What’s Actually Holding You Back? Hint: It’s not just your calendar.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what's really holding you back from stepping into the next level of leadership? From starting that project that won’t stop tapping you on the shoulder at 2 a.m.? From pursuing the bold idea, you casually daydream about while stuck in traffic?

The usual suspects are easy to name: time, resources, timing, or the ever-popular "after this next busy season". But if we’re honest, those are just the surface. Underneath it all? Fear.

Fear shows up in a variety of tailored-to-you disguises. The fear of failure is classic, but what about the fear of success? The fear of being seen The fear of committing and then having to sustain the thing you built? It’s sneaky, often dressed up as logic or practicality. But most of the time, fear is simply self-preservation in a leadership costume.

The real problem? We rarely sit still long enough to listen to what that fear is trying to tell us. And in skipping that part, we often miss the insight, the growth, or the breakthrough that’s just on the other side of the discomfort.

So, this month, I invite you to do two things:

1. Name your fear.
Take 10 minutes. Grab a coffee and your notes app or a sticky note, if you're old school. Ask yourself, what am I afraid of right now when it comes to leading or launching something new? Don’t judge it. Just name it.

2. Discuss it with a trusted person.
A mentor, a coach, a colleague, someone who knows your heart but won’t coddle your excuses. Sometimes fear loses its grip the moment it's said out loud.

Leadership isn’t about being fearless. It’s about being brave enough to lead anyway, with full awareness, open eyes, and the willingness to confront what's been holding you back.

Here’s to facing it and stepping into what’s next with purpose!
-Michelle