Episode 243
Fear Is Fuel
In Episode 243 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy tackles one of the most universal yet misunderstood forces in business: fear. From the early days of launching the podcast to working with founders, CEOs, and business developers around the world, Kelly shares how fear isn't a weakness—it's often the clearest sign you're stepping into growth. He breaks down the ten most common fear triggers in the modern world, from visibility pressure to comparison culture, and reframes them as signals that you're on the right path.
This episode is more than just mindset—it's a tactical playbook for turning fear into forward motion. Kelly lays out seven practical strategies to use fear as rocket fuel, including naming it, breaking it down, and surrounding yourself with momentum. If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or doubting your next big move, this is your reminder that the presence of fear means you're close to something meaningful. Hit play, lean in, and let’s turn fear into fuel.
Key Takeaways:
1. Fear isn’t a stop sign—it’s a signal that you’re moving toward something meaningful.
2. The presence of fear often means you deeply care about the outcome—use that energy.
3. In the modern world, fear is less about survival and more about visibility, relevance, and responsibility.
4. Everyone—from Fortune 500 CEOs to solo founders—faces fear; it’s part of the path.
5. Fear thrives in uncertainty—breaking goals into smaller steps makes them manageable.
6. Writing down your fears helps disarm them and gives you clarity on your next move.
7. Surrounding yourself with momentum and supportive people shrinks fear dramatically.
8. You don’t need to be ready—you just need to take action. Confidence comes after.
9. Fear often shows up right before your biggest breakthroughs—don’t shrink from it.
10. You grow the most when you choose to move forward while carrying the fear with you.
Want to go further, faster? Explore Kelly’s coaching programs and join The Catalyst Club—your hub for support, strategy, and serious growth. www.kellykennedyofficial.com
Transcript
Welcome to episode 243 of the Business Development Podcast.
Speaker A:And today we're diving deep into fear.
Speaker A:What the heck are we afraid of in this modern day?
Speaker A:What are the triggers?
Speaker A:What does it mean?
Speaker A:And how the heck can we turn this fear into rocket fuel?
Speaker A:Stick with us.
Speaker A:You are not going to want to miss this episode.
Speaker B:The great Mark Cuban once said, business happens over years and years.
Speaker B:Value is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal.
Speaker B:And we couldn't agree more.
Speaker B:This is the Business Development Podcast based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and broadcasting to the world.
Speaker B:You'll get expert business development advice, tips and experiences.
Speaker B:And you'll hear interviews with business owners, CEOs and business development reps.
Speaker B:You'll get actionable advice on how to grow business brought to you by Capital Business Development capitalbd ca.
Speaker B:Let's do it.
Speaker B:Welcome to the Business Development Podcast.
Speaker B:And now your expert host, Kelly Kennedy.
Speaker A:Hello.
Speaker A:Welcome to episode 243 of the Business Development Podcast.
Speaker A:Wow, 243 episodes, guys, it's three.
Speaker A:Still blows my mind.
Speaker A: o my wall back In February of: Speaker A:And quickly approaching milestone 250, which is going to be a friggin awesome show actually.
Speaker A:It's already recorded.
Speaker A:It's an incredible interview.
Speaker A:It's a ton of fun.
Speaker A:You guys are gonna love it.
Speaker A:It's probably one of the best episodes we could have had for 250.
Speaker A:About that and just super excited about this journey, everyone.
Speaker A:I'm blessed and grateful and thankful to be able to do this journey with you, to be able to come on here and educate and inspire week over week.
Speaker A:And things are clipping along as you guys can see, with Capital Business Development and the Business Development Mastery Coaching programs and the Catalyst Club.
Speaker A:So things are happening here at the Kennedy household.
Speaker A:Excited about that.
Speaker A:Excited about all the amazing things coming down the pipe and just wanted to say thank you.
Speaker A:Thank you for sticking with us for this long.
Speaker A:Whether it is your first episode or your 243rd, I appreciate you.
Speaker A:Today's episode is on fear.
Speaker A:And if I told you that I was not terrified when I launched this show, I would be lying through my teeth.
Speaker A:Guys, I was so scared.
Speaker A: opment Podcast in November of: Speaker A:So I was sitting at a BPS with Shelby and we were talking like, what do we need to do?
Speaker A:And I remember telling her, I don't know what I need to do here, but I know that I want to do something more public facing, whether it be a YouTube or a podcast.
Speaker A:Eventually I decided a podcast just because I love the format.
