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When Fear Hijacks Your Gut Brain–Action Center

I used to think I had an “action problem.”

Like somehow I just wasn’t motivated enough.

I felt I wasn’t disciplined enough.
I wasn’t fast enough.

That’s a lot of not-enough-ness!

“Oh. Heather, you’re such a turtle,” was my critique.

But the truth?

It wasn’t a discipline issue.

It was a fear issue… hiding in my gut.

Your gut brain—yes, you have one—is your center of instinct and obedience.
It’s where you sense direction.

It’s where Holy Spirit nudge says,“This is the way. Walk in it.”

Or, as Mando says, “This is the way.”

But when fear takes over? That same gut gets hijacked.

We either fight, flee, or freeze.

And no matter how much we love Jesus or how many planners we’ve bought this year…

if we don’t recognize these patterns, we’ll keep calling it “procrastination” or “quick starter” when really—it’s fear in disguise.

Let’s break down the three fear responses that hijack your gut brain, or as it’s also called, your action center…
and how to take fear to the mattresses.

🥊 1. Fight: When You React Before You Pray

“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the naïve go on and suffer for it.”
—Proverbs 22:3

Bible Character Example of Fight Mode:

Peter. Oh Peter. How do I love thee, let me count the ways.
In John 18:10, when soldiers come to arrest Jesus in the garden, Peter doesn’t pause. He doesn’t pray. He pulls out a sword and cuts off a dude’s ear.

Classic fire–ready–aim.

Here’s How Fight Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

You have a brilliant business idea during your quiet time.
By lunchtime, the sales page is halfway built.
No prayer. No planning. No pause.
You didn’t check the calendar. Or talk to your spouse.
Or even consider if this idea fits your current season.

That’s fight mode.
It feels like bold obedience…but it’s actually fear trying to seize control.

👉 Try This Instead:
Before you act, pause.
Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?”
Take a slow exhale. Let Holy Spirit guide your gut.
Then move—in the right direction.

🏃‍♀️ 2. Flight: When You Stay Busy to Avoid the One Thing

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
—Proverbs 3:6

Bible Character Example of Flight Mode:

My good man, Jonah. God gave him one clear assignment: Go to Nineveh.
So what does Jonah do?
He books a cruise to Tarshish…the exact opposite direction where he should have gone.

God had to send a giant fish to get this guy going in the right direction.

Productive disobedience at its finest.

Here’s How Flight Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

You should be writing the email to your list…but instead, you redesign your homepage for the 7th time.

You should be following up with a lead…but you’re alphabetizing your Canva folders…again.

You’re in motion… but not momentum.
That’s flight mode, my friend.

👉 Try This Instead:
Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding—and do it today…like right now even.
Even if it’s uncomfortable.
Even if it’s messy.

Faithfulness > fake productivity.

❄️ 3. Freeze: When You Know What to Do… and Still Don’t

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
—2 Timothy 1:7

Bible Character Example of Freeze Mode:

Moses at the burning bush. God lays out the mission clearly… but Moses is frozen.
“I’m not eloquent.” “I don’t speak well.” “Send someone else.”
(Been there.)

For a man who’s not eloquent or speaks well, he sure talked a lot. 😅

Here’s How Freeze Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

You mapped out your funnel.
The opt-in page is done.
The emails are queued.
But that little green “Publish” button? Still untouched.

You keep saying, “I’m almost ready.”
Almost launching. Almost posting. Almost networking.
But nothing actually happens.

That’s freeze mode.

👉 Try This Instead:
Say it out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.”
Then get up. Move your body. Take one small step…any step forward.

It doesn’t even have to be perfect. You only need to get the gears turning. Momentum will catch up to obedience.

🔄 Let Your Gut Respond—Not React

God didn’t wire you for striving or spiritual paralysis.
He created your gut brain to partner with your mind and heart—so you can move forward with faith instead of fear stealing the wheel.

And the beautiful thing?
Even when you’ve acted too fast…
Even when you’ve run the wrong direction…
Even when you’ve been frozen in place…

Father gives second chances. I’m sure thankful for that, aren’t you? 🙌🏼

🎯 So whether you’re a fighter, a fleer, or a freezer, here’s your invitation today:

🛠️ Courageous Action

🥊 Fight Mode:
→ Pause before reacting.
→ Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?”
→ Take a breath. Then move with intention, not impulse.

