S7 Ep8: Turning the Page — Overcoming Fear and Stepping into a New Career

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success, the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategy to thrive in your career.

In this 12 minute episode, we’ll explore practical and mindset shifts to help you turn the page and step confidently into your next career chapter – whether you’re thinking about switching careers, stepping into a new industry, or finally pursuing a role you’ve dreamed about for years but felt held back by fear.

Because the truth is, fear doesn’t mean stop — it means this matters. And moving through it is where real growth happens.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
• Why Fear Is a Sign You’re Growing – Understand why fear shows up when you're on the brink of change and how to see it as a green light, not a red flag.
• Real Risk vs. Imagined Risk – Learn how to separate practical challenges from the stories your inner critic tells you, and why most worst-case scenarios are more solvable than you think.
• Rewrite the Stories Holding You Back – Identify and challenge the limiting beliefs that whisper, "You’re too late" or "Who do you think you are?"
• Tools to Move Through Fear – Practical exercises and mindset shifts to help you take bold steps even with shaky hands.
• Why You’re More Ready Than You Think – Discover why your skills, resilience, and experience make you well-equipped to start again — even if it feels scary.

What next?
A big thank you for tuning in to Your Path To Career Success – where your dreams and your career intertwine!

🦉 Book a free discovery call to explore how my Unlock Your Career Potential coaching programme can support your leadership goals.
🦉 If this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone ready to lead with intention.
🦉 Interested in working with me 1-2-1? Book a slot here: https://calendly.com/thecareerowl.
🦉 You can also connect with me over on LinkedIn for more career strategy and leadership insights.

Stay tuned for more episodes focused on helping you unlock your full leadership potential!

Useful Resources:
🎧 Further Listening & Reading
• Book: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers – A classic guide to overcoming fear and taking bold steps forward.
• Podcast: Unlocking Us with Brené Brown – Especially episodes on vulnerability, courage, and change.
• Article: How to Change Careers, Even if You’re Afraid – Harvard Business Review – Practical advice for navigating career transitions with confidence.

🧠 Coaching Tools You Might Love
• My Unlock Your Career Potential Coaching Programme – Dive deeper into confidence-building, career transitions, and strategy with tailored 1-2-1 support.

Transcript

Welcome back to Your Path to Career Success, the podcast that helps you build the skills, confidence, and strategy to thrive in your career. 

I’m Kathryn, your host, and today’s episode is for anyone standing at the edge of change. 

Maybe you’re thinking about switching careers, stepping into a new industry, or finally going for that role you’ve been eyeing for years — and yet, something keeps holding you back.

That “something” is usually fear. 

Fear of failure. 

Fear of being judged. 

Fear of leaving behind what’s familiar.

But here’s the truth: fear doesn’t mean stop. It means this matters.

As C. S. Lewis once said “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

So, in today’s episode, we’ll cover:
✔️ Why fear shows up when we’re making big life changes
✔️ How to separate real risk from imagined risk
✔️ The stories we tell ourselves — and how to rewrite them
✔️ Tools to help you move through fear instead of being paralysed by it
✔️ What it really looks like to start again — and why you’re more ready than you think

But before we jump in, I invite you to grab your favourite beverage, find a comfy spot, grab a notebook or just sit back and relax and keep listening for those lightbulb moments to map out your leadership path!

Segment 1: Why Fear is a Sign You’re Growing
Let’s start by naming what most of us feel when we’re standing at the edge of change: fear.

Any time we’re about to do something unfamiliar — whether it’s stepping into a new role, launching a side hustle, or completely pivoting careers — fear shows up. It’s not a flaw in your character. It’s your nervous system doing its job.

Your brain’s number one priority is survival, not success. So the moment you contemplate something new, it scans for risk. And because change carries uncertainty, it triggers a threat response — even if the “threat” is just an awkward first day, a new commute, or having to say, “I don’t know how to do that… yet.”

This is why even exciting opportunities can feel paralysing.

