A calm, practical way to move through the world with confidence—without anxiety. A guest contribution by security professional Tegan Broadwater, with a link to the full guide.
You always seem to nail it, Kelly. I’m hanging onto this one …”It’s about staying awake - not afraid.” You always help me with the discernment of thinking through decisions that can feel scary because they’re not the norm, and reframe them to something more rational than the typical extremes. You guide me back to what I call the “common sense middle ground” where logic and dreaming can coexist. I look forward to reviewing the guide as I plan to live in Mexico for the next two months. Perfect timing! And many thanks to Tegan for his experience and valuable insights. 🙏
¡Gracias Michael! Staying awake without slipping into fear is such a delicate balance, especially when the choices we’re making aren’t the familiar ones. I’m really glad this helped with that discernment.
Wishing you happy holidays, and I hope you enjoy Mexico — such a good place to practice staying present. 💛
Linda — thank you for reading this with such a seasoned lens. That distinction matters so much to me: confidence over fear, steadiness over alarm. I’m grateful you felt that intention come through — and I know Tegan will be too. 💙🌍
Thanks to you and your sage brother for sharing alertness tips. It's so easy to zone out when you travel, with jet lag, new languages, fresh sights and smells to distract you. This advice should keep and our loved ones safer. Wishing everyone a focused 2026 full of wonder.
This means a lot — thank you, Kyle! You’re exactly right: travel heightens everything, and awareness is just a gentle way of staying present without losing the wonder.
I love that framing of alertness as care, not fear. Wishing you (and yours) a grounded, curious, and beautifully aware 2026 as well. 💛
Debbie — yes, I know exactly what you mean. My “escape buddy” is usually the same kind of person you’re describing: calm, observant, not reactive, already tracking the room.
Often it’s Nigel, but when I’m solo it might be a grounded woman nearby, a staff member, or even choosing a seat near families or older couples. It’s less about strength and more about steadiness.
One thing that always stuck with me: my brother Tegan taught my kids when they were small that if they ever got lost, they should ask a woman for help — preferably someone who works there. Not a man. I’d never considered that distinction before, but it lodged deep and quietly shaped how I think about safety ever since. Like you said, these are things we add to our repertoire without turning vigilance into fear. 💛
This is such a useful guide Kelly. I already apply some of these principles instinctively, but there were a few here that genuinely reframed how I think about awareness versus fear. Practical and reassuring. Thank you and your brother for sharing this valuable advice with us.
Ibtissam — thank you for this. I’ll be honest: this guide would normally live behind the paywall, but I couldn’t justify not sharing it more widely.
Some of @Tegan Broadwater’s insights did scare me at first — not because they were extreme, but because they were unfamiliar. Once the initial anxiety settled, they became second nature. Now things like quietly noting exits or choosing where I sit happen automatically, without stress.
That shift — from fear to orientation — is exactly why I wanted to share this with everyone. 💛
This is so excellent. I love that it really just boils down to that one question: if something changed right now, where would I go?
On our sailboat, it’s so easy to over complicate every eventuality, and get clouded by fear and paralysis. It’s the sort of thing that could stop us from ever leaving the shore.
But the clarifying question is always, “what is the thing I would do next given the most likely scenario of what might change?”
It’s never an endless list, and it doesn’t need to be. We are so much more able to handle unforeseen challenges than we think. But still, just having that mindset that something COULD change is a brilliant mindset to take into the unknown.
Yes — this is such a clean way to say it. On a sailboat especially, over-planning can masquerade as preparedness when it’s really just fear with better handwriting.
I love that reframe: not “what could go wrong?” but “what would I do next if it did?” That single question turns paralysis into motion. You don’t need every answer — just the next one.
And you’re right: we’re far more capable than we give ourselves credit for once we actually leave the shore. Thank you 💛
With all that's been happening in the world, this is very helpful. Not in a panicky way, but like you say a practical way. I love Tegan's advice, "if something changed right now, where would I go." Even having a plan for this in a new place is very worthwhile! Thanks for sharing Teagan and Kelly!
You always seem to nail it, Kelly. I’m hanging onto this one …”It’s about staying awake - not afraid.” You always help me with the discernment of thinking through decisions that can feel scary because they’re not the norm, and reframe them to something more rational than the typical extremes. You guide me back to what I call the “common sense middle ground” where logic and dreaming can coexist. I look forward to reviewing the guide as I plan to live in Mexico for the next two months. Perfect timing! And many thanks to Tegan for his experience and valuable insights. 🙏
Hope you find the guide useful, sir… It’s abbreviated, so feel free to reach out with specific questions
¡Gracias Michael! Staying awake without slipping into fear is such a delicate balance, especially when the choices we’re making aren’t the familiar ones. I’m really glad this helped with that discernment.
