The core would be universal.
A fear that stops us from speaking up in a meeting, shipping that new project or sitting down to have a difficult conversation.
A fear that sits at the root of imposter syndrome, social anxiety and public speaking.
A fear that explains why we don’t ask for help.
That if you peeled back all of these juicy layers you’d be left with the same, universal core fear:
The fear of other people’s opinions.
It makes sense given we’re hard-wired for connection and belonging.
Knowing this, what if we encouraged more conversations around fears?
What if we attempted to normalise the core, rather than hide it beneath the endless layers of an eye-watering onion?
And if you’re wondering “why the onion metaphor?” blame Shrek.
PS. My friend Jen Waldman and I once recorded a podcast episode on fear onions… It never made it off the cutting room floor but plenty of other episodes have. You can check them out over here.