Ready to go on stage: This is me at the international conference in Prague
I’ve just hit another milestone in my life’s journey – presenting my clinical trials research as a keynote speaker at the International Summit on Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Prague!
I’ve spoken about my clinical trials at medical conferences before, but this was my first time as a keynote speaker – and I must confess, I was quite nervous.
However, I faced my fears head-on and managed to deliver a successful presentation. Until four years ago, I had never even done a Facebook Live – that’s how bad my fear of “not being good enough” was.
But here’s the thing about fear – it’s something we all grapple with, be it standing on a global stage or taking the first step in our weight loss journey.
Just like that moment before stepping on stage, it’s essential to harness that fear, to face it and use it as a catalyst for breaking barriers and achieving what we once thought impossible.
There are so many negative emotions surrounding our individual weight loss journeys, and they do hold us back from succeeding.
But we can smash through our mental boundaries. We can do it!
In Prague, as in my previous presentations in Dubai and Milan, I did what I’ve advised countless Slimpod members to do: I faced the fear head-on, relying on proven techniques to transform anxiety into a force of empowerment.
The result? A successful presentation and a great day of networking!
This was an honour and a testament to the power of overcoming personal barriers. I’ve now learned that the magic is on the other side of my comfort zone.
Keynote speech over: That’s Slimpodder Ava Brodie on the screen
Whether you are embarking on a life-changing health journey or facing personal or professional hurdles, remember that taking that first step, despite the fear, is often the most crucial part.
It’s not just about the success we achieve but the personal growth and self-confidence that blossoms from facing our fears. I returned from Prague this week with a reinforced belief in the transformative power of overcoming fears, a lesson I hope to instil in every person who embarks on a journey to rediscover themselves through Slimpod.
To everyone out there with dreams and goals, remember: taking your first step, however fearful, is the gateway to unimaginable achievements.
As we get older, facing our fears can become more complicated. Fear is a basic human emotion designed to motivate us to avoid danger, but your subconscious mind’s interpretation of danger can often be totally different from reality.
Challenge those fears! I’d love you to leave a comment to let me know if this blog has rung any bells with you.
Stay brave and keep pushing forward!
64 thoughts on “To climb your personal summit, you must face those fears head-on”
I thoroughly agree with your statement and I have followed your advice since joining Thinking Slimmer .At present I am on 156 consecutive days of Slimpod listening and I have gone from 52inch waist to a comfortable 48 inch waist,thank you for advice assistance (videos) and for helping me in losing weight.
Well done Sandra, inspirational as ever! I’ve been doing Slimpod for just over 2 weeks and already I feel better in my mind. Yesterday I felt full halfway through my ‘normal’ size meal, and I stopped eating and put the rest in the bin! This a something I have never done before, and it felt really good. Thanks to Slimpod.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience Sandra and well done! What a great achievement! I found it very inspirational. I am absolutely loving my Slimpod journey and becoming a much more confident, contented person. It’s never too late!
I wake up every day thinking this is my day but the inner critic comes forward from many years to say you don’t deserve it, I am doing well but worry that one day that critic will win again.
I have always had the fear of speaking out in front of people, I am happy in a group of 3-4 people, I will speak a little bit, and only if I know most of them. Any more than that then I would die a thousand deaths, rather than get up and speak.
I would leave courses I was wanting to study, because I would have to get up and give an account of who I was. To this very day I would be the same. I know you say its conquering goals and over coming obstacles, I can never set goals as they sound too ridiculous and the obstacles are like mountains.
It comes from being told as a child that I had a very boring, monotone voice and was infact very boring all round. I find that when I do go to speak out, I stammer, can’t find the words, the sentence comes out back to front and upside down, and make myself look and sound stupid.
I am 57 years old, and feel like I have never succeeded in anything because I cannot speak up for myself. I have managed to bluff my way through life and keep out of any limelight whatsoever.
Hello Allison
People can be so cruel. When I was a junior school I was made to stand at the front of the class and all the rest of the children were told by the children to “laugh at this stupid girl ” because I couldn’t understand decimal fractions. This stayed with me all my life, and I never got a maths qualification. This year I went back to my local college and did the very basic Entry level Functional Skills Maths course – which I passed. I know it is only the basic one, but to me it was a huge achievement. I am going back in September to take the level one course. Please don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t good enough. They are the ones that lack. Bullies are cowards! Take care☺️
It just shows what you can achieve when you believe in yourself. I started just over a week ago and I don’t feel anxious around food like I did when I was a member of slimming world x
Congratulations Sandra! You are so inspirational and I feel quite choked up typing this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this Slimpod programme, the tremendous support from you and your team is just invaluable. I’ve experienced nothing like this before and you are really helping me to keep going!
