Business Growth Architect Show: Founders of the Future

Ep #192: Dr. Christiane Schroeter: From Anxiety to Action: The STEP Method That Actually Works

• Beate Chelette • Episode 192

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Entrepreneurs deal with fear, anxiety, and overwhelm daily. Dr. Christiane Schröter does not just acknowledge it—she teaches how to turn it into momentum.

In this episode of the Business Growth Architect Show: Founders of the Future, Dr. Christiane Schroeter introduces the STEP framework (Simplify, Tell, Examine, Praise). It is a clear, four-step system designed to break big goals into small, doable actions and remove the overwhelm that comes with endless to-do lists. From writing two pages of a book a day, to using “Petite Practices” that keep progress moving, her methods show how consistent small steps lead to measurable impact.

This is practical and actionable. You will learn how to reframe stress into strength, move from “someday” to today, and build a mindset that keeps you executing. 

👉 Explore more from Dr. Christiane Schroeter at doctorchristiane.com
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Christiane Schroeter:

The way that I look at fear and anxiety is it's great to have. Two days ago, I stood on the TED stage and shared my talk to a few 100 people. You just have to think a little bit about why am I doing this to change somebody's life? Overwhelmed is writing down 15 things on your to do list in the morning. That's legitimately never what I would do. It's just setting me up for failure. I don't want that. Winning is not comfortable. Business owners don't share enough about how crappy some days are. I think if you are overwhelmed and you're feeling fear, you just have to become comfortable in sharing exactly those moments. Just imagine you never did it then, like, Gosh, I wish I would have started.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Dr. Christiane. How do fear and anxiety show up for high achieving entrepreneurs, even when on the outside things look

Christiane Schroeter:

just great. Yeah, beautiful question. The way that I look at fear and anxiety is a it's great to have, right? It's not bad to be afraid of something, and it's not bad to feel anxious about something. The way that I coach my clients is you just need to redirect the energy into something positive. So what? Yeah, you maybe be afraid of getting on a stage. Two days ago, I stood on the TED stage and shared my talk to a few 100 people. Great. So yeah, I was afraid about that. And definitely, you know, that was not something that was natural to me. Just get out there and give a 15 minute talk, but I thought, I'm going to share somebody my story and change somebody's life. And that changed my thinking about it. So when you are afraid of something, or you maybe you are even anxious, just think, what's the what's the worst thing that can happen? Everybody has experienced this before, but why am I doing this? Really? I'm getting on the stage to change somebody's life, and even if it's just one person's life, so that is what you have to think about. You're helping somebody else with it. So sometimes fear and anxiety, we're just too hard on ourselves, and we just need to don't think about ourselves, but think about the others, and then you're in the getting in the right mindset, right think about not getting on the stage. You wouldn't change that person's life. So they would be missing out. That's a pity. Get on that stage. Share your stage. Share your voice, right? You talk a lot about in your work, about overwhelm.

BEATE CHELETTE:

What does it mean? Or what is it being overwhelmed? Is it even a legitimate feeling? Is it man made? What is it feeling overwhelmed? Yeah,

Christiane Schroeter:

overwhelmed is writing down 15 things on your to do list in the morning. That's legitimately never what I would do. I maybe write down 15 things when I go to a grocery store, because I do need to buy groceries to feed my family. But will I accomplish 15 things that I'm actually feeling proud of at the end of the day, no, because that means I'm just sitting there all day and fasting and not getting through it. It's just setting me up for failure. I don't want that, so maybe write in three things I usually stick to one hand.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Why do we do that? Is that like an Uber accomplishment complex that we're having. Why do we do that? Why do we you? So what I'm hearing you say is, like, I'm setting myself up for overwhelm,

Christiane Schroeter:

Yeah, unfortunately, I think so. There are all these moving elements at the end of the day, though, and I frequently tell my children too, is, is that really something that matters right now? Will this be something I care about in five years? And if the answer is no, then I go, okay, maybe I shouldn't even want to worry about it right now. I

BEATE CHELETTE:

kind of like that is the question, the litmus test question, this is even going to be relevant in five years, because we sometimes, I think, as business owners, we put other people's well being over our own and our family's needs, and we don't even know them. It's an email that needed to go out or a piece of content that was published that's going to be seen or not seen by somebody I have no idea who that is, and for that, I didn't do something that would have created an impact in my family. Is there a psychological or a mental thing that we need to look into to help people kind of get that straightened out in their head on why they do it and what they can do instead?

Christiane Schroeter:

Well, I think it's sometimes like pure fear. Of Missing Out right that you feel like not writing the email that others didn't see you, or just like by not posting off on social media, or whatever that you felt you're missing out on not being visible. I can honestly tell you if you're not posting on social media for a week, sorry to say this, most people might not even notice, or nobody, or nobody cares. Maybe it's three people that really care about you, but all the others, they're so busy looking at all these other accounts. I always love it when people like I'm taking a social media break, and I know that they do it, just to let us know we can do that too. So of course, but otherwise it's like, go for it. Just Just do it. You don't even need to tell me you're doing it. Just, just do it.

BEATE CHELETTE:

It is really true. So you specialize in helping people get out of overwhelm by giving them simple processes. Talk to us a little bit about what is the framework that you're using, and how does it help our audience?