🏃‍♀️ Flight Mode:
→ Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding.
→ Do it today—messy, scared, or unsure.
→ Let obedience lead to momentum.

❄️ Freeze Mode:
→ Speak this out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.”
→ Move your body. Take one small step.
→ Redirect if needed—but don’t wait to feel fearless first.

“You can’t do everything, but you can do something.” ––Andy Andrews

And when you do it in the right direction, facing the fear?

That’s when the freedom comes.

You got this.
And Father’s got you. 💛

Show Notes

🗓 Summary

Do you ever find yourself jumping into action before asking God what to do—or freezing up even when you know exactly what He told you? In this final episode of Face the Fear, Find the Freedom, I’m breaking down how fear hijacks your gut brain—your center for movement and obedience—and how to reset it with courage, clarity, and peace. Whether you tend to fight, flee, or freeze, you’ll walk away knowing how to move forward in the right direction.

✨ Who This Is For

This episode is for my faith-driven friends—especially Christian women entrepreneurs—who:
• Feel stuck, scattered, or frozen when it’s time to take action
• React quickly, but often without peace
• Stay busy but still avoid the one thing that would actually move the needle

🧠❤️⚡ Structure

Fear hijacks your gut through fight, flight, and freeze responses. I’ll show you how each one works, where they show up in scripture, and how to shift from fear-driven reactions to peace-led obedience.

💡 You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to move.

🔎 What You’ll Walk Away With

✅ How your gut brain drives action—and how fear distorts it
✅ The difference between fast action and Spirit-led movement
✅ How to recognize fight, flight, and freeze in your business and life
✅ What Peter, Jonah, and Moses teach us about reacting vs. obeying
✅ One simple, specific step to reset each fear response
✅ A cheat sheet to beat procrastination and get into forward motion

💬 Sound Bites

🗣️ “Quick doesn’t equal courageous.”
🗣️ “Productive disobedience is still disobedience.”
🗣️ “Knowing isn’t doing. Courage moves anyway.”
🗣️ “You can’t do everything—but you can do something.”

🛠️ Courageous Action

🔥 FIGHT → Pause. Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?” Breathe, then move.

🏃‍♀️ FLIGHT → Name what you’re avoiding—and go do it today.

❄️ FREEZE → Say: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.” Then take one small step.

⏱️ Chapters

00:07 – Enrolling Questions
01:50 – Why the Gut Brain Matters
04:00 – My Freeze Story
06:30 – James 1:22 + Gut-Action Alignment
09:00 – Fight Mode + Peter Reacts
13:00 – Flight Mode + Jonah’s Productive Disobedience
20:40 – Freeze Mode + Moses Delays
24:00 – Recap: Fight, Flight, Freeze
26:30 – Courageous Action for Each Type
27:50 – Grab the Free Cheat Sheet
28:40 – Identity Series Sneak Peek

🎉 Who Am I?
Heather Bunch – The Courageous Coach
I’m a certified life & Enneagram coach, speaker and author who helps Christian women entrepreneurs go from feeling stuck, not-enough and fearful to taking focused, confident and courageous action. We’re growing ourselves so we can grow our businesses and fulfill our God-given assignment.

I also use my ninja writing skills to help other coaches, speakers, and authors get their ideas out of their heads into their signature systems, coaching programs and books to create the income and impact they dream of.

📖 Hello, Courageous! Book: https://hellocourageous.com/hcbook
🛒 Or grab it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP3BZ7ZP
🆓 Get the free “Beat Procrastination” cheat sheet: https://www.heatherbunch.com/beatit
🌐 Website: https://www.heatherbunch.com
📧 Contact: hello@heatherbunch.com
📸 Follow on IG: @heatherlbunch

Podcast-Blog

When Fear Hijacks Your Action Center | Face the Fear, Find the Freedom series | Ep 362

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Read - 5 Minute Read

When Fear Hijacks Your Gut Brain–Action Center

🥊 1. Fight: When You React Before You Pray

Bible Character Example of Fight Mode:

Here’s How Fight Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

👉 Try This Instead:
Before you act, pause.
Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?”
Take a slow exhale. Let Holy Spirit guide your gut.
Then move—in the right direction.

