36: Fearless Founders: Stories of Courageous Females in Business

Have you ever stood at the edge of a dream, heart pounding with the thrill of potential yet anchored by a tug of fear? Join me, Samantha Bell, on a revelatory adventure as we navigate the often-unspoken fears that accompany the journey of female entrepreneurship. In a raw and candid conversation, we peel back the layers of trepidation that lurk behind business decisions and personal growth. From the paralyzing fear of the unknown to the secret apprehensions of success, this episode of the Brilliant Business, Beautiful Life podcast is an exploration into how fear can shape us, for better or worse.

Listen closely as I share my own tales of terror—those childhood monsters in the dark have nothing on the real-life ghouls of self-doubt and judgment that haunt many a founder's footsteps. Yet, with every story of struggle comes a tale of triumph, as we learn that these ghosts of fear can be our greatest teachers, pushing us toward growth and bravery. Discover how embracing fear can lead to an empowering transformation, enabling you to craft not just a successful business, but a life brimming with beauty and confidence. 

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Episode Transcript

Samantha Bell (00:00):
Today we're discovering fearless founders,
stories of courageous females inbusiness.
But we dive deep into anemotion that's very familiar to
us all, especially in the realmof entrepreneurship fear.
But, more importantly, we'reexploring how to walk through
fear with grapes and emergestronger on the other side.

(00:24):
Welcome to the BrilliantBusiness, Beautiful Life podcast
, where we share simple,actionable strategies, plus the
mindset and wellness practicesyou need to build the business
and life you love.
Head to 16thavecreative.
com/playbook and download yourfree guide to design the

(00:45):
business and life you deserve.
Today I'm your host, SamanthaBell, and this is the Brilliant
Business, Beautiful Life podcast.
Are you ready for the businessand life of your dreams?
Let's get started.

(01:14):
Fear is a rite of passage in theentrepreneurial world and is
just as much a part ofentrepreneurship as innovation
and resilience are.
It's that quiet voice thatquestions every decision, sits
on our shoulder, never leaves usalone.
It's the shadow of doubt thatfollows every step forward into

(01:35):
the unknown, as we chase ourdreams and build our empires
from mere ideas.
But here's the thing Fear isnot unique to you or to me.
It's a universal experience forevery single female business
owner.
Fear in business isn't justabout the fear of failure.

(01:56):
It's also the fear of judgment,the fear of not being good
enough, doubt, questioning ourself worth, and sometimes it's
actually the fear of successitself.
Recognizing, acknowledgingthese fears is the first step
towards overcoming them, andthen we can look at our fears

(02:18):
not as stop signs but assignposts guiding us towards
areas where we need to grow,because we're usually most
fearful of what's unknown, whatwe haven't done before, what we
don't enjoy doing or what wefeel we're not very good at Now.
I have a strong relationshipwith fear.

(02:40):
I remember being a little girlimagining monsters flying around
in the dark in my bedroom orthe boogeyman trying to grab my
feet if I put them to the floorin the middle of the night, and
back then those fears were soreal to me that they paralysed
me and trapped me in my bed,hiding under the sheets at

(03:01):
nighttime.
Obviously, many, many yearshave passed and I'm no longer
scared of things that go bump inthe night, but the one constant
through life is feeling scaredor fearful of new situations.
At times Now I've had to trainmyself to use my fears to make
me grow, to make me be brave,rather than holding me back

(03:26):
Things like being scared ofroller coasters.
I was petrified of rollercoasters, so I made it my
mission to conquer that fear.
So I made myself go on them,experience all the G forces, all
the imagined terrors of what itwould be like, and eventually I

(03:47):
realized that my self-talk, myfear, was far worse than the
actual ride.
And now I love roller coasters.
They still frighten me, butit's in a really energizing, fun
way and I always feel so braveand so proud of myself for

(04:07):
getting on there when the ridestops.
And facing fears in business isvery similar.
It's usually us playing out ourworst case scenarios and
considering other people'sopinions.
That heightens our fear,sometimes to the point of making
us incapable of making even themost simple decisions.

(04:29):
It can be really debilitatingand that's when you need to
switch off the negative talk andstart thinking best case
scenario, and when you do thatit becomes easier to take little
steps forwards and eventuallyyou can take the huge strides
you need to grow and succeed inyour business Now, before I

(04:52):
started my business, I wasincredibly fearful of a lot of
things Not having the right kindof business experience, fear
that I would fail, fear thatpeople would laugh at me, fear
my partner wouldn't support me,fear I'd go broke, fear that I
just wasn't good enough.
And the only way I conqueredthose fears was to not listen to

(05:14):
them and to just start to lookthem in the eye, feel the fear
and do it anyway.
And the amazing thing was thatwhen I did start, all those
fears they weren't as scaryanymore.
I had more confidence in myselfand my ability and I was able
to focus on my vision andallowed that to drive me

(05:38):
forwards, rather than fearkilling my potential and holding
me back.
Now I want to share with youthe stories of incredible women
who, like you and me, facedtheir fears head on.
Now, these fearless foundersdid not let the voices of doubt
drown out their dreams.

(05:59):
Instead, they listened, theyacknowledged and they chose to
rise above the fear Tori Birch.
Tori began her fashion careerworking for several high profile
brands, including Polo, ralphLauren and Vera Wang, and she
launched her own label in 2004with a small boutique in

(06:21):
Manhattan's Nalita neighborhoodand entering that competitive
fashion industry with a newbrand.
Can you imagine how scary anddaunting that would have been.
So she would have been feelingall those fears, and her courage
likely stemmed from all theextensive experience she had in

(06:42):
the industry and her uniquevision for creating accessible,
high end fashion.
Her brand gained immediaterecognition for its classic yet
bohemian style.
Emphasizing digital marketingand direct-to-consumer sales
helped Tori to become a globalbrand.

