There’s a moment right before you launch something real—something that actually matters—where doubt floods in like a tidal wave. Lately, I’ve been sitting in that moment. I believe deeply in what Collectors MD stands for. I know there’s a need. I’ve lived the need. Who am I to lead this? That’s imposter syndrome in full effect. But the truth is—no one is ever fully ready. This irrational fear—that if I push CMD over the hump, I’ll be exposed or judged or dismissed—isn’t based on anything real. I know this: If I wait until I feel worthy, I’ll be waiting forever. So maybe I don’t need to feel fearless. Pick up the mic. Start speaking. #CollectorsMD —
And yet, in the first few days of CMD’s inception, I have felt completely unequipped to be the one carrying this forward.
What if I mess it up?
What if no one listens? What if too many people do?
It whispers that I’m not “qualified” enough, not “put together” enough, not “healed” enough to step into this space.
There is no certification for lived experience.
And no degree that outweighs the clarity that comes from surviving something and choosing to speak about it.
It’s resistance. It’s ego. It’s fear doing what fear does best: pretending it’s protecting me, when really it’s just stalling the mission.
And the longer I delay, the more people keep slipping through the cracks of a hobby that doesn’t have a safety net.
Maybe I just need to feel responsible.
And then act anyway.
That’s how movements begin.
Because the most qualified person to start is the one who knows what it feels like to need it.
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