🏃‍♀️ 2. Flight: When You Stay Busy to Avoid the One Thing

Bible Character Example of Flight Mode:

Here’s How Flight Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

👉 Try This Instead:
Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding—and do it today…like right now even.
Even if it’s uncomfortable.
Even if it’s messy.

❄️ 3. Freeze: When You Know What to Do… and Still Don’t

Bible Character Example of Freeze Mode:

Here’s How Freeze Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

👉 Try This Instead:
Say it out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.”
Then get up. Move your body. Take one small step…any step forward.

🔄 Let Your Gut Respond—Not React

🎯 So whether you’re a fighter, a fleer, or a freezer, here’s your invitation today:

🛠️ Courageous Action

🥊 Fight Mode:
→ Pause before reacting.
→ Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?”
→ Take a breath. Then move with intention, not impulse.

🏃‍♀️ Flight Mode:
→ Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding.
→ Do it today—messy, scared, or unsure.
→ Let obedience lead to momentum.

❄️ Freeze Mode:
→ Speak this out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.”
→ Move your body. Take one small step.
→ Redirect if needed—but don’t wait to feel fearless first.

Show Notes

🗓 Summary

✨ Who This Is For

🧠❤️⚡ Structure

💡 You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to move.

🔎 What You’ll Walk Away With

💬 Sound Bites

🛠️ Courageous Action

⏱️ Chapters

I also use my ninja writing skills to help other coaches, speakers, and authors get their ideas out of their heads into their signature systems, coaching programs and books to create the income and impact they dream of.

Podcast-Blog

Listen

Watch

Read - 5 Minute Read

When Fear Hijacks Your Gut Brain–Action Center

🥊 1. Fight: When You React Before You Pray

Bible Character Example of Fight Mode:

Here’s How Fight Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

👉 Try This Instead: Before you act, pause. Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?” Take a slow exhale. Let Holy Spirit guide your gut. Then move—in the right direction.

🏃‍♀️ 2. Flight: When You Stay Busy to Avoid the One Thing

Bible Character Example of Flight Mode:

Here’s How Flight Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

👉 Try This Instead:Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding—and do it today…like right now even.Even if it’s uncomfortable.Even if it’s messy.

❄️ 3. Freeze: When You Know What to Do… and Still Don’t

Bible Character Example of Freeze Mode:

Here’s How Freeze Response Might Show Up in Your Business:

👉 Try This Instead: Say it out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.” Then get up. Move your body. Take one small step…any step forward.

🔄 Let Your Gut Respond—Not React

🎯 So whether you’re a fighter, a fleer, or a freezer, here’s your invitation today:

🛠️ Courageous Action

🥊 Fight Mode: → Pause before reacting. → Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?” → Take a breath. Then move with intention, not impulse.

🏃‍♀️ Flight Mode: → Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding. → Do it today—messy, scared, or unsure. → Let obedience lead to momentum.

❄️ Freeze Mode: → Speak this out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.” → Move your body. Take one small step. → Redirect if needed—but don’t wait to feel fearless first.

Show Notes

🗓 Summary

✨ Who This Is For

🧠❤️⚡ Structure

💡 You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to move.

🔎 What You’ll Walk Away With

💬 Sound Bites

🛠️ Courageous Action

⏱️ Chapters

I also use my ninja writing skills to help other coaches, speakers, and authors get their ideas out of their heads into their signature systems, coaching programs and books to create the income and impact they dream of.

👉 Try This Instead:
Before you act, pause.
Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?”
Take a slow exhale. Let Holy Spirit guide your gut.
Then move—in the right direction.

👉 Try This Instead:
Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding—and do it today…like right now even.
Even if it’s uncomfortable.
Even if it’s messy.

👉 Try This Instead:
Say it out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.”
Then get up. Move your body. Take one small step…any step forward.

🥊 Fight Mode:
→ Pause before reacting.
→ Ask: “Is this peace-led or panic-driven?”
→ Take a breath. Then move with intention, not impulse.

🏃‍♀️ Flight Mode:
→ Name the one hard thing you’ve been avoiding.
→ Do it today—messy, scared, or unsure.
→ Let obedience lead to momentum.

❄️ Freeze Mode:
→ Speak this out loud: “I am powerful, loved, and disciplined.”
→ Move your body. Take one small step.
→ Redirect if needed—but don’t wait to feel fearless first.