Confidence does not fear intelligent questions.

A good question threatens only a position that was not thought through. When you have actually done the work, being probed is interesting rather than dangerous, and you can follow the question wherever it goes. Defensiveness under questioning is usually a signal about the reasoning, not about the questioner.

When you feel yourself bristling at a question, treat that as data about your own uncertainty. Sit with the question rather than deflecting it. Either you find the answer or you find the gap, and both are useful.