30 Day No Fear Networking Challenge Day One: Pitching Myself as a Guest to 10 Podcasts

I won't lie, this morning, I woke up asking myself...

WTF did I get myself into?!?!

There’s something equal parts exciting and terrifying about publicly declaring a mission—especially one designed to make yourself uncomfortable.

But here we are: Day 1 of the 30 Day No Fear Networking Challenge, and here’s the task I gave myself today:

Pitch Yourself as a Guest to Ten Podcasts.

I opened ChatGPT and asked it to create a list of podcasts that aligned with the topic of my upcoming book, No Fear Networking: A Guide to Building Connections for the Socially Anxious Professional.

I stared at the list, ready to search for the first host on LinkedIn, when I froze.

Was this really outside my comfort zone? Reaching out to a curated, "safe" list of potential podcasts?

Nope.

So, I switched strategies, and went BIG. I decided to pitch myself to the most well-known podcast hosts I could think of.

Why? Because I struggle to speak to people I admire.

Even when I’m speaking at the same event, trying to strike up a conversation with someone I respect usually goes one of two ways:

1. I completely forget how to form words.
2. I overcompensate and...brag.

It’s awful. I name-drop. I rattle off accomplishments. I go full “Do you know who my dad is?!?!” energy. ?? It’s cringeworthy, and I spend the rest of the night replaying the moment on loop in my head.

So, as I sat there sipping my morning coffee, I had an idea.

What if I pitched myself to people who intimidate me, but instead of stats, I led with my story? What if I told them about how I battled agoraphobia and how that inspired me to write this book?

With shaky hands, I opened LinkedIn and typed in names:

Amy Porterfield. Jenna Kutcher. Jay Shetty.

And so on.

A funny thing happened. By the fourth pitch, the nausea started to fade. I stopped overthinking. I shared more candidly. It even started to feel...fun.

Now, here’s the thing: I don’t expect a single reply from the people I pitched today. And you know what? That’s okay.

There’s something freeing about detaching from the outcome and realizing that success isn’t about whether or not I book a major podcast.

We can’t control other people’s behavior or responses. All we can control is how we show up. And showing up, again and again, with shaky hands and an open heart? That’s what No Fear Networking is all about.

It’s not about being fearless. It’s about feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

I’ll update you if I hear back, but for now, I’m so proud of myself.

Bring on Day 2!

Love and coffee, Mick

Ps. You can get your sneak peek and preorder your copy of No Fear Networking: A Guide to Building Connections for the Socially Anxious Professional (available in book stores on February 11th) here: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/exclusive-subscriber-sneak-peek-fear-networking-guide-michaela-alexis-5rhje/?trackingId=9N08LyLEQ7ui4jSnV6ZDJg%3D%3D