How I Overcame Fears to Interview Thought Leaders (With a Combined Reach of over 1.5 Million)

 I remember writing an email with my fingers shaking on the keyboard, hoping to interview a pioneer in the compassion space. 

Why was I shaking? 

Because I cared. I was nervous about being rejected. I feared judgement. 

 Who else has experienced this before?

A few months prior, I was flicking through the pages of an engaging book from Professor Kristin Neff where she shared a story about her son with autism. 

She spoke about going to Mongolia and visiting a healer who took her and her husband through a physically challenging process. 

Hours later, her son's condition significantly improved. 

I can still recall this story because it moved me so much. When I reached out to Kristin for an interview, I specifically mentioned how much this story affected me. 

She kindly agreed to take time out of her schedule for an interview. 

This experience taught me that we are all human. The people we put on a pedestal are human too. 

If you are bold enough to look beyond your own fear of judgement, there is a wealth of opportunity, growth and learning.

Here are three strategies to help you connect with thought leaders in your industry without fear:

1. Don't Be Interesting, Be Interested

Show specific interest in their life, acknowledge the effort they've gone to and demonstrate the impact they've had on you. 

It's a simple but powerful formula. 

It's one thing to show interest for the sake of it. It's another to be genuinely sincere, to look inside of yourself and to acknowledge how others have helped you. 

Research people's backgrounds, challenges and successes. See the world through their eyes. 

Even if you don't connect with them, you will have learnt valuable information for your future. 

2. Play The 'Long Game' of Appreciation

"Don't be the person who asks without understanding them first." 

Most people are so focused on their own agenda that they forget everyone else's. 

I have been guilty of this on many occasions. 

If you're the person who's not in a rush to ask, you stand out. 

You show people grace. 

Appreciation is the universal currency and it multiplies. 

Don't thank for the sake of it, be authentic. Be specific, notice their effort and acknowledge people's effect on you. 

People notice you when you notice them. 

3. Commonalities Over Comparison

Everybody starts somewhere. You are no different. 

You may see thought leaders with millions of followers, thousands on their email list or in national media but...

They had to start somewhere. 

You were like them once. 

Find the commonalities, the connection. Do they have children? A family? What interests do you share? 

Go deep and speak to them not at them. 

Each time you get into comparison mode, notice yourself and counteract it with the thought: 

"They were just like me at one stage."  

***

1 Quote

"Don't be the person who asks without understanding them first." 

1 Question

Who could you connect with or learn from to accelerate your mission?

1 Quality

Social Intelligence

When you see the world through someone else's eyes, the world sees you through new eyes too.