When the Fear Guy Gets Scared

My heart rate was 155 bpm when I checked my Apple Watch five minutes before my keynote. I was nervous.

My normal resting heart rate is 75. But this wasn't normal.

Since 2017, my comfort zone has been with students and educators. I've spoken to various organizations and leaders before, but this one had higher stakes.

As I expand to speaking with more HR leaders and business professionals, I wanted to prove to myself that my knowledge was relevant to their daily challenges.

The pressure was real:

• I'd spent over 40 hours preparing and practicing
• I had a photographer and videographer documenting everything
• My coach Russ Sorrells was seeing me speak for the first time
• It was in my city (Charlotte), meaning I might see these people again
• Cassandra Whitlow, who found me on Google, saw that I spoke to students and still reached out believing my message would benefit HR professionals. I wanted to make her proud.

The Irony Wasn't Lost on Me

As someone who helps audiences navigate through fear, the challenging part is having to fully lean into what I preach. Because (as we can all admit) comfort is comfortable. Why aren't there speakers who specialize in Netflix and fast food? Sign me up!

After watching the video later, I realized I started speaking quickly due to my nervousness, but I was able to find my pace after a few minutes. It reminded me that workplace anxiety and professional fear never disappear, no matter your age, position, or even if you speak 50 times a year.

Often, we think everyone else has everything under control, while in reality, they're also trying to figure things out, just like you.

The Presentation That Mattered

My keynote, "Thriving Amidst Uncertainty: Strategies for Fearing Less in HR," used what I learned from collecting over 60,000 fears from five generations. I provided ways for HR professionals to ebrace fear while offering grace to themselves and others as they navigate their roles and careers.

What the Audience Said

The feedback reminded me why I push through the fear:

"Truly wish we had more time with you"

"Incredibly insightful and REAL"

"Loved the energy and humor throughout"

"Loved writing fears & integration with studies/data"

"Simple ideas presented profoundly"

"Phenomenal and charismatic, you had me tear up"

The Takeaway

This experience reinforced what I teach about fear management in professional settings - fear doesn't disappear when you become an "expert" on it. It shows up differently, but it still shows up. The difference is learning to work with it instead of letting it work against you.

That 155 bpm heart rate? It wasn't a sign I wasn't ready. It was a sign I cared enough to be nervous.

Huge thanks to the team at Queen's University for allowing me to keynote the 2023 HR Leadership Summit. Thanks to Allison Meyer-Tucker for all your work behind the scenes, and Cassandra Whitlow for taking a chance on me.