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Facing Fear Through The Lens And Stop Hiding, Start Living w/ Michèle Sennesael EP 181

"Courage is living with the heart and not from the head," shares Michèle Sennesael in this soul-stirring conversation about the journey back to our authentic selves. As a photographer who ironically feared being seen, Michelle's story challenges us to question whose lens we're viewing ourselves through.

Michèle takes us through her remarkable journey from photo editor at Belgium's largest newspaper to teaching photography to street children in Nicaragua, where she discovered not poverty but profound love, faith, and courage. Her unexpected deportation as a journalist became the catalyst for eliminating possessions and moving to New York, eventually documenting home births and working with indigenous midwives in Guatemala. These experiences weren't random adventures but a sacred pilgrimage back to herself—healing childhood wounds, family trauma, and learning to speak her truth.

The parallels between photography and coaching emerge naturally in Michèle's narrative. Both practices involve mirroring—one through light and lenses, the other through deep listening and holding space. She reveals how ambitious, sensitive people often use their drive as armor when they don't honor their sensitivity, leading to disconnection and burnout. Michèle's definition of living fully means facing fear directly rather than avoiding it, operating from the heart instead of the head. Her book project unexpectedly transformed competing luxury shops into collaborative partners, demonstrating how courage creates ripple effects we cannot predict.

Website: www.michelesennesael.com
Instagram: @michelesennesael
LinkedIn: Michèle Sennesael
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