embrace-uncertainty — Embrace Uncertainty

Hey friend—Kathie here. I want to start today with a truth bomb:

Uncertainty isn’t your enemy. It’s your superpower.

That weird, wobbly feeling of not knowing what’s next? It’s not a sign to stop. It’s a signal that growth is happening.

Today we’re diving into Embracing Uncertainty: A Mindset for Growth. This isn’t just theory—it’s something I’ve lived through recently in my own business. So let’s get into it, shall we?

Why We Crave Certainty (and Why It Holds Us Back)

Let’s get nerdy for a second: our brains are wired to seek comfort and avoid discomfort. That was great when our ancestors were avoiding saber-tooth tigers and poisonous berries. Uncertainty used to equal danger. So naturally, we adapted to avoid it.

But today, uncertainty looks different:

Launching your own thing
Speaking up in meetings
Starting over
Saying yes when you're scared

It’s not physical danger—it’s emotional risk. But our brains react the same way: retreat, shut down, hide.

We build cozy comfort zones and stay stuck, even when our souls are begging for more.

My Story: The Practice Presentation That Almost Didn’t Happen

Let me give you a real-life example.

Just this week, I almost bailed on a meeting with my mentor, Maria. I had scheduled a practice run of my new corporate wellness presentation—and the nerves were loud. I wanted to reschedule. I wanted to hide.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I asked myself: What if there’s someone out there who really needs what I have to offer? If I don’t show up, I delay helping that person. And that’s just not an option for me.

So I showed up, nerves and all.

After the presentation, Maria told me something I’ll never forget:

“The thing that stood out most was when you said, ‘I help build healthy, happy teams—one heart at a time.’”

That’s been my tagline since day one, but hearing her reflect it back reminded me: this isn’t just a business tagline. It’s my mission.

Because when I talk about heart health, I don’t just mean cardio workouts (though I love those too). I mean the core of who we are—our emotional wellbeing, our resilience, our sense of purpose. The heartbeat of every great team.

That day, I leaned into the discomfort of uncertainty. And it led me back to my why.

The Hidden Gift Inside Uncertainty

So let’s go back to that uncomfortable feeling.

We often interpret it as a red flag—“This feels scary, I must be doing something wrong.”
But what if… it's actually a green light?

Uncertainty is the breeding ground for creativity, resilience, innovation, and breakthroughs.

It’s where the magic happens. But you only find it if you're willing to walk into the fog.

And trust me—I've seen this in action. Whether it's helping a company improve their wellness culture, coaching someone through burnout, or even writing this blog post—the unknown is where transformation lives.

3 Tools for Navigating Uncertainty Like a Pro

1. Reframe Your Thoughts

Your inner dialogue matters. When fear whispers “you can’t handle this,” try answering back with:

“I’m learning to handle this.”
“This is new, not dangerous.”
“I’m growing right now.”

The words you use create your reality. Don’t let outdated programming run the show.

2. Embrace Experimentation

Think of your life like a science lab. Try things. Break patterns. Step outside of the familiar.

In Reality Transurfing, there’s something called the Anomalous Challenge—you intentionally do something different every day to shake things up. I love this practice, and I also connect it to the idea of artist dates from The Artist’s Way.

Do something unfamiliar. Try a new route, say yes to something weird, eat dessert first. Why? Because novelty wakes you up. It puts you in a creative, resourceful state where growth becomes inevitable.

And remember—if it doesn’t work out, that’s not failure. That’s feedback.

3. Build Your Support Network

This one’s huge. No one grows alone.

I rejoined Toastmasters this year, and let me tell you—the inspiration and support in that group is electric. Surround yourself with people who’ve done what you’re trying to do. Let their energy remind you that you’re not alone.

Your environment will either lift you up or hold you down. Choose wisely.

Let’s Talk Growth Mindset

Psychologist Carol Dweck introduced the idea of a growth mindset, and it changed everything.

A growth mindset is the belief that:

You’re not fixed.
You can develop new skills.
You can improve with effort, feedback, and time.

When you approach uncertainty with this mindset, it becomes the soil where your confidence takes root.

Suddenly, mistakes aren’t scary.
They’re teachers.
Challenges aren’t problems.
They’re invitations.

And you? You become unstoppable—not because everything goes smoothly, but because you’ve learned to thrive even when it doesn’t.

Why It’s Worth It

You might be thinking: Okay Kathie, this all sounds good… but it’s still scary.

I get it. Believe me, I’ve lived it.

But here’s why you lean in anyway:

You discover what you're truly made of.
You develop a deeper sense of purpose.
You become more you—confident, grounded, clear.

And maybe most importantly? You gain the resilience to handle whatever comes next.

Because uncertainty doesn’t break you.
It forges you.

Final Thoughts: From “I Don’t Know” to “I’m Open”

Today, I invite you to make one small shift.

Instead of saying:

“I don’t know what to do.”
Try: “I’m open to what unfolds.”

Instead of:

“I’m afraid to start.”
Say: “I’m excited to grow.”

And next time you feel the wobbles?
Take the next step anyway. Not with fear—but with curiosity and self-trust.

Because real growth doesn’t happen when you have all the answers.
It happens when you move even when you don’t.

Come Hang Out With Me

If this post sparked something in you, share it with someone who needs a boost of courage today. And don’t forget to:

Subscribe to the podcast
Visit kathieowen.com
Say hi on Instagram @officialkathieowen

✨ Let’s build healthy, happy lives—one heart at a time.

#EmbraceUncertainty #GrowthMindset #CorporateWellness #ComfortZoneChallenge #RealityTransurfing #PersonalGrowth #KathieOwenCoaching #HeartBasedLeadership

About Kathie

Kathie Owen is a corporate wellness consultant, mindset coach, and award-winning speaker with over two decades of experience in fitness and employee engagement.

