Hey there —

Fear is a complicated emotion.It can keep us safe by alerting us to danger. 🚨

Offer thrills in haunted houses and on triple-loop roller coasters. 🎢Even boost our white blood cell count and help us burn calories. (Who knew watching The Shining could be so good for your health? 🪓)

But fear can also trigger anxiety, lead to burnout as we frantically strive for success, or prevent us from going after what we want altogether.

And so we aspire to be fearless. Because fearless people don’t let potential worst-case scenarios or the opinions of others hold them back…right?

But what if the solution isn’t to erase or ignore our fears? After all, we’re human, and that’s a losing battle.

There’s a reason that a lot of self-development advice revolves around “facing your fears” and “doing things scared.” Avoiding your fears only reinforces them in your brain. Facing your fears helps rewire your brain to realize that the big scary monster it’s imagined is actually more shadow than substance.

But how does one work up the courage to face one’s fears?

By working with your fear and using it as a tool to help you move forward with intention.

Here are some examples of how:

📋 Use fear to prepare for possible setbacks.

What potential failure are you worried about and how can you do your best to avoid that outcome? If you’re afraid your new freelance venture will end with you declaring bankruptcy in the street à la Michael Scott, calculate your monthly expenses and build a 6-12-month financial runway before you quit your day job.

💆 Use fear to help you protect your mental health.

Are you working on being the kind of person who isn’t afraid of rejection or other people’s opinions? Awesome! But there’s no shame in setting boundaries to protect yourself in the meantime. Maybe right now it’s best you DON’T read the comments. Have a trusted friend sort through them instead and bring you a summary of only the most positive and constructive bits.

📈 Use fear to identify areas for growth.

If you’re afraid that your filming or writing chops aren’t good enough to start that YouTube channel or blog, then what can you do to improve your skills? It might be taking an online course, or embracing imperfection and committing to a regular process of creating and sharing your work (even if you’re sweating through your shirt as you click “post”).

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Maybe with time, you’ll find that your fears vanish. Maybe you won’t ever stop feeling that twinge of mild terror every time you step onto a stage or upload a video.

But when you have a plan for dealing with those anxieties, you’ll be better equipped to face your fears and do the thing anyway. And that’s what being “fearless” is really all about. ☺️

How to plan your own writing retreat

by Kayti Christian

If this is the year you finally write that novel or start your Substack newsletter, you’ll need to get intentional about creating the time and space to put words on paper. ✏️

Thankfully, editor and writer Kayti Christian is here with a guide to planning your own writing retreat, from where to go and what to pack, to how to set a schedule and the right goals.

She’s also got some great words of wisdom on how to surrender your expectations and create “with the hope that whatever is supposed to happen will.”

Read the article →

13 exercise motivation tips to help you stick to a workout routine

by Jenny McCoy

Chances are, at least some of you have set a few fitness goals recently. 🏋️

If you’ve found your feet dragging on your way to the gym (or if you want to be prepared to ward off any future slumps), check out this article.

You’ll find fitness experts’ proven techniques for sticking to a workout routine when you’re feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and/or otherwise unmotivated.

One of our favorites? If your workout doesn’t go according to plan, do as much as you can anyway.

Solid advice for more than just working out. 💪

Get motivated →

A soft murmur

by Gabriel Brady

Looking to get into a flow state or drown out the construction cacophony from your neighbor’s remodel? 🙉

A Soft Murmur allows you to create, save, and play your own custom blend of ambient sounds.

Whether you prefer wind and waves or a crackling fire in a coffee shop with rain drumming on the windows, mix your perfect combo to “wash away distraction.”

Download the app or customize right from your browser.

Try it out →

Definitely have been speed watching seasons of The White Lotus. It has really great writing that pulls my attention into the crazy drama that twists and weaves throughout each episode.
— Spencer, Video Editor

Of course I'm reading a parenting self-help book. Currently digging into a book called Cribsheet by Emily Oster. It's a data-driven book that digs into the research of parenting from newborn to toddler. I find it really empowering to learn about this stuff and prepare for the strange times ahead.
— Matt, Slow Growth Founder

Lately, I've been obsessed with learning about the impact our phones have on our mental wellbeing. Cal Newport's book, Digital Minimalism, has opened my eyes to the way I let social media run my life --- and is inspiring me to take back control.
— Alice, Freelance Writer

I've been playing Lecrae's new album Church Clothes on repeat lately. He's always been a huge inspiration to me as an artist because of his open vulnerability, and this album just takes that up a notch. Highly recommend to hip hop fans.
— Zach, Video Editor

I recently watched The Menu (starring one of my favorite actresses, Anya Taylor-Joy) and I…kinda loved it. The culinary dark-comedy horror (I’d describe it as Midsommar meets Ratatouille) definitely won’t be for everyone. But as someone who enjoys both cooking and eating great food, I’m still thinking about the film’s brilliant social commentary and critique of fine dining.
— Ashley, Content Writer

Written by Ashley Martin

Edited by Matt D'Avella & Kerstin Sheppard