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
Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn with Gina Rodriguez [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:19
ELT Marketing & Education Consultant Gina Rodriguez talks about the benefits of building a personal brand on a site like LinkedIn for teachers. Gina unpacks how to set up and maintain a LinkedIn profile in three steps an…
Is A Master's Degree in TESOL Worth It? with Thu Thu Naing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:46
Teacher Thu Thu Naing talks about her recent experience studying for a master’s degree in TESOL with Educational Technology. Thu shares how she chose a course and provider, what the course was like, and what she plans to…
S5E8: How to Apply Inquiry-Based Learning with Michelle Worgan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:27
Educator and materials writer Michelle Worgan talks about Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) and the qualities that set it apart from Project-Based Learning. In this episode, Michelle provides examples of Inquiry-Based Learnin…
S5E7: The Know, Show, and Grow Stages of Teaching and Learning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:05
Author André Hedlund discusses the "Know, Show, and Grow" phases in education and illustrates how they can be applied in the classroom. He also highlights how portfolios can be an effective tool for monitoring the progre…
S5E6: Three Simple Mindful Practices for Teachers with Justin Ricci [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:24
Founder of the Strength, Yoga, Freedom Community, Justin Ricci, talks about the positive impact mindfulness can have on the quality of our decision-making and interactions. To help fit mindfulness into our daily lives, J…
Using Technology to Give Great Feedback with Nihad Ćehić [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:59
Co-founder and CEO of the EdTech App Vibbl Nihad Ćehić talks about the vital role delayed feedback plays in the learning process, the challenges teachers often face in giving great feedback, and how technology like Vibbl…
Trailer: Learn about TESOL Pop with Laura Wilkes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26
Are you new to TESOL Pop? Learn about the podcast and how its bite-sized episodes are a source of professional development for educators who teach English to speakers of other languages.For a video version of this traile…
S5E4: Teaching Beginner-Level Learners with Julie Chen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:01
Teacher and Quality Assurance Specialist Julie Chen reflects on challenges beginner-level learners often encounter when studying in a one-to-one or group setting. In this episode, Julie also shares practical tips on buil…
S5E3: Increasing Accessibility with UDL with Erin Vobornik [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:15
Teacher Erin Vobornik talks about key principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how they can be applied to the ESL classroom. Erin shares her own experience and examples of ways in which UDL can be applied to…
Technologies to Support Ongoing Learning with Steponas Dabužinskas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:18
Teacher, writer, and developer Steponas Dabužinskas discusses common challenges learners face in continuing learning after lessons and suggests three online technologies to help engage teenage and adult students in furth…