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100 Days Without Fear

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(CNN) – From the time she was a little girl, Michelle Poler was afraid of the world. She avoided big, playful dogs, scared they might bite her. Terrified of pain, she dreaded doctor's appointments. She missed dinner parties that required her to drive at night.

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Michelle

New York City is definitely not for the fearful. After moving here I realized I needed to do something about it. So in efforts to become a braver person I embarked on a project where I faced 100 fears in 100 days. What I didn't expect was to inspire thousands along the way. 

I'm now super fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the world speaking at schools, companies and organizations on how to embrace the unknown and live a life beyond the comfort zone. 

If it’s not at an airport, you can also find me on YouTube posting weekly videos or uploading stories of courage from everyday people to HelloFears.com. Check it out!

Featured
Day 100: Inspire others at TEDxHouston
Day 100: Inspire others at TEDxHouston
Day 96: Age
Day 96: Age
Day 89: Stand Up
Day 89: Stand Up
Day 85: Surf
Day 85: Surf
Day 80: Teach
Day 80: Teach
Day 78: Paint
Day 78: Paint
Day 77: Pose
Day 77: Pose
Day 72: Embrace
Day 72: Embrace
Day 65: Jump
Day 65: Jump
Day 59: Quit
Day 59: Quit

Click here to see the full list of fears

Day 36: Curry on

May 13, 2015

What's the challenge?

To try a new kind of food.

What are you afraid of?

I'm afraid of the unkown.

How was the experience?

I went by myself to this Indian chain (Indikitch) near my office even though a couple of people already told me not to go since they thought it was pretty spicy. I decided not to listen and judge it myself. I didn't know what to order, so I just told the waiter to give me whatever as long as it wasn't spicy. I first tried the red lemonade with mint leaves and it was delicious. Then, I tried the bowl of rice and chicken that was even more delicious and to finish up, I tried "naan," their kind of pita bread with garlic and it was out of this world. I think I love Indian food now. 

← Day 37: Be proudDay 35: Present →

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Thank you!

Why Fear?

A couple of reasons I wrote just to remind myself why am I doing this:

  • Fear keeps me from enjoying life

  • Fear will keep me from achieving success

  • I want to live courageously

  • Life starts at the end of your comfort zone

  • What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

  • NYC is not made for the fearful

  • Fear just doesn't make sense

  • If I don't do it now, then, when?

