(CNN) – From the time she was a little girl, Michelle Poler was afraid of the world. She avoided big, playful dogs, scared they might bite her. Terrified of pain, she dreaded doctor's appointments. She missed dinner parties that required her to drive at night.

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New York City is definitely not for the fearful. After moving here I realized I needed to do something about it. So in efforts to become a braver person I embarked on a project where I faced 100 fears in 100 days. What I didn't expect was to inspire thousands along the way.

I'm now super fortunate to have the opportunity to travel the world speaking at schools, companies and organizations on how to embrace the unknown and live a life beyond the comfort zone.

If it’s not at an airport, you can also find me on YouTube posting weekly videos or uploading stories of courage from everyday people to HelloFears.com. Check it out!

Featured

Day 100: Inspire others at TEDxHouston

Day 100: Inspire others at TEDxHouston

Day 96: Age

Day 89: Stand Up

Day 89: Stand Up

Day 85: Surf

Day 80: Teach

Day 78: Paint

Day 77: Pose

Day 72: Embrace

Day 72: Embrace

Day 65: Jump

Day 59: Quit

Click here to see the full list of fears

Day 88: Let it bee

August 14, 2015

What's the challenge?

To keep bees.

What are you afraid of?

Getting stung.

How was the experience?

In an effort to overcome my huge fear of bees, I called the New York City Beekeepers Association and asked them to teach me about beekeeping and allow me to watch from up close how they do their job. They invited me to join them this morning at 6am to one of their rooftop beehives. I couldn't sleep just thinking about being around bees and staying calm so they don't sense my fear. So I "woke up" at 5:15am and went to the rooftop where I met with Andrew, Molly and Sasha over sunrise. They were telling me all about bees, including the fact that they are vegetarian so they are not looking to harm anyone; they're just looking to do their job (delicious honey). That definitely helped as I was able to stay relaxed when they all came out, plus I was wearing my special suit. Before leaving, Andrew thought it would be really funny to throw a "bee rain" all over me which scare the sh*t out of me. This was an amazing experience and I hope I can finally stay calmed when bees fly around me (no more public embarrassment as far as bees goes for now). Thank you guys!!!

To learn more about beekeeping in NYC, visit www.bees.nyc

Why Fear?

A couple of reasons I wrote just to remind myself why am I doing this:

Fear keeps me from enjoying life
Fear will keep me from achieving success
I want to live courageously
Life starts at the end of your comfort zone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
NYC is not made for the fearful
Fear just doesn't make sense
If I don't do it now, then, when?

Instagram: @100dayswithoutfear

I’m going to take advantage of the fact that I am 100% emotional right now to write this post.
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Yesterday before going to bed I was excited to write about my day on my @fiveminutejournal . I had to answer the simple question I answer every night: “Three amazing things that happened today”. Seemed impossible to choose only 3 after so many great things that happened during my 30th birthday.
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Turns out that the 3 things I chose were related to people. I didn’t mention the gifts I got, the bubble tea ice cream I ate or the pink sunrise that I woke up to.
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3 amazing things that happened today:
1) my husband and my brother teamed up to surprise me at 6am in the morning. And many of my NY friends showed up (pictures ⤴️)
2) I received hundreds of messages from people telling me how much they value my life and the work I do to empower them on a daily basis.
3) I received the gift of a lifetime: a video that included 30 key people that represented a crucial moment in my life. Each one of them reminding me of a happy memory we share together. From my first year alive to my 30th. I’m still crying ♥️😭
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I also wrote about the amazing women who helped me pull off the #30women30stories initiative. Brave women who shared and wrote personal stories of courage for hellofears.com (If you’re not reading those right now you are not living)
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Do you see a pattern?
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The people we surround ourselves with is everything. Is the most important thing in life. A house, a car, a purse, a trip, a meal (with truffle) can bring us temporary happiness, but surrounding ourselves with quality people will make our lives memorable, valuable and worth it.
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Thank you for being there for me, yesterday and every day.
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Amazing photos by my amazing friend @theotherromina - HIRE HER, seriously 😳🙌🏼

Today I turn 30 🙌🏼⤵️
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Every year on my birthday I wake up at 4:30am and I walk to the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the sunrise. It’s my birthday ritual. Then, I spend the entire day going around NY doing all the things I love to do the most.
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But today was different.
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Today I turn 30 and I knew I had to do something impactful on this day. I realized I feel the most fulfilled when I add value to others. So today, after watching the sunrise and being surprised by my best friends and my brother at 6am, I went back home and started working on my mission: to use my birthday to generate impact 👊🏼
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I spent the next 6 hours uploading 30 stories of courage from 30 brave women to hellofears.com 🙌🏼
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These are stories of people who were inspired to take action after they heard my message. And, most of them were written by other women who were determined to help me make an impact 👯‍♀️
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For the last 20 days I’ve been collaborating with over 60 women on making this happen. And I may cry now #happytears because we did it 💪🏼!!!!!! We effin did it!!!!
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This is my gift to you. This is my way to give back on my birthday. So if I can ask ONE thing from you, is this: go to hellofears.com, get inspired and leave a comment on your favorite articles, congratulate the women behind these stories because they deserve to know you hear them. Thank you all!
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#mybirthdaywish #thisis30 #bravewomen #bravegirlsdoitbest #birthday #hellofears #empowering #womenpower #30years #courageis

