Dr. Derek Suite - The Suite Spot
Synthesizing Science and Soul for High Performance
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Dr. Derek Suite - The Suite Spot
🚀 Fearless First Steps 1/7: From Freeze to Forward #MakingMovesMonday
🚀 1/7: Fearless First Steps — From Freeze to Forward #MakingMovesMonday
Every big leap begins with a single step -- but that first step can feel like the heaviest one you’ll ever take.
Fear and hesitation may try to lock us in place, but when we understand what’s happening inside our brains, we can turn that resistance into momentum.
In this episode, we break down the neuroscience of fear and fearlessness — how the amygdala (your brain’s alarm system) can flood you with hesitation, and how the prefrontal cortex steps in to guide you toward smart, deliberate action.
We’ll draw strength from the story of John Mercer Langston, an African American trailblazer who proved that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the choice to move forward anyway.
You’ll learn how breaking big goals into smaller, doable steps, visualizing your wins before they happen, and leaning on trusted allies can shift you from frozen to fearless.
Because once we take that first step, the next one comes easier… and the one after that easier still.
🎧 Hit play — let’s take those fearless first steps together.
Please share this episode, subscribe, and STAY AMAZING! ✨
#FearlessFirstSteps #FromFreezeToForward #MakingMovesMonday #FromFearToForward #ScienceSoulSuccess #StayAmazing #StepIntoStrength
Hello, hello Sweet Spot listeners, welcome back. Welcome back to Making Moves Monday. I'm Dr Sweet, I'm your host, I'm a board-certified psychiatrist and I specialize in sports psychiatry and high performance. Today, my friends, we're diving into a topic that resonates with many of us Finding courage to take that initial step towards a goal or a change we need to make. And since today is Making Moves Monday, it makes sense that we figure out what do we need to embrace so that we have the courage, the motivation and the energy to take that first step. Now I don't know what you need to face or handle today, whether it's starting a new project, initiating a difficult conversation, getting out to practice, pursuing a long-held dream, making some kind of investment. Whatever it is, making that first move can be a bit daunting. So that's why we have Making Moves Monday. Have you ever wondered why stepping into the unknown feels so intimidating? It's because our brains are hardwired to prioritize our safety and keep things predictable. Remember, in this podcast, we've talked about brain structures that affect our fear and our anxiety, like the amygdala in the limbic system, often referred to as the brain's fear center. It plays a huge role, as I've discussed with you before, when we have to process emotions like fear or anxiety or face the unknown. So when faced with an uncertainty, that amygdala in our brains can trigger this fight or flight response or freeze. We can do three things we can kind of run, we can turn and be aggressive, or we can just freeze and do nothing and it causes us to hesitate, to avoid taking action or sometimes just overreact. So a big part of it is trying to get the other side of our brain, the brain's CEO Remember I talked to you about that before the prefrontal cortex that's located in the front of the brain and responsible for higher order functions such as our decision making, our planning and really the ability for us to control our impulses right. That prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that helps us weigh the pros and the cons, is the area of the brain that helps us weigh the pros and the cons. It helps us think through what the future might look like if we do A, b or C, and it also helps us regulate our emotions and makes us more courageous if we have to override that amygdala. So it's like this you see a dark alley and your amygdala says no way, don't go down that alley, something bad is going to happen to you Run, run or freeze or get ready to fight. And then the prefrontal cortex might say something like hey, you've been down this road before. It's just 30 seconds to walk through it. Nothing's going to happen. You've done this a hundred times. Just walk down there and you'll be fine. And so it's this balance that we're always doing when we have to take a bold step. There's a dynamic interaction between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, our fear response versus our rational thinking response. Does that make sense? I know it does. So understanding this interplay can help empower us to manage our fears and move forward with confidence.
Speaker 1:Reflecting on history, as far back as 1855, john Mercer Langston became the first African-American elected. Well, one of the first African-Americans elected to a public office in the United States. Think about that. He served as a town clerk in Brownhelm Township, ohio in 1855, my friends, how long ago was that Now? In 1855, he was His Making Moves. Monday decision to run for office wasn't just about his personal ambition. He had to have courage. He had to really balance his amygdala and his prefrontal cortex to really go forward and become this first African American to be in the Congress. And that took a lot of courage and he faced a lot of adversity and a lot of pushback, as you might imagine. So how can you, how can we muster that same courage, that same courage that John Mercer Langston had back in 1855? How can we muster that courage to take our own first steps on this Making Moves Monday?
Speaker 1:I have a few strategies for you, and they're very, very simple. The first thing you got to do is break it down, instead of focusing on the huge task. What the science says in psychology is always divide things into smaller, manageable steps. When you do that, this approach makes the process less overwhelming and it allows you to celebrate the small victories along the way, and progress leads to more progress. Once you do it that way, you know, as the kids always say, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Okay, one foot in front of the other.
Speaker 1:The other thing is, in addition to breaking it down, you have to visualize success. I do a lot of work with athletes and we spend a lot of time on guided imagery and visualization. We spend time imagining positive outcomes for actions, and you know what Visualization can enhance your motivation? It can reduce anxiety and it can help make the path forward clearer. Sometimes, when you're laying in the bed and you have something important to do, visualize yourself as doing it, accomplishing it. See yourself as successful. Imagine it and see it in your eyes, in your brain's eyes, in your mind, and, believe me, it helps you when it becomes time to act. Athletes and performers do it all the time.
Speaker 1:And the third thing is to seek some support. Don't be an island. Always share your intentions with a trusted and I do mean trusted somebody who's going to support you, not somebody who's going to just be like a wet blanket and tear you down. Right, you want to share your intentions with a trusted friend or mentor, because that encouragement can provide you just the right motivation. You need to take that first step, like I'm trying to do with you right now. Right here on Making Moves Monday, I'm telling you you can do this. You can one, break it down into something smaller. Two, visualize yourself as being successful. And three, ride the support I'm giving you right now, or talk to somebody that cares about you and get cracking, get going.
Speaker 1:Remember as Nelson Mandela once said I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. Why do I like that quote Because it reminds us that it's okay to feel afraid. What's important is taking action despite that fear. Remember that book that I told you about, susan Treff. It's Feel the Fear, but Do it Anyway.
Speaker 1:All right, my friends, this week I want you to think about one area in your life where you've been a little hesitant, that you know you need to act. And I don't know, maybe it's a project you've been putting off, or a conversation or an action, something you need to act. And I don't know, maybe it's a project you've been putting off, or a conversation or an action, something you need to do. And I want you to apply the strategies we've just discussed Break it down into smaller steps, visualize the success you desire and reach out. Reach out to someone who can offer you support. Remember, every significant journey always begins with a single step. So I want you to embrace the courage inside of you and make that move today, on a Making Moves Monday here at the Sweet Spot.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining me on this episode. If you found this discussion helpful, please share it with someone who might benefit, someone you care about, and let's continue to inspire and support each other in taking bold steps towards our goals. All right now for more insights into overcoming fear, taking action and living a life you love. Please check me out on LinkedIn, check me out on X, check me out on Instagram, and I'm on threads as well. Take care and I'll see you tomorrow for Take Action. Tuesday, we're going in. I'm Dr Sweet, thank you.