Instagram: @100dayswithoutfear

This Valentine’s Day post is for those who haven’t found the person that makes their heart smile, yet:
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I know being #single on V Day may not be “ideal” — but here’s the thing: I’m happy for you.
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You know who worries me? The person who is unhappily married posting a picture on #valentinesday about their “happy marriage” — fooling everyone, including themselves.
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I bet that at least 65% of the happy couples that will pop up on your feed today are not as happy as they seem, so DON’T be fooled!
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You may not be dating, engaged or married today, but you are closer to finding real love than the one who is married to the wrong person, so cheers to that! 🥂
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💛 Take advantage of today to celebrate #SELFLOVE
💛 Watch the chick flick that us, married girls, won’t be able to watch 🤷🏻‍♂️
💛 Order your favorite food 🥟
💛 And feel proud of yourself for not settling for the first douchebag that asked you out 👊🏼
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Real love does EXIST, have the patience (and the courage) to find it 💕 #happyvalentinesday #hellofears #goals #couple
Have you ever wondered what working with your spouse would be like? I did, all the time. In fact, I wanted it so much that I made it happen, 3 YEARS AGO! How???
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“How can you guys live together and work together all year round? Me and my partner would kill each other by March!” 😂 Yup, it is NO easy task to work with the same person you go to bed with everyday. These are the 5 things that have helped US:
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1) We intentionally decided to make our job/life enjoyable, so we go out of our way to include fun things we enjoy doing on the day to day. Productivity may go 👇🏼, but every day fulfillment goes 👆🏼
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2) We allocate daily HOURS to talk about where we are, how we feel about it and where we want to go, so we are always on the same page 📖
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3) We are each other’s project managers, Adam is always reminding me the things I need to accomplish that day regarding clients, and I’m on his back reminding him to post and keep his audience happy, helping him with images/copy/stories as much as I can. We do this with a “let me help you” kind of attitude 🙏🏼
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4) We don’t have a set schedule or rules, we wake up when our body tells us to, we take breaks when we need to and we work late if we feel like. Our bodies have different schedules and we have to respect that. I’m more of a morning person, and he is a night 🦉
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5) Most importantly: we fully trust each other as working professionals. Adam can give me his opinion on a design I’m working on, but he knows I make the final call and he trust it will be the right one. And I trust that he is doing the best for our business without a doubt. Mutual trust and admiration are the 2 main things you need for a relationship to work.
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Now — I’m thinking about doing a PODCAST together with @stramhacks about our relationship dynamics. Let me know if you’d listen to that ⤵️😳
I’ve been beating myself up so much for the last week because I haven’t been able to post and add real value to you guys💔 But this is what has been going on ⤵️
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I’ve been too busy taking care of 3 things for the last month:
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1️⃣ My book: I have 2 more months to deliver the entire manuscript to my editor and I still have about 16,000 words to go! The good news is that I’m really enjoying the process and how the book is coming along. So I’m sure it will all be worth it soon 🙌🏼
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2️⃣ My talks: this is my main source of income; if I don’t speak, I don’t eat! And I love eating 😂🍜 So I put a lot of energy into rocking the stage every single time so we can continue doing this awesome job for years 👊🏼
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3️⃣ Adam: lately I’ve been supporting @stramhacks in the same way he supported me when @hellofears was just a baby. We are now building his brand from scratch! And branding is my favorite thing to do 😊 So I’m extremely excited to see where this goes!
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So, I’m sorry, for not posting as often these days, and for beating myself up. Social media is awesome but there are other important things in life we must take care of first. So if you are also beating yourself up for not posting as often as you’d like to, remind yourself of all the other things you are accomplishing and... ⤴️ be KIND to yourself ♥️🙏🏼
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Anyone else here also likes to beat themselves up for not posting? 🙋🏼‍♀️ How do you get over that?
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Art by @haveanicedayy_ #kindness #hellofears #selflove
Celebrating life shouldn’t only happen on birthdays, valentine’s day or anniversaries. What if we celebrated random days? Wouldn’t that be more memorable, spontaneous and genuine? 🙌🏼
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Nothing wrong with celebrating special dates, I love it, I just celebrated my dad’s 70th birthday (surprise party and all!) 🎉 ⤴️, but that made me wonder: why did I have to wait for his 70th birthday to bring the family together, buy a nicely designed cake and celebrate my dad’s life? 👨🏻
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Imagine throwing a surprise party to someone you appreciate on a random day? How special would that be? Or giving someone a gift just because you stumbled upon something that reminded you of that person? Or a simple message of recognition to someone you admire?
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Those little details can make others feel valued, appreciated and honored 🙏🏼
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Let’s go out of way to make someone else’s day this month (and not only on the 14th!) 😄♥️👊🏼 #celebration #life #hellofears #randomactsofkindness #thisisoptimism
Looooooved this reminder from @amaliaandrade_ (it’s my new phone wallpaper 😂)
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I get this question pretty often: what motivates you to go past your fears and accomplish your dreams?
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And the answer is right here ⤴️ I am terrified of facing rejection, failure, heartbreak, loss, the unknown and change in general. But the rewards behind my fears are so much bigger than those fears, so I keep trying, again and again, until I make it happen.
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I ask myself: What’s the best that can happen? And I fuel my drive by focusing on the rewards, instead of on the risks.
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I hope that helps ♥️ #fearofsuccess #hellofears #dreambigger #keepgoing
