➕ Follow along while I build my second startup Doozi publicly... The next Tiktok for travel.

I’m Erica — a creator, entrepreneur, and storyteller helping people break the rules they were taught to follow… and build lives that actually feel like theirs.

Over the past 4 years, I’ve created raw, real, and radically honest content that’s generated nearly 1 billion impressions, built a community of over 300,000, and sparked conversations around self-worth, shame, failure, and freedom.

In 2020, I met my now co-founder Gillian on Bumble BFF (true story). 

Our friendship & love for travel took us all over the world.

We both lost our businesses last year, and this brought us closer. We bonded over loss, reinvention, and the fire to build something better. 

Now we’re building doozi — the next big social media app for travellers and creators. 👀

We’re building in public. Sharing the messy middle. And showing up every day to create something that gives people — especially creators — the power, opportunity, and visibility they’ve earned.

This isn’t just a business. It’s a movement.

If you’ve ever felt like you needed permission to post, speak up, or live your life differently, I’m here to say: you don’t.

💌 My content is about starting before you’re ready, rewriting your story, and overcoming adversity.

Entrepreneurship is a ✨doozi✨

With love,
Erica

📬 Sponsorships + collabs: hello@ericarankin.com
➕ Follow me everywhere @acceptingerica

Erica Rankin

I started my first business in 2019 with zero business experience.

No background. 
No roadmap. 
Just a lot of belief and a lot of fear.

Back then, I hated being seen.
If someone pulled out a camera, I’d shrink.

I thought it was better to be seen as capable but never actually heard.

I had no idea that building a business would completely change who I am as a person.

Entrepreneurship gave me a voice.
It forced me to speak up.
To make decisions.
To be visible- even when it was uncomfortable.

It built my self-confidence in ways nothing else ever has.

But the biggest thing it taught me?

That every single one of us matters.

You don’t need a massive audience or a huge exit to make an impact.

You can change lives through conversations, vulnerability, leadership, and simply showing up as yourself.

Yes, I respect the wins.

But what I respect even more is the inner work it takes to get there.

The resilience.
The self-awareness.
The growth required when things don’t go as planned.

Entrepreneurship isn’t just about paving your own way.

It’s about becoming someone who can walk that path.

And that version of you?
That’s the real reward.

- a girl who doesn’t hate being seen anymore

🫶

Disrupting the creator economy. | Content Creator | Co-Founder of Doozi & Doozi Marketing ✈️📱

No alternative text description for this image

I don’t brag often on here but I wanna brag for a second ;)

We have over 1300 users and our app isn’t even launched.

And over 5000 people on our email list who want to be creators.

We have worked really hard these past few months to onboard travel creators, and I just want to slow down and acknowledge these numbers.

We had the idea of doozi exactly a year ago.

Now we have a full-time tech team, an investor, and community of creators & users who are helping us build from the ground up.

And the app is launching THIS MONTH.

I think my favourite part of entrepreneurship is seeing the evolution of an idea, into an actual product.

Let this be a brag post, drop something in comments you’re proud of!!!! 

🫶🫶🥳🥳

I love Canada BUT I CAN’T STAND WINTER! 🥶

I must escape!!!!

First flight of 2026 (of many). ✈️

Headed to Mexico for the next month to continue building doozi with my co-founder Gillian.

We’ve been working remotely over the holidays but it’s so much better to be in person building.

We’re testing our app internally right now and it’ll be pushed publicly THIS MONTH!!!!

We also invited one of our creators to spend a week with us which is going to be so fun - she’s been like a friend to us as we’ve been building.

It’s early AF but I am soooooo stoked for this year, it feels like last year was the warm up.

This year is go time.

Happy weekend!!!!!!! ❤️

(And yes, I’m rocking a full hot pink doozi sweatsuit, LMK if you want one maybe we’ll drop some 😉)

I made a big mistake when I was building my first business:

Prioritizing the business.

…and nothing else.

