Photo by Becky Craven
My Story of Faith Over Fear
Over the past five years, I have been on a journey that has seen me leave my comfort zone repeatedly. Each time I have stepped out into the unknown and followed the calling of my soul with absolutely no guarantee that what I was attempting would work.
Back in 2019, my soul called me to open a coworking space for women. I had no experience whatsoever running a bricks-and-mortar business. I had worked in a couple of coworking spaces previously and not particularly enjoyed the experience. The whole idea of it seemed like utter madness and when I told my friends and family what I was planning to do, the reactions were mostly of surprise and genuine concern.
But my heart was leading the way and the calling of my soul had turned from a very quiet whisper into a deafening scream. I knew what I had to do and I resolved not to let myself down by succumbing to fear. Four months later the doors to the Tribe opened. (We’ll gloss over the pandemic making coworking illegal and the multiple lockdowns keeping my customers hostage at home while they homeschooled their children less than three months after I opened.)
Fear has held me back in so many ways over the past few years. I was scared to put myself out there and offer coaching and mentoring services to women. I knew I had a lot to offer and could help them but that fear of being seen, of being judged to be full of myself, of not being enough, that was intense. I struggled with semantics. I daren’t call myself a coach as I don’t have a coaching qualification. Could I be a mentor if I didn’t have all the answers? In the end, I worked through the fear and launched The Business Sheppard. I’m so pleased I did.
Every time I have applied for grant funding over the past few years has scared me. I had never filled in a funding application before. I wasn’t entirely sure how to approach it or what the funders were looking for and if I’m honest I definitely didn’t feel confident that I would be awarded the funding. But nevertheless, I gave it my best shot. You have to be in it to win it right and the best-case scenario was worth pushing past the fear.
When the landlord sold the building we were based in and I had to find us a new home, I was petrified to sign the lease. The rent was so much more and it was a five-year commitment. I had no idea if I was capable of such a big leap. But my soul was calling me forward again. It was so loud that I couldn’t ignore it. Even though I had no idea how I would make it work, I just knew I had to try. I launched a membership which sold better than I could have ever hoped and now our community is thriving in its beautiful new home. It’s turned out better than my wildest dreams.
When I first had the idea to launch a magazine for local women in business, I was confident I could do it, I was just scared by the enormity of it. I knew it would be a lot of work and that there were aspects of it that were beyond me. So I quietly filed the idea away in the ‘one day’ file of my brain.
When my soul whispered to me that it might be time act, I decided to follow the impulses I was feeling. I ordered paper samples. They arrived and the next impulse was to post my ‘one day’ intention on my Instagram stories. Within literal minutes Fran Minifie dropped into my DMs and said we should do it together. The first issue of Athena magazine was published a few weeks ago. Did we know how to do everything when we started? Hell, no!! Did we figure it all out as we went? Yes!!
A few weeks after we reopened in our new home, our neighbours decided to move out. My soul told me it was time to expand the Tribe. My mind went into panic mode at the thought of taking on a second space. But my soul held strong, and I knew that despite being utterly petrified this was meant for me. So I emailed my landlord and told him I was interested. I’ve just signed another lease. This has been the biggest test yet.
I won’t lie, all these things have petrified me beyond belief. I have no idea what I’m doing half the time or how I am going to make things work. But I know that my soul has a plan for me and I have a deep inner knowing that I’ve got this! I am resilient as f*ck, I’ve got grit, I am extremely determined and motivated and I know that I can adapt and be flexible to whatever life throws at me.
The Effects of Facing Fear
Facing the fear is not an easy ride though. My mind and my heart have been at war and I have needed to find tools to help me face the fear and overcome it. Luckily for me, my awesome community of incredible women have rallied round to get me over the finish line. They have given me the tools necessary to regulate my nervous system and get through the discomfort. I am eternally grateful to them.
Facing the Fear Together
And now I want to return the favour and offer this kind of support to you! As women, we need to take up space in the business world. We offer products and services that solve the problems that women face. The money we make is reinvested back into our communities. Money spent in our businesses provides a better return on investment. What we have to offer is needed and will make the world a better place.
But the system is rigged against us. It makes it hard for us to feel like we belong in these spaces, makes us question our abilities, makes us feel like it’s dangerous to be too visible and take up too much space. It excludes us from the support necessary to start and grow successful businesses.
But that’s why we need to support each other.
Why We Need Faith Over Fear Club
That’s why we need Faith over Fear Club. Together we are stronger. We can support one another to do the things that we know will move the needle in our businesses. The things that scare the living sh*t out of us. The things that we consistently hide at the bottom of the to-do pile. The things we maybe have never even dared to say out loud to anyone. The things that our soul whispers to us and that we pretend not to hear.
If you are ready to embrace faith over fear, to get out of your own way, to start playing bigger, to start backing yourself and to start listening to the call of your soul, Faith Over Fear Club is for you.
Stacey Sheppard is the founder of The Tribe, a small community-driven coworking space in Totnes that caters to creative, growth-oriented female entrepreneurs by providing an inspiring working environment designed to foster collaboration, connection and community.
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