Theresa says she was born that way. “I love the energy of the word fearless. As a teenager I had the Goethe poster on my wall, ‘Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.’ I’ve always been drawn to people who exhibit fearlessness and count it as one of my attributes.”
So where does she find the courage to make the tough decisions she’s faced throughout her career? “I’m a very structured person. If I make a commitment to deliver on something I follow through, no matter what. There’s no going back once I’ve made the decision to proceed.” Although she is quick to point out there’s a vast difference between being fearless and being reckless, and it’s vital to know the difference. “The only time I won’t do something is if my instincts are screaming, ‘Don’t do this!’
One of my most fearless moments was taking on the SPCA in 2011 when it was losing a million dollars a year at the time
She saw the bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert speak about the privilege of being a woman at this time. Now more than ever we are able to have a voice, and Gattung agrees we should use it. One of the reasons she wrote her autobiography, Bird On A Wire, was that she wants women to use their voices singularly and in unison. “We must push ourselves in every way we can, to claim our full space in the world, both personally and publically.”
Gattung has experienced the occasional fearful moment herself, such as right before speaking to a hostile audience, and even froze on stage once a long time ago, but she says it’s about what you’re feeling and what you project. She won’t accept any fear in her mind so that she can overcome those feelings when they arise. “That’s just my natural persona. We all have setbacks. It’s important we dust ourselves off and carry on.”
Fear is something Cecilia Robinson wholly embraces. The 2013 EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Robinson established the hugely successful Au Pair Link with her husband at age 21 and is founder and co-CEO of My Food Bag. “Fear is an important emotion, a good one. Every entrepreneur experiences it, but it’s what you do with it that counts. Some people allow fear to block them, while others use it to their advantage. It’s important to be realistic and identify where the feeling is coming from and to always trust your gut.”
She relays two concepts – Fail Fast (identify when something isn’t working and pull the plug) or Accelerate to Survive (move forward with courage) and cites a useful analogy her father gave her as a teenager, when teaching her to drive. “If you’re heading for a car crash, putting the brakes on is not necessarily going to save your life; sometimes accelerating can be the thing that gets you out of danger.”
theresa's top 3 for fearless living
But when we find ourselves frozen in a particularly difficult decision,
how do we find the courage to proceed?
Fear is something Cecilia Robinson wholly embraces. The 2013 EY Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Robinson established the hugely successful Au Pair Link with her husband at age 21 and is founder and co-CEO of My Food Bag. “Fear is an important emotion, a good one. Every entrepreneur experiences it, but it’s what you do with it that counts. Some people allow fear to block them, while others use it to their advantage. It’s important to be realistic and identify where the feeling is coming from and to always trust your gut.”
She relays two concepts – Fail Fast (identify when something isn’t working and pull the plug) or Accelerate to Survive (move forward with courage) and cites a useful analogy her father gave her as a teenager, when teaching her to drive. “If you’re heading for a car crash, putting the brakes on is not necessarily going to save your life; sometimes accelerating can be the thing that gets you out of danger.”
Robinson has certainly embodied the latter sentiment in her own career. “Rather than pull back and consolidate at a tough point with Au Pair Link, we embarked on a daring and extensive marketing campaign.
One of my most fearless moments was having the self-belief to pitch My Food Bag to the board at a time of uncertainty around my existing business.
Robinson has certainly embodied the latter sentiment in her own career. “Rather than pull back and consolidate at a tough point with Au Pair Link, we embarked on a daring and extensive marketing campaign.
“And when it looked like the company had a high chance of failing, instead of allowing that to stop us, my husband and I worked relentlessly to resolve the obstacles, while at the same time establishing My Food Bag. It all worked out and we subsequently sold the company with a fantastic outcome for our team and the buyer, as the business formed part of a very successful IPO. What was important was that the fear of imminent failure didn’t stop us. We believed in the potential of My Food Bag and we went for it.”
Perhaps Robinson’s courage is most evident in her personal life. She suffered the heartbreak of losing two babies at late-stage pregnancies and faced the difficult decision as to whether to try again. “After the second loss, my husband and I went on an information crusade to be as prepared as possible and, although the chances were 50/50, we decided to proceed. I think I feel fear every day and probably will until the baby arrived, but we both believed the reward outweighed the risk. I think that’s how you have to be in business too.”