Heartfelt thanks to you all.
I do try to face my fears head on, but I can’t say it’s made them any easier to face. I am quite stubborn and won’t let things beat me or demoralise me.
At 62 I am trying a different career direction, and I’m fighting those demon fears of not being good enough, talented enough, imposter syndrome and the fear of not having much time left, as well as the lifetime fear of being massively overweight for the rest of my life.
I’m only on day 3 of following the slimpod system, abut am amazed that I can already feel a change happening. I’m sure that apart from helping me to gain control over food, this system will spill over into all other aspects of my life. At long last I have some hope and I’m excited!
Thanking you in anticipation!! x
Firstly Sandra I want to congratulate you that’s a huge achievement. My brain goes into flight and fight daily with quite minor tasks even if I have done them before, my current big one is getting down a small incline on my bike, it’s crazy but my fibromyalgia likes to stop me by triggering a panic attack 🤦♀️ I’ve used so many tools to get me through these episodes but I always go back to my controlled breathing. Thankfully I’m stubborn so I keep attempting new things rather than hiding away 🤣. I would very much like to know what technique you used to get through your fear. You really need to stand in front of a mirror and say I am amazing cause you are changing all of our lives for the better every day and I can’t thank you enough for that ♥️♥️♥️♥️
It did….. and it does. After the first one or two days, weeks you actually begin to enjoy the challenge. You feel encouraged, enthusiastic, motivated and confident. All positive vibes to keep you going to help achieve your goals. It’s a beautiful thing.
Starting anything new is always daunting, sometimes I choose to opt out and others, I opt in, I guess that’s all part of being human..
Thank you for Slimpod. I am making much better food choices and really thinking about what I eat. I haven’t lost much weight as have multiple health issues but!! My mindset has changed to being more positive and in control than ever before. It’s very liberating.
I need to take a leaf out of your book and push myself out of my comfort zone. Well done.
As always Sandra you are an inspiration.!! What an amazing achievement for you! Thank you for encouraging slimpodders through your words and actions. I am still a keen follower of slimpod!!
Thank you so much for sharing this.
Very inspirational. So glad you overcome your own fears and presented
Congratulations Sandra and thank you, since joining Slimpod I have a better relationship with food and choose the healthier options and I am enjoying my journey. I have more confidence and loving what I see in the mirror thank you again.
Yes I am about to move again from a very nice place but not a place where I can be part of a community. Language barrier. Although I love my flat
Just got offer. At 65 moving again in my 5th country takes some facing my fear. But Sandra to speak at international venues is a whole different level of facing your fear. Well done!!!
I absolutely agree. Over the years I’ve faced many fears head on, flying, public speaking, snorkeling (all of which terrified me). I’ve also been afraid of failing to lose weight…..yet again. However I’m now confident that I can be consistent as long as I keep listening.
Anyone any idea how I can conquer my abject fear of spiders? Lol!
Congratulations to you Sandra x
Just stepping out of my comfort zone starting a new job in July working in end of life for children, having worked for many years as a Health Visitor but feeling nervous and excited about it but also concerned as I know I become more talkative when I’m nervous
I take my hat off to you. Such a very difficult job but oh so important.
I am currently on holiday in The Netherlands, I spent most of last night in tears, as I caught sight of myself on a mirror. I could have easily got back in the car to drive home again. I know how my fears have developed over the years but at the age of 67 I do believe that I should be able to overcome them and be who I truly want to be. I was a size 16 in 1977, I have been up to a size 26 in 2012. I hover around a size 20 at the moment. I have been doing Slimpod for 11 months, my weight is up and down, I don’t weigh myself and I had an accident in February which has left me feeling old, which I hate. I haven’t been able to do Pilates or yoga, which I had been enjoying. I feel a complete mess to be honest. I can face up to fears but something keeps pulling me back. Help is definitely available within Slimpod, the discipline is in engaging every day, I do appreciate your programme and inspiration.
Hi Jane, I read your post and it touched me. I am on holiday at the moment and I too saw what I looked like in a bikini. I am so ashamed of myself. Also, I have one leg shorter than the other and a huge scar down my leg. I am sure everyone is looking at me either with pity or disgust. I really wish I could overcome this but at 69 I am losing hope. I wont give up though and will keep podding. I hope you do too. It has helped me in other ways and I believe in it. Best wishes to you.
Congratulations on your debut as a keynote speaker.
I am 78 yrs old. I want to get weight off my knees. I am a prime example of it is never too late. Slimpod is unique, easy and inspirational. The weight is coming off slowly but surely. 14lbs since end of Feb 2024. My relationship with food has changed thanks to Sandra and Slimpod. You are helping so many people Sandra and you should be proud of what you have achieved. Thank You
Congratulations Sandra.