Note to self ⤴️
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(yes, for yourself too)
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We need a reminder sometimes.
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You are so friggin BRAVE
Mainly, when you’re afraid.
Never forget that.
♥️
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Image by the talented @stacieswift 🙌🏼 #brave #hellofears #reminder #notetoself

#FridayChallenge 🙌🏼♥️⤵️
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SIMPLIFY — Life is better when things are simple. And the less we have the simpler it gets. That is something that being a nomad taught me.
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Challenge Simplify your life today by giving away 5 items you own. Less stuff, more breathing room. The best way to go is by removing the emotional value out of the items. Ask yourself: if it wasn’t for the emotional value, would I keep this? When was the last time I actually used it?
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If you donate those 5 things you can make someone really happy and grateful. Would you dare?
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@stramhacks and I are giving away most of our clothes/books this week, keeping only the things we actually use. Where should we donate all that stuff? Ideas are welcome!
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My t-shirt from @lifeisgoodco inspired today’s challenge 🙌🏼♥️ #hellofears #lifeisgood #lifeisgoodpartner #simplify #challenge #friday

Monday reminder brought to you by @underpantsandoverbites 🙌🏼
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Swipe ▶️ and then let me know your 1 reason to keep going! What inspires you to keep pushing? 🏃🏽‍♀️👊🏼

#FridayChallenge 🙆🏼‍♀️⤵️
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Do we need to wait for bad news or tragedies to express our love to our most loved ones? This week someone that I love very much has been facing a difficult health situation, and since then, I haven’t stopped calling/texting him to let him know how much I love him and appreciate him. Why don’t we do this when we’re all fine?
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Challenge Right now, text your mom, dad, brother and sister (separately) to let hem know you love them, are grateful for them and wish them a happy Friday. Simple. Powerful. You will make their day and feel good about yours as well ♥️🙏🏼
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Let me know your family’s reaction to your text!
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Art @gemmacorrell 🙌🏼

Because sometimes it’s ok to post a #selfie — Plus, I have new hair today 💁🏼‍♀️♥️
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Summer is here to stay and it’s the perfect time to work on yourself, rethink where you’re going and take chances.
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What act of courage are you planning on doing this Summer?
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#hellofears #blondhair #summer #change

Today’s #FridayChallenge was inspired by the latest story we received from a 16-year-old.
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“A good friend of mine gave me a beautiful, colorful envelope. She told me to open it when I was at a terrible point in life.

I had left it unopened for over half a year, waiting to be sad enough to actually read what was on the inside.

In May 2017, I was at a point where I wanted to kill myself. Things were getting so bad that I felt useless, worthless, unneeded.

I opened the letter.
What was written inside made me cry. Not of sadness, but of joy. My friend poured her heart out as if she knew something like this was going to happen.

From then on, I realized I wasn’t alone and that people did care about me.”
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A letter can save a life. So that is my challenge for you today.
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Is there someone in your life you’re afraid can do something to hurt himself or herself?
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Write that person a letter reminding him/her about the happy days and the love of others. Give that person the letter and ask him/her to read it only when reaching a low point. You may be saving that person’s life.
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I HIGHLY recommend you to read the last story at hellofears.com 🙏🏻✨ — You’ll be amazed by the 16-year-old boy that wrote it #courageis #hellofears #savealife

Your friend just graduated with honors, got promoted, engaged 💍, pregnant, went viral, reached 100k followers on Instagram.
And. You. Didn’t.
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Can you feel happy for that person that has everything you want and more?
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YES you can 💪🏼⤵️
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It takes courage to celebrate others’ success, mostly when it is something we want for ourselves. But, the fact that someone else, someone you care deeply about, achieved a milestone you have on your list, doesn’t mean it won’t happen to you.
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Allow your friend’s success to inspire you to stay positive and keep going 🙌🏼✨
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We all have different timings, but ultimately things WILL happen for you too, and in that moment, trust me, you want people to be genuinely happy for you, otherwise it’s not fun to get there.
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Tag a friend you’re extremely proud of and genuinely happy for her success 👊🏻☺️⤵️ — image by @adamjk

