80. This Is Where Growth Happens: Fear, Freedom, and Betting on You

We explore the journey after the turning point, acknowledging that life doesn't slow down and neither do you. This episode examines how to navigate the messy middle—that space between starting and arriving—where true growth happens and courage is tested often.

• 91% of women report feeling pressure to be perfect, but perfection isn't the goal—presence, decision-making, and choosing to keep going are
• Fear doesn't disappear but gets quieter when you consistently walk toward it
• Imperfect action honors progress over paralysis—it's rarely an information problem, it's an action problem
• We can be healing and building simultaneously, being both soft and strategic
• Re-grounding is the intentional act of returning to your centered self after periods of disconnection
• Small, consistent actions increase success rates by over 60%
• Take time to honestly assess what still matters and align with your purpose
• Bet on yourself boldly and imperfectly because you're already becoming the person you're destined to be

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to. It's the Human Experience Podcast Hosted by Hazel Brown, a healthcare leader, wife, mom and career coach. If you're big on authenticity, personal development, perseverance and transparency, you're in the right place. Get ready to be uplifted, inspired and empowered as you become fearless in pursuit of the life you desire and deserve. Our goal is to help you level up by creating a safe space to learn and reflect, while listening to transparent stories from our host or successful professionals and business owners who've agreed to share the parts of success that typically gets X'd out on social media, because that's the part you need to see and hear the process. Go ahead and subscribe. You don't want to miss out on these transparent stories and discussions that reveal highs, lows, aha moments and nuggets that'll help you to grow and glow.

Speaker 2: 1:13

Hey, hey, hey. You are now tuned in to the it's the Human Experience podcast. I'm your host, hazel Brown, whether you've been here since day one or you just joined us during that whole viral ride of episode 74, I just need you to know you belong here, and, in order to make sure that you keep up with all the episodes, I need you to scroll up to the top and hit that follow button, subscribe, depending on the podcast platform that you're listening from and just know that this is not just a podcast. It is truly a mirror. It's a sacred space where we stop pretending and start remembering that who you are while you're becoming is who you're meant to be.

Speaker 2: 1:57

Today, we're going to talk about the journey after the turning point, because the truth is, life does not slow down, and neither do you. I'm sure you're not slowing down. You've been pushing through fear, taking imperfect steps and daring yourself to believe that you're still worthy of joy, purpose and peace, even in the middle of the mess, and so I'm sure, like many of us, you may be tired, stretched and maybe somewhere in between, in between. If that's the case, then this is for you. Listen, we're going to go back and talk about episode 74 because clearly, the essence of you've been becoming all along clearly struck a nerve because it was raw, it was real and it was unpolished, the version of growth that we are all experiencing yet we don't post. I got DMs saying things like I thought I was behind, but you reminded me that I'm still becoming, it's still working out.

Speaker 2: 2:56

For me, this episode felt like a hug to the version of me that I don't give enough grace. I felt this. Someone else wrote me. I'm like, yes, I'm so glad, like the amount of DMs that I got from that episode. It put a smile on my face, right. It gave me a virtual hug, if you will, and I had to think about it. I'm like why did that land so well? Here's why I feel like it land.

Speaker 2: 3:23

We're all walking through the messy middle, the space that's between starting and arriving. That's the messy middle right, where growth happens quietly and courage is tested often. Yes, that part, courage is tested often and this moment right now is really a continuation of that the understanding that we're not at the mountaintop, it's the keep going anyway chapter, because if we get to the top of the mountain, that means we've already done the things that God put us here for. So you're not broken, you're being built. I just need you to have that reminder that 91% of women report feeling the pressure to be perfect. But you don't have to. You don't have to have it figured out. You can be imperfect, take imperfect action and move forward. Perfection is not the goal. Presence is the goal. Making a decision is the goal. Choosing to keep going is the goal. Living now is the goal. Making a decision is the goal. Choosing to keep going is the goal. Living now is the goal. Doing your best is the goal. Making it work for you is the goal. Creating a life that is for you is the goal, but not perfection, because it doesn't exist.

