Karen Young Books & Products

Whenever something brave, important, or hard is ahead of us, anxiety will often arrive first – loud and fast. That’s because courage and anxiety share the same doorway. It’s the presence of anxiety that makes brave things brave.

Many young people think courage comes with certainty, confidence, and strength. But brave rarely feels brave. It often feels uncomfortable, stressed, nervous, shaky, awkward, overwhelmed. It feels like anxiety. This is the brave space: the place where brave is built – the place they grow their resilience, courage, their ‘bravery muscle’.

This poster helps children and teens understand that courage and anxiety happen together. Sometimes this will feel like stressed, nervous, scared. These feelings aren’t signs something is wrong. They’re signs they are on the edge of something brave, something important, something that matters. 

A gentle, powerful reframe that helps young people step towards challenge, grow their brave, and build resilience along the way.