#39 | Overcoming Social Anxiety With Mark Metry

At the top of 2021, I shared we’re forgetting all that went wrong in 2020 and focusing on showing up as our best selves in the new year. Our guests so far have helped us to stop living on autopilot, prepare for change, and become more socially aware. Today’s guest is teaching us how to ‘screw being shy’ and harness the confidence needed to shine.

I could think of no one better than Mark Metry to cover the topic. This author, speaker, podcast host, and course instructor has unlocked the key to overcoming social anxiety at the young age of 23. He’s since dedicated his life to helping others release their inhibitions around the same.

Mark’s Breaking Point (12:44)

Most people who educate on personal branding or overcoming social anxiety are extroverts. They had the lemonade stand as kids, sold cookies door to door, and grew up leading teams. Mark had an opposite experience, he was admittedly very shy and socially anxious.

I was curious to know why he chose this field instead of something that would seemingly be more comfortable.

“I remember being 18 and overweight, I felt depressed and suicidal. I never spoke up and it haunted me. I realized I had an entire unlived version of myself that I never tapped into. I reached a point of desperation and knew I couldn’t keep living like that so I went on a spiritual and mental health journey, then understood I actually do love speaking and connecting with others. My worst nightmare turned into my catalyst for success.”

Common Personal Branding Mistakes (18:40)

I believe when you’re working on yourself, the work is never done. There will always be opportunities for reinvention. I wanted to get an expert’s take, so I asked the most common mistake Mark sees in personal branding. “Trying to eliminate every problem.”, he says.

He explains people often chase the high of successful change. When the changes aren’t as drastic or don’t come as easily we get disappointed. Instead of focusing on what isn’t working, understand there will always be something to “fix” but our efforts should go to doing the best we can and trusting the rest will be taken care of in time.

Tips For Posting On Social Media (24:20)

Our world is driven by social media, but for someone who isn’t comfortable sharing it can be nerve wracking to get started. Here are Mark’s tips for posting on social media.

• Never consume content before posting your own. – This helps avoid comparisons and keeps your content creation original

• Share lessons from others. – It removes the pressure of you being the center of attention.

• Be consistent. – Posting will get easier as you continue! 

Mark’s System To Capture Ideas (29:00)

The average human has over 50,000 thoughts per day! It’s imperative to capture and pursue your best ideas. To do so, Mark has a system. He employs his assistant, siri, and voice command to take notes. He suggests creating a simple routine that will leave no good idea left behind.

Finding Your Comfort Zone (33:15)

We all have something stopping us from building our personal brand and social media presence. For me it’s comparison. To get more comfortable with being active on social, Mark suggests scheduling it on your calendar and sticking to a medium that’s easiest for you.

“I’ve found randomly checking social will mess up my day, so I set a time for it instead of being on sporadically. Also, I believe sticking to your comfort zone is best when first beginning. If you’re a writer, stick to blogging. If you love the camera, record videos. You’ll be most confident where you’re most comfortable.”

The Value Of Truth (42:30)

Mark says as he started discovering who he truly was he saw life from a completely different perspective. “Truth is the chiropractor of the mind. The same way our skeleton holds up our bodies and other systems in place, truth does that for our lives.”

I believe when we live authentically we can live freely.

Mark’s Favorite Podcast Guests (46:00)  

Mark’s podcast, Humans 2.0, has over 600 episodes and interviews from brilliant thought leaders. His favorites include health and science journalist, Max Lugavere, and holistic psychologist, Dr. Nicole LePera.

“I love interviewing people that are the same on and off camera, and remind me we are all human.”, he shared

Speed Round (50:09)

• What have you started doing lately that you love? Writing poetry and music; I suggest finding something creative you’ve always wanted to do but never pursued and start doing it.

• What’s something you’re excited to learn in 2021? More about mental health tech, and the long term effects of social anxiety and quarantine in children.

• What accounts do you follow that you love? Ryan Holiday, Jason Silva, Dhru Purohit

Homework: Set daily alarms with the same hour and minute number – 10:10, 11:11, 12:12 for example – for things you want to work on, stick with it until they become a habit.

Next Week:

Michaela Alexis, LinkedIn expert, keynote speaker and coffee connoisseur is going to teach us all about utilizing LinkedIn, making our profile’s irresistible and generating more leads through social media. Grab a drink, pull up a chair and get ready to join in on the coffee vs tea debate and so much more.