5 Insights On Overcoming Fears From Jessica Simpson’s Honest New Essay “Take The Lead”

Whether your introduction to singer-actress-entrepreneur Jessica Simpson came by way of her hit singles, various movie roles, or her namesake shoe line (yesssss, kitten heels!), there’s no denying the 40-year-old has been a cultural force for more than two decades. And she once again got people talking in early 2020 with the release of her revealing memoir. In it, Simpson got candid about many private details from her life, including how she managed to overcome difficult situations and eventually thrive beyond her wildest dreams.

Reflecting on the past was clearly a cathartic experience for the author and mom.

“A lot of people are asking me how I can write a memoir at the age of 39 and I completely thought the very same thing until I started to put all of my journals that I’ve kept since the age of 15 together,” Simpson wrote on Instagram. “It took courage to do this and I can’t wait to be best friends with all of y’all through this phase.”

Lucky for us, Simpson isn’t done doling out her hard-won pearls of wisdom just yet. In fact, she’s written a brand-new essay for Amazon Original Stories — out April 29 — called “Take the Lead,” in which she talks about how to overcome the fears that hold us back. (It’s some serious inspo, y’all!) Amazon Prime members can read and listen (narrated by Jessica herself) for free exclusively on Amazon. Here’s a sneak peak at just a few of the very teachable tidbits.

1. The First Step To Overcoming Your Fears? You’ve Gotta Examine Them

Despite being a born and bred Texan, Simpson reveals in “Take the Lead” that she suffers from an intense fear of horses, due to a fatal accident involving her teen cousin and a horse many years ago. This essay details Simpson’s journey to try and overcome that phobia — and the first step was taking a long hard look at it.

“For me, my method is journaling,” Simpson writes. “My journals are the one place I could admit what scared me without bothering anyone else. I could aspire to be more than I was.”

Over the years, writing allowed Simpson to not only identify her fears but also devise a game plan for how to get past them. Consider this your cue to dust off that old diary...

2. Make Time For Yourself — Without The Guilt

Putting in the work to overcome your fears requires time — specifically, alone time. Now, if you’re a mom who hasn’t so much as peed by herself in the past five years, you probably don’t have much of that to spare. And, as a parent, Simpson totally understands how foreign (and even selfish) it might feel to focus on yourself for a change. But it’s also really important.

“Doing this work of letting go of trauma can be written off as self-centered,” Simpson writes. “Parents are made to feel guilty about even making time to look inward. But wanting to be a good mother is exactly the reason why I have to make that time to know myself. I know that if I don’t, I will subconsciously teach them the faulty patterns I learned.”

3. You — And Only You — Can Do It

With friends, family, and, heck, even Jessica Simpson, in your corner, cheering you on to overcome the obstacles holding you back, it’s important to remember that, at the end of the day, it’s something only you can do for yourself.

“While we can share our separate journeys,” writes Simpson, “we have to take them alone.”

Think of it like a race: We’re all running toward that finish line together — just at different paces.

4. Let Your Kids Confront Their Fears At Their Own Pace

Just as we need to process our fears for ourselves, Simpson says it’s also key to encourage and empower your children to fix their own problems. (After all, you won’t still be there to tie their shoes for them when they’re 25!) It’s a lesson she and her husband, Eric Johnson, taught their own 8-year-old daughter, Maxwell, early on:

“‘You can do it,’ we said during tummy time. ‘You can do it,’ we said when she was learning to ride a bike. Now, she could tell herself this. We’d given her the words, but she knew it in her soul. She could get herself where she needed to go.”

5. When You’re Ready, Throw Your Fear Over The Mountain

In one of the most stirring passages from “Take the Lead,” Simpson recalls the moment in which Maxwell, a natural in the saddle, encouraged her to get past the nerves with some super wise words of her own:

“She looked at me, then glanced down the hill that swoops sharp and steep behind our house. ‘You have to throw your fear over the mountain.’”

Wow, Maxwell, yes! (Amazon: She needs a book deal, too!)

“Take the Lead” is available for download now.