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.
Bari's Story: The Long Game of Courage
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What does courage look like when the hard thing doesn’t end?
When there’s no dramatic finish line, no moment where you dust yourself off and say “I did it” - just today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, carrying a weight you never asked to carry?
When Bari’s husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, her entire future shifted without her permission. The life they’d planned together - travelling, growing old side by side - vanished. And Bari had to find the courage to say “yes” to a life she never chose.
This is a story about sustained, conscious courage. The kind that shows up every single day, even when you’re exhausted, even when you’re grieving, even when you’re so angry you could scream.
If you’re carrying a heavy load with no end in sight, Bari’s story will show you that you don’t have to be strong enough to never break. You just have to be brave enough to keep choosing.
Connect with Bari:
Website: www.yourmeetingplace.com
Connect with her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bari-schanerman
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.