One of the most surprising revelations in Terry Gross's speech was her admission that the fearless interviewer millions of listeners know is not quite the same person off the air. The woman who has conducted searching, sometimes confrontational interviews with everyone from presidents to pop stars described herself as someone who, without a microphone, tries to be nice, wants to be liked, and was socialized to be accommodating. Gross presented this not as a contradiction but as a natural and healthy dichotomy. She told graduates to expect a similar split between their professional and personal selves, and reassured them that 'it's all part of the total you.' The observation was especially pointed for an audience at a women's college, where many graduates would face the challenge of being assertive professionals in a world that still socialized women to be accommodating.