28 | Stop Letting Fear Choose Your Life (Do This Instead)

What if your anxiety wasn’t a stop sign — but a compass pointing you toward who you’re meant to become?

In this episode of Block Out the Noise, Jessica Davis (licensed therapist + creator of the C.O.U.R.A.G.E. Method) introduces The Courage Challenge List — a new way to transform your biggest fears into your most exciting adventures.

Instead of letting anxiety shrink your world, you’ll learn how to create a personalized list of challenges that push you outside your comfort zone, build your confidence, and prove that you’re stronger than your fear.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why your comfort zone eventually becomes a prison
• How to design your own Courage Challenge List (not a boring “should” list)
• The Friday Challenge Rule and why momentum matters more than motivation
• The power of visibility: keeping your challenge list where you can’t ignore it
• Why you must celebrate attempts, not just wins to build lasting confidence
• How to join the 90-Day Courage Challenge and start building your identity as someone who takes action

Your anxiety has been writing the story for too long. It’s time for you to pick up the pen.

📌 Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

👉 “Want to take this deeper? Join the 90-Day Courage Challenge — a structured path to help you build confidence and take action every week. Sign up here → https://inspiregritacademy.thrivecart.com/courage-challenge/

Got a question or feedback? Text us and share your thoughts—we’d love to hear from you!

RESOURCES:
Get your FREE Anxiety Survival Toolkit to help you when your anxiety is overwhelming!

Grab your FREE 90-Day Courage Challenge Cheat Sheet and start building confidence today.

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🎙️ Presented by Davis-Smith Mental Health

This podcast was created by Davis-Smith Mental Health, offering counseling for teens & young adults in Illinois (only). We accept BCBS PPO, Aetna PPO, and self-pay clients.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Block Out the Noise provides personal insights and practical strategies to help manage anxiety and self-doubt. The content is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional mental health care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis or need immediate assistance, please contact emergency services or a trusted mental health professional immediately.

Episode Transcript

Jessica Davis (00:07):
What if I told you there's a way to turn your
biggest fears into the mostexciting bucket list you'll ever
create?
I know you're probably thinkingthis is going to be another
list of you shoulds, but thisisn't that.
This is about creating your ownpersonal adventure challenge.
But more than that, it's aboutfacing your anxiety in the best

(00:27):
way possible.
If you're tired of anxietymaking all your decisions for
you, if you're ready to stopwatching life happen to other
people while you stay on thesidelines, this is how to get
back in the game.
Back in the game.

(00:52):
Hi and welcome.
To Block Out the Noise a spacefor teens and young adults to
quiet the noise of anxiety,self-doubt and overthinking and
start building a life filledwith confidence, courage and
purpose.
I'm Jessica Davis, a licensedtherapist, mindset coach and the
creator of the Courage Method.
But before we dive in, I wantto share with you that this
podcast is here to support andguide you, but it is not a

(01:13):
replacement for talking tosomeone in real life.
If you're struggling with yourmental health, please reach out
to a therapist, and if you're incrisis, contact emergency
services or a local helpline.
You don't have to go through italone.
All right, let's cut throughthe noise and get started.
First, let me tell you why Iknow this works Because I had to

(01:36):
use it myself when I wasterrified to start my own
practice.
As a therapist, I help peopleovercome fear all day long, but
when it came to starting my ownbusiness, I was afraid.
I had never dreamed of owningmy own business.
I hadn't even taken a singlebusiness class and I was

(01:57):
completely out of my depth.
The anxiety was overwhelming.
What if I failed?
What if I would make hugemistakes?
What if I wasn't cut out forthis?
Every single day, my brain wasgiving me a thousand reasons to
play it safe and just stay whereI was.

(02:18):
But I realized if I let fearand worry take over, I'd never
grow.
Making mistakes was going to beinevitable anyway.
The question was did I want tomake mistakes while building
something I cared about, or didI want to stay stuck wondering
what if?
So I kind of created my firstcourage challenge, and now I'm

(02:40):
constantly pushing myself to dothings that scare me so that I
can stretch myself to grow moreand more.
That terrifying leap to startmy practice led to everything I
have today, and that's exactlywhat I want for you.
Here's what's really happeningwhen anxiety is in charge.
It's not just keeping you safe,it's stealing your adventures.

(03:03):
Your comfort zone is like yourbedroom.
At first it feels likeeverything you need is in arm's
reach, but eventually that roomstarts to feel small, almost
like you're in a prison.
You can hear life happeningoutside, but anxiety keeps
whispering.
What if something goes wrongout there?

(03:24):
What if I'm not ready?
What if I fail?
So you stay, and every day youstay.
Your world gets a littlesmaller.
The things you used to dreamabout start feeling impossible,

(03:45):
no-transcript.
But what if I told you thosefeelings, that racing heart,
those sweaty poems, that voicesaying I can't do that?
What if those aren't warningsigns?
What if they're actually yourinternal compass pointing you
toward everything you're meantto become excited about,

(04:06):
something you wanted to try?
This is where the couragechallenge list comes in.
This isn't your typical bucketlist where you write down a
bunch of things and forget aboutthem.
This is a strategic adventureplan.
It's designed to help youreclaim your life from anxiety.
Here's what makes thisdifferent you get to pick your

(04:33):
own levels.
Maybe for you, ordering yourown food at a restaurant is a
level one challenge.
For someone else, that mightnot even be on their list.
Maybe your level five isstarting a YouTube channel,
while someone else's level fiveis asking someone out on a date.
Just to give you an idea,here's what some courage
challenges might look like.
Just to give you an idea,here's what some courage
challenges might look like.

