Fear Less U™

If you’ve been following me, you’ve heard me say at some point that “Fear is your strength”! This isn’t something I just came up with overnight, and I’m definitely not trying to be one of these motivation culture gurus you see all over social media! Fear is my “magnificent obsession”, something that I have been pouring hours of understanding into over the past 8 years (so far). And as I always say here on the podcast: Fear is my passion, curiosity is my nature, and understanding is the gift I seek to share with all who will listen!

So here it is: the abridged, Cliffs Notes version of my 3-step methodology for Outperforming Fear!

In order to be able to outperform your fears, you have to first understand them.

“Fear” is a word used as an umbrella term to describe everything that makes us uncomfortable. And motivation culture will tell you that you can conquer your fear through sheer willpower.

The truth is, fear doesn’t ever leave us. It cannot be killed or conquered. Because fear is an essential part of our lives! We need to change our relationship with and understanding of fear in order to OUTPERFORM our discomforts and performance anxieties! And in order to do that, we must seek understanding!

Here are three basic, but ESSENTIAL, facts about fear to help get you started along the journey of understanding your fear!!!

“You DO NOT have a mental block!” If I had a nickel for every time I’ve said this, I’d be a rich man! But it’s not just a saying, and it’s not something I say without backing it up with thorough research!

But since most have the attention span of a goldfish, I’ve condensed my years of research and empirical study into a quick & easy-to-digest 60-sec lesson! It’s time to BUST THESE MYTHS!!!

Jeff Bogensberger is an MBA qualified experienced Business Executive currently the CEO and Founder of EduCellar. His career path includes teaching English language classes in Korea, management consulting, as well as senior executive positions in both start-ups and larger organizations across the USA, Canada, and Australia.

His company, EduCellar, is a community focused on positivity, personal growth, and shared learning.

In this episode, we discuss the events that lead up to Jeff’s creation of EduCellar, and how his personal history with fear played a role. We discuss fear within the context of the professional setting. We talk about how the fear of ridicule from others, a fear that is seemingly ingrained within our culture, can keep you in a state of arrested development. And finally, we talk about the importance of rhetoric in the workplace, and how empathy and emotional sensitivity can help others perform optimally.

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Brittany “Britt ” Caldwell knows a thing or two about what it takes to stop chasing your dreams, and finally just GO GET THEM! She is a Dancer, Dance Teacher & Choreographer, Cycling Instructor at CycleBar, and Athlete Performance Specialist. To add to her many other titles, talents, and credits, she is also a dancer for the Honeybees, the official dance team for the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA.

She is South Carolina born and raised currently residing in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of South Carolina & a Masters in Exercise Science Focused on Performance Enhancement, Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation.

In this episode, Britt opens up about her past struggles with fear, and how the decision to leave her cushy job in corporate America to pursue what she refers to as a “passion chase”, led her to realize what she was truly placed on this earth to do! We talk about just how important support from your parents is during those times of dynamic change and purposeful displacement. We talk about the relationships between belief and fear, and how fear has both hindered and pushed her as a dreamer, a dancer, and even now as an entrepreneur. And finally, we discuss how sometimes, God is just waiting for us to make a move and get out of His way for us to receive the guidance and blessings He’s stored up for us. It’s like my grandfather Lain used to say, “Sometimes you have to get off your knees and hustle.”

Britt is a fun-loving, genuine spirit who was a blast to sit down and talk with! We’ve since become good friends and supporters of one another from this interview, and I guarantee you’ll be inspired by her joviality, her wisdom, and her genuine zeal for life!

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Charlotte Kemp is the Futures Alchemist, a futurist keynote speaker who works with organizations to co-create preferred futures. She is a member of the Association of Professional Futurists, as well as the Deputy President of the Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa.

Charlotte is also the author of a number of books, including ‘Futures Alchemist’ which presents a narrative of how to use her Map, Compass, and Guide model to navigate unknown futures.

In this episode, we discuss what being a “futures alchemist” actually is, and how being able to interpret signs and symbols of the future can lead to desired outcomes. We talk about how you can outperform your fear of the future by taking agency over it, and how using her “Conscious Futurist” model can help you break your cycles of failure and fear, or what Charlotte calls, the “Nostalgia Narrative”. And finally, we discuss how facing your future involves being vulnerable, learning from, and reconciling with your past.

I hope you’re ready to look to the future because where we’re going, we don’t need roads! So strap in as we blast off to 88mph and dive into the future with the one and only, Charlotte Kemp!

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Why is it that our culture teaches us to fear being afraid? The fellas from The Mindset Podcast are here to help you shift your perspective and reprogram your response to discomfort!