Speaker A:I love listening to podcasts.
Speaker A:I listen to them every single day and I wanted to be a part of that.
Speaker A:I was so scared and so nervous about the whole thing that I ended up buying all the equipment, guys.
Speaker A:And I bought like some pretty decent equipment to start out with.
Speaker A:And I literally sat it in the corner of our bedroom.
Speaker A:And I think it was about a month in to it.
Speaker A:Sitting in the corner of our bedroom, Shelby, we were in bed one night and she looks at me and goes, kelly, either do something with that equipment or sell it.
Speaker A:But we either need the show or we need the money.
Speaker A:So I hope you figure it out.
Speaker A:And if you want to know what happened that very night, listen to the trailer for the business development podcast.
Speaker A:It was literally recorded.
Speaker A:Hours after that conversation, I had set up all of the audio equipment, I went downstairs and I launched the trailer episode.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:Two episodes a week, every week from that point forward.
Speaker A:And I have yet to miss a single episode, guys.
Speaker A:Every episode of the BDP is a new episode.
Speaker A:And it's been an incredible journey thus far.
Speaker A:It's been a ton of fun.
Speaker A:I've met incredible individuals.
Speaker A:Launching the business development podcast has absolutely changed the entire trajectory of my life path.
Speaker A:So for those of you who are on the fence about whether you can do a podcast or not, whether you can do a YouTube channel or not, or put yourself out there, the answer is, if I can do it, you can do it.
Speaker A:And then of course, it was the encouragement from you guys, our incredible rockstar community that kept me on this path, showed me that being afraid is just part of the success journey and that with courage, you can accomplish absolutely incredible things.
Speaker A:We have the absolute best community in the world on this show.
Speaker A:You guys, my rock stars.
Speaker A:Thank you so much for supporting me on this journey.
Speaker A:Over the course of 240 plus episodes of the Business Development Podcast and over 160 expert interviews, one thing has rang absolutely clear over and over again.
Speaker A:We all experience fear.
Speaker A:From the Fortune 500 CEO to the Solopreneur to the business developer, fear is an integral part of the journey.
Speaker A:When I first set out on my entrepreneurial journey, I got pulled into my boss's office and he goes, kelly, when you wake up scared shitless in the middle of the night.
Speaker A:That's when you know you're an entrepreneur.
Speaker A:It's so funny because that absolutely did happen.
Speaker A:I laugh at it now, but it absolutely does seem to be a pretty universal entrepreneurial experience.
Speaker A:I wish I could always say that I was this brave person, but that would simply not be the truth.
Speaker A:There was a time not so long ago that I would experience near crippling anxiety whenever I knew I had to speak to a group or face a challenging job interview.
Speaker A:The fact that I'm now a podcaster, founder, leader, coach still feels absolutely incredible and shows how far I've come.
Speaker A:One thing has proved true over and over again and has changed my entire view on fear completely.
Speaker A:Fear in the modern day is not something we have to run from and avoid.
Speaker A:Fear is just an indicator that you are on the verge of something meaningful and dare I say, maybe even incredible.
Speaker A:In prehistoric times, fear was literally life and death.
Speaker A:It meant that a predator was near, a storm was coming, or your survival was at risk.
Speaker A:Fear was the alarm system screaming run or you're going to die.
Speaker A:But today, those same alarm bells are triggered from 21st century tigers like change, visibility or the pressure to succeed rather than true danger.
Speaker A:I have 10 modern business challenges that trigger the fear response in people.
Speaker A:Number one Hypervisibility with social media and digital presence, every move feels public leaders fear, judgment, criticism or failure in front of a global audience.
Speaker A:Number two Information overload.
Speaker A:Constant streams of data, opinions and trends make it harder to decide confidently.
Speaker A:Fear creeps in when you're unsure on what to act on.
Speaker A:Number three AI and tech disruption.
Speaker A:Many fear being left behind as automation, AI and digital transformation reshape total industries faster than most can adapt.
Speaker A:Number four Economic uncertainty, inflation, layoffs and global instability create a fear of financial risk and business vulnerability.
Speaker A:Number five Comparison culture.
Speaker A:People are constantly exposed to highlight reels of others success triggering the fear of inadequacy or falling behind.
Speaker A:I can totally get behind that one, guys.
Speaker A:Obviously LinkedIn's getting better, but you see it all the time.
Speaker A:You always see the best that's happening.
Speaker A:Whether you're on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and yeah, of course you always want to show your strong points, right?
