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Tiny Brave Steps: Real Women. Real Fear. Real Courage Stories.
She was told by her own team that if she got into trouble, they wouldn’t come to save her. She showed up anyway—every single day for fourteen years. She walked into literal fires while fighting one inside her own chest. And one day, she decided surviving wasn’t enough anymore.
That’s one story. There are so many more.
Tiny Brave Steps is where real women tell the truth about the hardest things they’ve ever walked through—and how they found their way to the other side.
Not with some dramatic, made-for-TV moment. But with what I call Tiny Brave Steps - the kind of courage that happens one terrified, trembling choice at a time.
These are women who’ve faced the fire.
A surgery that stole everything and gave her more than she ever imagined.
A caregiving journey with no finish line.
A fourteen-year silence finally broken.
These aren’t superhero stories. They’re your-neighbor, your-sister, your-friend stories. The kind where you listen and think, That could be me.
I’m Bernice McDonald, Creator of the Tiny Brave Steps method and author of The Little Books of Courage.
Each episode, I walk you through one woman’s journey using the Courage Map - a path from feeling “not enough” to becoming “brave enough.”
You’ll hear her real voice. Her real fear. And the real moment she decided to take that next step - even though her hands were shaking.
Because here’s the truth I want you to know: Courage is never the absence of fear. It’s the judgment that something matters more than the fear.
If you’ve ever whispered I’m not brave enough for this—this podcast was made for you.
New episodes weekly. Bring your heart. Leave with courage.
Tiny Brave Steps: Real Women. Real Fear. Real Courage Stories.
Lynnette's Story: From Fire-Breathing Fear to Fierce Freedom
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On her very first day as a firefighter, the men on her team pulled her aside and told her: If you get into trouble, we’re not coming to save you.
For fourteen years, Lynnette walked into burning buildings carrying that weight. She fought literal fires while a fire-breathing Fear-Fred raged inside her head, whispering Don’t mess up. Make sure you’ve got an out. You’re on your own.
She was functioning in survival mode for over a decade - and she didn’t even know it.
In this episode, you’ll walk with Lynnette through every milestone of the Courage Map - from the silence that nearly destroyed her to the fierce freedom she found on the other side.
Her story will show you what it looks like when a woman decides that surviving isn’t enough anymore.
If you’ve ever stayed silent to stay safe, this one’s for you.
Lynnette's Links:
Website: Fire Within Crisis Services
Buy her book: You're On Your Own
Walking through your own fires? Always keep moving courageously forward. If you don't know what to do next, the Tiny Brave Steps Generator will help you find the next step: Free Access to the Tiny Brave Steps Generator
Hosted by Bernice McDonald — Courage Architect, speaker, and author.
Need to find YOUR Next Step through a hard thing you're facing? Have a simple conversation with the Tiny Brave Steps Generator AI: www.tinybravesteps.com.
Connect with Bernice:
Email: bernice@bernicemcdonald.com
Website: www.tinybravesteps.com
Join me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernicemcdonald/
If this episode moved something in you — leave a review, share it with a woman who needs it.
Do YOU have a Courage Story you'd like to share? Send Bernice a message.