When you Stop Running from Fear, Everything Changes
Fear is a Funny Thing…
It controls you—until you decide to face it. And even when you do, it often comes back in a different form that has to be faced again.
I believe there are three types of people when it comes to fear.
I believe there are three types of people when it comes to fear.
- The first pretends they aren’t afraid. But if you look closer, you can see the fear beneath the expensive suit, the fancy car, the glass of wine—whatever they’re using to mask it.
- The second feels fear and simply stays there, stuck in it.
- The third feels fear, but gets curious. They ask, Why am I afraid? and How can I face this?
For a lot of my life, I found myself in camp one or two—until I decided I really wanted to change.
Being a small business owner was never on my radar or my bucket list.
Thirteen years ago, I was happy in my corporate job. Then Jeff and I visited one of the very first Orangetheory Fitness studios in the country, and Jeff said, “We should own one of these.” I was NOT on board. I loved the workout and wanted to be a member—but we didn’t know how to run a business. Still, eventually, I gave in. And we opened our first OTF.
In 2014, I don’t think I slept for a year. I was terrified.
What if no one came?
What if we couldn’t pay our bills and lost everything?
What if… you name it, I thought about it between 2 and 4 a.m. every night.
Then one night, I made a list: What if all of these things happened? What would we do? And I realized: even if it all fell apart, we still had what truly mattered—our family and each other. We could rebuild. Would it hurt? Yes. Would we survive? Absolutely. That moment shifted something in me. The fear didn’t disappear, but I stopped playing not to lose and started playing to win.
I felt called to build a community—a place where people could change their lives. Outwardly, maybe it didn’t look like anything had changed. But inside, everything had.
In 2014, I don’t think I slept for a year. I was terrified.
What if no one came?
What if we couldn’t pay our bills and lost everything?
What if… you name it, I thought about it between 2 and 4 a.m. every night.
Then one night, I made a list: What if all of these things happened? What would we do? And I realized: even if it all fell apart, we still had what truly mattered—our family and each other. We could rebuild. Would it hurt? Yes. Would we survive? Absolutely. That moment shifted something in me. The fear didn’t disappear, but I stopped playing not to lose and started playing to win.
I felt called to build a community—a place where people could change their lives. Outwardly, maybe it didn’t look like anything had changed. But inside, everything had.
Fast forward to March 2020.
I was sitting in the Northgate parking lot, trying to find the courage to tell our staff we were closing for two weeks. I did it—then got home and found out the governor had just extended the closure to a full month. A month without revenue, with all the same expenses—rent, payroll, equipment. Overnight, we went from a functioning business to zero income. I had an MBA, but this scenario wasn’t in the textbook.
That next morning, I sat at my kitchen table crying. All the old voices came roaring back.
“Told you so.”
“You ARE going to fail.”
And I’m not going to lie—the next two years were incredibly hard. I grew as a leader in ways I never wanted to grow.
I recognized the place I was in. A familiar crossroads—where fear can paralyze you. You want to move forward, but you don’t know how. Fear keeps you frozen.
That next morning, I sat at my kitchen table crying. All the old voices came roaring back.
“Told you so.”
“You ARE going to fail.”
And I’m not going to lie—the next two years were incredibly hard. I grew as a leader in ways I never wanted to grow.
I recognized the place I was in. A familiar crossroads—where fear can paralyze you. You want to move forward, but you don’t know how. Fear keeps you frozen.
I started doing one thing:
I talked to myself instead of just listening. Because those voices I was listening to in my head were not positive. They never have anything kind to say. They don’t build you up. They just hammer in the negativity until you believe it.
I began speaking truth to myself. I reminded myself:
I had six years of experience facing challenges in these studios. Yes, this was harder—but I was meant to do hard things.
Even the workouts had taught me that. We can do hard things—physically and mentally. I didn’t know how we’d make it through, but I told my team: “We will.” And I truly believed it.
I also believe God sometimes prepares you for things without you even knowing it. The year before, I felt called to study the promises of God. And spoiler: those promises don’t guarantee an easy life. In fact, James says, “In this life, you WILL face trouble.” But He also promises that through it all, He will hold us by the right hand. I clung tightly to that.
The past five years have brought one challenge after another:
From three months of closure, to a year in masks, to Black Lives Matter, economic shifts, and now tariffs. Issues I had never faced before.
I began speaking truth to myself. I reminded myself:
I had six years of experience facing challenges in these studios. Yes, this was harder—but I was meant to do hard things.
Even the workouts had taught me that. We can do hard things—physically and mentally. I didn’t know how we’d make it through, but I told my team: “We will.” And I truly believed it.
I also believe God sometimes prepares you for things without you even knowing it. The year before, I felt called to study the promises of God. And spoiler: those promises don’t guarantee an easy life. In fact, James says, “In this life, you WILL face trouble.” But He also promises that through it all, He will hold us by the right hand. I clung tightly to that.
The past five years have brought one challenge after another:
From three months of closure, to a year in masks, to Black Lives Matter, economic shifts, and now tariffs. Issues I had never faced before.
And I still have two choices:
I can listen to the fear and the negative voices—those from the world and the ones in my own head. Or I can speak truth over my life. I can choose the messages I believe. When I struggle with this, I ask people for help and to speak into me. People that I know will speak truth and I can trust.
So, what about you?
We all have fear.
What are you afraid of?
How is fear showing up in your life?
And are you listening to yourself—or are you talking to yourself?
So, what about you?
We all have fear.
What are you afraid of?
How is fear showing up in your life?
And are you listening to yourself—or are you talking to yourself?
Start talking.
Use the voice that uplifts you, that cheers for you. Leave the mean girl—or boy—out of it. They don’t get to write your story.