Skipped meals.
Minimal movement (besides 10 hour kitchen days).
Ate poorly.
No morning routine.
No night time routine.
Abusing caffeine pills.
Neglecting relationships.

All of this did eventually lead to me hitting a wall.

I don’t regret it; because it’s the only way I could learn that it wasn’t sustainable.

Building my second startup, I now:

Get in movement everyday.
Eat mostly whole foods (but still get in a sweet treat every now and then). 
Don’t skip meals.
Don’t abuse caffeine (although, I do have more on some days than others).
Take time to myself each morning & before bed.
Make time for the people in my life.

You don’t have to sacrifice your health to be successful.

Some seasons are going to be busier than others - no doubt.

But you can’t take care of business if you aren’t maintaining the engine that runs it (aka YOU).

We’re trying to get rejected 1000 times this year.

While building our startup, doozi.

Why?

Because rejection means you’re trying. 

And the higher that number is, the more likely you are to reach your goals. 

We called 6 different people asking to go on their yachts for free (to make videos). 

5 of them said no… and one actually got angry 😅

But the sixth one was a maybe.

That maybe led us to a yacht.

… we also got to drive a rolls Royce by having the ~audacity~ to ask.

All I want to do is inspire others to go after their dreams no matter how ‘crazy’ they may be.

We had investors belittle us and tell us what we’re doing is impossible.

But we’re going to show them how wrong they are.

 Right, Gillian Gallant?

“You’re not crazy, you’re just first” - Jamie Kern Lima 🫶

I’m gonna ruffle some feathers with this post…

We could have made a 100,000 dollar mistake last year.

(Well not actually because we didn’t have 100k LOL)

An agency was quoting us over 100k to develop the most BASIC version of our app doozi. 

If you’re a startup, spending this much money on your MVP is duuuumb.

Frankly, I don’t think agencies should even be creating MVPs.

I think so many founders (not just in tech, but many industries) waste so much money trying to perfect their first product. 

Truth is, you’re going to pivot so many times and your MVP will evolve as you obtain product market fit.

Be scrappy and get that first product out into the market.

Hear back from customers/users and make sure you are NAILING what it is they want/need.

Once it’s solid, then you can reinvest.

Just my 2c.

What do you think?? 

(And yes that’s real money I’m holding definitely not fake money with emojis lol) 😎

Apple rejected us.

… and it delayed our entire launch.

It wasn’t the WORST thing but it was definitely frustrating (especially around the holidays lol).

What was supposed to take a few days took over a month.

We're been pretty quiet on social media.

We didn't want to be promoting an app that wasn’t available, or spend all our time in marketing instead of the tech/app itself.

It's been a grind building our first tech company doozi BUT after six months of putting our heads down, it's almost here. 

Gillian and I cannot wait to unveil doozi to the world in the coming weeks. 😱🫣

Let’s dooz this. ✌🏼

As a digital nomad, I’d rather spend time on a beach than fighting with a wonky platform.
 
Wix just dropped Wix Harmony, their new website builder that combines AI and manual editing all in one place.

It builds an ENTIRE WEBSITE with just one prompt - business functionality, infrastructure, security and all.

Then you can take over and customize as much as you want, with additional help from AI when you need it.

If you want to see for yourself, you can try it here: wix.com/harmony 

#WixPartner

Cyber Risk Advisor | Speaker | Coach | #CyberSecurityMatters Podcast Host | Positive Troll | Board Director

Your biggest customer just told you they need proof of your cybersecurity practices in 60 days or they're walking.That $5M contract? Gone. 

Or your cyber insurance renewal got denied. 

Or you're sitting in a board meeting, and they're asking security questions you can't answer without sounding incompetent.

Here's what you probably tried: Your IT guy started talking about firewalls and acronyms. He wants $200K for new tools. You have no idea if you need them. 

Or you hired a big consulting firm. They sent a junior analyst with a 47-page report. It's in a drawer somewhere. You still don't know what to DO.