(04:53):
It could be social adventures,like starting the conversation
first, asking someone to hangout one-on-one, sharing an
unpopular opinion respectfully,or hosting a gathering at your
place, joining a club where youdon't know anyone.
Someone else's list could beposting something they created
online, performing at an openmic night, auditioning for a new

(05:17):
role, starting that projectthat they've been thinking about
, or taking a class in somethingthey've always wanted to try.
The goal isn't to eliminate fear.
The goal is to prove toyourself that you can feel
afraid and do the thing anyway.
That's where real confidencecomes from.
What do these major hearts keepit be?

(05:39):
What are you thinking about nowthat's leading to you to feel
excited and scared at the sametime?
Let's go over some strategiesto help.
Strategy one start where you are, dream where you're going.
Strategy one is about buildingyour personal ladder.
You get to decide what levelone looks like for you and you

(06:01):
get to decide what your ultimatelevel 10 adventure might be.
Think of it like training for amarathon.
You don't start running 26miles.
You start with one mile, thentwo, then five and for some
people you honestly start withwalking, walk, running and
building from there.
Each level builds theconfidence and skills you need

(06:25):
for the next one.
What's something you alwayswanted to do but felt too scared
to try?
That's your North Star.
Now work backwards.
What would level one look like?
What tiny step could you takethis week that moves you in that
direction?
If you knew you couldn't fail,what would be on your list?

(06:47):
Strategy two the Fridaychallenge rule.
Strategy two is about creatingmomentum.
Without a timeline, yourcourage list becomes every other
goal, something you'll get tosomeday.
Here's what I want you to tryEvery Friday.
Attempt one thing from yourlist.
It doesn't have to be perfect,it doesn't even have to go

(07:09):
exactly as planned.
You just have to try.
Friday is perfect, because ifit goes well, you'll feel proud
all weekend.
If it doesn't go according toplan, you have the weekend to
process and plan your next.
Attempt Win-win.
And here's the important thingIf Friday doesn't happen, try
Saturday.

(07:30):
If Saturday doesn't happen,attempt on Sunday.
Make it smaller for yourself ifyou feel as if you're avoiding
what's on the list.
The rule is no zero weeks.
Strategy three is aboutvisibility.
Your courage list can't livehidden in your phone, especially
if you want to actually makeprogress.

(07:51):
I've learned this the hard way.
I have created so many liststhat end up being buried and not
gone through for months, out ofsight, out of mind, out of
action.
So put your list where youcan't ignore it.
It could be a bathroom mirror,it could be a planner that you
go through every day.

(08:12):
It could be on a vision board.
Whatever you do, just make sureit reminds you of what you're
working towards and who you'rebecoming, this abstract thing
you might do someday and becomespart of your identity.
You start seeing yourself assomeone who wants to take on

(08:34):
challenges, someone who grows,someone who doesn't let fear
make all the decisions.
Strategy four celebrate theattempts, not just the wins.
Attempts build identity.
Strategy four might be the mostimportant, in all honesty, but
you already know this if you'veheard my episodes before.

(08:55):
Celebrate the courage to try,not just the outcomes.
For example, someone could puton their list speaking up in a
meeting when maybe they finallydo.
Their voice comes out as barelya whisper and they feel
embarrassed.
Most people would call that afailure.
I would call it a victory,because they spoke instead of

(09:19):
staying silent.
They proved to themselves theycould survive the discomfort of
being seen your courage.
Challenges aren't about becomingfearless Honestly.
Nothing is about being seenyour courage.
Challenges aren't aboutbecoming fearless Honestly.
Nothing is about being fearless.
It's about becoming someone whofeels the fear and acts anyway.
That's really the definition ofcourage.

(09:40):
What would you attempt thisweek if you knew that just
trying made you successful?
So here's my challenge to youBefore you do anything else,
before you scroll to the nextthing, take a few minutes and
write down three things thatmake your heart race just
thinking about them.

(10:01):
Pick the one that scares you theleast.
That's probably closer to yourlevel one.
Put it on your calendar forthis Friday, not next Friday,
this Friday.
And if you want to do it sooner, do it sooner.
Your anxiety has been writingyour story for too long.
It's time for you to pick upthe pen.

(10:21):
It's time for you to stop beinga spectator in your own life
and start being the person youare meant to be.
You don't need to feel ready.
You don't need to have it allfigured out, you just need to be
willing to try the confidenceyou're waiting for.
It's on the other side ofaction you've been avoiding.
And if you're wanting to trythis out, I would love for you

(10:44):
to try our 90 day couragechallenge.
The whole idea is to take thisformat and actually create it so
that you take action.
It will start October 3rd.
If this is something you'reinterested in, please look at
the show notes and you can signup for that.
But if you don't want to wait,then don't Start now.

(11:05):
Start building your list, starttaking action.
Remember, you're not broken,you're not behind.
You're just getting started.
Your comfort zone might feelsafe right now, but your dreams
are waiting.
Time to step outside and seewhat you're really capable of.
I can't wait to see it.

(11:26):
Thank you so much for listening.
Until next time, keep movingforward, trust yourself and
never forget you have what ittakes to block out the noise.