There are those who look to people like you for inspiration, because you knew your destiny at an early age. If you could say something to those who are paralyzed by the “fear of failure”, what would it be? -Stuart Houchin, Louisville, KY

What an intriguing question, Stuart! I can definitely say I have a huge fear of failure, but fortunately, I’ve turned that into a source of motivation, rather than a deterrent from pursuing my dreams. There will always be people who feel women have no business covering football—or sports, in general. If I gave in to the naysayers way back when, my life certainly would’ve taken a different course. While I believe there’s a component of fate in life, I also think we have some control over our destiny. And if you let “fear of failure” paralyze you, you relinquish your ability to do that. So I guess I’d encourage people with any sort of intrepidation to change their mental approach and channel their fear into positive energy that enables them to reach new heights.