#181 - What If It's Not? Julie Bell on Rewiring Fear, Anxiety & the WIIN Method

What If It's Not? Julie Bell on Rewiring Fear, Anxiety & the WIIN Method What if the thing you're scared of… just isn't true? In this episode, I sit down with Julie Bell — a former Scottish primary teacher and headteacher with 26 years in education, four of those as head of schools for a mental health therapeutic service. Julie's now the founder of WIIN with JB, a coaching method built around one deceptively simple question: "What if it's not?" We get into how fear and "what if" thinking quietly drive so much of our anxiety and behaviour — shaped by moments like 9/11 and the isolation of the pandemic. Julie breaks down the evolutionary role fear plays, why anger so often masks vulnerability (especially in young people), and why one of the most powerful things you can ask a child — or yourself — is "what are you predicting will happen?" She walks us through the four steps of the WIIN method — recognise, pause, reframe, respond — and shares a simple practice for tracking your "what if" thoughts to see just how rarely they actually come true. We also get into Julie's own career leaps, and what's next for her: working with parents to build self-belief, create opportunity, and break generational limiting beliefs. Timestamps: 00:00 Meet Julie Bell 01:02 Fear and the What If Loop 04:03 9/11 Memories and Time 08:07 Tracing Fear to Its Roots 11:13 How the WIIN Method Works 13:23 Relationship Skills from Teaching 15:46 Career Journey and Big Leaps 18:02 Pandemic Leadership Fallout 31:12 COVID Impact on Kids and Trust 34:42 Why Our Brains Default to Fear 35:13 Anxiety Protects Us 37:21 Fear Behind Anger 38:22 Find the Nugget 41:00 Ask Better Questions 42:14 Jacket Story Lesson 45:09 Teen Check Ins 46:28 WIIN Method Steps 52:11 Change Your State 54:18 Thoughts Aren't Facts 57:22 Worst Case Growth 01:01:21 Prevention Before Cure 01:02:29 WIIN Next Phase 01:07:32 Where to Find Julie 01:08:17 Final Wrap Up Links & Resources: * Instagram - Julie Bell here [https://www.instagram.com/wiinwithjb/] * Apply for LeadHer business mentorship here [https://www.katehamiltonhealth.com/business] * Apply for NourisHer health & fitness coaching here [https://www.katehamiltonhealth.com/coaching] * Subscribe to my weekly coaching newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/imxLs6] * Access my FREE calorie calculator here [https://app.calorieleads.io/tdee/580aed5b-9ee7-4a50-b6d9-df887d4480d1] * Connect with my Kate Hamilton Business Instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/katehamiltonbusiness/] * Connect with Kate Hamilton Business Facebook here [https://www.facebook.com/katehamiltonhealthpt] * Connect with my Kate Hamilton Health Instagram here [https://www.instagram.com/katehamiltonhealth/?hl=en] * Connect with Kate Hamilton Health Facebook here [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590825177123] * Connect with me on TikTok here [https://www.tiktok.com/@katehamiltonhealth?_r=1&_t=ZN-93tVRjSnedi] * Connect with me on YouTube here [https://www.youtube.com/@KateHamiltonHealth] If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit. Music b LiQWYD Free download: hypeddit.com/link/xxtopb [http://hypeddit.com/link/xxtopb] Promoted by FreeMusicPromo   [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbycji-eySnM3WD8mbxPUSQ] / @freemusicpromo