From Anxiety to Impact: The Courage to Make the Call

What does courage look like? Sometimes it looks like standing on a stage or doing something dramatic. And sometimes it looks like picking up the phone and calling someone you’re nervous to speak to. In this conversation, I meet three remarkable young women whose honesty, courage and compassion deeply moved me. One of them shares openly about her experience of social anxiety, fear of rejection and spending much of her college life keeping to herself. Then something changed. She made a call. Then another. She reached out to classmates she had barely spoken to and invited them to be part of a social initiative. They said yes, and those small, brave conversations grew into a team of 16 students working together to make a real difference. Their ideas are not theoretical. They come from lived experience. Scribe Tribe was inspired by the experience of volunteering as a scribe for a visually impaired student - and recognising how difficult it can be for students to find the support they need during exams. Care Plus emerged from a deeply personal moment at college. Rather than simply accepting a common inconvenience, these young women asked a different question: What could we do about it? That question became a practical plan to make sanitary products more accessible on campus - and, importantly, to create something future students can continue after they graduate. What I love about these women is that they’re not waiting until they feel completely confident. They are taking action while they are still finding their confidence. They’re having conversations they once avoided. They’re including people they once thought were too different from them. They’re sharing personal stories that could easily have remained hidden and they’re turning those experiences into something that may make life easier for someone else. As I listened, three words kept coming to mind: Courage. Curiosity. Compassion. This episode is a beautiful reminder that impact doesn’t always begin with a grand gesture. Sometimes it begins with one person deciding not to let fear make the decision. One phone call. One invitation. One conversation. And from there, strangers can become friends, friends can become a team, and a team can create change that lasts long after they’ve moved on. As one of these inspiring young women said, “Small steps is what makes big change.” They are living proof of it. Loved this episode? Support us to create more podcasts by “buying our producer a coffee” - he deserves it! - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bmc.link/kerriephipps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ **Find Kerrie here -** Topmate - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://topmate.io/kerriephipps⁠⁠⁠⁠ Website - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kerriephipps.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerriephipps/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook public page - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/KerriePhipps1⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/kerriephipps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