The Whispers of Courage

Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's acting despite it.

Have you ever felt a whisper inside, a quiet nudge urging you to share your truth, only to be met with the clammy grip of fear?

That fear of judgment, of not being good enough, of putting yourself out there and falling flat? We've all been there.

But what if, instead of silencing that whisper, we dared to listen? What if we embraced the vulnerability that makes us human and allowed our stories to unfold, not in spite of our imperfections, but because of them?

This week’s spotlight is on Nati Beltrán: Nonviolent Communication trainer, leadership and executive coach, neuroscience researcher, Montessori educator... She will share her secrets to navigating the delicate balance between vulnerability and boundaries, the power of showing up authentically even when it feels like walking in the dark, and why your unique voice is precisely what the world needs to hear.

Get ready to be inspired, challenged, and maybe, just maybe, find the courage to unleash the whispers within your own soul. Because the world isn't waiting for perfect; it's waiting for you.

Q: Beyond the act of hitting "publish," what's the most courageous thing you've done as a writer on Substack?

To share personal bits about my own story and trajectory. My work is very personal, an inner work type of work. It is courageous by nature, and the most recurrent request my clients make of me is to share “how I do it on the inside.” This means me sharing vulnerably and authentically for the purpose of other people’s clarity and learning. So, it requires me to discern what is useful to others and put my worries aside, trusting that people will be understanding and respectful with that information. It invites me to constantly seek balance between showing myself to others while listening to my inner boundaries of what I feel I want to keep private, and what I am willing to share.

At other times, it is expressing a controversial thought that may raise some eyebrows, but do so in the hopes of raising awareness and making people think of the effects of how we think and how we choose to act, or the impact of ignorance.

Q: Many people dream of writing but fear judgment or failure. What advice would you give to those who are hesitant to share their voice on Substack?

Start. Find your comfort zone where you feel OK sharing and -- even if noone reads it, or if some people disagree with you (or even don’t like your post). Once you find your comfort zone, stretch a little bit with each post, be more authentic, challenge yourself to edit once more and make it terser, find the challenges that you are willing to take on which would benefit your audience because you showed up more authentically.

Make clear to Clarify for yourself if you can who is this you are writing for? Who is my reader? And speak to them as a person. Let that get clearer as you share more posts. Readers on Substack are really enthusiastic and positive overall, I find. It feels like a community, and they are understanding.

The question that helps me the most to overcome my own fears and tendency to self-sabotage is who am I not to share? The world needs your voice, your experience, your ideas. Only you can offer those in the unique ways you will create. You just never know who you will touch and help. You could change somebody’s entire life with this post.

Q: In your opinion, what's the most courageous thing a reader can do after engaging with your work?

For me, it is about becoming the changed person that lives the values we want to see more of in the world. If I am fully honest, the courageous step would be to jump in on my Empathic Leader course. It is an intensive journey of transformation that takes a lot of courage to commit to becoming a more aware and empathic person and leader. It goes against most of the environments people find themselves in and this is really courageous.

If they want a smaller step, it would be to take one action of the suggestions I post weekly, making a change such as getting in touch with their deep needs and expressing them with radical honesty. This goes against the “nice” culture; being honest is sometimes saying the hard thing. My readers would be encouraged to find a way to say it truthfully while caringly. Being real requires a high level of self-awareness, which is already quite a courageous thing to pursue.

Q: Vulnerability is often a key component of courage. How do you balance being vulnerable with maintaining healthy boundaries as a writer in such a public space?

I ask myself if what I am sharing is for me or for my audience. My commitment is to serve people towards supporting themselves to make changes for a better world. So, I do share vulnerably to show people how I do this, and hopefully inspire them, but I also don’t overshare. I take care of myself and my privacy while showing up really authentically, with real stories, while protecting my own privacy and that of others.

For me, sharing with full authenticity, which means lots of vulnerability, is key. I want to relate as a human being and an equal to my readers. We are all learning together to become more of our highest potential selves, and we all learn from each other.

Q: Courage often involves taking risks. What's the biggest risk you've taken in sharing your writing or building your Substack community?

If there is no risk, no fear, there is no courage. Doing the comfortable thing does not require courage, in my opinion. The big risk for me has been exactly that, sharing more of myself. Often, it is continuing to show up despite not yet having enough of a following and despite not having many paid subscribers.

I put in a lot of time into the content I put out, and it is not always clear whether people enjoy it if they don’t stop to comment or send me an email and tell me how it lands. It is a bit of a blind game sometimes, and like you are walking in the dark. But I trust people and trust that those that are supported by my writing will continue to benefit from my consistency.

Q: If you could go back and tell your pre-Substack self one thing about the journey ahead, what would it be?

Make it simpler. I often overcomplicate things, and it has been a struggle for me to stay terse because my subject matter has a depth and a complexity. At times I have published a piece that is not as polished as I would have liked.

But perfection keeps me not publishing, and humility and acceptance of what I manage as a busy human being with multiple hats like business founder and owner, course creator and trainer, coach, mum, friend, etc. push me forward to keep showing up.

If you enjoyed this share and resonate with

Nati Beltrán

’s way of being, subscribe and reach out! She’d love to hear from you.

👉 If you enjoy reading this post, feel free to share it with friends! Or feel free to click the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack