From Fear to Freedom: A Motorcycle Journey (Rewritten by Anita Elliott)

First shared on July 6, 2024. Like the moon’s return, I circle back not to rewrite it, but to breathe a little more truth into its bones.

July 20, 2025

I didn’t sign up for motorcycle training because I was fearless.

I signed up because I wanted to be.

The truth? I was terrified. Images of gravel burns and bone-deep bruises haunted my mind the moment I clicked “Register.” But under all that fear lived a quiet flicker—a longing to reclaim power, to take up space, and to remind myself that it’s never too late to grow new wings.

Maximum Training was where it happened. That’s where I met the others—strangers with stories behind their eyes. Some seeking thrill. Some, like me, looking for proof that fear doesn’t get the final say.

And then came Brian and Al. Our instructors. Our calm in the chaos. Their humor, patience, and grounded wisdom softened the edges of our nerves. They never took our hands, but they might as well have.

The hardest part? Not the clutch or the turns or even the ramp (we’ll get to that). The hardest part was the voice inside me—the one that said I wasn’t coordinated enough, brave enough, strong enough. That old gremlin of doubt had plenty to say.

But every time I got back on the bike, something shifted. Each wobble taught me balance. Every stall reminded me of breath. And then came the infamous “Ramp of Terror”—a simple raised platform that, to me, looked Everest-sized. I froze. Panicked. Then promptly launched myself off it with a scream that startled wildlife for miles. (Okay, maybe just the instructors.)

They didn’t laugh. They didn’t scold. They steadied me. And I realized—fear wasn’t the enemy. It was the ignition. I just had to choose what gear to meet it in.

The test day came. I barely slept. But I remembered: breathe, balance, believe.

And I passed.

Not just the exam. I passed a threshold within myself. I walked off the lot with my certificate and the kind of pride that lives deep in your bones. I felt like a heroine in a slow-motion movie montage, wind in my helmet, heart wide open.

This journey wasn’t about mastering a motorcycle. It was about mastering the moment fear shows up—and saying, “You can ride with me, but you don’t get to drive.”

I’m still dreaming about my first bike. But I already ride differently through the world. More awake. More grounded. More me.

Lessons from the Road:

• Aim your arrow – Look where you want to go, not where you’re afraid to fall.

• Balance is everything – In your body, on the bike, and in life.

• Self-trust is a muscle – It grows with every wobble you survive.

• Laughter is armor – And medicine. Especially when it’s directed at your own flailing.

• Community matters – We weren’t meant to face fear alone.

• The ramp is never as big as it looks – But even if it is, you’re bigger.

  
  

Embodied Practice: Phoenix Flight Movement

Let your body tell the story of courage. Start grounded, rise slowly, open your arms wide, breathe into your center. Dance your fear into transformation. End standing tall, heart lifted.

Books for the Brave:

• Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway – Susan Jeffers

• The Big Leap – Gay Hendricks

• Daring Greatly – Brené Brown

• The War of Art – Steven Pressfield

Deepest Gratitude:

Maximum Motorcycle training - thank you for giving me the tools to trust myself again. I’ll carry your lessons wherever the road winds next.

Forever grateful,

Sincerely,

a little bruised but wildly free

… I write to remember. I move to feel. I post to find my way back to myself. …

Music for the Journey:

Fast-paced:

Top Gun Anthem  (from the "Top Gun" soundtrack)

"Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor

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"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey

"Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen

"Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles

"Imagine" by John Lennon

"The Climb" by Miley Cyrus

"Fix You" by Coldplay

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© Anita Elliott (aka Souldancer), 2024. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Anita Elliott with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.