It definately resonates with me, I continue to fight my fears.
I have found Slimpod very helpful and I have experienced changes and acknowledge that its a work in progress..
I am enjoying the videos and meetings.
Thank you Sandra.
I’m really pleased to hear from you again because I need to restart!
Drop an email to CustomerServices@ThinkingSlimmer.com and they’ll restart your programme from day one free of charge.
Thankyou for sharing that Sandra. I am becoming more confident since starting Slimpod, which I am very happy with. Getting braver buying more colourful clothes too!
This is very much me I’m not 100% sure what my fear is though what’s holding me back
Hi there, this resonates with me on many levels. Most of all in that I watch Sandra talking on the videos and I just love that she is real. No do overs and is happy to talk like we are in the same space. I hope that doesn’t land as a negative – I just really appreciate how real Sandra is in her videos. I’m very early into this journey – week 4/5 but as someone who has lived with an awful body image and terrible relationship with food, I am already just accepting and loving myself. I was so sick the past few days and even then I still carried on with my pods and wins without feeling I was failing. I am 100% committed to being a podder as my self belief is through the roof and I feel content and happy, thank you Slimpod and I look forward very much to staying connected on this new lifestyle choice x
Great work, Sandra. And very relatable for a healthy food regime!!
Wow! Well done Sandra, that’s amazing and very inspirational, you really are a force for good in this world, Thankyou for everything you have done for so many people x
Inspired by these words and yes it’s rung bells with me..Congratulations Sandra, amazing achievement!! I am on 49 days consecutive listening to pods and coaching videos- I doubt myself as my weight loss is slow, but my mindset is changing and the negative thoughts around food are going too!! Years and years of Slimming World has left me institutionalised and a bad relationship with food in-bedded deeply! However I listen everyday and I’m creating new habits- I want to make the changes so Slimming World culture becomes a distant memory!! I have a presentation in a few weeks time and beyond nervous!! But want to do it and push myself- thinking slimmer is helping me in so many was with my confidence and mindset that I forget about the weigh loss 🤦♀️ I’m focused and find the process easy.. I’m intermittent natural fasting something I’ve never done before! I’m in it for the long haul- thank you Sandra 🤩
I love trying new things and can be quite up front…. but put me in a roomful of women and I hate it!! So I guess I must be fearful of something but haven’t a clue what it is!! This is my second week on Slimpod and I’m amazed at the difference already in my approach to food. So glad I decided to start ☺️
Hi Sandra! Such a great experience in Prague! Since starting Slimpod last October, I have completely changed my attitude and mindset to diet and exercise. I regularly weight train and run now and am happy in my skin. I have done a Therapy course and hope to start volunteering this year too. At 63 I have really appreciated your videos on emotional mastery in Slimpod gold and it really resonates with me re internal locus and external locus of control. I am working on this. I am retired now but want to work still in either something creative and/ or caring. I feel that goal setting has really helped me and your weekly input is always positive
Thank you.x
Well done Sandra. That’s brilliant! You should be really proud of yourself!
Having lost 32lbs now in 16 weeks I’ve started to feel more empowered in other aread if my life too – like my work (although I’ll be 58 this month and some of my friends and colleagues are retiring!) Thank you for the energy and dedication you bring to Slimpod. It’s infectious!
Well done Sandra! 👏
Knowing your subject and being passionate about it, as you are, must have made it easier but a good inspiration to us all ❤️
Thank you for sharing this Sandra. You have achieved so much it’s hard to believe you ever had any fear. You’re an inspiration xx
Well done, Sandra. Keep spreading the Slimpod news. I wish I had known about Slimpod years ago and the confidence it gives you.
Thank you for the inspiration, I’ve been almost too afraid to start a diet in case I don’t succeed. I have a Slimpod but haven’t listened for ages, I will tonight
Thank you I think that was exactly what I needed to hear right now.
From day 1 I have felt so much better. I haven’t lost weight yet but my mindset is completely changed. Something I never thought would happen. Learning daily and taking advice to heart.
Well done! I initially found public speaking a challenge too. It feels so good to overcome that fear
Amazing well done sandra I really need to start to face my fears and start right back at the beginning level 1 but unable to access it as it says complete I feel writhing this comment is the first step
If you email CustomerServices@ThinkingSlimmer.com they will restart your programme from day one free of charge.
