1 - This is your permission to stop waiting

Wow!!! My first episode!

This podcast idea started in my mind like a year ago.

And today, I’m finally launching it. It’s s huge milestone for both, my business and my English journey. And I want this to be an honest space. So I'm sharing with you a little of everything. Things that have worked, others that haven't, success, failure... I mean, the real things.

Deciding my first episode’s topic was hard. I had picked my ideas, I’m this very organized person so I plan things ahead and even more with my business.

I know what the podcast will be about, and the general rule is to use the first episode to introduce yourself. 

I won’t do that. I don’t judge your favorite podcaster if they did that! Maybe next episode!

I’m recording these episodes on the go, one per week, so I still haven’t recorded the next one! You know what? You let me konw if you want me to introduce myself and talk about my English journey on the second episode, or leave it for later and surprise you when this episode comes. 

Last year, around June, I mentioned my marketing mentor that I wanted to launch my podcast. It was an immediate NO.

“Ana, no one wants to listen to another podcast about learning English”

OK. She’s the expert so I’ll forget about it. Interestingly, she didn’t give me like another idea to express myself. How to serve others through my expertise and my life experience.

Last October, by chance, I ended up participating in a workshop about how to start your podcast in 2025. This idea kept coming back! The time passed and one day I realized why I didn’t start this before. The real reason.

It wasn’t because someone else told me not to. 

A part of me was waiting for external approval before putting myself out there this way. This feels like I’m so vulnerable.

• What if people don’t like me? The way I communicate? 

• What if I make a mistake and it’s there recorded for everyone to listen to it?

• I think I might sound boring or flat. So, people won’t stick to the podcast. 

You know what’s comforting about external approval? 

That if things go sideways - if it doesn’t work, I have someone else to blame.

You have no idea how hard it’s been for me to recognize that.

The need for external approval.

The fear of feeling vulnerable.

Do you see where I’m going?

I’m tell you this because this is the same line of thought that prevents many English learners from communicating in English.

• What if I participate in the meeting, make a mistake and my boss notices it?

• What if I sound boring and these new people I want to meet think I’m not interesting?

• What if this native speaker makes fun of my accent?

These thoughts that prioritize others over you. 

And yes, I’m a Neurolanguage Coach, EI expert, a seasoned English teacher and it still hits me. This fear of not being good enough. This vulnerability. 

I honestly think we never get completely rid of this fear of not being good enough.  But of course we can manage it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be recording this episode. feeling so vulnerable but at the same time so hopeful and thrilled!

SO, today I want to share with you a strategy to deal with the fear of feeling vulnerable. 

HEADS UP! I won’t tell you exactly what to do. Instead I’m going to share with you what works for me, and invite you to dig a bit and discover what would work for you. Because we’re all different, and sometimes we stick to doing exactly what others do with no results, and believe me! sometimes with minor tweaks we find what we need. So that’s my invitation.

This is a strategy you can repeat every time or in every situation that makes you feel uncomfortable. 

1. Turning into words how you feel about this situation that makes you feel vulnerable. 

2. Two scenarios: The best and the worst scenario

What would it happen if I took action on this?

3. Possibility: What are the probabilities that the worst scenario becomes a reality?

4. Identify your priority. 

Ask yourself: What’s more important to me? What’s my priority?

This is not a tricky question. This is not a right or wrong.

It's not like "OK. I'll talk on the next meeting" and that's it. It's more of discovering what you really need to do NOW to get you moving.

I think there’s a moment for everything.