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Hi Reader,

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​Let's be honest:

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The world feels shaky right now.
Politics are spiraling.
People are scared.
Everyone’s gripping for control in a moment where control is the first thing to disappear.

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And underneath all that noise… something else is happening.

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Fear is making people small.

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Fear collapses us inward.
Fear disconnects us from ourselves.
Fear makes us reactive, fragile, manipulable.
Fear turns leaders into survivors.

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And I’ve felt that pull myself these past few months.
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This year pushed me harder than I expected — professionally and personally.
There were moments I caught myself shrinking, gripping, trying to control things that couldn’t be controlled.

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It forced me to confront the same truth I teach:

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Fear pulls us out of power.
Connection puts us back in it.

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This is the kind of season where it’s easy to contract, to disappear, to let fear write the script.

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But here’s the realization that hit me this week:

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Connection is what makes us dangerous again.

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Not dangerous in the hostile sense.
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Dangerous as in grounded.
Clear.
Rooted.

Not easily swayed or swept up by the panic around us.

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A connected person can’t be manipulated.
A connected leader doesn’t lose themselves in chaos.
A connected parent doesn’t pass their fear down the chain.

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Connection is power, not softness.

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It’s how you reclaim your stance when the world is begging you to abandon it.

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That’s why I’ve been leaning hard back into ICON — not as a framework, but as a way of being in unstable times:

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• Intentionality: choosing your stance before your fear chooses it for you.
• Curiosity: staying open when everyone else is bracing.
• Ownership: not control — responsibility for how you show up.
• Navigation: the next right move, not the perfect one.

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Here’s the 3-minute check-in that’s been keeping me from collapsing into fear:

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1. What am I actually feeling right now?​
Raw and extreme honesty without judgment.

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2. What am I afraid of?​
Naming fear shrinks it. Avoiding fear grows it.

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3. What do I want to protect today?​
My values, my energy, my connection with the people I love.

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4. What’s one action that moves me toward connection instead of reaction?​
A text. An apology. A conversation I’ve been avoiding. A run. Five honest minutes with myself.

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Because here’s the thing:

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Fear makes us small.
Connection makes us dangerous.

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Dangerous to the systems that rely on our panic.
Dangerous to the narratives that want our obedience.
Dangerous to the part of us that wants to disappear when things get hard.

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I can’t control the politics.
I can’t control the economy.
I can’t control the noise.

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But I can control my stance.

I can control my presence.
I can control how I lead inside my home and inside myself.

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And so can you.

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If you’re navigating your own version of instability — at work, at home, or in your relationship — reply with the word STEADY.

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I’ll send you something that helps you anchor your leadership when everything around you is shaking.

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Stay connected.
Stay grounded.
Stay dangerous.

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Be well. Be kind. Do good.

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Inward,

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Fred

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