that someone I love and respect can disagree with me—and we’re still okay. And I learned to be challenged without taking it personally. And man are we lacking that social skill in today' world. Having good manners isn't about being agreeable and a pushover. Because we’re going to live, work, and have relationships with people who think differently than we do. But you've gotta know how to disagree without turning the disagreement into something personal. And I think home is actually a pretty great place to start practicing it. Did you have somebody growing up who made you defend your position? P.S. I’m thinking about turning this into a Reel, but you guys get my brain-spiral thoughts first. 😂 https://omny.fm/shows/dear-chelsea/retirement-with-anna-faris?t=48m2s

Hey everyone! I had an unexpected family emergency come up this evening that completely derailed my prep for tonight’s live. Everyone is okay, but rather than hop on here frazzled and give you a rushed version of something I’m really excited to teach, I’m moving Know Your Zero to next Thursday at 7 PM. And honestly, I think that’s going to make this even better. I’m turning this into a proper workshop with a Find Your Zero worksheet so we can actually work through your baseline presence together, not just talk about it. We’ll look at what you naturally communicate when you walk into a room, the “receipts” other people have given you about how you come across, where there may be a gap between your intention and their perception, and what you can actually adjust. So your homework between now and then 👀: What’s something people have repeatedly told you they thought about you BEFORE they got to know you? Write it down. We’re going to use it. Thank you for rolling with me tonight. 💛 See you next Thursday at 7!

I’m working on tomorrow’s Find Your Zero live, and I need your help with something. What’s something people tend to assume about you that isn’t necessarily true? Like, maybe you’ve heard: “You’re intimidating.” “I thought you were stuck-up when I first met you.” “You seem so confident.” “I thought you were much younger.” “You’re so quiet.” Or maybe it’s something completely different. So what’s something people have repeatedly assumed about you or told you they thought about you before they really knew you? I may pull a few of your examples into tomorrow’s live so we can unpack what might be happening.

When you think of etiquette, you might think of manners, but modern etiquette is really about understanding how you affect the people around you and knowing how to navigate those interactions well. And a huge part of that is communication. I posted a Reel this weekend about something I teach called “Know Your Zero.” Your zero is your baseline—what people naturally pick up about you before you ever open your mouth. Why does that matter? Because sometimes what we intend to communicate and what someone else actually receives are two different things. That’s where unnecessary friction and misunderstandings can happen. So for our live this Thursday at 7:00 PM ET, we’re going to work on finding YOUR zero. We’ll dig into what shapes your baseline, the clues people may already be giving you about how you come across, and how to use that awareness to communicate more clearly and intentionally. This isn’t about changing yourself or getting everyone to like you. It’s about becoming a more effective, socially aware communicator—which, to me, is at the heart of modern etiquette. If there’s something you’d specifically like me to address or a way you tend to be perceived that you’ve always wondered about—drop it below and I’ll work it into Thursday’s live.

I’m so glad you’re here. Own the Room is a place to learn the things a lot of us somehow made it to adulthood without ever being taught—what to say, what to do, and how to feel a little more confident walking into the rooms that matter. And if you’re here for your pre-teen or teen, you’re in the right place too. Here’s what to do first: 1️⃣ Introduce yourself Head to General Discussion and tell us: 👋 Your name + where you’re from 💬 What brought you to Own the Room 🤔 One situation you’d love to feel more confident navigating It can be anything from “I hate networking events” to “My pre-teen won't look up from their phone at dinner.” There are no dumb questions here. 2️⃣ Add the Weekly Live Q&A to your calendar This is where you can bring me the awkward, tricky, “What on earth do I say here?” situations you're dealing with in real life and we’ll talk through them together. 3️⃣ Take a look around You’ll find conversations for social situations, professional presence, parents/pre-teens/teens, and Ask Presilah when you want my take on something specific. Courses will also be added to the Classroom as they're released, beginning with Poised & Positive for pre-teens on September 1st. 4️⃣ Check out the Member Map See who’s near you and start making some real-life connections. Because the whole point of learning this stuff here is to feel more comfortable using it out there. 5️⃣ Read our Community Rules They’re simple, but important. [Read the community rules here →Rules] Then go introduce yourself. And once you do, say hello to at least one other person while you’re there. Welcome to Own the Room. 💛 I’m really glad you found us. — Presilah