Your fear feels real. But what if it’s just a thought your brain made up on the spot? Most of what we fear isn’t based on actual danger—it’s a mental glitch, a survival instinct hijacked by modern life.

The problem? You never challenge it.

In this episode, we’re exposing The Fear Square—the four ways fear traps you—and how to interrupt the cycle before it dictates your decisions, career, and confidence.

Listen now →

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The four Fear Quadrants—and why your brain keeps getting stuck in them
• How your nervous system mistakes discomfort for danger (and how to override it)
• The sneaky way fear hijacks your thinking—and keeps you playing small
• How to spot the number one mistake that keeps you in survival mode
• Practical thought work tools to retrain your brain and break free

Episode Breakdown with Timestamps

[00:01] Fear Feels Real—But It’s Just a Thought - How your brain creates fear out of thin air—and why you keep believi

[06:24] The Four Fear Quadrants (AKA: The Fear Square) - The four categories of fear that keep you stuck and reactive

[15:08] How Your Nervous System Fuels Fear-Based Thinking - Your brain’s outdated survival mode is making everything feel worse than it is

[22:36] Thought Work 101: Rewriting Your Fear-Based Thoughts - Fear is just words your brain offers you—here’s how to challenge them

[29:48] Final Thoughts and Next Episode Preview

Next Week: Catastrophic Thinking—Why Your Brain Won’t Stop Lying to You

Take Action Now

• Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it
• Take the Saboteur Quiz to uncover the thought patterns keeping you stuck → https://charliehornescoaching.com/quiz
• Leave a review—it helps more high-achieving women find these game-changing tools

Resources Mentioned

•Related Episode: Gaslighting 101—The Jedi Mind Trick No One Asked For

•Free Quiz: What Thought Pattern Is Running Your Life? [Insert Quiz Link]

Masterclass Intensive: Episode 34 - The Fear Square

Fear Is Calling the Shots—Shut It Down. A Masterclass

Fear is making your decisions for you. Learn how to stop reacting and take control—without the anxiety spiral.

If fear is running the show, it’s time to shut it down. In the Fear Quadrant Masterclass, you’ll uncover how your brain fabricates fear in real-time—and the science-backed tools to stop it before it spirals. This deep-dive training gives you immediate, practical strategies to retrain your brain and take back control. Get instant access now:

https://charliehornescoaching.com/vipvault

Next Week’s Episode

Catastrophic Thinking—Why Your Brain Won’t Stop Lying to You, E35

Your brain loves worst-case scenarios—but they’re almost never true. Next week, we’re unpacking why your mind keeps running disaster simulations and how to stop believing them. Subscribe and follow so you don’t miss it.

#FearMindset #Overthinking #Neuroscience #ThoughtWork #MentalResilience

If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation feeling unheard, dismissed, or doubting your own expertise, you’re not imagining it. Believability bias is real, it’s systemic, and it’s designed to keep you doubting yourself.

But today, Dr. Charlie Hornes is flipping the script and giving you the tools to challenge this dynamic—without wasting energy proving yourself to people who refuse to listen.

In Part 2, we’re digging even deeper into what’s happening inside your brain when you experience bias, how chronic stress responses can actually reinforce the problem, and—most importantly—practical strategies to reclaim your power in these moments. If you’ve been waiting for a game plan, this is it.

Actionable Takeaways:

1. Regulate Your Stress Response: Master quick hacks like diaphragmatic breathing and box breathing to shift your brain out of fight-or-flight and back into control.
2. Reframe the Narrative: Their bias is not about you—it’s about their conditioning. Change your internal dialogue from “Why don’t they believe me?” to “Their reaction does not define my expertise.”
3. Use Confidence Disruptors: Avoid hedging phrases like “I think…” or “This might be wrong, but…” Instead, use definitive language like “The data shows…” to command authority.

💡 Pro Tip: Silence is powerful. After making a key point, pause. Let your words land. Let them feel the weight of what you just said. Expect discomfort and practice raising your silence-tolerating threshold. It’s just a muscle you can build.

