Helping kids face fear can show up in simple, everyday moments. Their heart starts to race. Their thoughts get louder. And then the butterflies show up.

They can feel them before school, before speaking up, before trying something new. And we feel them too – before appointments, conversations – anything that stretches us.

I remember standing at the side of a stage, about to speak. From the outside, everything looked fine, but inside, it was a different story. The butterflies were there, fluttering in my stomach.

I kept hoping they would settle before I walked out.

They didn’t.

I walked out anyway.

I chose not to let them have the final say.

That’s the shift.

The butterflies aren’t the problem. They show up whether we like them or not.

You don’t need to get rid of the feeling. You need to move with it.

This is what I know: Courage doesn’t come first. Courage comes after you feel the butterflies and choose to do ‘the thing’ anyway.

Until next time…