(07:05):
So she was up against someamazing competitors who were
dominating across the globe, andthen she started with her own
little store.
And now look at her.
That's what happens when youface your fears.
Ariana Huffington another personI talk about often.
She co-founded the HuffingtonPost in 2005.

(07:29):
And it was an online newsplatform that combined blogging
and professional reporting.
Now transitioning from apolitical commentator to a
digital entrepreneur, she facedthe challenge of legitimizing
online news, but her courage andvision for a new media model

(07:50):
was instrumental in overcomingall the skepticism and all the
surrounding fears that she wouldhave been feeling, and the
Huffington Post very quicklybecame one of the most read news
websites in the world, leadingto AOL buying it out in 2011,
and then launched Thrive Global,focusing on wellness and

(08:13):
productivity.
So you can see, big, amazingthings can happen from the very
small steps at the beginning.
Someone that is not so much inbusiness but we're all very
familiar with, and our kids willcertainly know, is JK Rowling,
the author of Harry Potter, andshe thought of that idea on a

(08:35):
train back in 1990.
She had so many personalchallenges and financial
difficulties and people sayingno, and what are you doing?
But she did it anyway.
She had so many rejections frompublishers and she was really
scared that her book would neversee the light of day, but her

(08:56):
perseverance and her belief inher stories potential kept her
going.
And then the rest was history,a global phenomenon leaning to a
series of bestselling books,films and a massive fan.
Following, vera Wang enteredthe fashion industry and started

(09:16):
her own business at 40 with herfirst bridal boutique.
Before that she was a figureskater and journalist, and so
transitioning careers at 40,especially into the world of
high fashion, was a very boldmove.
But it was her passion fordesign and her experience in the

(09:37):
fashion industry that gave herthe courage to pursue going down
this new path, and herinnovative and elegant designs
quickly set her apart in thebridal industry, leading to
expansion into ready-to-wearhome decor and making her a very
prominent figure in the fashionindustry.

(09:57):
So you can see that there's lotsof women who have overcome
setbacks and fears and justlatched onto the courage behind
the fear to make themselves moveforwards and not get stuck and
held back by the fear, becausefear is very, very powerful.

(10:19):
All of these women, they allface their fears head on and
turned them into the catalystsfor growth and for success.
So how do you move from feelingparalyzed, from being stuck and
held back by your fear thatvery powerful, strong emotion to

(10:40):
taking action?
How do we shift fromfear-holding us back to staring
it down and cutting the cordsthat are keeping us stuck?
But here are some strategiesthat have worked for many people
, including myself, and theystart small.
The first is to embrace smallvictories and break down your

(11:00):
big goals into small, achievablesteps.
Seek out mentorship, connectwith the women who've walked the
path before you, people thatcan provide you with valuable
insights and reassurance.
And this is probably the mostimportant thing, fear is a
negative mindset.

(11:22):
You want to shift that, get ridof your negative mindset and
instead nurture a positivemindset.
And remember our thoughts shapeour reality.
So if you stay stuck in fear,if you stay in that negative
space telling yourself, youcan't or you're not strong

(11:42):
enough or you're not smartenough, or whatever.
The negative thought is that'sgoing to become your reality and
it will never happen.
If you shift that into thepositive mindset area of yes, it
is possible.
I just maybe need to learn somemore, I need to practice some
more, I need to step outside ofmy comfort zone All of those

(12:05):
things they're going to help youmove forwards.
So, as we wrap up today'sepisode, I just want you to
remember that the essence ofentrepreneurship isn't in never
feeling fear, but it's inlearning to dance with the fear,
in using fear as a tool forgrowth, letting it guide you to
areas where you can becomestronger and more resilient.

(12:26):
So embrace your fears, becausethey are actually the
gatekeepers of your greatestachievements.
Now, before we part ways today,I have a small request.
I would love for you to shareyour story of overcoming fear
with us.
So comment below or head overto our socials and send me a DM,
because I am so curious tolearn your story of how you have

(12:51):
overcome fear, and then we cancreate a tapestry of courage
that inspires us all.
Now, if you found today'sepisode uplifting or a little
bit supportive, why don't youconsider subscribing so you can
get more content that's designedto support you in building the
business and life you love?
In next week's episode, we'llbe exploring juggling business

(13:15):
and wellness so you can enjoy abeautiful balance in your life.
Now.
It's an episode you won't wantto miss, especially if you're
striving for harmony betweenyour professional ambitions and
your personal wellbeing.
It's quite often quite astruggle, so thank you so much
for tuning in today to theBrilliant Business, beautiful

(13:36):
Life podcast.
Here's to facing our fears andforging paths of courage instead
.
Until next time, keep shiningbright and remember you are
capable of extraordinary things.
Thanks so much for listening.
I'd love to know your biggesttakeaway from today's episode,

(14:00):
so leave me a comment below orsend a DM on Instagram.
If you enjoyed this episode,hit the subscribe button
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Life podcast, and feel free toshare it with someone else
who'll love it too.
I look forward to seeing youfor the next episode and
remember the time is now foryour Brilliant Business and the
beautiful life you adore.