When Fear of Fear Holds You Back

The Art & Soul Show - Photography Podcast for Newborn and Family Photographers

The Art & Soul Show - Photography Podcast for Newborn and Family Photographers
When Fear of Fear Holds You Back
Apr 29, 2026 Episode 288
Lisa DiGeso, The Milky Way

"It's not just fear itself. It's actually the fear of fear."

That second layer is the one that keeps so many of us stuck. It's not the dials or the studio lights or the pose or the price increase that's really scary. It's the anticipation of feeling incompetent, embarrassed, or out of control that has us avoiding, procrastinating, and telling ourselves we'll try it later.

In this episode, I'm getting honest about all the ways fear of fear shows up in photography: from leaving studio lights in the corner to holding back from raising your prices to never hitting record on a video. I'm even sharing my ongoing standoff with a Wacom pen I've bought three times and still haven't fully committed to. And I'm walking you through three simple steps to start moving through it instead of around it.

What’s in this episode:

  • [00:00:30] What fear of fear actually is 
  • [00:01:00] How it shows up with learning manual mode 
  • [00:01:30] Studio lights sitting in the corner collecting dust 
  • [00:02:30] My Wacom pen confession (yes, I've bought three) 
  • [00:03:30] How fear of fear sneaks into your sessions 
  • [00:04:30] Business decisions frozen by fear of one awkward moment
  • [00:05:30] Visibility, critique, and why we don't hit record 
  • [00:06:30] Why failing is part of mastery 
  • [00:07:30] Three ways to start moving through it

If you've been sitting on an idea, a skill, or a business decision because something about it just feels too risky, this episode is your nudge. 

For full show notes, resources, links and to download the transcript, visit our website: https://themilkyway.ca/podcast/

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