Podcast Episode 116: Embracing Fear with Meera Lee Patel

Embracing Fear in Your Life, Business, & Creativity with Meera Lee Patel.

I had a long chat with artist & writer @meeraleepatel about using fear as a tool and  teacher and embracing it; what it’s like to be a first-time mama; living with anxiety and OCD; how to push past fear in your creativity and business, and more.

I grew up with a lot of fear in my life. I come from a line of women who are hard working, creative, generous and also crippled with obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety. I’m no exception. I’ve spent hundreds of hours in therapy, read more self development books than any one human should, and done a ton of work on myself to be functional.

Growing up surrounded by the culture of OCD, anxiety and fear was rough. Danger was everywhere. Strangers were 100% murderers until proven otherwise. Going anywhere alone would almost assuredly lead to getting kidnapped. Any unattended drink would be roofied.

All of this felt normal because I didn’t know any different – until I realized that other kids didn’t live like I did; didn’t think like I did. I was a full grown adult before I found out that everyone else doesn’t incessantly count to eight quietly in their heads.

By the time I graduated high school, I was itching for experiences so bad that I pushed myself and did things I was scared to do all the time… dangerous things that I’m grateful to have lived through and that almost seem like someone else’s memories to my middle-aged-in-bed-by-9pm-self.

Here’s the thing – no matter how hard you try or how much you ignore it, fear will not go away.

Now I work on living in harmony with my fears. I listen to them, think about where they come from and what they’re trying to tell me. Instead of trying to wish the fear away or conquer it, I work with it.

I’m not alone in making friends with fear.

Here are Meera’s books that we mention:

• Create Your Own Calm: A Journal for Quieting Anxiety
• Made Out of Stars: A Journal for Self-Realization
• My Friend Fear: Finding Magic in the Unknown
• The Beginning is Always Today- 2021 On-the-Go Weekly Planner

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PODCAST GIVEAWAY:

Also, we’re giving away access to one of our online workshops (if you win, you can pick whichever workshop you’d like). To enter just leave us a review on iTunes here. We’ll randomly pick a winner and announce them at the beginning of our episode of next month. If you win, just email us to claim your prize.

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