Anthony Valenzuela and Gabriel Russo are the hosts of The Mindset Podcast, a show dedicated to helping people from every walk of life take their mindset to the next level, focusing on positivity and optimism. 

Garrett & Chelsea are a husband and wife team, ICF Relationship Coaches certified through Empowered Couples University. And if one thing is evident from the very moment you speak to them, it’s that their admiration, love, and genuine respect for one another has helped them outperform and persevere against life’s many challenges.

Raising a blended family is never easy, but together they have gained an appreciation for the strength, understanding and resilience required in blended families. And through their own trials and tribulations, they seek to help others understand that while it's not easy creating meaningful connections with all of life’s moving parts, histories, and difficulties, it is possible! Their truest passion is working with couples who desire to have a deeper, more fulfilling relationship, where both partners feel united to take the actions necessary to make them stronger and more passionate about what matters most to them.

Their cornerstone: believing in the power of vulnerability, acknowledging your partner's past, and the power of a positive mindset. You can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you respond to it.

In this episode, we discuss the fear of vulnerability and all of the challenges that it brings. We talk about the challenges of raising a blended family, and how being vulnerable with both themselves and one another truly helped Garrett and Chelsea outperform their fears and get to a new level of love, respect, and understanding with one another. We discuss why being vulnerable is such a tricky thing for most people to embrace and get on board with, and how a lot of our defensiveness as sensitive human beings comes from the associations we develop throughout our lives.

If allowing yourself to open up to new possibilities and relationships has been a challenge for you due to your lack of willingness to being vulnerable, then prepare to get SUPER uncomfortable! Because we’re about to dive heart-first into the deep end of discomfort and learn what true vulnerability can do for your love life, your career, and your overall performance!

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How do you know when you're stuck in a pattern of fear? Why is it important to be able to recognize when your fear isn't a new problem, but a recurring one that you have allowed to become habitual? 

Patterns of Possibility transformational coach, podcaster, and Fear Less U™ guest Lee Hopkins kicks off our guest host "Guestisode" series with advice on how to recognize when you're stuck in a pattern of fear. 

Christabel is the host of the Surviving the Arena Podcast whom I had the pleasure of meeting through another friend of mine, Cassandra Rosa. Since this interview, we have connected through Instagram supporting each other’s various endeavors and entrepreneurial pursuits, and even though it’s been remotely through the pandemic, she is a genuine spirit I am delighted and honored to call a friend.

Inspired to motivate people to make their dreams into realities and help them start living the lives they have always wanted, Christabel focuses on taking people with her as she embarks on a journey of self-growth and discovery. Having spent years volunteering abroad and finding her purpose in helping those in need, Christabel has the desire to help others take back control of their lives and overcome their pasts so that they can find and live their purpose as well. She is a faith-driven, academically-minded, travel-obsessed woman, looking to make her mark on the world and her local community.

This is one of those feel-good episodes, you know the kind where you grab a good book, maybe a blanket, or if you’re in the car, you just put the ride on cruise control because you’re about to listen to two first-time friends just having an engaging conversation. Christabel’s spirit and energy are so supportive and edifying, I know you’ll have just as much fun listening as I did speaking with her.

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When Daniel Tribby first started out as a healthcare provider and business owner, he had no idea about the differences between the two. He made every mistake possible in starting a practice because he hadn’t taken into account who he needed to become, or what he needed to learn in order to be a successful business owner.

After struggling to get it right and wasting money paying people who he thought could get it right for him, Daniel decided to turn his shortcomings into strengths. By learning what it means to be a business owner, including all of the intricacies of running a business, he began to see changes in himself, how he interacted with his team, and how much this influenced the growth of his practice.

So who is Daniel Tribby? He’s a certified athletic trainer specializing in physical rehabilitation for athletes. He holds specialty certifications in concussion treatment, ergonomics, and neuromuscular control. He is the co-owner of a regenerative medicine practice and physical rehabilitation practice in Orlando, FL. His book, "Unf**king Private Healthcare: The Playbook on Owning Your Dream Practice" helps healthcare providers unearth the skills necessary to become the leaders their practice needs, build the team they need, and provide the service their customers need!

In this episode, we very candidly discuss what it means to unf**k your healthcare business mindset. We discuss how fear and ego play a role in the healthcare industry. We talk about how fear can help push private practice owners toward their greatness as both healthcare professionals and small business owners. And finally, we talk about how gaining clarity along his own journey towards his duality as an entrepreneur and patient-first physician has helped him build another business as a leader for other healthcare professionals on how their private practices should be run!

