By Leo Babauta

At the start of the pandemic, in the midst of chaos and uncertainty, I launched Fearless Mastery, my small group coaching and mastermind program.

It was actually perfect timing: my intention was to help people train to be open in the middle of uncertainty, so that they could do their purpose work with joy.

Over the last 2.5 years, it’s grown into exactly that, and something much more. I’d love to tell you a little about what I’ve been learning, because it’s such a big part of my mission to help people train in uncertainty.

In this post, I’m going to share the two most interesting things I’ve learned through 5 cohorts of Fearless Mastery so far (each cohort is 5 months long):

1. Going deep requires support

2. Running together, we create something powerful

Then I’ll share a little about what I’m most excited about in the next round (which starts in January, with enrollment opening this month).

Going Deep Requires Support

The people who’ve jumped into Fearless Mastery have been courageous in their willingness to work deeply with their patterns that show up when they put themselves into uncertainty. I’ve been incredibly inspired by them!

When we step out into the unknown, we tend to tense up, and look for guard rails. Tell me what to do, give me a guide, let me go under the covers and hide and judge myself. It’s freaking scary!

What I’ve learned is that you can’t do this kind of transformative work alone. I’m someone who resists this truth - I want to hide the stuff I’m struggling with and figure it out on my own, so I don’t have to embarrass myself. This kind of hubris is so human! But over and over, I’ve been humbled. I have found I can’t do the hardest things in the unknown, without support.

When people come into Fearless Mastery, they’re usually hoping for a guide, for information, for answers. But what they find, every time, is that they didn’t need more information or how-tos. They needed support to go deeper.

In Fearless Mastery, a big part of that support is me, my team and the other coaches. And the other part of that support is the other participants - being a part of a group doing this together changes everything, and empowers something transformative.

People have shifted lifelong patterns of avoiding their meaningful work, of getting stuck in indecision and self-doubt, of taking care of everyone else but themselves, of avoiding difficult conversations, of putting off uncomfortable things. It’s some of the most moving stuff in the world.

Running Together

The other thing I’m so inspired by is how powerful it is to run together. Like a wolf pack, or a team helping each other get to the finish line.

In Fearless Mastery, people form lifelong bonds, and genuinely care about each other’s struggles and success. I can’t overstate how important this is! We don’t often have people like that in our lives - people who are not only rooting for our success but actively helping to make it happen.

If you don’t have that already, then it’s possible to intentionally create that. But it’s not easy. In Fearless Mastery, people often have the experience of feeling like they finally found their people. It’s a feeling of belonging, of people having your back, of finally feeling understood.

When you have this in your life, all of a sudden you become more courageous. You have a feeling of trust, in each other and in yourself. Not trust that everything will work out perfectly, but that you can handle the bumps in the road, because you’ve got support. This trust and feeling of running with others is a huge force multiplier.

What would it be like if you suddenly leveled up your purpose work with this kind of a pack running with you?

What I’m Excited For Next

The next 5-month cohort of Fearless Mastery is opening for enrollment this month, and starts in January. Each cohort, we find ways to make it better. It’s evolved every single round, continually getting better and deeper, and I’m really proud of myself and my team for what we continue to create.

Here’s what I’m most excited for in the upcoming cohort:

• Increased accountability & logging - we’ve been increasing the rigor of our accountability system every round, and next round we’ll be adding a daily log that will bring improved accountability.

• Increased focus on running as a pack - we’ve always been a pack running together, but in the next round we’ll bring an increased focus on this part of things, and invite people to get creative with ways we can help each other reach our goals and get through struggles.

• First live retreat!!! Launching in the pandemic has meant we’ve had to forgo live events so far … but we’re finally getting together in person in the Spring! More to come on this soon, but I am absolutely thrilled by the idea of working with and playing with these inspiring people face to face.

• Increased transformative reflection - I’ve been increasingly trusting in people’s ability to take a look at what they don’t want to see, with my support. People in Fearless Mastery are intentionally shifting everything for themselves, and that requires that I reflect things to them that they don’t want to take a look at. I’m committed to that in a bigger way than ever before, and excited for what we can create from that.

• Weekly micro coaching sessions - we’ve been testing out a really cool structure where participants get a standing 15-minute session with a coach. It’s fantastic - this keeps you moving throughout the round. We’re going to roll it out for all members in the next round.

• Coaching & group facilitator training - next round, we’ll be rolling out a pilot program to train people (who’ve gone through at least one round as a participant) in facilitating groups like Fearless Mastery, which is a powerful skill that can only be learned through practice. We’ll also be starting to train people in the kind of coaching that I do in the program, and that I do 1-on-1 with my coaching clients.

This is all in addition to the really strong structure we’ve created in previous cohorts: weekly calls and office hours, group work sessions for increased focus, monthly creator’s workshops, a community forum with weekly accountability and the ability to ask me questions, and 1-on-1 deep dives.

I’m so proud of what we’ve created, and excited for what is coming up next! If you’re interested in learning more, sign up for one of the three workshops I’m hosting over the next couple of weeks:

Workshop #1: Developing the Habit of Self-Discipline
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 8th @ 9am Pacific / noon Eastern / 5pm London
Click Here to RSVP for Developing the Habit of Self Discipline

Workshop #2: The 7 Habits of Calmness
Date/Time: Friday, November 11th @ 2pm Pacific / 5pm Eastern / 10pm London
Click Here to RSVP for The 7 Habits of Calmness

Workshop #3: A Roadmap to Overcoming Insecurity
Date/Time: Sunday, November 13th @ 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern / 7pm London
Click Here to RSVP for a Roadmap for Overcoming Insecurity