Drawing on your  expertise /experience, when pressure shows up, what matters most?

A) Knowing your craft inside out
 B) Trusting instinct over overthinking
 C) Staying physically calm so the mind can follow
 D) Letting go of needing it to be perfect

Experience doesn’t remove pressure — it teaches you how to handle it.

Even very experienced, successful people still feel pressure in moments that matter.
 What changes with experience is not the absence of nerves, but the ability to lead yourself through them..

Confidence is about

 1. Regulating the body first — 

2. and letting the mind follow.

It’s a skill anyone can learn.

Experience doesn’t remove pressure — it teaches you how to handle it. 

Experienced people  don’t fight it — 

1.      they regulate their body first.

2.       When the body settles, the mind follows..

B.R.A.V.E.

B — Breathe Out
Slow the exhale. Drop the shoulders. Unclench the jaw.

R — Recognise
Silently say: This is pressure, not danger.

A — Allow the Pause
You don’t need to respond instantly. A pause signals calm and authority.

V — Voice the Next Line
Not the perfect answer — just the first true sentence.

E — Engage, Don’t Evaluate
Stay present. Don’t judge how you’re doing.

 CORE TEACHING LINE

Confidence doesn’t come from thinking faster — it comes from calming the body first

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE 1

Being put on the spot at work — a meeting, interview, or being asked a question unexpectedly.

What happens:

• Heart races
• Mind goes blank
• Pressure to say the right thing

Using B.R.A.V.E. in the moment:

• Breathe out — slow exhale, shoulders drop
• Recognise — This is a false alarm. I am not in danger.
• Allow the pause — you don’t rush
• Voice the next line — “My initial thought is…”
• Engage, don’t evaluate — stay in the conversation

Nothing bad happens.
 The nervous system stands down.

PRACTICAL EXAMPLE 2

Making a difficult phone call — asking for something, setting a boundary, or having a challenging conversation.

What usually  happens:

• Avoidance
• Rehearsing worst outcomes
• Tight chest before dialling

Using B.R.A.V.E. before and during the call:

• Breathe out before dialling — slow the body first
• Recognise — This is pressure, not danger. Nothing bad is happening.
• Allow the pause when they answer — you don’t rush your words
• Voice the next line — “I’m calling about…”
• Engage, don’t evaluate — stay present instead of judging how it’s going

The call ends. You’re safe.
 Confidence returns through evidence.

3-STEP SOLUTION FOR LISTENERS

3 STEPS TO TURN OFF THE ALARM

(Because it’s a false one)

Step 1 —  G = Ground
Signal Safety  to your body  Say out loud 

‘I am not in danger.’

Slow the exhale. Drop the shoulders. Unclench the jaw.

Step 2 — E= Evidence Remind nervous system.
 Say out loud 

‘Nothing bad is happening right now’.

Bring attention back to the present moment.

Step 3 — T —TRUST Provide Evidence