Resources You’ll Love:

• Free Quiz: What Thought Pattern Is Sabotaging You? Find out if self-doubt, perfectionism, or people-pleasing is keeping you stuck.
• Other Episodes You’ll Want to Check Out:
  • How Stress is Breaking Your Brain - How to STOP IT NOW! Episode 28 https://youtu.be/NtWXTs9mtvU
  • Navigating Systemic Barriers with Confidence + FREE QUIZ E25 https://youtu.be/6X69IYJRTzM

• Grab your Confidence Challenge! Download your 7 Day interactive Guide here:

• https://charliehornescoaching.com/subscribe

• Take the Free Quiz & Discover Which Thought Saboteur is Hijacking Your Success!

• • Are you harboring:

• • The Self-Doubter?

• • The Overthinker?

• • The Approval Seeker?

• • The Avoider?

• • The Perfectionist?

• • Find out now and then get your custom-tailored interactive guide to help you break up with your Saboteur for good! Go to the link below now:

• • https://charliehornescoaching.com/quiz

• Want to learn more about “The Self-Coaching Model?” Grab your Guide here:

• • https://charliehornescoaching.com/model

Join the Conversation:

• Tell Us Your Experience: Have you experienced believability bias? DM or comment on Instagram @charliehornescoaching.
• Subscribe & Review: Your feedback helps amplify this message—leave a review so more women can get these tools.

Ever had your concerns dismissed, your expertise ignored, or your credibility questioned—only for a colleague to repeat the exact same thing and get praised for it?

That’s not in your head.

It’s what Dr. Charlie Hornes calls The Believability Bias—a deeply ingrained, systemic pattern that determines who gets heard and who gets doubted.

This isn’t just workplace frustration—it’s science. In this episode, we unpack:

• The neuroscience behind why your brain reacts to dismissal the way it does
• How implicit bias determines who’s ‘credible’ (hint: it’s not based on expertise)
• The brutal truth about why leadership takes some voices seriously—and not others
• Practical tools to break the bias loop and protect your energy

You’ll walk away understanding exactly why this happens, how to stop internalizing it, and what to do when your ideas aren’t taken seriously until someone else repeats them.

1. Reframe the Narrative → Their bias isn’t about your worth. It’s about their social conditioning. Stop making it your problem.
2. Reality Anchor Statements → When dismissed, don’t argue. Just restate: “As I mentioned earlier…” or “That aligns with the point I made previously.”
3. The Evidence File → Track your contributions. Keep receipts. Your work speaks for itself—even when people pretend they didn’t hear you the first time.

• Free Quiz: What Thought Pattern Is Sabotaging You? Find out if self-doubt, perfectionism, or people-pleasing is keeping you stuck.
  • https://charliehornescoaching.com/quiz

• Stuck in overthinking, self-doubt, or stress loops? The Model breaks it down—see exactly what’s keeping you stuck and how to change it with this free interactive guide. Download Here:
  • https://charliehornescoaching.com/model

• E25: Navigating Systemic Barriers with Confidence
  • https://youtu.be/6X69IYJRTzM

• E22: Redefining Leadership Expectations for Women
  • https://youtu.be/D6qdRDGrDDE

(03:23) Navigating Systemic Issues and Socialization

(10:06) Implicit Bias in Leadership Traits

(13:44) Misconceptions Surrounding Passionate Communication

(18:57) Workplace Bias and Brain Response

(22:35) Mirroring Neurons and Empathy in Communication

(32:27) Interpreting Circumstances and Challenging Beliefs

• Hit play, take notes, and send this to the coworker who needs it most.
• If this episode hits home, leave a review, share it, and tag @charliehornescoaching. Let’s make sure the right people hear it—loud and clear.
• Subscribe & Review: Help amplify this message by leaving a review—it helps more women get the tools they need to thrive.
  • https://charliehornescoaching.com/subscribe