Terry Tucker: Face the Fear—The Power of Naming What Scares You

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Terry Tucker is a former NCAA athlete, high school basketball coach, police officer, cancer warrior, and hostage negotiator turned motivational speaker. Diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of melanoma more than 13 years ago, Terry uses his journey—not just as a survivor but as a leader under pressure—to teach others how to live with purpose, resilience, and emotional clarity. He is the author of Sustainable Excellence and the founder of MotivationalCheck.com.

Segment Summary:
In this introspective and emotionally resonant segment, Terry dives into a lesson he learned not from a hospital—but from his time as a hostage negotiator: the importance of calling out your fear. When faced with overwhelming anxiety, test results, or uncertainty about the future, many of us are tempted to bury our emotions, especially men. But Terry explains why naming your fear and facing it head-on is the only way through it.

From imagining worst-case scenarios to reframing the stakes—“even if I lose a leg, I’m still here, I can still hug my wife”—Terry shares how confronting fear has allowed him to think more clearly, make grounded decisions, and stay emotionally resilient throughout his cancer journey and beyond.

Key Topics:

• Lessons from hostage negotiation: Don’t bury fear—name it
• How avoiding fear increases stress and emotional confusion
• Emotional honesty in high-stakes situations (cancer, policing, life)
• Why acknowledging fear helps you make better decisions
• The mental clarity that comes from naming worst-case outcomes
• Reframing what it means to be strong: vulnerability is not weakness

Guest Contact & Resources:
📘 Sustainable Excellence: Ten Principles to Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life
🌐 MotivationalCheck.com
📣 Follow Terry on Instagram:

Find out more about Kali and the show HERE: https://humanityoffame.com/