October is not just the month of Halloween. It’s also the month of fear. But how often do we face fear as adults? Some would say all the time; others would say rarely at all, except during the occasional horror movie.
However, “fear” can look a bit different as an adult. In addition to scary movie jitters, fear also applies to things we’re intimidated by or self-conscious about. Because of this, facing your fears takes more than courage; it also requires self-acceptance.
Plenty of us, including Jeremy, are fearful about speaking in front of large groups of people and instead prefer the role of a quiet observer — and that’s perfectly fine. As the saying goes: Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke. You don’t have to dive into your fears head first in order to face them.
For Jeremy — and many of our clients — hosting a podcast is an excellent tool for expanding your network at your own pace and comfort level, while also embracing your strengths with one-on-one conversations.
In fact, embracing your strengths might be the best way to face your fears and come out stronger than before, both in business and in life. For example, before attending an event or conference, Jeremy tries to host a few attendees on his podcast. This way, he will already know some people before arriving. The secret isn’t just in the sauce — it’s in the podcast.
One of our clients, Riley Jarvis from “The Sleep for Side Hustlers Podcast,” knows this firsthand: “[Podcasts have shown] me the power of networking and how closely everyone is connected together by two degrees of connection. It’s also allowed me to talk to a large number of people through my own platform, which I never did before, pushing me out of my comfort zone. Looking back, it’s the best decision I ever made.”
Many other clients approach the podcast with a simple goal: to overcome their fear of public speaking. It can be an anxiety-inducing experience to prepare a simple presentation. John used to experience this anxiety all the time, often spending up to 30 hours practicing each of his presentations and webinars — despite his background as a speechwriter at the White House!
Now, he has thousands of hours of speaking experience, all thanks to his podcast. Preparing to speak to a group of entrepreneurs might take him 30 minutes instead of 30 hours, and he no longer experiences fear in the process.
If you ask us, one of the best parts of our job today is that we get to learn about the dreams, doubts, and fears of many successful and famous individuals — and how they overcame them. Suddenly, life and business feel a lot more manageable when you realize you’re not against impossible odds.
Don’t be afraid to acknowledge what you’re fearful of or intimidated by. You might find out that it’s a crucial piece of your success story.