Conquering Fear & Self-Doubt.

This life is short. Embrace every moment of it. 

Alright, real talk. THIS LIFE IS SHORT! I learned that harsh lesson with the passing of my mother. She was only 52 when she died. Let that sink in FIFTY-TWO. Like, that's blink-and-it’s-over short. But one thing that I learned from my mother was to LIVE your life NOW! She did almost everything that she wanted to do in her short life. So there’s no reason why you can’t too. 

And here’s the thing, the fact that any of us even exist is a freaking miracle. Like, mathematically speaking, the odds of you being here, alive and breathing, are so tiny it’s basically impossible. Yet, here you are. That’s wild, right? 

So, why do we let fear and self-doubt prevent us from chasing our dreams? 

Fear isn’t the enemy. It’s there to keep us safe. Like, “Don’t go pet that wild bear, maybe reconsider selfies on the edge of a cliff” kind of safe. But when fear stops you from actually LIVING your life? That’s when it’s a problem. 

And for those of us living in larger bodies, the world loves to make us feel like we’re not worth being seen. Like we should just blend into the background and not take up too much space. But guess what? It’s OUR lives. We deserve to live them fully, loudly, and without apology.  

So, how do we get over fear and self-doubt?  

1️⃣ TAKE BABY STEPS OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Growth only happens by stepping into the unknown. Even if it’s small, learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable. For instance, I’ll literally try any food once. Fried crickets?  Tacos de Sesos Bring it on. Because here’s the thing, if I hate it, I just move on. No harm, no foul. But if I love it? Well, I just added something amazing to my life. It’s a little act of bravery that reminds me I’m capable of more than I think.  

2️⃣ LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM 

True story…before every class I teach, I sit in my car and scream at the top of my lungs. I still get nervous before speaking in front of people. Yelling at the top of my lungs is like hitting a reset button for my nervous system. It shakes out all that jittery energy so I can show up as the badass teacher I know I am. You gotta find your version of the “car scream”. Maybe it’s dancing like nobody’s watching or taking five minutes to breathe. Whatever works for you, do that.  

3️⃣ RECOGNIZE WHEN ITS IMPOSTER SYNDROME 

Fear and self-doubt love to tell us we’re not good enough. That we need to be thinner, richer, smarter, more of this or less of that. But I’ve come to realize something, there is NO failure, only growth. If you try something and it doesn’t work out, you learn, you grow, and you move forward. You’re still enough, just as you are.  

And here’s the BEST PART! When do you finally start trusting yourself and going after your dreams? Who knows what’ll happen. Maybe you’ll end up scaling a mountain for a boudoir shoot, feeling like the most powerful, confident version of yourself. Or maybe you’ll just feel a little braver in your everyday life. Either way, you win.   

Don’t let fear and doubt steal another moment from you. Take up space, chase your dreams, and live unapologetically. Just like my mom did! You deserve nothing less!