“When Calm Replaced Anxiety”
Some breakthroughs don’t come with applause or big performances.
They come quietly — in moments where fear loosens its grip and confidence gently takes its place.
Irina experienced one of those moments recently, and it meant more than she may even realize.
She played a little for a friend who listened over the phone. On the surface, it sounds simple. But for Irina, this was something entirely new.
“I wasn’t shaking and I wasn’t in a state of anxiety like before.”
That sentence alone says everything.
In the past, playing for someone — even informally — brought anxiety, tension, and fear. But this time, Irina noticed something different in herself. Her body was calm. Her mind was steady. And instead of panic, there was presence.
One of the key shifts came from a simple suggestion:
to start recording herself on video, and to send those videos even with mistakes.
“Sending videos with mistakes helped me let go of fear.”
This is where real growth begins.
Not when the mistakes disappear — but when the fear of them does.
By allowing herself to be seen exactly as she is, Irina took away the power anxiety once held over her. And in its place, confidence began to grow.
“I feel my confidence is improving.”
That growth is also showing up in her willingness to participate, to sing, and to share. Irina is currently part of Stephen’s Challenge and is preparing to send a group video on the 20th, singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” She’s practicing, refining, and continuing to ask for feedback — not from a place of fear, but from a place of curiosity and courage.
This is what progress really looks like.
It’s not about being fearless.
It’s about being less afraid than before.
And then less afraid again.
Irina’s journey is a beautiful reminder that confidence isn’t something we force — it’s something we build, gently, by showing up again and again.
And sometimes, the biggest win isn’t how you played —
It’s how calm you felt while playing.
You can read Irina’s full story. And if her journey speaks to you, maybe it’s time to begin your own.
That is real growth.
With gratitude,
Stephen Ridley