The truth most cybersecurity consultants won't tell you: They're boring as hell and can't talk to business leaders.

They lead with technology because they get vendor kickbacks. 

They'll tell you everything you're NOT doing (easy), but can't tell you what NOT to do (that requires business judgment). 

They can’t explain to you which risks are worth the money. 

I do this differently:

I start every engagement the same way: What makes you money? I don't care about compliance frameworks or your tech stack yet. 

I need to understand your critical business processes first. Then what data supports them. THEN we look at technology. 

I care about the systems that generate revenue and the contracts that depend on you proving you're not a security liability.

I work with manufacturing and B2B companies (50-2,000 employees) in three situations:

→Major customer demanding security proof or killing the contract - I helped a client keep their $5M Walmart contract. My fee? $150K. Easy math.

→Cyber insurance denied or demanding new requirements - Insurers want proof of fractional CISOs and real security practices. I provide that.

→Post-breach, board wants guarantees that significant breach cost never happens again - I rebuild programs from scratch and build sustainable security teams.

What you get:→No kickbacks on tools. No jargon in board presentations. No shelfware reports. Just a prioritized 12-month roadmap focused on protecting revenue and satisfying your customer’s cyber security questions.

My background:20+ years in cybersecurity. Companies from 50-2,500 employees. Built security teams from scratch. Fractional CISO for dozens of organizations.

Speaker at industry associations. 

I work with manufacturers and B2B firms honest enough to say "we need help."

If you're facing vendor security requirements, insurance issues, or board questions you can't answer, let's talk.

 https://meet-with-dom-vogel.appointlet.com/

Dominic Vogel

Dom, I'll never forget your kindness. From that one decision, I have a life I never thought I'd have.


I was working as a fractional CISO, building out a cybersecurity team. 


We were hiring for a junior security analyst, and I found the perfect person internally


A young woman with incredible energy, passion, and an eagerness to learn.


Did she have the traditional certifications? No.


Did she check all the boxes on the job description?


Not even close.


But she had something more important: coachability, hunger, and heart.


I recommended her to the CIO. He loved the idea.


 But then the VP of IT pushed back hard.


"She's not the right fit."


When I dug deeper, the truth became clear: outdated thinking. 


Prejudice. Bias. Sexism blurring his judgment.


So I overrode him. In my role as fractional CISO, I had the authority and I used it. We hired her.


And she crushed it.


She was everything I knew she would be. 


Her energy transformed the team. A few years later, after I'd moved on, she was managing the entire cybersecurity operation.


A decade later, I caught up with her. By then, she was a VP of Cybersecurity.


She said: "Dom, I'll never forget your kindness. Because of that act, I have a life I never thought I'd have. I make more money than I ever imagined. I have more freedom, more opportunity. A career I didn't even know was possible for someone like me."


I stopped her.


"It wasn't kindness that made me hire you," I said.


 "Kindness was just the lens that helped me see clearly. It let me make a decision that wasn't rooted in prejudice or bias. You earned that role. I didn't take a chance on you there was no doubt in my mind you were the right person."


Kindness isn't about lowering standards or "giving someone a shot." 


It's about removing the barriers that keep you from seeing talent clearly. It's about using empathy as a decision-making tool not a nice-to-have, but a strategic advantage.


When you hire with kindness, you don't just change one life. You change the ripple effect of every person that person will go on to hire, mentor, and lead.


----
I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I help manufacturing companies and smaller B2B organizations solve cybersecurity challenges, build resilient teams, and lead with humanity.


If you're struggling with hiring, team performance, a breach, denied insurance, or you just need a partner who understands that people are your greatest asset—let's talk. DM me or comment below.


🔔 Hit follow if you believe kindness is a lens, not a compromise. I post daily about leadership, humanity, and real results.

And if you want me to speak to your team or event about hiring, leading, and building cultures rooted in kindness—reach out. Let's create the ripple together.


Because kindness doesn't just transform one career. It transforms entire fields. One decision at a time.

