Facing our fears means understanding how they shape our actions, while creating space for self-awareness, connection, and growth in both personal and professional contexts.

Carlos Saba is the co-founder of the Happy Startup School, an alternative business school and learning platform that focuses on helping entrepreneurs and professionals align their work with their values and passions.

With a PhD in atomic physics, Carlos transitioned from a career in science and digital advertising to co-founding a digital studio and eventually dedicating himself to creating programs, events, and courses that foster connection, learning, and personal growth.

This episode will help you

• Understand how to embrace and work through fear rather than suppressing it, allowing for personal and professional growth
• Explore the importance of aligning your work with your values and creating meaningful connections with others
• Discover how self-awareness and emotional openness can enhance creativity, resilience, and authenticity

Highlights

• [00:07:28] Identifying core needs
• [00:11:56] Purpose with a big P or a small P
• [00:16:43] How Carlos is meeting his needs
• [00:21:17] How do we create resilience?
• [00:28:14] Carlos' relationship with shame
• [00:33:07] Meeting "Kung Fu Carlos"
• [00:38:05] What Fearless Forward means to Carlos
• [00:42:37] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Carlos via LinkedIn
• The Happy Startup School
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn

As change makers, we an become overwhelmed and anxious about our place in the world, the impact we have, and the resources we have to create it. These feelings often stem from deeper fears, like that of losing what we cherish or even the fear of dying. This can leave us feeling stuck, disconnected, and unable to act.

For therapist Agnes Otzelberger, facing these fears head-on helped her feel more alive and capable. She believes we can find strength by connecting with others, embracing creativity, and building a better relationship with ourselves and the natural world.

When we ignore our fears, they can paralyse us. We can feel numb or powerless, unable to make decisions or take meaningful action. This
disconnection from ourselves and others only deepens the sense of hopelessness.

This conversation will help you

• Explore how fear can be acknowledged and integrated for personal growth and resilience
• Understand practical ways to reconnect with nature, creativity, and community to navigate overwhelming emotions
• Address feelings of scarcity, stress, and paralysis in the face of global challenges

Highlights

• [00:02:16] A breathless tightening
• [00:08:26] How we respond to hopelessness
• [00:14:42] The need for community
• [00:22:13] Survival mode
• [00:28:16] Managing yourself to care for others
• [00:33:21] Agnes' deepest fears
• [00:41:31] What Fearless Forward means to Agnes
• [00:43:32] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Agnes via LinkedIn
• Work directly with Agnes
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn
• Waking the Tiger: Healing the Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Overcome Overwhelming Experiences, by Peter Levine
• 30 Lies about Money: liberating your life, liberating your money, by Peter Koenig
• Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy, by Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone
• The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred work of Grief, by Francis Weller
• Big Magic: How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Many of us struggle with finding peace and quiet in our fast-paced, noisy lives. This lack of space to reflect and connect with ourselves can leave us feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and stuck in patterns that don’t serve us.

The solution is to embrace quietness, slow down, and create intentional space for reflection and connection. Pete Mosley’s approach shows us how we can live more in tune with our nature by making deliberate choices about how we spend our time and where we focus our energy.

Without time to pause, we risk becoming trapped in a cycle of stress and disconnection. Our thoughts can overwhelm us, and we might lose sight of what’s truly important, leaving us feeling unfulfilled despite all our efforts.

This conversation will help you

• Explore how embracing quietness can lead to personal and professional growth
• Understand the importance of creating workplace cultures where both quiet and loud individuals can thrive
• Learn practical techniques for managing thoughts and reducing mental clutter through cognitive diffusion and mindfulness practices

Highlights

• [00:01:53] Peak experience
• [00:04:56] A move to Cyprus
• [00:12:08] Choosing independence
• [00:14:51] Contemplating the time we have remaining
• [00:17:20] Pete's journey to quietness
• [00:20:51] Finding clarity in community
• [00:23:55] Making slow transitions
• [00:26:54] You are not your thoughts
• [00:31:59] Learning to give up control
• [00:36:18] On "pushing through"
• [00:39:06] Pete's quiet trilogy
• [00:43:33] Moving past introversion vs extroversion
• [00:44:30] What Fearless Forward means to Pete
• [00:45:47] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Pete via LinkedIn
• Pete’s books
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn