#69 It's THIS Fear That Keeps Your Online Course Stuck

There's a survey sitting in a draft folder right now that could tell someone exactly whether their course idea has legs. It's written. It's ready. And it's been sitting there for weeks because hitting send feels terrifying.

If that's ever been you, this episode is for you.

In this one, Shannon steps away from strategy and into the thing that actually decides whether your course ever sees the light of day: fear. The judgment, the criticism, the plain vulnerability of putting your work (and yourself) out into the online world. It's the reason so many capable, genuinely expert people freeze at the exact moment they need to be seen.

Here's the part almost nobody tells you: not all of that fear means the same thing. There are two very different kinds, they come from two very different places, and if you treat them the same way, you'll stay stuck. One kind you push through. The other you should actually listen to — because it's trying to tell you something. Shannon shares the single question that reveals which one you're feeling, and how to keep moving forward without pretending the fear isn't there.

In this episode, you'll get clarity on:

• Why the smartest, most qualified creators freeze right before they launch
• The two hidden shapes this fear takes — and why they call for opposite responses
• The one question that tells you whether to push through or pause
• How to keep moving when being seen feels scary, without faking your way past it

If you've ever caught yourself thinking "it's ready, I just haven't sent it yet," press play. You're not broken, and you're closer than you think.

Get started on your own course creation journey or learn how to make your existing course even better at The "Your Best Course" Build Lab, my interactive and supportive online community.

To get started creating your own online course, check out my new freebie that will take you through the steps of choosing a topic that will be profitable for YOU.

To book a call to discuss your options and see if working together makes sense.  Click here. 😊