Speaker A:But there are plenty of situations where you're simply not feeling that strong.
Speaker A:I actually I shared a very real moment tonight from the writing of this very show plan.
Speaker A:If you guys go over to my LinkedIn, you'll see a picture of me sitting at a table and my son is in the high chair and he's literally making faces and giggling and trying to get daddy to look while I'm writing the show plan for this very show.
Speaker A:And yeah, we're all facing those just very real moments.
Speaker A:The reality is, yes, I run this podcast.
Speaker A:Yes, I still write a show plan at the kitchen table like a normal human being.
Speaker A:We are all very normal.
Speaker A:You see the incredible, but you don't see the thousands of hours of work that are just the slog that has to happen for those incredible moments to happen.
Speaker A:Number six, Perfection Pressure.
Speaker A:There is growing fear around launching imperfect products, messaging or personal brands, even though iteration is how success is built.
Speaker A:I literally did a show on iteration, guys, not two or three shows back, talking about how almost every single version of the thing I started was a complete failure.
Speaker A:But it's not a failure.
Speaker A:That's the thing.
Speaker A:We were looking at it the wrong way.
Speaker A:Your failures are not failures.
Speaker A:They are massive lessons.
Speaker A:And instead of looking at them as failures, we pivot, we make adjustments and we try again.
Speaker A:We get better and better products.
Speaker A:Nearly no product is perfect right off the bat.
Speaker A:It takes plenty of failure or iteration.
Speaker A:Iteration is the right word to get it where it needs to be, but you just keep iterating.
Speaker A:Business is simply iteration after iteration.
Speaker A:You never have it perfect.
Speaker A:Eventually, even if you have something that's working now, you're going to have to iterate it to take it to that next place.
Speaker A:So remember that.
Speaker A:Aim for great but perfect.
Speaker A:You'll never ever hit it.
Speaker A:Don't aim for perfect.
Speaker A:Don't wait for that perfect moment.
Speaker A:It's never coming.
Speaker A:Take action now.
Speaker A:Number seven, Shifting work.
Speaker A:Models, remote work, freelance economies and gig culture have replaced stable career paths with uncertain but flexible ones which can generate fear around long term security.
Speaker A:I think this one is a little bit funny because I actually disagree with the fact that careers are stable.
Speaker A: at honestly, at this point in: Speaker A:It's safer than a career.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker A:Because I'm working for me.
Speaker A:I control my ceiling, I control my pivots.
Speaker A:If things aren't working, I can make a change on a dime.
Speaker A:You don't have that ability in a career.
Speaker A:And I think the days of the corporate gold watch and the golden parachute, they're long, long behind us.
Speaker A:Check out my episode with Liz Ryan.
Speaker A:She really tears it apart.
Speaker A:Number eight, Cancel culture and brand risk.
Speaker A:One misstep in communication can go viral.
Speaker A:This is true.
Speaker A:Business leaders fear being misunderstood or penalized for bold moves, yes, but this is just the 21st century and I think we have to Just come to that expectation and acceptance.
Speaker A:Okay, yes, things can go viral.
Speaker A:Yes, the stuff you say is probably recorded.
Speaker A:But here's the thing, the more stuff you have out there, the better off you're going to be.
Speaker A:You're better off to put yourself out there to share that information, to be the best version of yourself and try than you are to hide.
Speaker A:Because eventually the hiding is going to bite you in the ass too.
Speaker A:Number nine, time compression.
Speaker A:The pace of change is relentless.
Speaker A:Fear arises when people fear they don't have time to think, plan or reflect, only react.
Speaker A:Yes, the pace of change is relentless.
Speaker A:I actually agree with this completely.
Speaker A:But here's the thing.
Speaker A:You have to adapt and you have to figure out how do you play ball in this new world?
Speaker A:How do you use AI to leverage your time?
Speaker A:How do you get 10 times more efficient than you were?
Speaker A:That is going to be the secret to long term success for everyone, not just entrepreneurs, but employees alike.
Speaker A:We have to be focusing on our efficiencies and how can we use all of these tools to to make us more effective with our time.
Speaker A:Number 10, loneliness at the top.
Speaker A:Entrepreneurs and leaders often carry the weight alone.
Speaker A:Without strong support systems, fear can feel amplified and isolating.
Speaker A:Yes, it can.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And I don't think I've met an entrepreneur, leader or high level person yet who said that they didn't feel lonely.
