From snake-phobia to snake-snuggler: one courageous encounter that'll slither its way into your heart!

After an adverse event as a young child, I developed a significant phobia of snakes.

Fast forward to high school, when I was suddenly face-to-face with a (seemingly) enormous snake wrapped around the arms of my science teacher as I passed by her in a narrow hallway…

This was my first-time meeting one of schoolmate, Nicole Gustafson’s snakes, and I was frozen in fear! I wondered how Nicole could love something I was so terrified of?

Over the years, I became passionate about learning how powerful our thoughts really are, and how they shape our lives! I found incredible resources/tools to help me rewire my brain and replace fearful beliefs with more empowering ones.

I began to imagine myself doing things that I previously felt were impossible!

Fast forward to summer, 2023, when I was camping on Madeline Island. I saw two young girls giggling happily. As I walked past, I could see one had a fake red cobra in her hand, and the other had a live baby snake they had just caught. They looked at me and giggled, one saying, “We totally don’t have a real snake in our hands.”

Seeing these girls filled with so much joy holding a snake made me think of Nicole! She and I were both living in Duluth. We were both nurses and also entrepreneurs, she being the founder of Great Lakes Snakes. I began to imagine myself doing something I never thought I would be able to do, hold one of her snakes!

I contacted her, and we arranged a time for me to stop by an event where she was featuring several of her snakes. She brought a special snake named, “Angel” for me to hold, if I felt ready. When she first handed Angel to me, my entire body was shaking, and there were some tears, but Nicole was right there next to me.

Facing my fear with Nicole's gentle and loving support captured in this reel, was profound for me. My experience has taught me so much about the power of the mind, the power of friendship, and the power of challenging our beliefs. I am grateful for having Nicole as a lifelong friend, fellow nurse, and entrepreneur.

I am curious, what might be possible for you, if you could rewire one of your fears?