# Episode 72: The Bug, the Rollerblades, and the Big What-If

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/running-to-myself-7040526/episode-72-the-bug-the-rollerblades-and-the-big-what-if
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/running-to-myself-7040526/episode-72-the-bug-the-rollerblades-and-the-big-what-if.md
Podcast: [Running to Myself](https://stenobird.com/podcast/running-to-myself-7040526)
Published: 2026-01-12T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.trishastanton.com/podcasts/running-to-myself/episodes/2149132971
Audio file: https://app.kajabi.com/podcasts/medias/2149132971.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/running-to-myself-7040526/episodes/episode-72-the-bug-the-rollerblades-and-the-big-what-if
Duration seconds: 655

## Resource

Episode Title: The Bug, the Rollerblades, and the Big What-If What Fear Teaches Us About the Stories We Believe Episode Description: In this episode, Trisha shares a simple, tender story about her granddaughter learning to rollerblade and the unexpected fear that almost stopped her progress. What starts as a moment with a bug at the park becomes a powerful illustration of how fear works in all of us. This conversation explores how fear often grows before anything actually goes wrong, how “what if” thinking pulls us out of the present moment, and how learning to stay grounded can gently expand our capacity to keep going. This episode is an invitation to notice the stories fear tells and to practice staying with yourself when fear shows up. In This Episode, You’ll Hear About: • A real-life story that reveals how quickly fear can shift our focus and shrink our world • The difference between what is actually happening and what we fear might happen • Why fear often feels reasonable, even when it isn’t rooted in reality • How fear shows up physically in the body, not just in our thoughts • The way avoidance teaches the brain to make fear louder over time • Why courage isn’t about eliminating fear, but about staying present with it • How small moments of awareness can interrupt fear-driven patterns • What it means to take “one more lap” instead of quitting early Key Takeaways: • Fear often lives in the future, not the present • What if thoughts feel convincing, but they are still just stories • Staying grounded in what is happening right now reduces fear’s power • You don’t need certainty to keep moving forward • Progress happens through attention, not guarantees Reflection Questions: • Where in my life am I reacting to what might happen instead of what is happening now • Wha…

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## Transcript

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