You can stand at the edge for years. You can take a small step, get scared, pull back—and convince yourself that someday you’ll try again when you’re finally ready.
But what if ready doesn’t mean no longer being afraid?
In Episode 8 of Light Heals, I continue a conversation I began in Episode 6 about fear, vulnerability, and what happens when we begin stepping out of the darkness we’ve learned to live in.
This episode goes far beyond my experience of coming out as gay.
Maybe your “water” is addiction. Grief. Depression. A struggling relationship. Loneliness. A changing faith. Something you’ve been afraid to tell another person—or something you’ve been afraid to admit to yourself.
Whatever it is, fear can keep us standing at the edge for a very long time.
In this episode, I also share a practical One-Step-Into-the-Water Exercise, inspired by established psychological approaches to fear and avoidance. The idea is simple: you don’t have to solve everything today. You don’t have to jump into the deep end.
You identify what you’re avoiding.
You name what you’re afraid will happen.
You ask what matters to you on the other side of that fear.
And then you choose one small, safe step in that direction.
I also talk about something we don’t discuss enough: what happens after we take the step—when vulnerability hits and suddenly we wonder:
“What did I just do?”
Feeling afraid after telling the truth doesn’t necessarily mean telling the truth was wrong.
And coming into the light doesn’t mean telling everybody everything. There is a difference between privacy and secrecy. You get to decide who has earned the right to hear your story.
This may be the most powerful episode of Light Heals I’ve recorded to date, because I believe almost everyone is standing at the edge of some kind of water.
Maybe you don’t need to cross the ocean today.
Maybe you just need to take one step.
🎙️ Episode 8 — Step Into the Water
You Don’t Have to Wait Until You’re Not Afraid
If this episode makes you think of someone who may be standing at the edge of their own water, please share it with them.
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Darkness may be part of the journey, but it doesn’t have to be the destination.
Light Heals.
