Walking Into the Room With Uncertainty and Choosing to Rise

There is a moment that happens before every new room.

The pause outside the door.
The internal questions.
The quiet calculation of risk.

Will I belong 

Will I know anyone
Will this matter

I know that moment well.

I do not walk into rooms feeling settled or certain.
I walk into them with uncertainty in my body and a decision in my heart.

To go anyway.

For a long time, I believed clarity had to come first.
That confidence was the entry fee.
That belonging happened after approval.

I now know something different.

Certainty follows action. Not the other way around.

Choosing Presence Over Permission

Recently, I attended PCMA Convening Leaders.

I was not there as a speaker.
I did not have a formal role.
I was invited to attend.

That distinction matters more than we like to admit.

It would have been easy to tell myself I would go another year.
When my role was clearer.
When my presence felt more justified.

Instead, I chose to trust the process.

I showed up to support friends who were speaking. 

I showed up to learn.
I showed up to be part of conversations shaping the future of the meetings and events industry.

I walked into rooms where I did not yet know the rhythm.
I stayed curious instead of guarded.
I introduced myself without rehearsing an outcome.

And slowly, something unfolded.

Not through force.
Not through performance.

Through presence.

What Happens When You Stop Waiting for Certainty

Because I showed up, I met people who now feel like lifelong friends.
I started conversations that are evolving into client relationships.
I learned from leaders who expanded how I think about connection, community, and impact.

None of that was guaranteed when I arrived.

That is the part we often forget.

Growth rarely comes with assurances.
But it always asks for participation.

Trusting the process does not mean hoping things work out.
It means placing yourself in spaces aligned with who you are becoming and allowing the rest to unfold.

This Is Not About Networking

This is not about collecting contacts or forcing opportunities.

It is about energy.
About showing up grounded in who you are, even when the outcome is unclear.

When you stop trying to control the room, you create space for real connection.
When you stop waiting to feel ready, you allow growth to meet you where you are.

This is how I dare to rise.

I walk with uncertainty instead of waiting for it to leave.

An Invitation for You

There is likely a room you are hesitating to enter right now.

A meeting.
A conference.
A conversation you keep postponing because you cannot predict the outcome.

You may be telling yourself you will go when you feel more confident.
More prepared.
More certain you belong.

But belonging is not something you earn before you arrive.
It is something you discover by showing up.

You are allowed to take up space while still learning.
You are allowed to walk into rooms without guarantees.

A Simple Practice

Before entering your next unfamiliar space, pause and ask yourself one question.

Who do I choose to be in this room, regardless of what happens?

Let that answer guide you.

You do not need certainty to take the next step.
You need presence.

And presence is always available.