Overcoming Fear in Business: How Surfing Made Me a Better Entrepreneur

From stress to surfing — how the ocean taught me resilience, confidence, and how to manage fear.

Ever felt like fear was calling the shots in your life? No matter where you are in your journey, overcoming fear in business is a skill that you can build.

I have. After having my first child, I felt crippling fear every time I went surfing.  I loved surfing and been surfing waves around the world since I was a kid.  Then, one day, while standing above the famed Uluwatu surf break in Bali, I was paralyzed in fear.  I couldn’t understand what happened.  I went from competing in surf contests to being unable to paddle out even tiny waves.  That day in Bali ignited a personal quest to understand and overcome a fear of surfing big waves.

Guess what?  The lessons I learned went way beyond surfing. I also created a personal blog and ran surf retreats in Kuta Lombok Indonesia around overcoming fear.

Years later, I felt a similar all-compassing fear when I started my own business. From raising my rates to showing up online, fear had a funny way of creeping in and convincing me to play small.

Like many women running businesses from home, I was juggling way too many things — client work, creative ideas, relationships, endless emails — all while trying to keep calm and carry on.

Instead of burning out, I had a game plan.  I took the lessons I learned while systematically creating a plan of action for overcoming fear in surfing and applied them to overcoming fear in business.

This process changed everything — not just for my personal life, but for how I overcome fear in business.

The Real Fear Behind Business Decisions

Fear doesn’t always show up as full-blown panic. For women in business, it often hides behind “being practical” or “not ready yet.”

This is what it looks like:

• Undercharging for your services
• Avoiding visibility or saying no to interviews
• Procrastinating on launching your offer
• Overcommitting because you’re scared to say no

For me, fear wasn’t loud. It was subtle, persistent, and sneaky — and it kept me stuck in the cycle of overwhelm and burnout. However, my experience overcoming fear in surfing helped me because I knew that fear doesn’t disappear, but you can change your relationship with it.

How I Built Resilience and a Fearless Mindset

After my meltdown in Bali, I came back to Australia and studied the science behind fear.  I found an amazing book called, The Fear Project by Jaimal Yogis and used it as a blueprint.

I learned I could prepare ahead of time for scary situations.  I also learned that once I had done the work, I could rely on my preparation and let go when the waves got heavy.

What Surfing Taught Me About Fear

…and How It Applies Overcoming Fear in Business

Here’s what surfing taught me that I now carry into my business life every day:

Fear Doesn’t Go Away — But You Learn to Move with It

Whether it’s paddling into a wave or pressing “publish” on your sales page, fear will show up. And that’s okay. What matters is that you show up too.

I used to think fear meant “stop” — now I know it usually means “stretch.”

If you’re working through this in the water too, I built my own guide to overcoming fear in the surf and used it in creating a strong mindset for myself and others — so many of the tools apply in business as well.

You’re Not Supposed to Master It on Day One

We put so much pressure on ourselves to “nail it” from the start, especially as women entrepreneurs. But like surfing, business is a skill you develop over time.

I spent years just learning how to paddle, read waves, and take off. I also did a lot of work and research to learn how to help other people surf and build confidence in themselves.

If you’re early in your surf or business journey, be gentle with yourself. Getting better at anything is rarely linear — and that’s okay.

Falling Isn’t Failing — It’s Learning

Every wipeout is information. Every awkward client call or failed launch is feedback. Once I stopped judging the fall, I started learning faster — in the water and in business. The secret to overcoming fear in business is to take action in spite of your fight or flight response.

Progress Over Perfection

I used to think I had to get everything perfect before putting it out there. But in surfing, standing up for two seconds is a win. The same is true in business. Celebrate every little step. They add up and suddenly you find yourself with more confidence and self-trust.

Bringing Surf Mindset into Everyday Business

Here are a few practical mindset shifts you can use straight away to overcome fear in business:

Breathe before reacting:

Whether you’re dealing with client feedback or paddling into a wave, a calm breath makes everything clearer.

Just paddle out:

Don’t wait until you feel 100% ready. Take a small step towards your goals every day.  This will help you build momentum and feel like a real female entrepreneur.

Reps, reps, reps:

Business, like surfing, is a skill that requires commitment and perseverance. The best way to overcome fear in business is to practice and take action everyday.

Ride the wave you’re on:

Focus on one project or offer. Stay present. That’s where your power is.

Celebrate courage, not just results:

You showed up. You took the leap. That matters more than perfect metrics.

If you’ve been feeling stagnant, try something physical that stretches you. Fear tends to shrink when your body learns to expand into it.

A New Way to Reset

Many women in business find that surfing is an amazing way to reset — emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. It gives you space to hear your own thoughts again, to rebuild trust in yourself, and to find clarity in your next steps.

Taking up a sport like surfing is also a great way for work from home mums to meet other likeminded women business owners and get the exercise they need so badly to stay sane while doing the “juggle”.

That’s why I created Sea Hearts Surf — a community and surf travel experience designed for women, especially those feeling the weight of business, motherhood, or both. You don’t need to be a pro. You just need to show up with an open heart and a sense of adventure.

Ready To Overcome Fear in Your Business?

If you’re feeling scared in your business — of launching, of failing, of being visible — know that you’re not alone.

Fear is normal. Courage is doing it anyway.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do isn’t another strategy session or course… it’s grabbing a board, facing a wave, and remembering who you are when everything else falls away. Surfing can help you build confidence, resilience, self-trust, and a fearless mindset for women entrepreneurs.

If you’re curious about what the ocean might teach you too about overcoming fear in business, come find us at Sea Hearts Surf. We’ll be cheering you on.