That tight chest, the racing heart, the overthinking at 3 a.m.? It’s your body interpreting the unknown as danger. You’re not broken. You’re just human.
It’s the same response your brain would give if you were standing at the edge of a cliff. And in many ways, you are — standing between the edge of what was, and what could be. Between comfort and possibility.

💬 As Susan Jeffers wrote, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.”

And here’s something I often remind my clients: Fear isn’t always a red flag. Sometimes it’s a green light — signalling that you’re moving into growth territory.

Think about the first time you did anything important — a big presentation, a tough conversation, an interview, even moving cities. You probably felt fear then, too. But growth lives on the other side of that discomfort.

You don’t need to be fearless. That’s a myth.

You just need to be willing — willing to take the next step with shaky hands, to sit with the discomfort and still move forward, one decision at a time.

And I see this in so many of the people I coach. The moment they realise their fear isn’t a stop sign — it’s a signal — everything shifts.

If you’re scared, it doesn’t mean you’re not ready.

It might just mean… you’re right on time.

Segment 2: Real Risk vs. Imagined Risk
Let’s talk about one of the biggest blockers to change: not fear itself — but the stories we attach to it.

Something I explore a lot with my clients is this question:

What’s the actual risk here? And what are you afraid might happen — but probably won’t?

It sounds simple, but it’s a game-changer.

Real risks are concrete. You can define them, measure them, plan for them. Things like:
• “I’ll need to retrain or get a qualification.”
• “There might be a few months where money is tight.”
• “I’ll have to move, or adjust my schedule, or start over somewhere new.”

These are the kinds of risks we can work with. They’re solvable — even if they’re uncomfortable.
Imagined risks, on the other hand, are sneakier.

They show up as:
• “What if I fail and can’t come back from it?”
• “What will people think if I don’t succeed?”
• “What if I’m not cut out for this after all?”

These are based on assumptions, not facts. They’re fuelled by self-doubt and old beliefs — not by any real data.

And the brain doesn’t always know the difference. It treats both types of risk as equal — so that imagined risk can feel just as dangerous as the real stuff.

One of my favourite tools to help separate the two is a simple exercise:
👉 Write down your absolute worst-case scenario.

Then, underneath that, write down what you would actually do if that happened.

Most of the time, people realise: I’d figure it out.

You might get support. You might pivot. You might feel wobbly for a bit — but you'd keep going. 

That’s where your confidence starts to build.

💬 As Brené Brown says, “You can’t get to courage without walking through vulnerability.”

And this part — confronting what’s imagined, and seeing how capable you really are — that is where resilience is built.

Not by avoiding risk altogether, but by knowing:
I can handle it.

Even if it’s messy. Even if I get it wrong. Even if I have to course-correct.

Segment 3: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Fear rarely shows up shouting. It whispers.

And often, it hides in the stories we tell ourselves — the quiet scripts playing in the background of our lives that shape our confidence, our decisions, and our ability to move forward.

These stories sound familiar, don’t they?
➡️ “I’ve worked too hard to throw this career away.”
➡️ “It’s too late to start again.”
➡️ “Who do I think I am to want more than this?”

Now, here’s the thing. These stories don’t come out of nowhere.

They’re often echoes of other people’s voices — well-meaning ones, sometimes — like a parent who believed in stability above all else. A teacher who praised us for being the reliable one, not the brave one. An old boss who made us feel we were “lucky” just to have the job.

And over time, those voices become internalised. They form your inner dialogue. Your inner critic. 

The one that pipes up right when you’re about to take a bold step.

But let’s pause here.

Because these stories?

They’re not facts.

They’re not destiny.

They’re just narratives you’ve practiced so often, they started to feel true.

💬 As Dr. Nicole LePera says, “You can’t change what you’re not aware of.”

So your first job isn’t to silence the story — it’s to get curious about it.
Where did it come from?
Who does it sound like?
And… is it still serving you?

Because here’s the good news: stories can be rewritten. You are allowed to outgrow a path that once felt right. You are allowed to crave more meaning, more challenge, more alignment. And you are allowed — without explanation or apology — to pursue a life that feels like yours.

