I’ve been afraid of talking on the phone for as long as I can remember.

Well, that’s not entirely true.

Therapy revealed the exact moment I decided I needed to fear the phone. But that’s a Field Note for another time.

Once I uncovered the “reason” for my fear, my therapist and I decided some exposure therapy might be good for me.

I was working at Orangetheory at the time, and we were in the middle of our Transformation Challenge. I was running teams at two studios, which meant I could only connect with so many people in person.

The phone was necessary. So over the course of two weeks, I set out to call nearly 150 people.

It was terrifying.

Until it wasn’t.

Call after call, the fear started to lose some of its power.

But here’s the thing: That exposure didn’t cure me.

When the challenge ended, I stopped making all those calls. And over time, vestiges of the fear resurfaced.

Then I joined Speeko.

Suddenly, my work required me to talk to people all the time. And not just on the phone.

ON VIDEO. 😂

Coaching calls. Assessments. Meetings. Camera on. Go.

And somewhere along the way, I realized:

I’m not afraid anymore.

I look forward to my coaching calls. I don’t dread turning on the camera.

What changed?

Reps.

Lots and lots of reps.

We tend to think of practice as something we do until we get good at something.

But maybe that’s incomplete.

Reps are how we get better.

Reps are how we get comfortable.

And reps are how we stay comfortable.

Turns out, growth has maintenance requirements. 😂

The thing that once terrified me became ordinary because I kept doing it.

And when I stopped doing it, some of the fear came back.

So, what reps are you avoiding?

Because the thing you keep avoiding might not require more courage.

It might just require more reps.