Happy Halloween!

🎃 Ghosts, haunted houses, and horror movies might be spooky, but you know what’s really terrifying? The fear that keeps us stuck and stops us from reaching new heights.

Fear of failure. Studies reveal that up to 70% of people hold back from pursuing their dreams due to this very fear.

In our last Calm & Connect conversation, we explored a powerful truth: we’ve been getting failure all wrong.

In English and particularly in Western culture, failure has become a destination—an endpoint that feels mutually exclusive with success. It’s as though you either reach “success” or fall into “failure,” with no space in between. And this binary mindset is holding us back.

When failure is seen as an identity—“I failed, so I am a failure”—it prevents us from trying new things, embracing a growth mindset, innovating, and thriving as human beings. We forget, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds us, that “we’re not meant to be perfect from the word ‘go’.”

But not all cultures share this perspective. In Mandarin, failure is inherently understood as part of growth, and in Portuguese, the word “fracasso” refers to failure as a temporary condition, not a permanent state. It encourages resilience and persistence, recognizing that failure isn’t final—it’s just another chapter in the journey.

A Personal Story: Pushing My Growing Edge

Recently, I attended the BrainTrust Live Women’s Conference in Nashville, where the theme was failure.

Wildly successful entrepreneurs—those who have built multi-million-dollar companies—shared their stories, not just of their achievements, but of their failures and what those failures taught them both personally and professionally.

I found myself in that room feeling both inspired and uncomfortable. Why? Because I was pushing at my own growing edge. As many of you know, I’m currently building The Reset Room alongside my dear friend and colleague, Mirette Seireg. It’s a vision that we—and many others—believe has the potential to add tremendous value to organizations and institutions.

But here’s what I’ve come to realize: when I sit in that fear, I do nothing. The project doesn’t grow; neither do I. But when I remember that failure isn’t a stop sign—it’s not a period at the end of a sentence—but rather an opportunity to learn, iterate, and improve, my mindset shifts.

Failure becomes a catalyst for growth, a stepping stone on the path to progress. 🌱✨

So, I Ask You:

Where are you afraid to fail?

Where have you seen failure as “the end,” and what would happen if you shifted your perspective to see it as a learning curve on the path to success?

Whether it’s a new relationship, a job, a venture, or something deeply personal—how might redefining failure open the floodgates to success?

Navigating Fear and Stress this Week

To help you navigate the stress and uncertainty in the coming days, I’m offering three opportunities to join me for live meditations:

1️⃣ Calm & Connect: Sunday, 10am CT—Shift your mindset as we dive deeper into topics like fear, failure, and resilience. Sign up here.

2️⃣ Insight Timer Live: Election Day, Tuesday, 10am CT & 3pm C.
"Finding Calm Amidst the Storm." Join these free meditations to reconnect with clarity and inner peace during tense times.

Let’s be honest, this is a far better way to spend your time than being glued to the rollercoaster of news reporting all day. Give yourself this gift of space to breathe, center, and find resilience amidst the chaos.

Click the links below 👇 to sign up and prioritize your mental wellbeing this week. Let’s take a collective breath and lead with intention.