Wishing you happy holidays, and I hope you enjoy Mexico — such a good place to practice staying present. 💛
Thanks for sharing this Kelly, and for writing it Tegan. Good practical advice that lets us move with more confidence, not fear. 💙🌎
Yes, appreciate you — You’ll never be featured on Dateline with these tips!😉
Linda — thank you for reading this with such a seasoned lens. That distinction matters so much to me: confidence over fear, steadiness over alarm. I’m grateful you felt that intention come through — and I know Tegan will be too. 💙🌍
Thanks to you and your sage brother for sharing alertness tips. It's so easy to zone out when you travel, with jet lag, new languages, fresh sights and smells to distract you. This advice should keep and our loved ones safer. Wishing everyone a focused 2026 full of wonder.
Glad you found it useful! Enjoy the holidays (safely😉)!
This means a lot — thank you, Kyle! You’re exactly right: travel heightens everything, and awareness is just a gentle way of staying present without losing the wonder.
I love that framing of alertness as care, not fear. Wishing you (and yours) a grounded, curious, and beautifully aware 2026 as well. 💛
Thank you! Some of these I already do...but this is so helpful! Will pass it to my adult kids!
I love that, Jeannine — honestly, that’s exactly who I had in mind when I wrote it. 💛
If it helps even a little as a shared language or gentle reminder, then it’s done its job. Thanks for taking the time to say so!
Thanks to you and your brother for sharing this outside of the paywall! Greatly appreciated.
Hope it proves valuable to you!
Excellent advice. I recently added another to my quiet repertoire (following the train stabbing incident in the UK). Who would be your escape buddy?
Debbie — yes, I know exactly what you mean. My “escape buddy” is usually the same kind of person you’re describing: calm, observant, not reactive, already tracking the room.
Often it’s Nigel, but when I’m solo it might be a grounded woman nearby, a staff member, or even choosing a seat near families or older couples. It’s less about strength and more about steadiness.
One thing that always stuck with me: my brother Tegan taught my kids when they were small that if they ever got lost, they should ask a woman for help — preferably someone who works there. Not a man. I’d never considered that distinction before, but it lodged deep and quietly shaped how I think about safety ever since. Like you said, these are things we add to our repertoire without turning vigilance into fear. 💛
Thank you for this useful guide !
My pleasure. Pass it on!
This is such a useful guide Kelly. I already apply some of these principles instinctively, but there were a few here that genuinely reframed how I think about awareness versus fear. Practical and reassuring. Thank you and your brother for sharing this valuable advice with us.
Ibtissam — thank you for this. I’ll be honest: this guide would normally live behind the paywall, but I couldn’t justify not sharing it more widely.
Some of @Tegan Broadwater’s insights did scare me at first — not because they were extreme, but because they were unfamiliar. Once the initial anxiety settled, they became second nature. Now things like quietly noting exits or choosing where I sit happen automatically, without stress.
That shift — from fear to orientation — is exactly why I wanted to share this with everyone. 💛
Makes sense. You and your brother’s insights are excellent.
Appreciate you, and happy (safe) holidays
ShinyGirl — thank you so much! I’m glad the distinction landed, and I really appreciate you naming my brother’s perspective too.
That means a lot to both of us.
💛 Kelly
This is so excellent. I love that it really just boils down to that one question: if something changed right now, where would I go?
On our sailboat, it’s so easy to over complicate every eventuality, and get clouded by fear and paralysis. It’s the sort of thing that could stop us from ever leaving the shore.
But the clarifying question is always, “what is the thing I would do next given the most likely scenario of what might change?”
It’s never an endless list, and it doesn’t need to be. We are so much more able to handle unforeseen challenges than we think. But still, just having that mindset that something COULD change is a brilliant mindset to take into the unknown.
Yes — this is such a clean way to say it. On a sailboat especially, over-planning can masquerade as preparedness when it’s really just fear with better handwriting.
I love that reframe: not “what could go wrong?” but “what would I do next if it did?” That single question turns paralysis into motion. You don’t need every answer — just the next one.
And you’re right: we’re far more capable than we give ourselves credit for once we actually leave the shore. Thank you 💛
With all that's been happening in the world, this is very helpful. Not in a panicky way, but like you say a practical way. I love Tegan's advice, "if something changed right now, where would I go." Even having a plan for this in a new place is very worthwhile! Thanks for sharing Teagan and Kelly!