The Brave Thing Right Under Your Nose

I had one of those delightful full-circle moments this week that made me laugh out loud at my desk. You know, the kind – where something your grandmother used to say suddenly becomes the perfect wisdom for exactly what you need?

Growing up in Texas, whenever we'd tear the house apart looking for something only to find it sitting right there in plain sight, my grandmother would drawl, "If it'd been a snake, it woulda bit ya!" (She had a way of making even gentle teasing feel like a warm hug.)

This memory surfaced as I was wrestling with a wish that's been taking up prime real estate in my brain lately. I've challenged myself to do one brave thing every day – not cliff-diving brave, but sending-that-scary-email brave, asking-for-help brave, speaking-up-in-the-meeting brave. The kind of courage that makes your heart flutter just a bit but doesn't require backup medical insurance.

And you know what? It's been pretty freaking amazing. Each tiny act of courage seems to raise my bravery threshold just a notch higher. I find myself wondering: What would happen if I continued this daily practice for a month? Six months? A year? (The possibilities make me giddy!)

But here's where my grandmother's wisdom comes in. As I sat pondering where I might find a community to share these small wins and encourage each other's brave moments, I realized the perfect space was right under my nose – our very own Substack chat thread!

This hits on something I've noticed in my conversations with Uplifters podcast guests, too. So often, the resources and opportunities we're seeking are already within reach. Like Lauren Young Durbin, who shared in our recent episode about career change: "I became the career coach I knew I needed."

So, I'm proposing something: What if we turned our Friday chats into a weekly courage check-in? A space to celebrate the small acts of bravery that often go unnoticed, to dare each other toward our next brave step, to discover courage opportunities hiding in plain sight?

Some playful questions to consider:

- What's one tiny brave thing you did this week that made your heart flutter?

- Where might you have an opportunity for courage that's hiding "right under your nose"?

- What would become possible if you committed to one small brave act each day?

I'll be here every Friday, ready to cheer on your courage and share my own wobbly steps toward bravery. Because maybe, just like my grandmother's lost items, the community we've been looking for has been here all along, just waiting for us to notice.

And speaking of community... As we approach our 100th episode milestone (can you believe it?!), I'm thrilled to announce a new offering for our paid subscribers, who continue to be the heartbeat of this project. Starting this Friday, you're invited to join our weekly Co-Working Cocoon!

Every Friday from 10-12 ET, we'll gather on Zoom to work on whatever calls to your heart – whether that's self-care, organization, or your boldest creative projects. Here's how our time together flows:

• 10:00 - Set intentions together

• 10:15 - Take three deep breaths and dive into deep work

• 11:00 - One-song dance party to shake things loose!

• 11:03 - Second deep work session

• 11:59 - Celebration close

There's something magical about working alongside other brave souls – we work harder, more focused, and more energized because of the shared experience. And yes, the dance break is absolutely as fun and goofy as it sounds!

With warmth and possibility,

Aransas

PS: If you're craving more inspiration for daily acts of courage, don't miss next week's podcast episode with Dr Shayna Kaufman, where we will be talking about Menopause! And if you're ready to cocoon with us, upgrade to a paid subscription to join this Friday's session! Link below!

PPS: We still have tickets available for Uplifters Live, so get yours and join us!

PPPS: I hope you enjoy the video of Grandma doing shots of water as much as I did.

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✨ Huge gratitude to our paid subscribers! Your support makes all the difference. Thank you, Carol Califano, for supporting this work.

✨ Check out the recording for our Values-led Time Blocking Workshop.

✨ As always, all of my writing is free and you can listen to every episode of the podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack, or wherever you get your podcasts. For those of you who are more visual or want to take a deeper dive with our guests and who want to support this work with a paid subscription, you’ll find the extended-cut video of my conversation with Lauren Young Durbin below.