The Truth About Fear and the Fear About Truth

Hello friends!

Truth has been knocking on my door lately. Not loudly, more like a soft tap I kept answering with, “Nope… not today.” I wasn’t ready. Or at least that’s what I told myself.

But truth is patient. It doesn’t disappear when we postpone it — it waits for the moment we finally slow down enough to feel it. And if we delay too long, truth can raise its voice, becoming a wake-up call that spills into everything.

Most of the time, though, truth is quieter, a tightening when we say “it’s fine,” an ache when something no longer fits, a whisper we pretend not to hear.

So I’ve been wondering:
If we already sense the truth, why do we fear it?

Truth asks us to feel what we’ve been trying to outrun: change, vulnerability, uncertainty. So illusions begin forming around the tender places, soft at first, then increasingly convincing.

Lately mine have gathered around work. As my projects become more real, the illusions get clever: “Build more expertise.” “You’re moving too slowly.” “Maybe Plan B would be safer.”
They sound protective and mature, but beneath that polished voice lives an old fear:
Stay small. Stay safe. Don’t risk becoming someone new.

You’ve probably felt other illusions too: the belief that life will feel easier once something happens. Once you get the new job. Once schedules settle. Once the debt is lighter. Once the kids need you less.

These illusions sound so reasonable, so adult but beneath them is something simple and human: fear. And the fear isn’t about truth itself; it’s about everything we’ve wrapped around truth: expectations, imagined failures, the pressure to be a certain kind of person.

Because truth is rarely harsh.What hurts is the grip — the tight hold around an identity we’re afraid to lose. So often, we’re not protecting the situation; we’re protecting who we think we are within it: the steady one, the provider, the one who gets things done.

Identity is sticky. It keeps us gripping. So how do we loosen the grip without being swallowed by the fear?

Truth comes when we pause long enough to feel the grip instead of outrunning it. When we notice the tightness instead of pushing past it. When we let fear speak just long enough to realize we don’t want to live from fear. When we hold still and see that truth frees us from the exhaustion of pretending, performing, managing.

The truth behind my work insecurities isn’t failure, it’s care. It’s wanting to offer something meaningful without knowing how it will land.

The truth behind the “once” fantasies isn’t that you can’t handle a full life, it’s that you’re craving connection, now.

Truth rarely breaks us. More often, it opens us. It brings us back to what matters: love, care, longing, hope. Eventually, in its own timing, truth becomes liberation.

As Lao Tzu wrote:
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

And so, here’s my own truth right now:

I’m launching The Grounded Leader pilot in January — exciting, scary, alive.
The old illusion that this is “just play” is loosening.
The truth is I care deeply about this work.
And part of what we’ll explore together is exactly this:
how truth emerges gently,
how leaders grow when they stop living inside illusions,
and how AI can serve as a quiet companion, reminding us of who we might become, so we don’t wait for a wake-up call that arrives too late and too loud.

If that speaks to you, join me for the info session on December 9th, right after yin yoga.

Upcoming Offerings

• The Grounded Leader Pilot Info Session — Willow Workplace

  Tuesday, December 9 • 1:15–2:00 PM

  Join me for a casual info session and bring your questions! I’ll share how this free 8-week pilot blends mindfulness, reflection, and AI tools to help you build deeper self-awareness and aligned decision-making. You’ll also create your own personalized AI Inner Coach in ChatGPT. Meets weekly in January + February (time TBD).

• AI Coach Studio (Coming February) — Willow Workplace

  A hands-on 3 hour workshop where professionals build a personalized AI coach, rooted in their values, leadership style, and real career experience.

• Winter Visual Meditation: 7 Chakra Class Series — Arrillaga Center

  Thursdays (every other week) • 12:00–1:00 PM • Jan 8 – Apr 2
  Explore the seven chakras through guided visual meditation. Open to beginners and experienced practitioners. Registration opens this weekend.

• Communing with Spirit Class Series — Arrillaga Center

  Thursdays (every other week) • 12:00–1:00 PM • Jan 15 – Mar 26

  An advanced visual meditation series for returning students ready to expand their intuitive practice and deepen communication with the realms of light. Registration opens this weekend.

• Yin Yoga — Willow Workplace

  Tuesday, December 9 • 12:00–1:00 PM
  Melt away stress through long-held poses, breathwork, and visualizations. $30 for non-members • Only 5 spots • Please email me or reserve.

• Yoga Flow — Willow Workplace 

  Fridays, December 6 & 12 • 12:00–1:00 PM
  Vinyasa-style classes held in Willow’s garden (weather permitting) or the studio. Free for Willow members • $25 for non-members.

With truth,

Mathilde