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Stepping Into the Unknown: Lucille’s Journey
In this coaching session, we meet Lucille, soft-spoken, thoughtful, and ready to face something she’s carried for years: a deep-rooted fear of leading and being visible.
Lucille comes from a conservative Mennonite background, where women were expected to follow, not lead. Speaking up, being seen, or stepping into authority were not roles modeled or permitted for her. But now, as she stands at the edge of a new chapter, launching her own business as a mentor and professional listener for women in transition, those old, internal rules are coming up hard and fast.
"You can't have a business if you don't have people," Lucille says. "At the same time, I'm almost scared what's going to happen when I have my first clients, because then I have to perform."
She’s no stranger to responsibility. As a housekeeper and support worker, she quietly runs households with confidence and competence. But her current work is safe and familiar. It doesn’t require her to be seen in the way her new business does. Visibility, she says, makes her nervous. Leadership, even more so.
"I’ve never really been in a place where I was the one in charge. There's no backup plan. No one to step in if I can't do it well enough," she admits.
Lucille is not afraid of hard work. She’s been a single parent, she’s shown up for others, and she’s built her life with quiet strength. But the leap from doing to leading, from serving behind the scenes to stepping into the spotlight, that’s a different kind of courage.
Visibility vs. Leadership: Digging Deeper
At first glance, it seemed Lucille’s struggle was about visibility—being seen, showing up publicly, allowing herself to take space. But as we talked, it became clear that the more pressing block was around leading.
"When you think about being the leader," I asked, "what comes up in your body?"
Her response was immediate: anxiety.
"What if I screw up?" she said. "What if I think I know more than I actually do?"
The fear wasn’t just about being visible. It was about owning the role of authority. The one calling the shots. The one other people trust to guide them. A role she had never been given permission to take, until now.
We agreed to focus the session on this part of her—the one afraid of leading.
Dropping In: The Hypnotic Induction
With Lucille’s consent, we began the hypnosis process. I guided her through a gentle induction, inviting her to look up, breathe deeply, and allow her eyes to close.
As she drifted inward, I led her down ten imaginary steps, each one deepening her relaxation. With each breath and count, her body softened. The tension melted. Her mind became more open, more receptive.
To demonstrate the power of the subconscious, I invited Lucille to imagine a freshly sliced lemon—vibrant, tangy, its juice flooding her mouth. Her body responded. Saliva production increased. All from a thought.
"Every thought has a physical reaction and emotional response," I reminded her. "You can see how powerful your mind is."
We anchored this state of openness and receptivity. Lucille was deeply relaxed, yet fully aware. Ready to meet the part of her that feared leading.
Meeting the Fear: A Subconscious Exploration
Now deeply in trance, I asked Lucille to scan her body and find where this fear of leading lived.
"In my chest," she answered.
I guided her to visualize it—a lump, gray and dark, sitting heavy inside her. A shape that felt like not good enough, like something scary she wanted to avoid.
This wasn’t just a vague fear. It was a felt experience. A physical presence. A subconscious protector that had likely served a role in her earlier life but was now keeping her from stepping fully into who she is becoming.
I invited her to imagine pulling this part out of her body and placing it in front of her. We began a dialogue.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"To protect me from the leadership in the world I grew up in. From the men in my world who were in charge. Because if I was a woman leading, it would make them uncomfortable."
She was told to stay small, to not ruffle feathers, to stay safe by staying quiet.
"What is your function?" she asked the part.
"To keep me safe."
"Safe from what?"
"From being pushed down, told off, or told to be quiet."
When asked what its purpose was now, the part answered simply:
"There is no purpose now."
It had served a purpose in the past, but it was no longer needed.
Uncovering the Origin: A Subconscious Protector
I asked Lucille when this part first came into her life. She couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment—only a foggy recollection of being emotionally shut down from a very young age. The environment she grew up in didn’t encourage emotional expression, especially not from women.
"I just wanted people to like me. To love me. And in the religious world I grew up in, that meant being quiet."
The fear of leading was born in a place where conformity meant safety. Speaking out or standing up could have meant isolation, punishment, or emotional abandonment.
But as an adult, Lucille sees it clearly. That world no longer has power over her.
Shifting the Story: From Obedience to Ownership
We explored what it meant to carry this fear into her present. Did it still serve her?
"No," Lucille said. "If I continue to have the fear, then I can’t put myself out there. I can’t guide other women to heal."
This fear, once protective, had become a cage. One that blocked her from fulfilling her purpose.
But the breakthrough moment came when she realized she created this part. And because she created it, she can choose to release it.
I asked her to reflect on how she is different now than she was in the environment where this fear originated.
"I’m much more emotionally aware. I’m no longer a part of that community. There aren’t people around me telling me I can’t do this."
She no longer needed to shrink to stay safe. She’s not dependent on those systems for survival. She is a woman with lived experience, wisdom, and a calling to lead others through the very transitions she has navigated herself.
What the Fear Needs to Feel Safe
When I asked her what the part needed in order to feel safe with her leading, the answer was clear:
"To know that I am safe."
More specifically, to believe she is capable, experienced, and good enough to lead.
We explored what that belief could look like in tangible terms—what actions or reminders might reinforce it.
Lucille realized she doesn’t need permission anymore. She has experience. She has wisdom. And she has something deeply important to share.
As she put it,
"I think it's about literally believing that I can be a leader, and that I am good enough."
And that is something she can now practice every single day. Not just as a thought, but as a way of being.
Lucille’s journey is one many of us can relate to. The subconscious doesn’t forget. But it can be rewired. Fear that once protected us doesn’t have to lead us. And healing begins the moment we become conscious of the part that’s been holding us back, and choose to meet it with compassion and courage.
What This Means for You
If you resonated with any part of this story, take a moment. Breathe. Let it land.
So often, we judge ourselves for being stuck. We tell ourselves to push harder, to figure it out, to stop being afraid. But what if your resistance isn’t something to fight? What if it’s a part of you that’s been trying to protect your heart, your family, your identity?
This is the power of working with the subconscious. It doesn’t require you to dig through years of logic or force your way forward. It meets you right where you are with compassion, curiosity, and clarity. You don’t need to bulldoze your blocks. You just need to understand them, and once you do, that’s when things begin to open up. The fear softens, the clarity returns, and the next step doesn’t feel so scary anymore.
If this session stirred something in you, and you’re curious what it might be like to be coached by me in a similar way, you can apply for your own 1:1 hypnocoaching session. I work with a small number of clients each month, and spots are limited.
Click here to schedule your Connection Call.
You’ll share a bit about what you’re navigating, and we’ll go from there.
You don’t have to keep doing this alone.
Your story can shift. And so can your life.
You can also find me on Instagram or Facebook. I would love to hear what resonated with you or answer any questions you have.
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