Daniel is a charismatic, straight-shooting, no-nonsense dichotomous doctor who I had a great time talking with, and I know you’ll have a great time listening to!

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Ashley-Ann is a book coach and founder of The Studio Press. She is the author of The Key to Happiness: A Journey to Embracing My Story and an award-winning speaker. With her signature program Unleash the Author Within she is helping coaches and speakers write impactful memoirs and self-help books.

In this episode, we dive DEEP into the “fear of speaking your truth”, and what that concept means. We talk about Ashley’s personal struggles with fear and not understanding it, and how she’s used these defining moments to formulate her own methods of outperforming fear through storytelling. We discuss the relationship between and misconceptions within the concepts of fear and love. And finally, we talk about why telling your story truly matters.

If you’ve ever struggled with confidence or courage, this is the episode for you! Through Ashley’s openness and vulnerability, we get a master’s course in the importance of telling your story in order to outperform life’s most crippling fears!

Natsune Oki is a self-mastery enthusiast and renowned deep thinker. She is the author of The Game of Self-Domination and the host of LifeUpEducationTV. Having built her life up from nothing multiple times, Natsune has not only gone on to finish her college education with degrees in Business and Economics, but she’s worked with hundreds of innovators, entrepreneurs, and next-generation thinkers.

In this episode, we discuss the concept of fear and how it’s viewed in Japanese culture. We talk about how the game of “self-domination” can help you find beauty in the sometimes monotonous and exhausting process, as well as why she refers to it as a game in the first place. We talk about Natsune’s personal relationship with fear, and when she stopped viewing it as a negative experience, and began embracing it as a positive one. And finally, we talk about “self-mastery”, what got her into this field of study, and how challenging your reality helps you find and embrace your true self.

Reggie Calhoun Jr. has a lifetime of experience with discomfort. As an army vet, student-athlete, and now serial entrepreneur, he has made a living from learning to be comfortable with discomfort! Heck, going to 4 different high schools in 4 different states in 4 years will do that to a person. But Reggie’s successes as he puts it are the cumulative sum of his experiences with failing, and with his foundation, The RPA College, he seeks to instill the same mentality into the hearts and minds of student-athletes around the country.

In this episode, we discuss how Reggie has learned from a lifetime of experience with discomfort, how fear is actually a motivator, not an inhibitor. We discuss why he doesn’t believe he has ever “failed”, and why as an army vet, athlete, Big Brother, author, and speaker, he has adopted the mindset of “Fearing My Way Through It”. We talk about how people don’t actually fear what they say they’re afraid of, but instead, the discomfort behind their fear. And finally, we discuss his foundation, The RPA College, and what it means to do things, “The RPA Way”!

Stevie Wright is many things, and all of them are rooted in love. During our conversation, there was such a presence of calmness and gratitude that was incredibly tangible. It’s a quality you don’t find in too many people anymore. She is a certified Self Love Coach and breathwork facilitator who specializes in helping women heal their anxiety holistically. Stevie has spent the last several years healing herself to go from disconnected, anxious, and playing small, to completely owning her power and now helps other women do the same. Stevie offers high-level coaching to individuals and groups.

Cassandra Rosa is an intuitive life coach and clarity creator who believes the key to achieving your dreams starts with creating clarity. She helps millennials find the clarity they need to create their dream life and business. In her coaching practice, she loves to teach her clients how to clear what’s holding them back, define their purpose and vision, and define action steps to make their dreams a reality. She’s focused her best practices into a new award-winning book which was recently launched, called Now What: Create the Clarity to Achieve Your Dreams.

In her book, she teaches you to clear what’s holding you back, connect with your true purposeful life, and co-create momentum to make it a reality. She shares inspiring stories from her own life experience navigating through her Now What? Moments and takes you on a journey to clear your mind and energy field, connect with your dream life, and co-create your dreams.

In this episode, Cassandra shares her “Three Keys to Clarity”, which she has learned from her life experience leaving the corporate world and creating her thriving intuitive life coaching business. We discuss how the Fear of Uncertainty in her own life led her to become an intuitive life coach, and what her most memorable “Now What?” moment was in her own life. And finally, we talk about how you can outperform your “monkey mind” and step into that next stage of greatness in your life, simply by seeking clarity and getting out of your own way!

I’m so excited for this one you guys! Get ready to experience transformation, inspiration, connection, and, most importantly, clarity!

