Fear is something we all carry, though it shows up differently for each of us. It can keep us safe, but it can also hold us back from opportunities, relationships, and growth. We asked some brilliant members of the community to share the one fear that has shaped their choices the most—and their answers reveal just how universal, yet deeply personal, our struggles with fear really are.
Kim Mosiman
The fear that held me back the longest was the belief that I was not educated enough to belong in certain rooms. I did not follow a traditional academic path, and for years I assumed that meant my voice should stay quiet and my ideas should stay small. I worked hard, earned certifications, studied nutrition and coaching, and learned through real life. Read more>>
Kerly Vallejo
The fear that has held me back the most is the fear of the future. I work every day to build my career in film scoring, but there are moments when uncertainty feels overwhelming. People often say that hard work will eventually pay off, that you’re ‘planting seeds’ and one day you’ll harvest the results but there’s no guarantee. Read more>>
Laisha Barroso
I had the fear of not being liked. I believe this did hold me back in life when it came to relationships, friendships, and who I am as a person. I’ve learned now to be myself and do whatever makes me happy. Everybody will have their own opinion about me, but only I know who I truly am. Read more>>
Kateryna Drok
Great question… I thought about it… Of course, now I can calmly talk about it, because at the moment when I was packing my whole life in one suitcase, at the moment when I bought a one-way ticket and for the first time I went to Bali alone, ten thousand kilometers from home. Read more>>
Scott Browning
The fear that’s held me back the most is the fear of abandonment. Losing my father at fifteen didn’t just leave a hole; it left questions I carried for years — Was I enough? Would I ever be enough? That fear eventually grew into something bigger: the worry that I’d never measure up or become the version of myself I thought would honor him. Read more>>
Leia JACOUTOT
Making a mistake. I was always a straight A student, everything had to be done in the right way, following the rules and being a success. I’m a people pleaser and I hate disappointing them (especially my parents). However for my job you really have to make mistakes or be willing to try because then you have the best and most genuine results. Read more>>
Olyn Moon
That I’m not good at what I love to do. It took me most of my life to gain the confidence to show my work to the world. And so far it’s mostly been positive. Read more>>
Misa Mochizuki
The ego of wanting to be seen as an extraordinary dancer — or even an extraordinary person — held me back for a long time. Trying to feel a sense of superiority by comparing myself to others made it difficult to be my true self, and it diminished my energy to the point where I couldn’t fully feel happiness. Read more>>
Ashley Poulin
While needles are my biggest fear they only hold me back in certain situations haha so I’ll go with my second biggest: my fear of success. Yes, you read that right, success, not failure. For the longest time I thought it was failure that made me nervous or forced me to second guess myself. But alas, failure’s twin sister was actually behind it all along. Read more>>
Rick Steinburg
The overarching fear that I have had since childhood is the fear of doing something wrong. This fear eats away at my self confidence; it makes me afraid of making mistakes. It also introduces guilt where it has no place in reality; where past mistakes can color current situations, making me feel guilt for failures that I had no active part in creating. Read more>>
Erneshya Ray
Honestly, it’s been fear of success, fear of failure, and fear of the unknown — all of it. Sometimes I’ve been afraid of what would happen if things did work out, just as much as if they didn’t. I’ve had to learn that fear and faith can’t live in the same space. Read more>>
Se Young Yim
The fear that has held me back the most in life is love. When I left my hometown, the most challenging part was the distance from the people and places I loved. It led me to question the nature of love itself. I’ve often felt that humans are almost programmed to love others. Most of us are not born alone, and we live within communities. Read more>>
