6. You Can Change Your Life and Still Take Your Fears With You

You Can Change Your Life and Still Take Your Fears With You

I've made some big, brave changes in my life—but I've often made them while carrying fear and self-doubt with me.

In this episode, I'm talking about the difference between changing your circumstances and changing the way you see yourself, why I believe the inner work matters, and why I've finally decided to put myself—and this podcast—out into the world.

I'm also introducing something I've been quietly building behind the scenes: The Next Chapter Pathway.

In this episode, I'm talking about confidence, visibility, authenticity and something I've learned about making big changes in life.

I've made plenty of big decisions.

I've changed direction, gone back to university in my late forties, home-educated my daughter, moved house and repeatedly stepped into situations that felt uncertain and frightening.

So this isn't a story about someone who used to be too scared to do anything and suddenly became brave.

I've often done the thing anyway.

I've felt the fear and done it anyway.

But what I've learned is that you can change your circumstances without necessarily changing what you believe about yourself.

You can move somewhere new and still take your old insecurities with you.

You can start a business and still believe that someone else is more qualified than you.

You can stand up in front of a room and deliver a presentation while privately wondering whether everyone else knows something you don't.

You can make big, bold decisions—and still be doing them from a place of fear.

Over the last few years, I've spent a great deal of time doing the inner work. I've looked at the beliefs I hold about myself, the stories I've carried with me and the reasons I sometimes looked outside myself for validation.

And that work has changed something.

I'm still capable of feeling nervous. I still have an inner critic. But I'm much less concerned about whether everybody approves of what I'm doing.

And that has made it easier to become visible.

Recently, I made what felt like another big, brave move: I put this podcast out into the world and shared it with people I know.

And that might sound like a very small thing.

But a year ago, I would have worried about who might see it.

What would former colleagues think?

Would people think I was ridiculous?

Would they wonder who I thought I was?

Instead, something rather lovely happened.

People were kind.

People were supportive.

And many of the people whose opinions I had worried about simply said, in one way or another: of course you're doing this.

It reminded me that sometimes the stories we tell ourselves about what other people think are just that.

Stories.

And it also reminded me why I believe the work we do on ourselves matters.

Because confidence isn't always about becoming louder.

It's not about pretending to be somebody else.

For me, confidence has increasingly come from knowing who I am, understanding what I bring to the table and being prepared to let other people see it.

I'M ALSO INTRODUCING THE NEXT CHAPTER PATHWAY

I've been quietly building something behind the scenes called The Next Chapter Pathway.

I've created it for people who want to make positive, intentional changes in their lives—even if they don't yet know exactly what those changes need to look like.

It's built around four connected pillars:

Build Your Foundation — getting clear on what you want, what matters and where you're going.

Build Yourself — strengthening your mindset, confidence, identity, energy and boundaries.

Build Your Business — creating work and income that reflects who you are and supports the life you want.

Build Your Life — creating more freedom, fulfilment, choice and space for what matters.

I've created the Pathway because I don't think these areas of our lives exist in isolation.

You can have a brilliant business idea but struggle to put yourself out there.

You can achieve everything you thought you wanted and stil