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 30 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 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. 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.
5:30 Why everything matters when no one is watching.
13:00 The power of creative risk-taking.
25:00 How to heal and move forward from trauma.
38:00 The difference between healthy and unhealthy fear.
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