Sweet Rewards: What Comes After Facing Your Monsters

In this episode of Be Your Own Dang Hero, host Pauline McKinney explores the powerful concept of the reward that follows facing your biggest fears and inner dragons—the “ordeals” in your personal Hero’s Journey.

Every challenge we face, whether a professional leap, a personal transformation, or confronting deep-seated limiting beliefs, carries a hidden reward. Pauline shares her own story of returning from maternity leave, navigating career decisions, and taking the leap into a part-time role that allowed her to balance work and motherhood. Her breakthrough illustrates a universal truth: courage in the face of fear yields rewards—sometimes exactly as expected, sometimes in surprising forms.