Speaker 2: 4:39

I remember when I used to think that if I had an idea to start a business, that means that I would need to funnel out and flush out everything, like I needed to know how I was going to start the business. I needed to know the who, the what, the where, the when, the why, what. If it goes this way, what am I going to do? How am I going to make it happen? And by no means am I saying that I've arrived to the person that's just going to do. How am I going to make it happen, and by no means am I saying that I've arrived to the person that's just going to do it with no idea how I'm going to do it. Of course I'm going to do some research. Of course I'm going to find out the steps that it takes to make it happen, but I recognize that I won't always have all the answers and God is going to put the people, the things, the process. He's going to clean up the process, if you will. He's going to make it right over time.

Speaker 2: 5:30

But you cannot allow fear of failure, fear of success, fear of people's perceptions and opinions of how you're doing things to be the reason that you don't do it. You got to do it with fear. You got to do it messy. You got to know that you're going to fail, because forward motion includes failure. If it didn't, that means you're not doing anything, you're standing still. So we're going to name it fear. We're going to call it fear of failure if that's what the case is, because the reality is like 33% of Americans share that they feel fear, like fear of failures holding them back from achieving their goals.

Speaker 2: 6:08

And then I looked it up another 85 percent worry about things and that's why they never actually make it happen, because they're like what if this happens? What if that happens? What if it doesn't work out? What if people don't like it? Oftentimes? What if it doesn't work out? What if people don't like it? Oftentimes, the people that will buy your products buy your service.

Speaker 2: 6:31

Come to your event, listen to your podcast, read your book, move into the building that you're going to create. Whatever it is that's within your heart in terms of your skill sets, your goals, your vision. It won't be the people that you know, because most of the times, you're, because most of the times you're not building it for the people you know. Many times, you're building it for the people that need it. So don't waste your time or waste your peace on hypothetical situations that may never come true, because here's what I've learned Fear doesn't disappear. It gets quieter when you walk towards it, when you know that you're not going to fall, when it knows that, no matter what, you're going to keep going. So I need you to look at fear, look it in the face and tell it that you know who's and who you are, and keep going. Keep walking because you know God got you. You got to have that confidence you got to.

Speaker 2: 7:27

It's really that imperfect action that I just mentioned and that's the act of moving forward despite fear, despite doubt, despite not seeing the growth yet, despite perfection or wanting things to be perfect. It honors that progress over paralysis in terms of being like I'm not going to go yet because I don't have it figured out, or you just get an entirely too much information and you're not actually taking the action because you think you need more information. I always hear people say that it's not an information problem. There's way too much information. So when you sit in that and recognize that if we don't have an information problem and we have an action problem, then imperfect action makes sense Because the reality is, even if you don't have it figured out, you have access to so much information online for free coaches, that you can pay courses, that you can take Fiverr, that there's every expert under the book to be able to solicit and get a up level in terms of a learning curve.

Speaker 2: 8:49

There is no excuse. Whatever it is that you don't know, you can easily develop and learn. So you shouldn't let the whispers stop you. You have to be heavy on. I had this moment and it could have went left, but I figured it out. I heard the whisper of doubt and I did it anyway. I do it anyway, and if you get scared or unsure, still do it. It will be okay. You will get through it. You will move through it. Stop waiting to feel ready. Just do a scared, do it imperfect, but just do it.

Speaker 2: 9:31

Fear of failure isn't the finish line. It's just like a feedback mechanism to where you're. Like what if it don't work out? Of course, like we don't want to do things and it don't work out, of course you're going to feel like that. It's okay. But if it's coming to you from your gut, from your intuition, from the Holy Spirit, god is guiding you. That's all the confirmation that you need to know that you're on the edge of expansion, to know that you're elevating, to know that you're growing to know that God has got you because he's still talking to you. He won't let that idea fail. He won't let that whisper stop. It's in you and now it's time for you to take action and make it happen.

Speaker 2: 10:15

We are no longer choosing either or we are not healing or building. We doing both. We are healing and building. We're going to be soft and strategic. We are going to be tired and still make sure we're in line with our purpose. Take that nap, like I always say. Take that nap, cat nap or long nap, a whole day of rest, whatever. You need to take the pauses that are important as it relates to stillness and reflection Journal, but know that joy is not a distraction. It is your divine birthright. So I need you to make sure you tap into that Like. Let me be real with you Lately, healing for me has looked like slowing down, like I'm talking, slowing down.

