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Today, we’re joined by Meagan Saum, for a conversation that will leave you thinking about fear differently in your life. This conversation is a follow-up to her article in our Fall 2023 Issue of Trailblazher Magazine called “Overcoming Fear: Taking Control of Your Life”.

Meagan is a mama of three kids, owner of a 320-acre wellness and working ranch, educator at heart, and entrepreneur of over 17 years. She loves to travel and spend time on the back of her horse, out in nature with her family and the menagerie of animals.

Meagan’s passion as a heart-centered life and business coach is in supporting individuals who have fallen into patterns that no longer serve them. What fills her soul is empowering her clients to step into their power and claim a newfound sense of awareness, clarity, courage, and freedom.

Through this conversation, Meagan really unpacks the concept of fear and gives us takeaway tools to manage that feeling so be sure to tune in.

Adopt a Healthier Relationship with Your Habits

Meagan dives into the tools she developed to find inner peace and overcome her fears by emphasizing the importance of developing a healthier relationship with one’s behavioral patterns and the underlying reasons driving them. She also discusses her role in supporting others in this self-discovery process, highlighting the significance of practicing what she preaches so to say. 

Meagan notes the need to identify one’s own triggers and distinguish whether their fears are personally generated or influenced by external sources. Her insight into fear as a signal in the nervous system and the distinction between acknowledging it as a signal versus constructing a negative narrative around is the biggest takeaway. Meagan also shares the importance of evaluating and not allowing fear to grow beyond its intended role, emphasizing the significance of understanding and managing one’s fears to navigate life’s transitions more effectively.

The Steps to Overcoming Fear

Meagan talks about the impact fear has on decision-making and the importance of seeking professional guidance when dealing with fear-based reactions. She notes that when fear is at the forefront, people often offer various opinions, influenced by their own fear reactions, which may not be conducive to effective problem-solving. Instead, she recommends consulting professionals such as coaches, therapists, or counselors who can provide objective guidance.

Our conversation with Meagan also touches upon the process of dealing with fear and trauma, highlighting the significance of distinguishing between past, present, and future fears. She stresses that navigating fear should be a gradual and personalized process, with individuals choosing the extent of their exposure and making it as small as possible to respect their own comfort levels. Meagan also hugely discourages coercion or forcing oneself into exposure therapy and advocates for a more controlled and consent-based approach to healing from fear and trauma.

Making Space to Acknowledge Your Feelings

At this point, we have recognized the habits within our patterns and we have started looking at our relationship with fear. Now, it’s time to get vulnerable with yourself and recognize that it’s okay when we feel something other than strong. It doesn’t mean that we are weak or broken, Meagan reminds us that we have to come to a place where we are accepting and acknowledging that we are going to have a kaleidoscope of multiple emotions and fear is just one part of that.

A big part of the conversation today revolves around how can rural women recognize these feelings before or as they hit us. And the truth is that sometimes we can’t, but it’s having that awareness to differentiate if we are safe or not that will help us start the process to walk through it. You can start by asking yourself a couple of questions,

1. Is this a me issue? Or…
2. Is this a, am I having an issue around something that I’ve previously experienced?
3. Is it a present moment thing? Is it a past thing? Or is it a potential future issue?

You have to educate yourself about the reason why you are actually afraid. These are all questions that you should consider when you start feeling fear or anxiety around a certain situation. If you don’t know where it’s coming from, and you don’t know if it’s in the past or the future, you’re not going to be able to soothe yourself in that moment, or do the right action. If it’s in the past, you’re scared of being re-harmed and if it’s in the future, you’re scared of the unknown.

There were so many powerful moments this conversation with Meagan that we hope you will tune in to catch the full episode below. Have thoughts on today’s show? Drop a comment here or wherever you’re listening with your thoughts!

This is a follow up conversation to Meagan’s full article in the Fall Issue of the Trailblazher Magazine, this episode serves a highlight or recap of that article. If you’re interested in the full five-step approach that we mention here, then make sure to check out the Fall 2023 Issue of the Magazine.

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