I Help Manufacturing & B2B Avoid Million-Dollar Cybersecurity Losses | Fractional CISO | 20+ Years Protecting Revenue, Not Networks | No Jargon, No Kickbacks | Proud Dad & Beard Grower

There's no such thing as good luck or bad luck.


There are only moments of "we'll see."


I was coaching a CIO who was in a dark place.


Everything felt like it was going wrong. 


His relationship with leadership was strained. His team was struggling. 


He felt stuck, defeated, like bad luck was following him everywhere.


"I think I need to leave," he told me. "Nothing's working out."


I shared a story with him. 


One I learned from the children's show Bluey


It featured an episode that was based on an ancient Chinese parable about a farmer.


The story goes like this:


A farmer's horse runs away. The neighbors say,


 "What bad luck!"


The farmer says, "We'll see."


The horse returns with wild horses. The neighbors say, "What good luck!"


The farmer says, "We'll see."


His son breaks his leg taming one of the horses.


"What bad luck!"


"We'll see."


The army comes to draft young men for war, but they skip his son because of the injury. "What good luck!"


"We'll see."


We don't know why a series of events gets set in motion when something happens. What feels like disaster in the moment might be the best thing that ever happened to you but it could take years, even decades, to understand why.


I told this CIO: "I burned out in corporate years ago. At the time, I thought it was the worst thing in the world. Bad luck. A failure. But it wasn't. It took me almost 10 years to realize it was just a moment of we'll see. 


That burnout put me on a completely different path. It allowed me to meet new people, explore new versions of myself, and build a life I never would have had otherwise."


He sat with that for a while.


Then something shifted. 


He stopped labeling everything as good or bad. 


He started embracing "we'll see."


A few months later, a new CEO came on board.


They formed an incredible relationship. 


The CIO is now thriving!!! Deeply energized, valued, happy. 


He almost left. He's so glad he didn't.


Good luck and bad luck are just constructs of the human mind trying to make sense of the complexity of interconnected events. 


Life isn't that linear. Sometimes what breaks you open is exactly what you needed.


So the next time something feels like the end of the world, try this instead: "We'll see."

----
I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I coach leaders, solve cybersecurity challenges for manufacturing and B2B organizations, and help people navigate the moments that feel like bad luck but might just be the beginning of something better.


If you're stuck, burned out, dealing with a breach, struggling with your team, or just need someone who gets it—let's talk. 


🔔 I post daily about leadership, resilience, and real results.


And if you want me to bring this perspective to your team or event as a speaker please reach out. Let's reframe what's possible together.


Because maybe what's happening to you right now isn't bad luck. 


Maybe it's just a moment of "we'll see."

That's just the way things are.


Those aren't the words of a leader.


If we accepted "facts of life," we'd still be living in caves.


There would be no electricity. No medicine. No flight. No internet. 


No breakthroughs that changed the course of humanity.


Every single innovation—every leap forward—came from someone who looked at "the way things are" and said:


"Not good enough. We can do better."


They didn't accept limits. They removed them.


Someone said it's a fact of life that people die from infections. Then penicillin happened.


Someone said it's a fact of life that humans can't fly. Then the Wright brothers happened.


Someone said it's a fact of life that information takes weeks to travel. Then the internet happened.


True leaders don't accept the world as it is. 


They reimagine what it could be.


There are two types of people in this world.


Those who remove limits and those who impose them.


True leaders? They remove limits. They see barriers and ask, "How do we get past this? How do we make this better for everyone?"


But the power-hungry? The selfish? They impose limits. They gatekeep. They hoard control. They tell you "that's just the way it is" because it protects their position, their comfort, their status quo.


Leadership isn't about maintaining what is. It's about creating what could be.


And it starts with rejecting the phrase "it's a fact of life."


Because every time someone told you something was impossible, someone else proved them wrong.


Every time someone said "that's just how it works," someone else found a better way.