Speaker 2: 11:04

On the outside people think that I'm speeding, but on the inside I have slowed down so much. I used to spend so much time learning, researching, going and doing and I've lately decided I was going to be. I am enough, I'm equipped enough, I have what I need. I'm not quitting by any chance. Listen, we ain't quitting, but I'm reclaiming the fact that I already have the tools. I have already been prepared. I am, too, taking imperfect action, because it doesn't matter how many tools you get. You could have a whole toolkit in your garage with all of the things. Child, there's a new tool being built right now, especially with AI. It's something being built that you don't have in your toolkit, and you can't wait for that other tool because by the time that tool is built, there will be a new tool, which means you have to keep going even if you don't have everything that you need, because you have to know that you will get everything you need along the process. But everything that you need to go right now, today, tomorrow, you already got.

Speaker 2: 12:22

I've just been heavy in not quitting, reclaiming boundaries Ooh, child Rewind. It's like a poetry reading right. I've been heavy in boundaries. Heavy in boundaries of recognizing that my time is valuable, being able to just get the essence of my heart and who I am.

Speaker 2: 12:45

Not everyone deserves that, because sometimes people come in and they interrupt your piece. They interrupt the work that you've done. They become a distraction. It was already hard to go make it happen. Now you're letting everyone and anything have access to you after you put in all the work to grow.

Speaker 2: 13:07

I think we have to sit in that, because I feel like many times the reason we're not going is when you're feeling distracted, you're feeling like you're healing, you're choosing to be imperfect and sitting your imperfectness by not going, that decision to not go because you don't feel like you're ready. You're then spending that time with people that are just going to hold you back. They're just going to distract you, they're just going to make you feel like you're doing enough, when the reality is you know you were called for more. The reality is yes, you may need a break, yes, you may need a nap, but you don't need distraction. You need stillness and reflection with God so he can direct you, not so everyone else could tell you what to do and how to do it, despite the fact that they're not doing it. I don't know who this message is for, but I need you to work on stillness, breathing, taking a deep breath and regrounding with God, not with everyone else, because regrounding is intentional.

Speaker 2: 14:09

It's the act of returning to your center self after a period of disconnection, chaos and overwhelm, and too many times we're referring back to people and things that further distract us, that further make us feel out of our element. And guess what? Taking small, consistent action, it really increases our chances of success. Like for real, for real, like statistically. They say that small steps consistently increases success rates by like over 60%. You could Google it. It says something like that.

Speaker 2: 14:44

Right, but it's that habit, habit formation, which means you don't have to fix your whole life this week, today, this month, right now. You just have to keep showing up for the version of you that no longer wants to shrink, that's ready to take up space, that's ready to own their magic, because you owe that to yourself. It's really regrounding and what really matters shedding the dead skin, reminding yourself that you didn't lose yourself. You're evolving. You don't want to go back to who you were. You got to be anchored in who you really are. Those small habits, the journaling, the quiet mornings, the friends who speak life into you, the ones who speak life into me, those voice memos, those little nuggets that remind you that you're allowed to just be and not perform.

Speaker 2: 15:44

I'm so heavy in this season on not letting likes and people's feedback determine how I move forward, how I press forward, because the reality is this many times the likes. They can stop. The algorithm could stop algorithming. You just got to know that God is in your corner. You got to know that you are that girl, you are that guy, you are the one that is showing up every day, aligned to who God has called you to be, and it's that confidence that's going to help you keep going, and I want you to own that, own that magic. Let that light shine, let that light guide you, let that cause peace, because you know you're living a life that is aligned with what God wants for you, based on how it continues to unfold. The right people continue to show up, your discernment gets better, you get wiser. It just all starts to make more sense because you're honest with yourself and your focal point is what God wants for you, not what the world wants for you.

Speaker 2: 16:58

I just want you to take a moment, a moment of honesty. Isn't this song? Ask yourself, where am I for real? Like, where am I really? Why does this still matter? Does this still matter? I just really want you to sit in that, because too many times we are spending time on things that do not matter Research that is not needed yet, people that pull you down, jobs that don't align anymore. You're just comfortable in pieces of your business that you've outgrown. It is time to tap into your more fully. When I say fully, I mean fully, because the reality is we are just getting started. You haven't been failing, you have truly been becoming so. Don't let fear stop you from what God already confirmed. Take the step, send the email, speak your truth, rest when you need to show up when you're called to, because in this chapter it's already written in your favor and the truth is we're not slowing down, we're just going deeper. We're getting more real, more rooted, more aligned, because I'm not just giving advice, I'm taking it, I'm taking up space.