So next time you catch yourself spiralling into “What if I fail?”, try flipping it:
👉 “But what if this works?”
👉 “What if this opens a door I didn’t even know existed?”
👉 “What if this next chapter is where I really come alive?”

💬 Brené Brown puts it perfectly: “You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort. But you cannot have both.”

And if you’ve been feeling that tug — that quiet but persistent knowing that it’s time for something new — that isn’t something to silence. That’s your next chapter calling. And it deserves to be heard.

Segment 4: Practical Tools for Moving Through Fear
So we’ve talked about the biology of fear, the stories that hold us back, and how to separate what’s real from what’s imagined. But what do you actually do when fear shows up?

Because it will. Especially when you’re about to do something brave.

Here are four practical tools to help you move through fear — not perfectly, but powerfully.

1. Name It
Fear thrives in vagueness. When it’s just a knot in your stomach or a racing heart, it can feel overwhelming — like it’s everywhere.

But when you name the fear, you shrink it down to size. Try saying:
👉 “I’m afraid of being seen as inexperienced.”
👉 “I’m afraid of starting over and looking foolish.”
👉 “I’m afraid of letting my family down.”

Once it’s named, it becomes something you can work with. Something you can plan around. Something you can move through — not just run from.
💬 As Carl Jung said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

2. Anchor to Your Why
When the fear is loud, your why needs to be louder.

Ask yourself:
➡️ Why am I considering this move?
➡️ What does it open up for me — in my career, my life, my values?
➡️ What am I no longer willing to tolerate?

Your why is your anchor — the steady point that keeps you grounded when the winds of uncertainty pick up. Write it down. Say it out loud. Come back to it often.

3. Take Micro-Steps
You don’t need to leap — just move.

One small action at a time.

Maybe it’s updating your LinkedIn profile, even if it’s just one sentence.

Maybe it’s reaching out to someone who’s already working in the industry you want to move into.

Maybe it’s attending a virtual event, just to listen and learn.

Each micro-step builds confidence. Each small move proves to your nervous system: “We’re safe. 

We’re doing this. And we’re OK.”

Fear hates momentum. Action — even tiny action — starts to quiet it.

4. Use Visualisation
Close your eyes and imagine this:

It’s three months from now. You’ve made the change. You’ve taken the leap.
What does your day look like?
Where are you working?
How do you feel in your body when you wake up on a Monday morning?

This isn’t about fantasy. It’s about creating a picture that your brain can start believing in. Because if you can see it, you can move toward it.

And when you start to feel wobbly? Come back to that future version of you. They’ve already done the scary thing. Let them remind you it was worth it.

Here’s the truth: change doesn’t demand perfection.

It demands courage. Repetition. A little bit of belief — even if it shakes in your voice or trembles in your hands.

You don’t need to have it all figured out.

You just need to keep showing up. One brave step at a time.

Segment 5: You’re More Ready Than You Think
You might not feel ready. But readiness rarely feels like confidence — it feels like openness. Like willingness to learn, to grow, to try again.

Many of my clients come to me mid-career, burnt out or unfulfilled, saying, “I just don’t think I can start again.” But after a few conversations, it’s clear — they’re not starting from scratch. They’re starting from experience. From resilience. From everything they’ve built so far.

You don’t lose your skills when you switch lanes. You bring them with you.

And yes — change is vulnerable. But so is growth.

💬 As Maya Angelou said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

Let’s quickly recap what we’ve covered today:
✔️ Fear is part of growth — it’s a natural response to change, not a stop sign.
✔️ Learn to separate real risk from imagined risk — and make decisions based on facts, not fear.
✔️ Challenge the stories you’ve been telling yourself — because they’re not the whole truth.
✔️ Use small, steady steps to move forward — action creates clarity and builds courage.
✔️ You’re more ready than you think — because everything you’ve done before has prepared you for what’s next.

If you found today’s episode valuable, hit that subscribe button, leave a review, and share it with your network. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn—just search Kathryn Hall, The Career Owl.

And if you’re looking for more support, drop me a DM or send me an email (details are in the show notes) and I’d love to help you.

And remember:
The next chapter doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be yours.

Keep turning the page.