As the founder of Top Workplace Wellness, she helps organizations and individuals reduce burnout, boost resilience, and create thriving cultures—one heart at a time. Kathie combines science-backed wellness strategies with mindset principles from Reality Transurfing, growth psychology, and emotional intelligence.

Follow Kathie on Social Media

Transcript

Hey friends, welcome back to the show. It's Kathie Owen here and I'm so glad you pressed play today because we are diving into something that every single one of us experiences. Uncertainty. Yep. 📍 That weird wobbly feeling of not knowing what comes next. It's uncomfortable, it's unsettling, and it's 100% necessary for growth.

So today's episode is called Embracing Uncertainty, a Mindset for Growth. And by the end of this conversation, I hope you'll walk away with fresh insight, a few mindset tools, and most importantly courage to keep going even when the path isn't fully lit. Let's go. You're listening to Kathie's Coaching podcast. I'm your host, Kathie Owen. So let's start with something our brains really don't wanna admit. We are wired to seek comfort and avoid discomfort. It's evolutionary. Our ancestors weren't looking to grow.

They were looking to survive. And back then uncertainty could mean predators or poison berries. So our brains learn to avoid the unknown. But guess what? You and I aren't being chased by saber tooth tigers anymore. Now the predators. Are things like fear of judgment, self-doubt, and fear of failure, and so we build these cozy little nests called comfort zones.

They feel good, safe, and predictable. But they can also lead to stagnation. If you've ever felt stuck in a routine uninspired or quietly frustrated with yourself, you might be hanging out in your comfort zone a little too long. But here's the reframe, feeling uncomfortable. It means you are expanding.

Discomfort is a sign. You're stretching your potential, and that my friend is powerful.

Let's talk about the word uncertainty. Most of us hear it and think, yikes, danger, but what if we started seeing uncertainty as a playground instead of a threat? Uncertainty is the breeding ground for creativity, innovation, and resilience. Every breakthrough in history from scientific discoveries to personal transformations started with someone stepping into the unknown and I can tell you from personal experience this is true. And when you reframe fear of the unknown into curiosity about the unknown, your whole energy shifts. So the next time your brain goes, what if this doesn't work out? Try responding with what if it does? Okay, I hear ya. Now let's bring it down to earth.

Let's talk practical tools you can use when uncertainty is high and your nervous system is sounding the alarm. Number one, reframe your thoughts. Catch those sneaky limiting beliefs in the act instead of, I can't handle this. Try. I'm learning how to handle this instead of, this is scary. Say this is new and I'm growing.

Affirmations matter. Speak life into your situation. Remember the video I did on controlling the controllables? That is very similar. I'll have a link to that in the show notes and description below. Okay. Number two, embrace experimentation. Try things. Break your own rules. Take calculated risks. Think of your life as a series of experiments.

📍 If something doesn't work out, it's not a failure. It's feedback. Edison said, I didn't fail. I just found 10,000 ways. That didn't work. And when I think about embracing experimentation, I think of what we used to do in Reality Transurfing which was the anomalous challenge, which meant every day we tried something different and we went out of our comfort zone and went into a new.

Way or tried something different. And I also like to think of this like the Artist Way book talks about, she talks about going on artist dates. And when you do that, you kind of step out of your comfort zone and you try new things and you'd be surprised what you would find out inside there. So embrace experimentation.

And if you'd like me to do a video on anomalous challenge, just comment anomalous, challenge down below and I will talk about it. And number three, build your support network. No one grows alone. Surround yourself with people who challenge you, uplift you, and cheer you on when you take brave steps. Bonus points if they've done what you're trying to do, that energy is contagious.

And I can tell you that just this year in 2025, I rejoined Toastmasters, and I'm telling you that energy is contagious and we have some of the best meetings ever, and I get most of my inspiration just from that network. So. Here are the three strategies for navigating uncertainty. Reframe your thoughts, embrace experimentation, and build your support network.

Did you know that on every video I include a blog post that has bonus resources and more and the link to that will be in the show notes and description below. I sure hope to see you there. So let's connect all of this to one of my favorite ideas, the growth mindset. It's coined by psychologist Carol Dweck

a growth mindset is the belief that your abilities can be developed through dedication, effort, and learning. With a growth mindset, challenges become opportunities, mistakes become teachers, and uncertainty what we're talking about today. It becomes the soil where your confidence grows roots. The best part, this isn't a one and done decision.

It's a practice. It's a journey. Some days you'll feel bold, and other days you'll wanna crawl back to comfort, and that's okay. The goal is not perfection, it is progress.

So why do this? Why leave the cozy bubble and lean into the awkwardness of not knowing? Because the rewards are real. You discover your true potential, you achieve things you once thought impossible. You build confidence not because everything goes smoothly, but because you now know you can handle it when it doesn't.

And you develop a sense of self-awareness and purpose that can't be shaken by circumstances. Like I like to say, we are not our circumstances. That is the gift of uncertainty. It forges you.

So today I invite you to befriend the unknown. Instead of saying, I don't know what to do, try saying, I'm open to what unfolds. Instead of saying, I'm afraid to start, say I am excited to grow and when in doubt. Just take the next step with curiosity and self-trust, because growth doesn't happen when you know exactly what you're doing.

It happens when you move anyway. Alright, my friend. Thank you for listening today. If this message sparks something in you, please share it with someone else who needs a little courage today and subscribe. Leave a comment below and come hang out with me over on Instagram or add my website at www.kathieowen.com. I'd love to connect with you. Until next time, keep growing, keep glowing and keep going.

Alright, and until next time, I will see you next time. Peace out and namaste.

Why Uncertainty Is Your Superpower (And How to Use It)

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Why We Crave Certainty (and Why It Holds Us Back)