✨Accountability Partner:
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People ask me if I could’ve faced 100 fears without Adam’s help, and the answer is No — 🤷🏻‍♂️ @stramhacks
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Is not that I depend on a man to be brave, strong and capable. But we can all use a little help, mostly when we put ourselves in a vulnerable position.
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It doesn’t have to be your partner. It can be your sister, your BFF, your mom/dad, a teacher...
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Don’t face your fears by yourself (emotionally). Find that someone that wants to see you succeed, tap into your full potential, and ask her/him to be part of your journey. Let her/him know that you want to be there when it’s her/his turn to be brave.
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Tag your accountability partner ⤵️🔥♥️

Are you having an ugh week?
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I’m not. But probably soon I will. In the meantime, let me be grateful for my good mood, my excitement towards building my next project, my body feeling good, my thoughts looking positive and full.
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If you’re having an ugh week, or even an ugh month, I want you to know that it is momentary, that it will pass, you will SOON move on.
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Maybe I’ll have an ugh week next week, because NO ONE is always having a good week. Life’s ups and downs will always be there. Life is bittersweet.
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When you’re up, know that a down might be coming, so embrace the moment you’re in, and remind yourself later of it. Remind yourself that an up moment is on its way, like an Uber that is delayed. I’m making things rhyme btw #ugh

#FridayChallenge is here (yay I didn’t forget 🙌🏼)
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Since it’s already 8pm in this side of the world, I want you to think about your day. I want you to identify 1 thing that went wrong today👎🏼.
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Challenge: I want you to be grateful for that thing. I’m serious! Two reasons:
1. You never know if that thing saved you from something worse.
2. It will make your day better to think positively about the things that didn’t go as planned.
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Sometimes you will know why things happened, most of the times you won’t. Either way, I choose to trust that things happen for a reason, like that time I woke up with a cockroach in my hair 🦗😱 It freaked me out so much that I went on to wake up my roommate to tell her about it 🤯 Turns out her alarm never went off, and if it wasn’t for me knocking on her door like a maniac, she would’ve missed a test she had 30 min later #collegedays 🤷🏼‍♀️
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Thank you cockroach, thank you traffic, thank you slow internet, thank you friend who stood me up, thank you rain, thank you Trump, thank you alarm — it was am not pm, thank you virus, you all rock 🙏🏻♥️ #thankful #hellofears
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✨ @veronicadearly

TGIF: Thank God I’m Female. What does that mean to you today?
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That is the question I asked these girls at a camp I was invited to speak last weekend. It was my first time having a real, unscripted, and unfiltered session with a group of teenagers about relevant topics.
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We talked about feminism. The things that make us proud, the things that bother us and what we can do about them. Here are some of the things that were brought up by the girls:
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1. We have to embrace and celebrate our differences instead of looking to just be equal
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2. Do things because we can or want, not because we’re supposed to
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3. Feminism and Equality should not be something to be discussed just by women. The importance of making everybody part of the conversation: girls, dads, teachers, uncles, brothers....
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4. Being a feminist without stepping over others
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5. Women shouldn’t be stereotyped. Neither should Men
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6. Women need to respect other women before we can ask for respect from men
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7. Why should women be Mrs somebody else? Why should we change our last name??
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These are some of the calls-to-action we highlighted:
⭐ It’s our duty to teach our parents/grandparents about equality when they push us to fit a certain stereotype. Things have changed.
⭐ Lets not only demand equality, lets have the courage to behave equal. Why wait for the man to propose?
⭐ Lets encourage men who support women to speak up, call out other men, be brave to speak on our behalf.
⭐ If you dont like boys criticizing girls for their appearance, as a girl, don’t criticize other girls for their appearance
⭐ Speak up when others tell you how you should look, feel or behave as a woman. Let’s educate those who think have a saying over our bodies and minds #calladitanomore
⭐ Finally, lets have more healthy discussions like this one 🙏🏻
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What does TGIF means to you??
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Thank you @countmeinsummit for this empowering opportunity. If you are in school and are looking for a leadership camp that prioritizes inclusion and equality check out Count Me In Summit #cmisummit2018 #hellofears #feminism #equality #bravegirlsdoitbest #bgdib

Guys I forgot to post a #FridayChallenge 😱 — I was at a camp, is that a valid excuse?
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Can we do a #SundayChallenge instead? Yay!!! Ok:
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Let’s practice some gratitud today. I want you to think about one person who inspired you to do something and has no idea the impact he or she had on your life. Maybe it was a school teacher, a friend, an aunt, a coach, a therapist, an instagram account. Whatever it is, I challenge you to let that person know about what she/he did and how grateful you are for that. You may tag them here or write them a text!
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On my last post I received over 100 comments of you guys telling me the things I inspired you to do, and I’m still smiling because of that. Let’s cheer up someone today with our words of gratitud. You have no idea the impact you can have on that person just by doing that.
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Today I’d like to thank my English teacher from when I was a little girl. She specialized on accent, so thanks to her today I feel confident as a speaker on the stage 🙏🏻✨ — I will try to find her on Facebook and let her know the great impact she had on my life.
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Image borrowed from @theharmonytribe