Do It Scared | I did a podcast!
"Do it scared. You just have to."
A few months ago, I sat down with my uncle Mike Dauphinee for an episode of his podcast, Maps Are Dead. The episode is called "Do It Scared with Serena Tillman," and it's one of the most honest conversations I've had in a long time. Keep reading for the lessons I'm still carrying with me.
As I write this, I'm still processing our conversation. Mike and I have known each other for 28 years, so there was no small talk and no polished version. We talked about navigating marriage, motherhood, career pivots, and identity, all at once, without a map. I shared about quitting my first job out of Columbia before I'd been there six months, postpartum isolation during the pandemic, and what it actually looks like to build your village before you need one.
Here are the lessons I'm taking with me:
1. DO IT SCARED | Courage isn't the absence of fear, it's moving anyway. My heart rate was up, my pits were sweating, and I did it anyway. You just have to.
2. TURN DOWN THE VOLUME | You have to intentionally turn down the voice asking "what will they think?" and turn up the voice that says "I've made good decisions before."
3. BUILD YOUR VILLAGE EARLY | You can't draft people in an emergency. Community has to be built before the crisis comes.
4. NO IS A COMPLETE SENTENCE | Not everybody needs an explanation for why we do what we do. Healthy people ask for what they want.
What an experience. If there's someone in your life who's been waiting to feel ready before they make the move, send this episode to them. Do it scared.