I’ve heard of it before ⤴️, but I never really understood it. Who would be afraid to be successful? Isn’t that the goal???
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I get it now.
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Fear of success what it really is, is fear of change. And also, fear of bigger challenges. That is what success brings — and not everybody wants that. I thought I wanted it. I still think I do 🤔
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As we had a very successful year in 2018, we are having to make some adjustments to our life, and consider possibilities that were inconsiderable before.
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As the traveling continue (and increases), as our time gets more limited and our goals bigger, we have to #adult and debate topics like: relocation, family, help, health insurance, state/city taxes and other concepts that 29-year-old Michelle had no interest in.
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So, after a 4-hour conversation with Adam we came to the following conclusion: we have to make the choices that make sense for us NOW, and we have to TRUST that our future-selves will make the best decisions in the future. We can’t plan that far ahead, but we can have the confidence in ourselves, that as a couple, we will figure it out and overcome any struggles that may come our way, now and later. There is nothing to fear as long as we continue to be:
💥communicative
💥understanding
💥empathetic
💥and value our relationship above all.
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Also: no decision is permanent. We are allowed to change our minds and detour along the way as many times as we choose to — at the end, it is all up to US.
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This thought made me feel better about the decisions we make today, and be OK with the change and the challenges that our success can bring in the future.
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Anyone else afraid of success here? Why? #fearofsuccess #hellofears
“Michelle, where is HOME for you?” That’s a question I get asked often — one I have a really tough time answering.⁣
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“Each of us has a unique journey marked by experiences that shaped who we are.” — Said Bert + John Jacobs, Co-founders of @lifeisgoodco⁣
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My journey began in Venezuela. And having to leave my home country 🇻🇪 is an experience that shaped who I am today.⁣
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I went from Venezuela, to Savannah, from Savannah to Miami, from Miami to NYC and from NY to living nomadic. My parents live in Panama, Adam’s family is in Miami, and my cousins are all over the world.⁣
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I may not live in Venezuela anymore, but Venezuela is part of who I am and it goes with me everywhere I go 🇻🇪♥️ (today more than ever)⁣
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I’m grateful for my parents for instilling in me strong enough values to confidently travel and live in many places without losing my sense of home. And who knows, maybe one day we can all go back 🙏🏼⁣
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Which life experience shaped who you are today?⁣
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The T-shirt I’m wearing here ⤴️ it’s from the @lifeisgoodco Vintage Collection. I look at it and it brings memories of my childhood in Venezuela. Life Is Good brought it back to celebrate their 25th Anniversary and remind us to cherish where we come from :) #ThisIsOptimism #venezuela #hope
Today we say “enough”.
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Please pray for #Venezuela 🇻🇪🙏🏼♥️ #hope
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In case you have no idea what’s happening in my country: 20 years ago an authoritarian regime took over Venezuela and today the country is suffering one of the most devastating crises the world has ever seen. On January 10th, Maduro illegitimately proclaimed himself president of the country (again). And today, the people along with the international community will stand up against dictatorship #prayforus
Just a reminder from @jessicavwalsh pin collection 👊🏼♥️
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Tonight I had the pleasure to meet Colombian writer/illustrator @amaliaandrade_ and there was something so refreshing about her personality... what was it?
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Oh yeah. The fact that she was far from perfect, but she embraced her quirky personality, her Colombian accent and her unique kind of humor in a way that made all of us fall in love with her #fangirlhere 🙋🏼‍♀️
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The more perfect you try to appear the more other people will wonder who the heck is hiding behind all that makeup and that fabricated smile. But, when we learn to accept ourselves as we are, and we even love the person we’ve become, we kind of make others fall in love with us too.
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Agree? #selflove #imperfections #boring
To the left is 20 year-old Michelle. Madly in love with her boyfriend and dreaming of building a future together. Will he propose one day? I hope so!
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To the right is 30-year-old Michelle, living the future she once dreamed of.
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Aging is a funny thing. We dread it and fear it, but when it comes we’re kind of thankful for it.
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Do you think I want to be where I was in 2009? The only place I want to be is where I am today. I feel so much more confident now, I am 100% my authentic self and the love I feel for Adam is greater than it has ever been.
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This challenge was an excellent way to gain perspective and appreciate today.
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My hair may not be as strong and voluminous, my face may not be as even as it was (hello @sephora 🙌🏼), and my body may not assimilate all the carbs and the sugar I still eat daily like it used to. But up here 🧠 things are better than ever, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
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Cheers for the next 10 years, together and in good health 🙏🏼♥️
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How did this challenge give you perspective? Let me know 👇🏼
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Swipe for a solo image ➡️💁🏼‍♀️ #10yearchallenge
You guys... I need help!
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I’m putting together a focus group soon and I need some volunteers 🙏🏼♥️ YOU are my audience, and my book is for YOU. So I care about what you think more than anything✨
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If you’re up for reading one of my chapters and giving me some constructive feedback, comment 🙋🏼‍♀️ below and I’ll reach out to you soon ☺️!!!
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Now go show @underpantsandoverbites some love for this AWESOME illustration 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 #help
They say you are the average of the people you surround yourself with. Have you heard that before?