I think I’m facing a fear in Slimpod everyday. It’s about having the confidence that all will be well, Letting go of that anxious first moment, of mistrust in my ability to loose weight and have the tools to keep on this, sometimes bumpy road to trust that this is life and the secret is just keep going, fix my car’s problem when it broken, re read the map when i’m lost…trust myself, letting go of the anxious dieting thoughts, which up until now I thought were just part of my truths. I am so much more aware of this feeling now, and try to reframe it with the trust I need in myself that this is a change in my growth ‘my life’s viewing of myself ‘… in order for permanent change I need to
1. Be aware
2. Seek out the help
3. Calm myself
4. Face the voice that only knows past failures
5. Embrace the change and recognize its truth…
Although I am 85 days in and on Slimpod extra without weight loss, I have had so many changes in my thinking
….not constantly thinking of or looking for food. Occasionally when I am, I look for something more constructive to do.. I am moving more and questioning my past judgements. I am patiently ( mostly) moving through and learning from the process…
Congratulations Sandra. Thank you for your enthusiasm and support. Your Slimpod program has been a great help to me . I feel much happier and more in control than I have in years.
I am a new ‘podder’ and still waiting results, I know for some it takes longer for the mindset to happen, but I will persevere and succeed. After years of failure, I guess it’s what I’m expecting…another failure, another fear of failure, like you I’m facing fears and putting faith in the future.
Sandra you are so inspirational and strong I have read your article at just the right moment to help me to overcome health problems and continue with my weight loss. I feel like I can do it again. Thank you.
Since joining Slimpod I feel like I have found my tribe. I have gone down a few dress sizes and for the first time in my life I now know what it means to eat normally.
Congratulations on the success of your Keynote Speech. You are a great example to us all. Thank you.
The timing of this is perfect. I need to restart my Slimpod journey. I have lots of weight to lose generally and specifically for health reasons. I have done well and then life events happen, such as the sudden loss of my mother last year, and I find myself back at square one. I have been considering what might be holding me back from success and I think perhaps it is fear of looking old and having lots of loose skin after I lose the weight I need to lose. And this is a big deal for me to realise this and admit that perhaps subconsciously this is and has been holding me back. So instead I need to focus on what the positives will be and visualise what a healthier me will look like. Thank you Sandra for all you do..
Very inspiring. I’m almost a year in and have dropped from a size 24 to a size 16. It started out as a weight loss goal for me but very soon turned into a lifestyle and mind transformation process. I still listen daily (until last night when my phone was dead and I had no access to a charger!) I have never felt better or calmer in my life. Thank you Sandra for finding the magic key. 🥰
Almost a full month into my slimpod experience and with the addition of the sugar pod I have had my lightbulb moment and realised that this is about so much more than food. I feel fired up to take on life in general and amazed with the effect the pods are having. I’m away from scales and tapes at present so couldn’t tell you whether there have been any changes physically but I feel confident and calm that all will happen given time. Thanks Sandra so much ☺️
That absolutely resonates with me, Sandra! I’ve always been terrified of doing anything out of my comfort zone, but always had my Mum to encourage me – she always said I was backwards in coming forward! Now she’s no longer here I have to really push myself to take that first step, but usually find it’s not so bad after that. Regarding Slimpod, I’ve hit a few bumps along the way due to health and family issues, but have found that if I stick with the programme it really works! Losing weight is wonderful, but the change in attitude towards food and life in general is remarkable. I’m so impressed, two people I know have now started the programme following my glowing reports!! Everything about Slimpod is encouraging and supportive, so thank you Sandra!
Following on from yesterday I listened to the Slimpod and it works, I’m not constantly thinking about food so am eating less and I turned down a piece of cake without feeling that I was missing out. I’ll be back on it from now on. I already feel back in control.
This has really resonated with me, with the help of regularly listening to the pods and following dietary advice from Dale Pinnock I have given up sugar and all refined carbs, which is brilliant and feel so much healthier. Weight loss however is slow to non existent, I have a huge fear of being hungry, so am still eating more than I need and am struggling to combat this. But not giving up but also not sure how to face this head on.
The biggest, most important thing I have gained since joining Slimpod is my confidence.
Congratulations Sandra – a great achievement. Everything you say is true. It takes courage to face ones fears – stepping out of your comfort zone is challenging – I need to do it more! Thank you for your communication.
My weight has always been like a roller coaster, but I now have put on so much weight, I’m dreading not being able to lose it or have the will power to keep going.,, so any extra suggestions would really help!!
That’s my fear!
I didn’t think I have fear of anything but after 35 years struggling with various eating disorders I think I’m scared of the “comfort” overeating gives me. How will I cope when something goes wrong? I eat until I feel unwell so I don’t think about whatever is bothering me. If I don’t eat and feel unwell, how will I cope? Definitely something to really think about further.
I’m just starting my journey with Slimpod but as I’ve been reading everything I can on the website, and listening to the pods, I’m getting really excited about this way forward. I’ve still got a few more days of my trial left and I can’t wait to get stuck in. Everything is just so inspiring!
What an amazing story
Great confidence shown