The next time you hear "it's a fact of life" or "that's just the way things are," ask yourself:


Is this actually true? Or is this just a limit someone's trying to impose?


And then decide: Am I going to accept it, or am I going to remove it?


Because the world doesn't need more people protecting the status quo.


It needs leaders who believe in better. 


Who fight for better. Who create better

-----
I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I help manufacturing and B2B organizations break through limits in cybersecurity, leadership, and team performance. I believe kindness removes barriers, and innovation starts when we refuse to accept "the way things are."


If you're tired of being told "that's just how it is," if you're ready to challenge limits instead of accepting them, or if you need someone who believes better is always possible—let's talk. DM me or comment below.


🔔 Hit follow if you refuse to accept "facts of life" as the final answer. I post daily about leadership, humanity, and breaking through what's "always been done."


And if you want me to bring this energy to your team or event—reach out. Let's remove some limits together.


Because "it's a fact of life" isn't leadership.


It's surrender.


And you weren't built to surrender.

Should I tell them the truth, or give them convenient lies?


That's what a tech VP asked me when he reached out for coaching.


His team was struggling. Their industry had been hammered by layoffs over the past year. Morale was in the gutter. People were disconnected, unmotivated, and scared. 


Every day felt like they were waiting for the other shoe to drop.


"What do I tell them when they ask if their jobs are safe?" he said. "I don't even know the answer myself."


Here's what I told him:


"Then tell them that. Tell them you don't know."


He hesitated. "Won't that make it worse? Won't they lose even more confidence?"


"No," I said. "Convenient lies make it worse.


Authenticity builds trust. Vulnerability builds connection. And right now, your team doesn't need false hope....they need a leader who's willing to be human with them.


So here's what he did:


He gathered his team and said:


"I don't know what tomorrow looks like. I wish I could tell you everything's going to be fine, but I can't promise that. What I can tell you is this: Right here, right now, we're in this together. We're going to support each other. And whatever comes, we'll face it as a team."


He shared his own fears. He admitted he was scared too. He stopped pretending to have all the answers.


And something shifted.


In the weeks that followed, the team started picking up. Productivity improved. They started hitting milestones again. 


People re-engaged not because the uncertainty went away, but because they finally had a leader who wasn't hiding from it.


Anyone can lead a team through good times. That's easy.


Great leaders lead through uncertainty. Through fear. Through the messy, uncomfortable moments when no one knows what's coming next.


And the only way you do that is by being authentic and vulnerable.


Not perfect. Not all-knowing. Just human.


Your team doesn't need you to have all the answers. 


They need you to be honest, present, and willing to walk through the uncertainty with them and not ahead of them pretending it doesn't exist.


-------
I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I coach leaders, help manufacturing and B2B organizations navigate cybersecurity challenges, and guide teams through uncertainty with authenticity, vulnerability, and kindness.


If you're leading through tough times, if your team is disengaged or fearful, if you're not sure how to be honest without making things worse—let's talk. DM me or comment below.


🔔 Hit follow if you believe great leadership is built on truth, not convenient lies. I post daily about leading with humanity and getting real results.


And if you want me to speak to your team or event about leading through uncertainty—reach out. Let's build resilient, connected teams together.


Because your people don't need you to have all the answers.


They just need you to be real.

Cybersecurity isn't about protecting everything.


It's about protecting what makes your business money.


Your critical processes.


Your systems.


Your data.


Your reputation.


That's it. That's the list.


Too many leaders treat cybersecurity like a compliance checkbox or a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. 


They throw money at tools they don't understand.


They react to every headline. 


They live in constant fear that "today's the day we get hit."


Here's what changes when you get this right:


You stop operating from fear.


You stop reacting to every strange email like it's a five-alarm fire.


You stop assuming "it won't happen to me" while secretly losing sleep that it will.


Instead? 


You lead proactively. You protect what matters. 


You build resilience into the foundation of your business not as an afterthought, but as a strategy.


And the peace of mind that comes from doing this properly?


