David J. Gailey Author

“Feel the fear and do it anyway.”

You never know the impact your example might have on someone else.

I bought Susan Jeffers’ book after hearing someone describe how it helped him, with the support of his partner, step into a completely different and unfamiliar career.

That phrase has become one of my mantras.

There are so many things we wait to do until we feel ready.

Write the book.
Go back to school.
Start a new career.
Walk into a room where everyone else seems more qualified.

We fear judgment. We judge ourselves. We limit ourselves with old stories we have heard, absorbed, or repeated for years:

You can’t do that.
You’ll never be good enough.
Who do you think you are?

But sometimes growth starts before confidence does.

A few years ago, I followed a long-standing curiosity and attended a week-long professional training and conference in Canada where I knew I would be surrounded by people with far more experience than I had.

I went anyway.

This year, I was grateful to return to Banff with good friends Mark Carlin and Hans Snyder, continuing to learn, to listen, and to be reminded that courage is not something we wait to feel before we begin.

Sometimes courage is simply signing up, showing up, and taking the next step even when we are unsure.

Feel the fear… and do it anyway.

CTSC 2026 — Banff, Alberta