I used to get dressed for events only to end up sitting on the edge of my bed, shoes on, heart racing, rehearsing excuses in my head.
There are no taxis available. I think I’m getting sick. There’s a family thing I forgot about. They won't even notice I’m not there.
Any excuse would do. As long as it meant I didn’t have to face a room full of people.
On the days I did push myself out the door, I’d arrive a hot mess, literally. My heart would thump like it was breaking out of my chest. My head felt like it was on fire. My throat would tighten. It felt like my entire nervous system was revolting.
And if I made it in the room? The real fun began.
What if they don’t like me? What if they think I’m too much? What if I'm not enough? What if I say something stupid?
Living with social anxiety was excruciating. It wasn’t 'just nerves'. It was like my body and brain were trying to protect me from something they thought was dangerous. Judgement. Rejection. Embarrassment.
But fear rarely tells the truth.
Over time, and it did take time, I learnt how to reframe those reactions. I practised being uncomfortable, over and over and over, until discomfort lost its grip. I built up courage in tiny, unglamorous ways: showing up to small events, speaking up in meetings, posting something vulnerable online.
Every time I chose to try, the fear got a little smaller. It never disappeared, but it softened. And one day, I stood in front of 400 people and opened the country’s largest sustainable fashion runway.
That girl who used to plan her escape routes? She was still in there, but now she had evidence. Evidence that it was ok to be herself. That fear isn’t the whole story. That she is ok to be herself, anywhere she choses to go.
Now I run live mentoring calls with Vogue editors. I jump on impromptu and unscripted Instagram lives with 29,000 people watching. I still get nervous, but it’s not the kind of nervous that stops me anymore.
And that’s what I want you to know too. Because what's really holding you back probably isn't your skillset. It could be your fear of being judged, misunderstood or not liked.
If you’re a founder or a creative or someone building something from scratch, chances are you’ve felt what I felt. That inner swirl of self-doubt. The fear of getting it wrong. The deep, painful worry that people won’t get you, or worse, that they will get you, and reject you anyway.
So we pull back. We hide behind polished brands and airbrushed filtered. We second-guess our gut instincts. We post and then delete. We delay launches. We rewrite captions ten times before ditching them altogether. Not because we’re lazy or uncommitted, but because visibility can feel vulnerable.
It’s hard to keep showing up when you feel like you’re building something out of your own skin.
But the very thing you’re hiding, the messiness, the humanness, the real stuff, is what your people are looking for. Because we don’t connect with perfect. We connect with real.
And your ideal customers aren't looking for flawless. They're looking for you.
If you’re building a purpose-led business, especially in a space like ethical or sustainable fashion, you’re probably doing it because you care. Deeply. And that’s your magic.
Caring also makes you sensitive. It makes you want to get it right. And sometimes, that can lead to perfectionism paralysis.
But you don’t need to wait until you’ve got it all figured out. You don’t need to be louder, shinier, more like that other brand you follow. You just need to be you. With all your quirks and values and stories.
Because the right people, the people you actually want to work with, sell to, grow with, they’re out there. And they’re waiting for someone to show up as themselves so they can do the same.
And this is how I support founders through fear, doubt and growth.
I know how tempting it is to think, 'Once I have the strategy nailed, I’ll feel more confident' or 'Once my brand is more established, then I’ll start showing up fully.'
But in my experience, confidence doesn’t come before action, it comes from action.
And the strategies only work when they’re grounded in authenticity. That’s why my approach to mentoring is holistic. Yep, I'm putting a woo woo weird word out there because if that lands with you, I'm practicing what I'm preaching.
Yes, I help with systems, strategies, branding, visibility and growth. But I also help you navigate the human stuff. The self-doubt. The burnout. The fear of being judged.
Because I’ve lived it too. I’ve melted down. Clammed up. I’ve questioned every decision. I’ve cried over pitches that flopped and wondered if it was all worth it. I’ve looked at a blank page and thought, I have nothing to say that anyone will care about. I've looked in the mirror and thought, no one actually cares about what I'm doing.
But I kept going. Not because I’m fearless, but because I learnt how to move forward with fear. And now, I want to help you do the same.
If you're scared, you can be brave and scared at the same time.
I wish more people knew this. It’s okay to feel terrified. It doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for this. It doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It just means you care. It means you feel, and that's human. The world needs more people that feel things, not just sell things.
But it also means you need support. You need someone in your corner who gets it. Who sees through the excuses (I’m sick, I have a family thing…) and gently asks, 'What are you really afraid of?'
Someone who helps you build a business that works not just on paper, but in your body, your energy, your life, for where you are right now and where you want to be in the future.
That’s the kind of mentoring I offer. A mix of practical strategy and deep emotional support. Mentoring that reminds you that you don’t have to choose between being successful and being sensitive, or having a purpose and needed to make a profit.
You get to be and have both.
If this resonates, if you’re ready to show up as the full version of you and build something that feels as good as it looks, and have a wildly fun time doing it, I’d love to support you in the process.
Check out my mentoring here or reach out. I'm an open book.
Claire x