It's huge.


You sleep better. 


Your clients trust you more. 


Your team isn't drowning in paranoia. 


You're not wondering if one bad click is going to take down everything you've built.


You're leading for your business, your clients, your family.


Here's the truth most cyber security consultants won't tell you:


Cybersecurity done right isn't about fear. 


It's about clarity. 


It's about knowing EXACTLY what you're protecting, why it matters, and how to do it without burning out your team or your budget.


------
I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I help manufacturing companies and smaller B2B organizations cut through the noise, protect what actually matters, and lead their businesses with confidence instead of fear.


If you've been breached, denied insurance, drowning in security questionnaires, or just tired of feeling like cybersecurity is this big scary thing you'll never figure out—let's talk. DM me or comment below.


🔔 Hit follow if you're ready to stop reacting and start leading. I post daily about cybersecurity, leadership, and humanity.


And if you want me to bring this message to your team or event—reach out. Let's turn fear into strategy together.


Because you don't need to protect everything. You just need to protect what matters. And I can show you how.

I start every engagement the same way....


"What makes you money?"


Not "What's your compliance framework?"


Not "What's your tech stack?"


Not "When was your last penetration test?"


What. Makes. You. Money.


I need to understand your critical business processes FIRST!


The systems your customers depend on.


The data that drives those systems.


The workflows that keep revenue flowing.


THEN we look at technology.


THEN we talk about compliance.


THEN we figure out what tools you actually need.


Here's the problem with most cybersecurity consultants...


They show up with a checklist. A framework. A "best practices" playbook that treats every business like it's the same.


They'll tell you to spend $200K on tools you don't need to protect systems that don't matter while your actual revenue-generating processes are wide open.


That's backwards!!


Cybersecurity isn't about protecting everything. It's about protecting what makes your business run.


The systems that generate revenue.


The contracts that depend on you proving you're not a security liability.


The client relationships that hinge on trust.


That's where I start. And I do it all through the lens of kindness.


Because you're not a compliance checkbox to me.


 You're a business owner, a leader, a human being trying to protect what you've built.


So I don't overwhelm you with jargon or scare you into spending money you don't have.


I ask: "What do you care about most? What can't you afford to lose?"


And then we build a strategy around that.


Not around fear.


Not around what some framework says you "should" do.


Around what actually protects your business and helps it grow.


Here's what this looks like in practice:
I worked with a food manufacturer whose biggest client demanded proof of cybersecurity compliance. 


They were about to lose an $80 million contract—80% of their revenue—because they couldn't answer a security questionnaire.


We didn't start with firewalls or compliance audits.


We started with: What does this client need to see?


 What processes does this contract depend on?


 What data is at risk if something goes wrong?


Then we built a plan. Protected what mattered.


 Proved they weren't a liability.


They kept the contract. And they gained the confidence to go after bigger clients who demand the same rigor.


That's the power of starting with what makes you money.

-------
I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I help manufacturing and B2B organizations protect their revenue streams, win (and keep) major contracts, and turn cybersecurity from a compliance burden into a business enabler.


If you're tired of consultants who lead with fear and frameworks instead of understanding your business, if you're at risk of losing clients because of security gaps, or if you just need someone who actually gets it—let's talk


I care about what makes you money.


And I'll help you protect it with kindness, clarity, and zero BS.

You don't protect what you can afford to lose. 


You protect what you can't afford to replace.


Read that again.


Your reputation.


Your client trust.


Your life savings.


Your identity.


Your time.


Your peace of mind.


Once those are compromised, the cost isn't just financial.


It's emotional. It's mental. And it's often long-term.


I've sat across from business owners who've been breached. 


The look in their eyes isn't about the money they lost it's about the trust they'll never fully get back.


 The sleepless nights wondering what else was taken. 


The guilt of knowing their clients' data was exposed because of a gap they didn't even know existed.


Here's the irony:


Most cyber incidents aren't sophisticated, Ocean's Eleven-style attacks.