Transcript

Shannon Boyer 0:00

There's a survey sitting in a draft folder right now that could be telling someone exactly whether their course idea has legs or not. It's written, it's ready, and it's been sitting there for weeks because hitting send feels terrifying. If that's ever been you, this episode is for you. Welcome to The Art of Online Course Creation, the podcast dedicated to purpose-driven entrepreneurs like you who are passionate about creating impactful online courses. I'm your host, Shannon Boyer. As an experienced educator, I understand that craft. Exceptional online courses requires more than just mastering online marketing. It demands strategic planning, dedication, and a focus on delivering real value. Each week we dive into the essentials of high quality course creation, share inspiring. Success stories and provide practical tips to help you build courses that truly make a difference. Whether you're just starting out or looking to enhance your existing courses. This is your go-to resource for creating a digital course that leaves a lasting impact. Okay, two things before we start. First, grab your notebook and second, gather your in. Because we are going to create something special together. Your journey to developing transformative online courses starts now. Hi there, and welcome back to The Art of Online Course Creation. I'm your host, Shannon Boyer, and I help coaches, educators, and expert entrepreneurs build courses their students actually finish, love, and get results from. Today, I want to talk about something that has almost nothing to do with course design and almost everything to do with whether your course ever sees the light of day, and that's fear. The fear, the judgment, the criticism, and honestly, the plain old vulnerability that comes with putting your work out into the world. I'm bringing this up because I keep seeing it. Capable, talented, genuinely expert people who've done the work, who have something real to offer, and who get completely stuck, not on the strategy, but on the moment where they have to be seen. They freeze at sending the survey. They freeze at announcing the course. They freeze at posting the thing. So here's what I'd like to do today. I want to help you tell the difference between two very different kinds of fear because they call for two completely different responses. And then I wanna give you a practical way to keep moving forward even when it's scary without pretending like the fear isn't there. So let's get into it The first problem is when the fear doesn't even make sense to the person feeling it. So here's what this fear often looks like from the inside. It's not dramatic. It's quiet. It sounds like, "Well, it's ready, I just haven't sent it yet," or, "I don't even know why I don't want to do it. I just don't." And I wanna normalize this first because I think a lot of people feel broken when they can't explain their own hesitation. You're not broken. This is one of the most normal things in the entire process. When you've built something you care about, the moment you hand it to other people is the moment it stops feeling safe. It can be judged now. It can be ignored now, and your brain, which is very good at keeping you comfortable, would prefer that you just didn't do it. So the work is not to shame yourself out of the fear. The work is to understand what the fear actually is because, like I said, they're two really different kinds of fear, and if you treat them the same way, you'll get stuck. So let's name the two shapes this fear usually takes. The first is the fear of silence. This is the one where you send the thing and nobody responds, and in the quiet, your brain writes a story. It says, "See? Nobody wants this. Nobody cares. I was wrong about the whole idea." The silence feels like a verdict. The second is the fear of criticism. This is where you're not really worried about crickets You're more worried about the negative comments, the person who might say, "Why would anyone need a course on that?" The one who pokes a hole or is just plain unkind. You dread being on the receiving end of that. So here's the more important distinction, and this is the one I really want you to walk away with. Underneath those two fears, there are actually two very different sources, and they call for opposite responses. Sometimes the fear is about being seen. It's exposure. It's the vulnerability of putting yourself and your work in front of people. That fear is completely normal, and it never fully goes away. And so the answer to this is to brace yourself a little and move through it anyway. But sometimes the fear is about the thing itself. It's a quieter, more honest voice that's whispering, "I'm not sure this is ready. I'm not sure people actually want this. I'm not sure I've done the groundwork." And that fear is not something to push through. That fear is information. It's the kind that you should listen to. So how do you tell them apart? Ask yourself this one question: Am I afraid of being seen, or am I afraid that I'm not ready? If you have evidence that what you're offering is wanted, if you've taught it before, if people have specifically asked you for it, if you've seen the demand with your own eyes, then your fear is almost certainly the exposure kind. It's not telling you the idea is bad. It's just telling you you're about to be visible, and the answer there is to keep going. But if the fear is really pointing at a gap, if deep down you haven't actually validated whether people want this, if you've been avoiding finding out because you're scared of the answer, then that fear is worth pausing on. Not to quit, to go get the clarity you're missing. And that's often the moment people realize that they don't have to figure it out alone. And it's exactly the kind of thing I help people work through, whether it's validating properly before you build or getting the structure underneath an idea you believe in. So if that's the fear you're feeling, don't read it as a stop sign. Read it as a signpost pointing you at your next step. One more reframe on the fear of silence specifically, because I think it does real damage. When you put something out and you don't get the response you hoped for, your brain treats that silence as a clear answer. But silence is actually one of the least clear things there is. Somebody not responding could mean that they're not interested, sure, but it could also mean they're busy. It could mean they saw it and thought, "Oh, I want to come back to that later," and then life happened, and they forgot. It could mean it got buried in a full inbox. I've heard from people who were still getting responses to a survey months after they had sent it. So please be really careful about reading a verdict into a moment that has 100, 100 possible explanations. And on the fear of criticism, here's the gentle, gentle truth. If you're going to do this work in a public space, which the internet is, some of what you put out will be celebrated, and some of it will be dismissed. That's absolutely not a sign you're doing it wrong. That's just the nature of being visible. The goal was never to be liked by everyone. In fact, part of the job is to lovingly repel the people who aren't your people so you can actually reach the ones who are. When you try to make something everyone will approve of, you usually make something that no one actually connects with. I'll also say this kindly. When a stranger online reacts negatively, we tend to give their opinion far more weight than we would if we knew that person in real life. In person, we can place someone's comment in context. Online, we can't, so we fill in the blanks and often assume the harshest version of whatever it is that was said. Most of the time, the people most eager to tell you your idea is bad aren't the people out there doing the brave thing that you're doing. Now, that's not a reason to dismiss all feedback. Real thoughtful feedback is gold. It's just a reason not to hand a random, unkind comment more authority over your work than it has earned. Okay, so let's get practical, because understanding your fear is only half of it. The other half is moving anyway, and the way you move is not by white-knuckling your way straight into the scariest possible version of the action. It's actually by finding the baby step in between. Here's what I mean. Let's say the scary thing is sending a validation survey to your list. Instead of forcing yourself from frozen all the way to blast it to everyone right now, you find a middle step you're actually comfortable with, one that still creates forward motion. So maybe today you don't send the survey. Today, you just send a short email that says, "I've got something exciting in the works. I'm going to be asking for your input in a few days. Keep an eye out." That's it. That one email does three quiet, powerful things. It's comfortable enough that you'll actually do it, it's real forward progress, and it commits you, because now you've told people it's coming, which holds your own feet to the fire to follow through. That's the move. When you're stuck, don't ask, "How do I do the terrifying thing?" Ask, "What's the step in between where I am and the terrifying thing that I could take today?" And then take that one. And then, honestly, there's a part of this that is just a pep talk you have to give yourself. Not fluffy, not a mantra, just an honest reminder that you started down this path because you believed you had something worth sharing, something that could help people. That belief is the reason you're doing this, and it's the thing to hold onto when the fear gets loud. You give yourself that reminder, and then you focus on doing the thing. Because what's true, and everyone who's pushed through this will tell you the same thing, the fear rarely goes away before the action. It goes away after. You do the scary thing, and then almost immediately you feel the weight lift. Clarity doesn't come first and then you act. You act, and then the clarity comes Okay, here's your one bold idea for today. Your fear is not the problem. Misreading your fear is the problem. Because if you can learn to ask that one question, "Am I afraid of being seen, or am I afraid that I'm not ready?" you'll always know your next move. If it's the fear of being seen, you brace yourself, you take the baby step, and you move through it. If it's the fear that you're not ready, you stop, you go get the clarity you're missing, which might be the smartest, bravest thing you do all year. Either way, hiding is not the answer. You didn't start this because you wanted to stay invisible. You started it because you believe you have something that can help someone, and someone out there is waiting for exactly what only you can teach. So don't let a quiet inbox or an imagined critic keep your work in a draft folder. The people who need you can't be helped by a course they never got to see. And here's where I can help. If you're at the stage where that quieter fear is whispering that maybe you haven't validated your idea yet, maybe you're not sure there's real demand, I'd love to help you replace that uncertainty with actual clarity. My free course clarity blueprint walks you through the key decisions to make before you build so you're not guessing. You can grab the link in the show notes now. And if today's episode named something you've been feeling, please share it with one course creator friend who's got something wonderful sitting in a draft folder waiting for them to feel brave enough to hit send. And if you've got a topic you'd like me to cover in a future episode, please send it my way. You can reach me at hello@shannonlboyer.com or over on Instagram @shannonlboyer. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, and keep asking questions.