Be sure to follow Cassandra Rosa around the web:

Danielle Gray - multi-passionate entrepreneur, Wilhelmina fitness model, speaker, and the founder of Train Like A Gymnast, understands firsthand what it’s like to have high expectations for yourself. She knows that with her proven processes for mindset shifts, you can accomplish anything when you break it down into the smallest steps possible. She has created a way to make health and fitness comprehensible, enjoyable, efficient, and effective. She is also a certified personal trainer with specialties in bodyweight training, nutrition, kettlebells, pre and post-natal exercise, as well as a former Junior Olympic gymnast, judge, and coach.

In this episode, Danielle and I discuss the fear of failure many athletes develop out of a desire to be perfect, and a combined fear of judgment from coaches, parents, and teammates. We talk about how her own pursuit of perfection was holding her back and how a fear of failure and judgment led to her mental and emotional fatigue. We discuss how fear has impacted her development on a personal, professional, and athletic level, and what led to her seeking out her next thing to truly find her purpose in life! And finally, we discuss how your story cannot continue unless you are willing to turn the page.

You guys I am so excited to bring this interview to you! I admire and look up to Danielle as an entrepreneur and multi-potentialite, and know that you’re going to be just as inspired listening to her talk as I was interviewing her!

Be sure to follow Danielle Gray around the web:

Coach Oriana Guevara is an experienced Life & Personal Performance Coach, Certified Relationship Coach, Business Consultant, Speaker, and Author. She is committed to Supporting Entrepreneurs and Executives in their Personal Growth, Professional Expansion, & Inter-generational Legacy-Building. She specializes in supporting men and women to UP-Level and become agents of change in their lives, relationships, businesses, careers, and communities. As an intuitive guide, her work is transformational because of its foundation in Emotional Release & Energy Healing.

In this episode, we discuss the many Faces of Fear and how you can start identifying, TODAY, which faces your fear takes in different phases of your life! We discuss how the brain is designed for surviving and not thriving, and why this can hold us back from outperforming our fears of judgment and being seen. We talk about the problematic nature of the narrative of “fearlessness” and why the idea of being fearless is dangerous, and why we desperately need to disrupt this narrative. And finally, Coach Oriana shares her personal advice for both men and women on how they can use their fear to step into their greatness as entrepreneurs and successful members of society.

I am SO EXCITED to share this interview with you because I found in Coach Oriana a like-minded friend who truly understands the benefits of being present with your fears in an effort to better understand them. This is a long one so you guys grab some popcorn & an energy drink, or save this one for a long drive because this episode is jam-packed with so much actionable advice you have to listen to the WHOLE thing to truly get the entire value Coach Oriana shares!!!

Nate Rose is not your average rap artist. Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, Nate Rose is a hip-hop artist & creative mogul often referred to as the "James Bond" of rap for his debonair demeanor and emphasis on intellect. He has a diverse background ranging from business finance to digital media marketing and production, and is the recent owner of a new production company, 12 Bishop, with co-owner David Piersaul.

In this episode, we discuss fear in the context of “the pivot”. The term “pivot” has become a buzzword referring to a significant business change -- ranging from mild to dramatic. A pivot is usually intended to help a business recover from a tough period, or survive after experiencing new competition or other factors that make the original business model unsustainable. COVID-19 has helped us all realize how we might need to pivot our business models and practices, especially those of us like myself and Nate who are self-employed entrepreneurs. Nate also shares some prudent financial advice with us, and emphasizes how this time in isolation and staying at home is the best time to not only reflect on your choice of vocation, but figure out what your next step will be in adjusting to “the new normal” in this post-COVID world.

Kevin Bracy, otherwise known as Coach Greatness, is a renowned speaker, author, motivational entertainer, facilitator, trainer, keynote speaker, group fitness instructor, and friend, and has been inspiring, motivating, and leading crowds of adults and children alike for well over 20 years!

He has delivered thousands of presentations ranging from High School gymnasiums to closing keynotes at corporate sales rally's to kicking off Character Combine events to hosting live internet broadcasts with over 460,000 college students in virtual attendance. He has written two books (and co-authored six more) on a variety of subjects, including leadership, motivation, greatness, achievement, and change. He has also released scores of audio programs on these and other ever-relevant and life-changing topics.

His newest book, Scared Great: Steer Your Fear Towards Your Greatness, is directly in line with what this podcast is all about - co-existing and being present with your fear in an effort to better understand and perform in spite of it.

In this episode, we talk about what being “Scared Great” actually means. We discuss how you can accomplish the daunting tasks in your life by winning THIS day. And we talk about how fear is being used for good and not so good purposes during the time of COVID-19, and how you can use that to steer your greatness!

You guys I am SO excited to finally present you with this interview, this is a big one featuring one of my real-life heroes, and I know he will soon be one of yours as well!