Facing the Fear: How You Can Grow by Doing It Anyway – with Steven Schmidt

Facing the Fear: How You Can Grow by Doing It Anyway – with Steven Schmidt

Author: TESOL Pop September 23, 2025 Duration: 13:31

Steven Schmidt, professional development consultant and long-time adult educator, joins Laura to share his journey from enduring uninspiring training sessions to leading transformative ones. In this episode, Steve reflects on what makes professional development meaningful, how he overcame self-doubt, and why fear never fully disappears — but can be used as fuel for growth.


Watch with closed captions.


TALKING POINTS

  1. Why “Bad PD” Sparked a New Mission. How sitting in the back of dull sessions inspired Steve to raise the bar on professional learning.
  2. The Baby Steps to Becoming a PD Leader. From Saturday workshops to national keynotes — how Steve gradually built his confidence.
  3. Facing the Fear (and Doing It Anyway). Insights from Dr Susan Jeffers’ “Five Truths of Fear” and how they apply to every educator.
  4. Redefining Failure as Learning. Why Steve sees setbacks as “O Flags” — opportunities for learning and growth — and how you can too.
  5. Practising What We Preach. A reminder that educators deserve the same self-compassion and encouragement we give our learners.


ABOUT

Steven Schmidt is a professional development consultant with decades of experience in adult education. After years working as a classroom teacher and programme administrator, Steve shifted into full-time PD, delivering training across the U.S. and sharing practical insights on confidence, connection, and lifelong learning. He currently supports educators through keynote talks, workshops, and one-on-one coaching. Connect on LinkedIn or send Steve an email here.


References

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr Susan Jeffers


SUPPORT US

💻 Sponsor us

Buy us a coffee

⭐ Leave a review


THE PRODUCER'S EDIT

Get inspired to record more. Weekly stories, insights, and content tips for standout educators delivered to your inbox.

👉 Subscribe here


CREDITS

Producer: Laura Wilkes

Editor: Haven Tsang

Special thanks to our guest, Steven Schmidt

Production by Communicating for Impact


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Ever feel like the best teaching ideas come from a quick chat in the staffroom, but your schedule never allows for it? TESOL Pop captures that spark. Designed for the busy English language teacher, this mini podcast delivers compact, meaningful conversations with TESOL, TEFL, and ESL educators globally. Each episode is a focused interview, kept under fifteen minutes, packed with practical ideas and personal insights that can genuinely shift your approach in the classroom. You’ll hear stories about career pivots, reflections on what actually works with students, and clever uses of technology, all shared in a casual, accessible tone. It’s the audio equivalent of a refreshing coffee break with a colleague who gets it. The podcast understands that profound professional development doesn’t always require a lengthy seminar; sometimes, a single, well-timed insight is enough to reinvigorate your teaching. By tuning in, you join a global conversation that feels both personal and immediately useful, making it easy to integrate new perspectives into your daily routine without overwhelming your calendar.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

TESOL Pop
Podcast Episodes
Gathering Feedback From Learners with Kate Semerenko [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:22
Teacher Educator Kate Semerenko talks about the important role learner feedback has in helping us develop our courses, materials and teaching practice. Kate shares how to gather feedback and how best to implement it.KEY…
Freelancer or Business Owner? with Rachael Roberts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:10
Founder of Earn Learn Thrive, Rachael Roberts, discusses the nuances between freelancing and business ownership in education. With over 30 years of experience in the field, Rachael offers valuable insights for educators…
Organising Online Learning Events with Abigail Fulbrook [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:50
Founder of English with Abigail, Abigail Fulbrook, shares insights into the online events she organises for learners and teachers of languages. Abigail talks about what inspired her to start hosting events, the benefits…
Three Ways to Grow Your Money with Nicola Prentis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:36
Nicola Prentis, founder of The Chilled Investor, shares three ways to start to grow our funds by exploring potential tax-free pensions, investments, and employer pension-matching options. This episode is not financial ad…
The Benefits of Forest Bathing for Teachers with David Stepanczuk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:53
This special episode for Season 7 features a narrative from educator David Stepanczuk, who shares his journey from the challenges of finding work in Japan to discovering the practice of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) for…
Misconceptions About Social Media in ELT with Ola Kowalska [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:04
Expert in assisting freelance language teachers in building successful businesses, Ola Kowalska, tackles misconceptions about using social media in English Language Teaching (ELT).In this episode, Ola focuses on three ke…
Teaching Teens Beyond Traditional Test Scores with Gregory Diehl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:59
Author Gregory Diehl examines the challenges of teaching English for practical purposes versus test results. Gregory reflects on his experience and suggests how to engage and support teenage students in using English for…
Building a Reading Habit in Class with Kyle Larson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:23
Kyle Larson, a seasoned teacher and the founder of AIR Language, an English reading platform for secondary school students, shares the challenges he has faced in sourcing tailored texts and building a reading habit with…