Speaker A:Like they couldn't talk about these situations.
Speaker A:Like we have to have community.
Speaker A:That's something that I realized as an entrepreneur.
Speaker A:As a business developer, it's very lonely and absolutely we can talk to our partners, but eventually we drive them crazy.
Speaker A:Shelby will tell you I've driven her crazy plenty talking about my entrepreneurship challenges.
Speaker A:It is very important as an entrepreneur to find other like minded entrepreneurs, business developers, people that you can share your challenges with who can say, yeah, me too.
Speaker A:Because guess what?
Speaker A:We're all feeling that, we're all feeling that struggle, that challenge.
Speaker A:And you're not alone.
Speaker A:Even though it feels lonely at the top, you're not alone.
Speaker A:And I'm going to do a little bit of a shameless plug right here.
Speaker A:That is why I built the Catalyst Club and that's why I made it affordable.
Speaker A:And that's why we're going to build the most uplifting and supportive business community on the Internet.
Speaker A:And I'm psyched about it.
Speaker A:In the modern landscape, fear is less about survival and more about reputation, relevance and responsibility.
Speaker A:But when understood and managed, it can become a compass that points you towards growth.
Speaker A:This was like one of the craziest things that I started to realize about a year and a half ago.
Speaker A:And that was the fact that every single time that I faced a fear, I grew tremendously in my career, in my reputation, personally, in the way that I felt.
Speaker A:What I realized was, is that I was hiding.
Speaker A:But when I was hiding, I was shrinking myself.
Speaker A:I was shrinking myself back from opportunities.
Speaker A:I was shrinking myself back from knowing people.
Speaker A:I was shrinking myself back from being, frankly, the person I was born to be that you were born to be.
Speaker A:Every time we hide from fear, we are stepping back from an incredible opportunity to become the next best version of ourselves in business.
Speaker A:Fear is often an indicator of not just importance, but opportunity.
Speaker A:It typically shows up when you're stepping outside of your comfort zone, which means you're growing or facing something that matters.
Speaker A:Either one, incredible opportunity for you.
Speaker A:Number two, there is something valuable at stake, a big deal, a major pivot, a public launch, something incredible.
Speaker A:Number three, you care deeply about the outcome.
Speaker A:This was something that absolutely made a ton of sense to me when I thought about it.
Speaker A:Fear is rarely present in things that don't matter to you.
Speaker A:If you don't care what the outcome is, you're not going to be afraid to do it.
Speaker A:If you're afraid, it shows it's important to you and it's something that's going to have an impact.
Speaker A:Number four, you're about to challenge the status quo.
Speaker A:Fear shows up when you're doing something bold, disruptive or uncertain.
Speaker A:To me, that's a path for success.
Speaker A:Number five, there's a gap in information or preparation.
Speaker A:Fear can be the signal we need to learn more or plan better.
Speaker A:It can be an opportunity to take a look at the plan and just give it one more little refinement until you feel better.
Speaker A:Seriously, it can be that simple.
Speaker A:In my experience, if you're feeling fear, it means you're on the edge of something incredible.
Speaker A:Pushing through is where the breakthrough lives and you're going to get there.
Speaker A:From capital business development to the BDP to coaching, and now the Catalyst Club, I experienced fears, but I took action anyway.
Speaker A:These ventures have become the most incredible journey I could have ever, ever imagined.
Speaker A:But they took courage.
Speaker A:You don't need to eliminate the fear.
Speaker A:You need to move with it.
Speaker A:Being brave is not about not having fear.
Speaker A:It's about having the fear, acknowledging the fear, carrying the fear with you, but doing that thing anyway.
Speaker A:That is what true bravery is.
Speaker A:Okay, now that we've talked about what modern challenges intensify, fear and some of the situations where the fear might actually be telling you there's an opportunity for, for you.
Speaker A:How can we turn that fear into rocket fuel?
Speaker A:I have seven tips that we're going to go over today.
Speaker A:Number one, name it.
Speaker A:Fear loses power when it's named.
Speaker A:Say it out loud.
Speaker A:Or better yet, write it down.
Speaker A:Clarity kills confusion.
Speaker A:Writing things down, guys, I don't mean like typing them, I don't mean putting them on your phone.
Speaker A:Sit down with a pen and paper.
Speaker A:I don't know what the magic is with writing.
Speaker A:Maybe it's the fact that we've been doing it since the dawn of damn time.
Speaker A:But writing things out is super, super powerful.
