Face Your Fear – Beth Allen, Ep. 75

Podcast about how to face your fear with DIY expert, Beth Allen

If you could face your fear and flush it away forever, how would your life be different? What if we could flush all your fears for good?

That’s a huge part of what Beth Allen helps people do, and she’s joining us today to share her story, which I suspect you’re really going to love.

A little bit about Beth: she is the Founder of HIP Chicks (the Home Improvement Project Chicks), which is for real homeowners wanting real DIY (Do It Yourself) direction to save money, time and stress. HIP Chicks is for women and men, ready to be strong homeowners and fearless people, too.

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One of Beth’s central topics is “Flush the Fear.” As an author and speaker, she actually brings a toilet up on stage to help give people a “Do It Yourself” guide to letting go of that nasty stuff in your life that has you stuck. Whether your hang-ups are about money, relationships, health, and work, Beth will help you put it into perspective and teach you some personal DIY “tools” to face your fear, anxiety and negativity. As Beth says, “It’s time to flush that crap goodbye!”

This was a really fun conversation. I felt I could directly relate to a great deal of what Beth was sharing (I also feel a fondness for talk of toilets, because of fond memories of my maternal grandfather, who was a proud plumber). I also recognized a lot of the same character traits in Beth that I so admire in the most important women in my life and so that gave me the feeling like I was talking with someone I’d known a lot longer than I actually have.

A few highlights of what Beth shared:

1. Creative energy – Beth described how, once she had taken a break from her chosen career field, she found within herself “A deeper creative side I’d never paid attention to.” Recognizing and honoring that side of her ended up shaping the next steps in her journey, and sending her toward the work she’s doing today. What I’ve found is that those “deeper creative” urges are authentic parts of who we are. They are not meant to be pushed down, but to be allowed to blossom. Left unattended, they are the unique longings that turn into regrets if not expressed and shared.

2. The 3 Columns – Beth described a valuable exercise that was suggested by one of her mentors. She was encouraged, when considering her future options and which route to pursue in her life, to brainstorm it all and then put each thought into one of 3 columns: “Hell No,” “Hell Yes” and “Maybe.” She found that “Teaching People” kept popping into “Hell Yes.” Beth shared about that, along with some other valuable insights on how helpful that exercise can be.

3. Core Values Exercise – I’m so glad Beth brought this up. It’s something I never even considered until I was in my 40’s. And even when I started into it, I didn’t originally know what it meant or what to do with it. But I now understand that understanding your core values is an essential part of understanding who you are (so you can give yourself the best chance to put your time and attention to the things that matter most) and understanding who you are not (so you can let things go without regret). For Beth, it’s Responsibility, Creativity and Authenticity with Tenacity tossed in as well. What would this be for you? Listen for Beth’s thoughts on this and why it’s so important. I think you’ll find it valuable.

The Worry Box

I also want to mention her idea about the “Worry Box,” where you can write down what you’re worried or anxious about and put it in the box so that it can hold those worries rather than you carrying them around. That sounds simple enough, and I suppose it is, but it’s a powerful exercise. She also describes having people write down their fears on a square of toilet paper so they can flush them away. That’s another great idea that you can use to face your fear. But to get a better context on it, why not listen to Beth tell the story about how she does that and how it helps people.

Here is Beth Allen, on Journeys with the No Schedule Man;