They're simple gaps.


An outdated password policy.


A phishing email someone clicked because they were rushing.


A system that wasn't patched because "we'll get to it next quarter."


The attackers aren't geniuses. They're just patient.


 And they're counting on you being too busy, too overwhelmed, or too optimistic to close those gaps.


But here's the good news: You don't have to be a cybersecurity expert to protect what matters most.


 You just need to start with clarity, intention, and the willingness to prioritize what you can't afford to replace


Because kindness? It starts with protecting the people who trust you...your clients, your team, your family.


And protection isn't about fear. It's about care.


--------
I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I help manufacturing companies and smaller B2B organizations protect what they can't afford to replace: their reputation, their client trust, and their peace of mind.


If you've been breached, denied insurance, overwhelmed by security questionnaires, or you're just tired of wondering if you're doing enough—let's talk. DM me or comment below.


🔔 Hit follow if you believe protecting what matters is an act of leadership and kindness. I post daily about cybersecurity, humanity, and leading with intention.


And if you want me to speak to your team or event about closing the gaps before they become crises—reach out. Let's turn vulnerability into strength together.


Because you don't protect what you can afford to lose.


You protect what you can't afford to replace.


And I can help you do exactly that.

Do it scared....


My daughter did her first solo performance.


Was she scared? Absolutely.


Her hands were shaking. 


Her voice was quiet when she asked, "What if I mess up?"


My wife and I looked at her and said: "Then you mess up. But you do it anyway."


She was nervous. Terrified, even. 


But she walked out there. And she did it.


Do it scared.


That's the lesson. That's what I want her to remember for the rest of her life.


Courage isn't the absence of fear. 


It's doing the thing even when fear is screaming at you to stop.


Every big moment in your life, the career change, the difficult conversation, the decision to step up and lead all start with fear.


Fear of failing.


Fear of looking foolish.


Fear of not being ready.


Fear of what people will think.


And you do it anyway.


You don't wait until you're confident. You don't wait until the fear goes away. You don't wait until you feel "ready."


You do it scared.


That's how my daughter learned she's braver than she thought. 


That's how leaders are made. That's how breakthroughs happen. That's how you stop letting fear write your story.


I've done it scared my whole career:


Leaving corporate when I burned out...scared I'd fail.


Starting my own consulting practice...scared no one would hire me.


Standing up to a VP who didn't want to hire the right person because of bias...scared I'd lose the client.


Coaching leaders through layoffs and uncertainty....scared I wouldn't have the right words.


Every single time? I was terrified. And I did it anyway.


Because waiting for the fear to go away is just another way of saying no to your own potential.


So whatever that thing is for you: the pitch you need to make, the boundary you need to set, the team you need to lead through chaos, the business decision that keeps you up at night...


Do it scared.


Your hands might shake. Your voice might crack.


 You might mess up.


But you'll also discover something incredible:


You're stronger than the fear.


Just like my daughter did.

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I'm Dom Vogel—the Dopamine Dealer on LinkedIn. I help manufacturing and B2B organizations lead through fear, solve cybersecurity challenges, and build resilient teams that don't wait for perfect conditions to take action.


If you're facing something scary—a breach, a leadership challenge, a decision you've been avoiding—and you need someone who gets it, who's done it scared too—let's talk. DM me or comment below.


🔔 Hit follow if you're ready to stop waiting for fear to disappear and start doing it scared. I post daily about courage, leadership, and humanity.


And if you want me to bring this message to your team or event—reach out. Let's build a culture where people do hard things even when they're terrified.


Because the world doesn't need more people waiting to feel ready.


It needs more people who do it scared.


Just like my daughter.

taplio

The Battle

Erica Rankin

Dominic Vogel

Followers

Posts

Engagements

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Performance ScoreErica Rankin's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDominic Vogel's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Erica Rankin

Dominic Vogel

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Erica Rankin's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDominic Vogel's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreErica Rankin's LinkedIn Performance