Speaker A:Sit down with a piece of paper and write out what the fears are and sit with it for a second.
Speaker A:Just try it.
Speaker A:I think you'll find this exercise super, super enlightening for you.
Speaker A:Number two, break it down.
Speaker A:Big fear tends to come from big unknowns.
Speaker A:Break the challenge into bite sized pieces and take it on one piece at a time.
Speaker A:Number three, visualize the upside.
Speaker A:Instead of focusing on what might go wrong, ask what if this works?
Speaker A:Fear flips when the reward becomes your main focus.
Speaker A:Number four, get around momentum.
Speaker A:Join communities, masterminds or coaching groups where others are pushing boundaries to.
Speaker A:Fear shrinks in rooms full of action.
Speaker A:This is absolutely true.
Speaker A:This is why you have to surround yourself with incredible individuals.
Speaker A:It is absolutely rocket fuel for your success.
Speaker A:Number five, shift your identity.
Speaker A:Say I'm the kind of person who does hard things.
Speaker A:I can do hard things.
Speaker A:Let your actions prove it true.
Speaker A:You absolutely can.
Speaker A:If I can do it, you can do it.
Speaker A:You absolutely have it in you.
Speaker A:Number six, set a deadline.
Speaker A:Fear thrives in open loops.
Speaker A:A firm launch date, meeting or commitment puts fear on notice that you are going to do something anyway.
Speaker A:Number seven, act before you're ready.
Speaker A:You don't need more confidence to start.
Speaker A:You need more starts to build confidence.
Speaker A:Guys, this is it.
Speaker A:This is absolutely it.
Speaker A:Take action no matter how small it is.
Speaker A:Think about it from this standpoint.
Speaker A:Every single journey, whether it was an astronaut to the moon or someone sailing around the world, or someone summiting a mountain, or someone launching a billion dollar brand, it started with one step towards that goal.
Speaker A:And one step reveals the next step and reveals the next step and reveals the next step and next thing you're on the way.
Speaker A:You don't have to know the whole picture.
Speaker A:You don't have to see the top of the mountain to scale it one little bit at a time.
Speaker A:You just have to have a vision and take action.
Speaker A:Action is the secret weapon.
Speaker A:And if you want a great show on action.
Speaker A:It was literally our last week's show and it was powerful.
Speaker A:Check it out.
Speaker A:Remember, fear is a signal, not a stop sign.
Speaker A:If you're feeling it, you're not weak.
Speaker A:You're on the verge of significant growth.
Speaker A:Lean in.
Speaker A:Push the boundary.
Speaker A:Take the shot.
Speaker A:The success you're looking for is waiting for you.
Speaker A:Just beyond the fear.
Speaker A:Be brave.
Speaker A:You're more powerful than you ever imagined.
Speaker A:You got this.
Speaker A:All right, guys, that takes us to the end of our show today.
Speaker A:If you're looking for a supportive community, I would love to invite you to the Catalyst Club.
Speaker A:The Catalyst Club is a private support community whose number one value is we don't leave people behind.
Speaker A:With weekly events and a growing community of entrepreneurs, founders and business developers, we have built the perfect place for you to belong.
Speaker A:Come check it out@kelly kennedyofficial.com we'll see you inside.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:I would love to give some shout outs this week to some of our incredible community members of the Catalyst Club.
Speaker A:Colin Harms, Tash Jeffries, Adam Kimmel, Nate Simpson, Tara Beherens, Abe Duik, Carmen Labelle, Chris Young, Chris McCarty, Colin Christensen, Cindy Crane, Daveed Henriquez, David Fair, Eric Portillo, Jamie Steffens, Jan Hinat, Jamia Zagel, Jesse Shoechuk, Kelly Reading, Megan Ralston, Micah Dixon, Mindy K.
Speaker A:McRae Broadbent, Patrick Kanes, Randy Lennon, Selvin Adar, Sherry Allen, Thorin Malitowski, Tina Green and Vijayan Swami Nathan.
Speaker A:Until next time.
Speaker A:You've been listening to the business development podcast and we will catch you on the flip side.
Speaker B:This has been the business development podcast with Kelly Kennedy.
Speaker B: ness development firm firm in: Speaker B:His passion and his specialization is in customer relationship generation and business development.
Speaker B:The show is brought to you by Capital Business Development, your business development specialists.
Speaker B:For more, we invite you to the website at www.capitalbd.ca.
Speaker B:see you next time on the business development podcast.
Speaker A:It.
