Friday night, I did something that really scared me.
I’ve been asked to be on podcasts for ages, and every single time I’ve found a polite way to dodge it. “Timing’s bad.” “Maybe next quarter.” “Let’s revisit.”
Truth?
I was shitting myself.
The first person who ever asked me was Justin. He’s smart, thoughtful, and generous. But still, I froze. Being a guest felt like standing in a boardroom naked with nowhere to hide.
Last week, I finally said yes.
Friday night, 8:30 p.m., after a quick family dinner. I told the kids I was recording upstairs—no noise allowed. A threat may have been included.
Four hours later, we wrapped up, and I was buzzing. Laughing. Completely alive.
The fear didn’t go away. I just stopped letting it run the show.
And here’s the thing: the podcast isn’t even out yet. It won’t be for another four to six weeks. So I’m not evaluating it by the final outcome. I’m evaluating it by the experience.
It might end up being complete shit. That’s not what matters.
What matters is that I did it. Regardless of how good or bad it turns out, I did it.
That’s the point.
Quote of the Week
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”
Nelson Mandela
The Hidden Cost of Avoiding Fear
Our brains can’t tell the difference between fear and excitement. They fire the same signals.
Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki calls it “the anxiety-activation overlap.” The difference is what we tell ourselves it means. Fear equals danger. Excitement equals growth.
Every time we dodge what scares us, we reinforce danger. We make the fear louder.
Research from Harvard Business School found that people who take small, deliberate risks report higher satisfaction and faster career growth. Each action you take creates proof that you can handle discomfort.
Confidence doesn’t come first. Action does.
Lesson One: The Outcome Doesn’t Matter
For years, I tied bravery to results. If it worked, I was brave. If it didn’t, I was stupid for trying.
That mindset kept me small.
The real shift came when I stopped judging courage by outcomes. The podcast might be brilliant. It might be awful. Either way, I did the thing I’d been avoiding for months.
That’s the metric. Did I do the thing?
When you start measuring courage by action instead of applause, you rebuild trust in yourself.
Lesson Two: Bravery Is a Team Sport
Let’s get one thing clear. I didn’t wake up brave. Not a chance.
I did it because of the people around me. The ones who chipped away at my excuses. The ones who wouldn’t let me hide.
Brynn and Danya said if they ever did a podcast, I’d be first in.
Martijn dismantled every excuse I had until there was no doubt left.
Justin, Heythem, and Lenny kept saying, “You’d be great at it.”
Ines, Tocas, Filipa, and Eve told me to stop overthinking.
And my mum, in true form: “Snap out of it. You gotta do these things nowadays.”
They all helped shrink my fear.
That’s the power of a strong circle. They reflect back the version of you that you can’t always see. They tell you the truth when you start talking yourself out of something important.
Fear shrinks when you share it with people who believe in your potential.
It takes a village.
Own It
Bravery isn’t about being fearless.
You can be scared and ready at the same time. You can doubt yourself and still deliver.
That’s how growth works – one shaky rep at a time.
So what are you still waiting for?
If you’ve been waiting for fear to fade before doing anything, stop waiting. It’s not going anywhere. Do it anyway.
If you’re ready to turn that kind of courage into a business that feels like freedom rather than fear, let’s plan it together.
Let’s design your next “do it scared” move.
As you read this, I’m probably somewhere in Lisbon, coffee in hand, walking into a conference that scares me all over again.
Another “do it scared” moment.
I’ll tell you how it went next week.
Claudia
