Facing the Fear: How You Can Grow by Doing It Anyway – with Steven Schmidt

About this episode

Steven Schmidt discusses his journey in professional development and how to use fear as a catalyst for growth.

Steven Schmidt, professional development consultant and long-time adult educator, joins Laura to share his journey from enduring uninspiring training sessions to leading transformative ones. In this episode, Steve reflects on what makes professional development meaningful, how he overcame self-doubt, and why fear never fully disappears — but can be used as fuel for growth. Watch with closed captions. TALKING POINTS Why “Bad PD” Sparked a New Mission. How sitting in the back of dull sessions inspired Steve to raise the bar on professional learning. The Baby Steps to Becoming a PD Leader. From Saturday workshops to national keynotes — how Steve gradually built his confidence. Facing the Fear (and Doing It Anyway). Insights from Dr Susan Jeffers’ “Five Truths of Fear” and how they apply to every educator. Redefining Failure as Learning. Why Steve sees setbacks as “O Flags” — opportunities for learning and growth — and how you can too. Practising What We Preach. A reminder that educators deserve the same self-compassion and encouragement we give our learners. ABOUT Steven Schmidt is a professional development consultant with decades of experience in adult education. After years…

People in this episode

Host: Laura

Guest: Steven Schmidt

Topics covered

• professional development
• overcoming fear
• self-doubt
• growth mindset
• educator support

Keywords

• professional development
• fear
• self-doubt
• learning
• growth
• educators

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dr Susan Jeffers

Books & works: Five Truths of Fear

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