Speaker 2: 18:32

Statistically, they say that video gives you 2.5 times more reach, which means that if I really want to make impact, I really want to close this gap and make sure we go after our goals. I got to get out of my way and I got to bring the people in studio and I think, for my audio visual people that don't just want to hear the podcast, they want to see us. It's important that we get on screen. So make sure you follow us on YouTube at Redefining the Future you, so that you can see the full episodes right. I also want to make sure you're following us on Instagram at Workplace Therapy Experience, because there will be clips.

Speaker 2: 19:13

But more importantly, I just want to connect with you. I just want to make sure that you see that we are doing it together. We are doing it on purpose and the truth is we're not slowing down. We're just getting deeper, more real, more rooted and more aligned, because you haven't been lost. You haven't been behind. You've been becoming quietly, courageously and consistently. Let's talk about that and if no one's told you lately, I just want you to know that I'm proud of the version of you that didn't quit the fact that you're listening to the podcast right now. You kept showing up and when your voice is shaking and you're feeling like, oh, maybe I can't do it, you still chose healing over hiding that whisper, because you know you're not finished and we're going to do it together. It's not just another milestone. We are on the marathon right.

Speaker 2: 20:05

This is a declaration to yourself, like declare it that you don't have to have it all figured out to be walking in your purpose. You don't have to be fearless to be powerful and you don't need permission to pivot, to change, to do something different to stop, to pause, to walk away, to show up boldly, to take a space to shine, to do whatever it is that your heart is telling you you need to do. Follow your intuition, follow your gut. Make sure that you are betting on yourself. While the world is chasing polished imperfection, we're chasing peace. It's no longer time to perform. Let them perform. I want you to come home to you. I want you to feel good to you. I want you to love you, love your life and build a life that makes sense for you. You've already done the hard thing. Now it's time to do the hard thing, because we're really going after our goals. We're really making sure we show up as heart-centered go-getters that are betting on ourselves and other people to win too, because the reality is there's no point in doing it alone when you got a community of people that are just like you out here trying to bet on themselves. And that's what we are all about, not only with it's a Human Experience podcast, but also with my workplace therapy experience in-person events. And that's why I want you to go follow me on Instagram so that you can see the thing and realize that we are doing so much and it's so much better when we do it together. So, as we step into this new era of video together, I want to make sure that you're able to see the full episodes. If you're that visual kind of person and just know the conversations are going to get bigger, deeper, because I'm committed to growth, I want you to hear me. I am truly committed to growth.

Speaker 2: 21:55

This podcast is no longer just going to be audio. It's truly an experience. It is truly about transformation. It's about community. It's about you betting on you and daring to live from the inside out like IRL, in real life. So don't just listen. Belong, don't just tune in. Transform your life. Don't just consume it. Connect and take bold action.

Speaker 2: 22:23

Share the episode with your besties, your friends, your go-getters. Screenshot it, like I used to tell y'all. Screenshot it and share it on your stories. Tag us at Workplace Therapy Experience, or it's the Human Experience on Instagram. Subscribe on YouTube Shameless plug again. Subscribe on YouTube.

Speaker 2: 22:42

And yes, we are in our ad bag. Guys, we are really in our ad bag. You'll see ads popping through from time to time because, again, I'm just not talking about it, I'm actually doing it as well. We are becoming the version of us that we know we're destined to be. We are betting on ourselves, boldly taking up space because we're deserving of it, and I just want you to know, before you go, ask yourself where in your life do you owe it to yourself to bet on you? And then do it and perfectly boldly, beautifully bet on you, because you're already becoming the person that you're destined to be, regardless if you know it or not, and in this next chapter, it's already written in power. So I want you to take that bold action so that you can see it, because, though it's growing beneath the ground, you are going to see the seeds, the harvest that is yours.

Speaker 2: 23:38

I'll see y'all next week on video, on video. So make sure you follow us on YouTube at Redefining the Future. You follow us on Instagram at Workplace Therapy Experience. Tag us, share us with your besties, your friends. All the things Help us grow and make impact, because we're doing it together and I'm rooting for you with love, on purpose and in truth. Let's go, let's grow together.

Speaker 1: 24:04

We hope you caught all those gems. So here for all of it. Be sure to subscribe so that you don't miss a gem. Write a review so that we know to keep bringing you episodes like this. And check us out online at itsthehumanexperiencecom to keep up with us. Keep growing and glowing. Catch you on the next episode.