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When I heard that line for the first time just a few years ago, I made it my mission to surround myself with people that can make me a better person and complement me in the best way possible (and vice versa)
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And so I did. I realized I needed more doers around me to help me put my ideas into action 👊🏼 — but also, I noticed I needed more kindness in my world, to help me become a more compassionate human being 🙏🏼 So I joined TYS (Top Youth Speakers), a team of exceptional humans driven by impact and fueled by purpose (tap the image for names). These guys are so ambitious, such doers and so accomplished that is intimidating to be around them. But at the same time, all they want is to change the world for the best, help the next generation of leaders and share their values so we can all live more fully 🙌🏼✨
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SO thankful to be part of this amazing group of individuals that make me a better person every day.
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Now, I’d like to challenge YOU to find the people that can help you become the best version of yourself. Who inspires you? ♥️
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Post inspired by @oliviaherrickdesign :)
Powerposing is my kind of posing 😂
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If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about... check out @amycuddy TEDx Talk and you’ll be #powerposing in front of the mirror too!
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If you also practice powerposing from time to time, comment 🙋🏼‍♀️ below! Btw, there should be a powerposing emoji, just sayin’ 🤔
Humans are so interesting to me. We go from considering our parents our heroes, to being embarrassed by them to accepting them as the human beings they actually are — and hopefully, still loving them with their flaws and all.
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For me, the most challenging stage has been the 3rd one #adultingfears — How about for you?
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But, after spending the last 20 days with them in Panama, living under their roof, traveling the country with them and eating all four meals together, every single day (dessert is a meal in my family), I’ve come to actually, genuinely enjoy their company. And what I thought was going to be too much, it ended up being not enough 💔🙏🏼
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Parents are far from perfect, and the generational gap makes it even harder for us to live in harmony and get along. But if we are able to accept that, and move past it, I can assure you, you will be able to build a new kind of relationship and make the best out of it 👊🏼
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Now, our relationship is built on gratefulness, unconditional love, transparency, our all-time memories, and the new ones we are intentionally creating along the way, as adults who enjoy each other’s company 🙌🏼
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We cannot choose our parents, but we can choose to work on our relationship to make it an enjoyable one. Anyone else working on that too?
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☺️ Thanks mom and dad for these incredible 20 days, for spoiling me, for telling me stories about the family I had no idea about, for listening to some of my book chapters and helping me make them better, for touring me around beautiful Panamá, for trying hard to learn how to use Instagram, Spotify, Alexa, Siri and Google Drive, and for being in all of my thousands of photos I took! Love you now more than ever ♥️ And that is #thewholestory
For some, being home is their routine. For me, it’s the opposite. My routine is being on a plane, sleeping in a hotel bed and packing and unpacking every two days. And even though I love what I do, being home feels good.
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When I’m home I just want to be there and pretend I have a normal life for a few days before my next trip.
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I’ve been away from home for 23 days already, and I still have 11 more days to go (and two more destinations).
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So, while you may wish you were where I am, I wish I was where you are, home.
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And while your plan may be to work really hard to travel more, our ONE goal for 2019 is to travel AF so that in 2020 or maybe 2021, we can spend more time at home 🙌🏼
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It’s a matter of perspective 🙏🏼 And my ask for you today is: if you are home, enjoy a home cooked meal in my honor, water your own plants with love and hug your own pillow really hard ♥️ #missinghome #speakerlife #goals
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Image by @britandco
Quote by @cleowade
Shoutout to @dpoler for watering my 🌿
New year, same me! And I want to take this opportunity to re-introduce myself to all of you! Maybe you already know some of these things, maybe not! Let me know which one surprises you!
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🇻🇪 I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where I lived 19 years of my life (and I miss my country daily)
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 My parents are still married, and I only have one younger brother @dpoler
🎂 I turned 30 in 2018!
✡️ I’m Jewish, but not orthodox
✈️ I’ve lived in Savannah GA, in Miami FL, and now in Brooklyn NY. But last year I was nomad!
🌶 I’m a very picky eater
🥭 Dessert is my favorite meal and mango sticky rice is my favorite dessert 🙌🏼
🧀 My favorite pasta is caccio e pepe
🍵 Matcha is my obsession — and bubble tea
🍜 I can talk about food for hours if you let me
🙋🏻‍♂️ I love @stramhacks more than anything. We’ve been together for 13 years and married for 7! ♥️
🗽 NY is my favorite place in the world. My dream is to stay there forever and my fear is to have to leave
😬 I faced 100 fears in 2015, and went viral
💩 I’m still afraid of large dogs, confrontation and roller coasters
🎤 My full time job is to speak about courage and inspire people. I say I have the best job in the world
👶🏼 I’m looking forward to being a mom in the future, but I’m terribly afraid of that too!
💪🏼 I admire ambitious women who are not afraid to defy the status quo
🙏🏼 I value authenticity and transparency
✨ My passion is branding and content creation
👩🏼‍💻 Before speaking, I used to work in advertising as an Art Director for @hersheys @wendys @revlon and @winndixie
⚾️ I don’t like sports, but I’m good at foosball
🏆 I used to win every spelling bee in middle school, except one time where I forgot the last “e” in chocolatE 🍫
🎬 My favorite tv show is @maiseltv
🎵 My favorite music genre is regueton 🙈
🎨 My favorite color is millennial pink 😂
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Thank you for being here and for allowing me to be who I really am! That is the person I like to be the most 🙌🏼☺️ TAG here someone who - you think - should follow this account ⤵️
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📸 by @caravisionnyc ♥️ #hellofears #aboutme #courage #newyearsameme


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