Tiny Brave Steps: Real Women. Real Fear. Real Courage Stories.
She was told by her own team that if she got into trouble, they wouldn’t come to save her. She showed up anyway—every single day for fourteen years. She walked into literal fires while fighting one inside her own chest. And one day, she decided surviving wasn’t enough anymore.
That’s one story. There are so many more.
Tiny Brave Steps is where real women tell the truth about the hardest things they’ve ever walked through—and how they found their way to the other side.
Not with some dramatic, made-for-TV moment. But with what I call Tiny Brave Steps - the kind of courage that happens one terrified, trembling choice at a time.
These are women who’ve faced the fire.
A surgery that stole everything and gave her more than she ever imagined.
A caregiving journey with no finish line.
A fourteen-year silence finally broken.
These aren’t superhero stories. They’re your-neighbor, your-sister, your-friend stories. The kind where you listen and think, That could be me.
I’m Bernice McDonald, Creator of the Tiny Brave Steps method and author of The Little Books of Courage.
Each episode, I walk you through one woman’s journey using the Courage Map - a path from feeling “not enough” to becoming “brave enough.”
You’ll hear her real voice. Her real fear. And the real moment she decided to take that next step - even though her hands were shaking.
Because here’s the truth I want you to know: Courage is never the absence of fear. It’s the judgment that something matters more than the fear.
If you’ve ever whispered I’m not brave enough for this—this podcast was made for you.
New episodes weekly. Bring your heart. Leave with courage.
Tiny Brave Steps: Real Women. Real Fear. Real Courage Stories.
Stacey's Story: Better - Not Bitter. The Surgery That Stole Everything.
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September 23rd, 2021. Stacey Ansley walked into what should have been a simple outpatient knee surgery. A few hours, some discomfort, home by dinner.
She woke up in intensive care.
A severed artery. Emergency surgery that destroyed the nerves from her knee down. Months of heavy medication that stole her vision, her clarity, and nearly her will to keep going. Her husband got two phone calls that day—first, that surgery went great. Then, that his wife was fighting for her life.
But Stacey’s story isn’t about what that surgery took from her. It’s about what she built from the wreckage. One Tiny Brave Step at a time, she clawed her way back—off the medications cold turkey, through pain that never fully left, past a medical system that failed her—and discovered a version of herself she never knew existed.
If life has ever handed you something you didn’t ask for and can’t give back, press play.
Connect with Stacey:
Coaching Website: https://buildchangeimpact.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staceyansley/
Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author. Each episode follows a real woman's journey through the Courage Map: from waking up to fear, to embracing who she truly is, to standing up for herself, to creating her impact.
Visit: www.tinybravesteps.com.
Connect with Bernice: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/
If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it, or send Bernice a message. Your courage story matters too.