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Uncertainty tends to make us hesitate. We overthink. We stall. We imagine worst-case scenarios. But what if uncertainty wasn’t something to avoid—but something to work with?

In this week’s episode of Bite Size Fridays, we unpack the fear of uncertainty through the lens of the contrarian mindset. I share James’s story—a seasoned financial professional whose desire for stability kept him stuck. Through coaching, reflection, and deliberate skill-building, James learned to stop resisting uncertainty and start engaging with it as a space for discovery and growth.

Here are the contrarian strategies James used to reshape his relationship with the unknown:

• Embrace uncertainty – start with low-stakes experiments to build comfort and confidence
• Let go of fixed outcomes – practice flexibility and open-mindedness toward different results
• Focus on objective reality, not emotional bias – separate facts from fear through journaling and reality-checking techniques
• Practice courage – take small, brave steps daily, even in the face of fear
• Counter rumination and overthinking – write it out, then interrupt thought loops with action

James’s transformation didn’t come from eliminating fear—it came from building a stronger relationship with it. This episode explores how you can use the same mindset to face uncertainty with resilience, flexibility, and growth.

Additional Resources:
Interested in building a contrarian mindset for resilience, fortitude, and psychological strength? Check out the other episodes in this series linked in the show notes, and subscribe to It’s an Inside Job for more insights on resilience, well-being, and personal growth.

Part 1 – Discover the Power of The Contrarian Mindset: A New Approach to Rewiring Your Brain for Resilience and Growth

Part 2 – Discover the Power of The Contrarian Mindset: A New Approach to Rewiring Your Brain for Resilience and Growth

This is Part 7 in a 15-part Contrarian Mindset series that helps you confront hidden fears and mental habits that hold you back—one mindset at a time.

🔹 Part 1 – Facing the Fear of Vulnerability
🔹 Part 2 – Breaking Free from Perfectionism
🔹 Part 3 – Moving Through Imposter Syndrome
🔹 Part 4 – Overcoming the Fear of Not Being Good Enough
🔹 Part 5 – Replacing Reactivity with Response
🔹 Part 6 – Embracing Change Instead of Resisting It
🔹 Contrarian Skills Series (Season 7) – Scroll back to January 2025 for individual deep dives on each skill

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“You don't know how strong you are until you're faced with a crisis. I never thought I could survive being kidnapped and thrown into a hole. But somehow, you find the strength in you to get through it.” - Mellissa Fung

In this powerful episode, I sit down with veteran journalist, author, and filmmaker Mellissa Fung, whose work spans war zones, survival, and the untold stories of women living through conflict. Mellissa shares her personal journey—from her early reporting days at CBC to being kidnapped while on assignment in Afghanistan, and how that experience reshaped her understanding of trauma, agency, and the power of narrative.

We discuss how she transformed her experience from victimhood to resilience and why she continues to shine a light on the lives of women and girls affected by war—especially in Afghanistan and Nigeria. From her acclaimed books Under an Afghan Sky and Between Good and Evil, to her documentary Captive, Mellissa’s storytelling centers empathy, courage, and the fight for dignity in forgotten corners of the world.

This episode is about more than journalism. It’s about finding strength through pain, the responsibility to amplify unheard voices, and the resilience it takes to keep caring in a world overwhelmed by conflict and complexity.

What We Talk About:

• Melissa’s early career and what drew her to stories of women and overlooked communities
• Her harrowing 2008 kidnapping in Afghanistan—and how she mentally and emotionally survived
• The process of reclaiming her story and identity through healing and writing
• Her powerful return to Afghanistan and what it taught her about trauma recovery
• Why she chose to document the stories of girls abducted by Boko Haram
• The growing global indifference to women's suffering in conflict zones—and what we risk by looking away
• Reflections on resilience, agency, faith, and post-traumatic growth
• The shifting landscape of women’s rights around the world in 2025

Key Takeaways:

• Resilience isn’t about being unshaken. It’s about staying present, accepting pain, and finding strength even when broken.
• Storytelling is a form of resistance. When the world looks away, telling the truth becomes an act of care and courage.
• Healing isn’t linear. Melissa’s journey reminds us that trauma can be transformed, but not rushed or erased.
• Human rights must remain universal. The rollback of women’s freedoms globally is not just a regional issue—it’s a shared responsibility.

Featured Works by Mellissa Fung:

• Under an Afghan Sky: A Memoir of Captivity
• Between Good and Evil: The Stolen Girls of Boko Haram
• Captive (Documentary Film)

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Change often knocks when we least expect it—and rarely when we feel ready. This week on BiteSize Fridays, we explore one of the most common and quietly limiting fears: the fear of change.

In this episode, I share William’s story—a seasoned marketing leader with decades of experience and deep confidence in traditional ways of working. When his company underwent a major strategic shift, it pushed him into unfamiliar territory. And like many of us, William initially resisted. Not because he lacked skill, but because he feared letting go of what he knew.

Through coaching and applying strategies from the Contrarian Playbook, William began to see change not as a threat, but as an opportunity—to grow, to lead differently, and to reconnect with curiosity.

William used these contrarian strategies to shift his mindset:

• Embrace obstacles as opportunities – reframing discomfort as the doorway to growth
• Practice courage – facing vulnerability head-on and acting despite uncertainty
• Focus on progress, not perfection – seeing mistakes as data, not failures
• Build social bridges – creating space for open dialogue, curiosity, and collective problem-solving
• Let go of fixed outcomes – focusing on action and effort, not rigid expectations

William’s journey reminds us that change is rarely comfortable—but it doesn’t have to be feared. With the right tools and a shift in mindset, we can transform it into fuel for leadership, innovation, and personal evolution.

Additional Resources:
Interested in building a contrarian mindset for resilience, fortitude, and psychological strength? Check out the other episodes in this series linked in the show notes, and subscribe to It’s an Inside Job for more insights on resilience, well-being, and personal growth.

Part 1 – Discover the Power of The Contrarian Mindset: A New Approach to Rewiring Your Brain for Resilience and Growth

Part 2 – Discover the Power of The Contrarian Mindset: A New Approach to Rewiring Your Brain for Resilience and Growth

This is Part 6 in a 15-part Contrarian Mindset series where we confront the fears and mental habits that quietly limit our growth—and learn how to think differently.

🔹 Part 1 – Facing the Fear of Vulnerability
🔹 Part 2 – Breaking Free from Perfectionism
🔹 Part 3 – Moving Through Imposter Syndrome
🔹 Part 4 – Overcoming the Fear of Not Being Good Enough
🔹 Part 5 – Replacing Reactivity with Response
🔹 Contrarian Skills Series (Season 7) – Start in January 2025 for deep dives into each mindset strategy.

Support the show

Sign up for the weekly IT'S AN INSIDE JOB NEWSLETTER

• takes 5 seconds to fill out
• receive a fresh update every Wednesday