Nik Wallenda is a seventh-generation member of the Flying Wallendas, a circus family known for performing dangerous feats without safety nets. Nik is known for his televised tightrope walks over Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Times Square, and an active volcano.
He has been walking the wire since he took his first steps, but he had never experienced fear until a tragic accident in 2017. The eight-person pyramid he and several family members were practicing collapsed, and five of its members fell thirty feet to the ground. While severely injured, they all survived miraculously, but the accident changed Nik’s life forever. For the first time, he felt overwhelming fear, and Nik had to find it in himself to move on, release the past, and get back out on the wire.
Most of us will never walk a tightrope, but we face things that scare us every day. That is what our mutual friend John C Maxwell told me when he introduced me to Nik Wallenda, and my good fortune is Nik asked me to help tell his story in his book titled Facing Fear: Step Out in Faith and Rise Above What’s Holding You Back.
Whether you are putting yourself out there socially or seeking a dream job, we all allow anxieties and fears to hold us back. In this episode, Nik shares his story so that we can overcome personal fear.
You will learn:
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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