Christiane Schroeter:

Yes, I use it for a step process that's actually called step, right? So you'll be taking small steps that lead to a big impact. And because I'm from Europe, you hear that my accent, I actually call the steps individual steps are called petite practice. So small, little practices, and it's practice. It's not perfection. It's really important. If you feel that you have this big goal, whether that's speaking on a Keynote or TEDx or writing the next book, you have to simplify all right. So let's take your big thing, break it down into these small steps, and it could even be you're writing it down on little sticky notes, and then you're shuffling up the sticky notes, and you're choosing the one that you want to get started with. You choose one, and then you have to get started right? But at least it's not that big anymore. And you could even make it very dramatic, like take one big piece of paper, write it on there, and then cut it up into little modes, whatever that is. If you're a visual learner, that might just work for you, and then you have to tell others about it, and that's the tough part. So others think you're really not doing anything, because you honestly never talk about what you do. And it doesn't mean like, well, let me tell you about my day in detail, not like that, but more like, I always wanted to whatever write a book. Others will be like, I didn't even know that. And then you're like, Yes, I did. And then it leads to the conversation. And then people will come back and like, how's the book writing going? You're like, well, well, well, let me tell you about it. So that's the so the s simplified, the T, tell, and then you have to examine the E, the exam. And like, think in your third step, a little bit like, what are you doing that works? Are you writing your book by writing two pages a day? Are you writing your book by maybe doing audio notes when you go for walks? What? What are you doing? What's what's moving the needle? And then lastly, you have to praise progress. It could be like you're writing two pages a day, and then you celebrate each day. Wow, I wrote two pages. Or it could be that you're speaking, I'm speaking at a Writers Conference next month about my books. That's it. That's a great thing to celebrate. So I'm really speaking at a Writers Conference, yay. And so it's like you have to think a little bit like small steps, big impact. And not everything has to be glamorous and amazing, but you have to think that the most important thing is just you're moving the needle. And it does not have to be these 15 things on your to do list. It could just be three small things.

BEATE CHELETTE:

What was your trigger moment? What was the moment when you sat down and you said, I see a problem, and I must do something about that. I'm very

Christiane Schroeter:

much a woman of multiple hats, right? So when I introduce myself, I'm like, I'm a business and wellness coach, I'm a professor, I'm an author, I'm a podcaster, I'm also a TED speaker. I'm also a fitness instructor. And then people like, how do you do that? And I was like, well, it's really not magic. I mean, you could do that too, any of those things. It's just that I do literally just a little bit of everything. I don't really doubt myself in doing it. I just do it. Just publish a book, right? Don't need to be the next Harry Potter, but I just publish it, you know? And so I think that the my secret sauce really came from the fact that I actually listened to what people asked me, and I didn't just talk, but I started listening to what their problems are and what they wanted to know, and then I just reformulated that into my unique value proposition. I think you just have to do a better job in listening first and then talking.

BEATE CHELETTE:

That is the truth. Most people don't know how to do that because they love to hear themselves talk all the time. So did you know this wasn't a problem that. People actually wanting to do all these things, because it's almost contradictory to everything else we hear, because they always say, get rich. And then in the niche, or the niche, whatever you however you want to pronounce it, and you basically saying the opposite. You say, Well, whatever drives you, whether that's speaking or writing or even fitness, whatever makes you happy do it, and I'm going to give you the framework to do that, is it not contradictory to what's being said in the market?

Christiane Schroeter:

Oh, that's a great question. I think that for me, when I put my calendar together, I use it a little bit like a bouquet of flowers, right? So my flower bouquet is really varied in the color, and then the type of the job that I do, right? So there's it's all there, but each one of them really sparks joy. And if I ever feel there's something in there that doesn't work for me, I just take it out. I'm like, You know what? That didn't work? So I examine it and I take it out. That is what helps me balance my business and my wellness, because if I were to only do one thing, I would feel I'm coming becoming too much focused on the successes and the failures in that one thing, and right now I can celebrate successes from another area of my life. It's nearly like you are at this beautiful buffet, and it has all these beautiful little elements from all over the world, all these little tasters that you can try. And so I tried them, and then I'm like, I like this, this, this, and then I put them on my plate. But it doesn't mean that they always have to remain on my plate. I also switch them out. So I think if you have multiple jobs, it keeps you more agile and flexible. Instead of saying, I'm just in this one thing right here, and then if you switch, you're like, well, now I have all my business, and I'm kind of locked in here, so it's really hard to get out of it. And it's like traveling through Europe, all the different languages, all the different culture, where I'm feeling like I'm wanting to be more in tuned to trying different tasks and figuring out which ones work for me. I

BEATE CHELETTE:

like that a lot. I like this journey of your business journey, or your life life and business journey to compare to a trip, because doesn't make the trip to Europe even better if you're not just in Italy or Paris, but if you saw Italy and Paris and France, maybe or Portugal. So I feel the same way. I do believe that we go through reiterations. I can stand being boxed in to a particular niche and then having to do that, because I think life is a series of transformations that we are going through. And as we're going through these transformations, we get a different skill set. And then when we have this different skill set, wouldn't we want to tell other people about how to master that, just in case they might want the same as we do, right? So I think it's a beautiful, beautiful way this works. So how does this application of your step system of a petite practice? How does that now change someone's trajectory, satisfaction, happiness, what happens to someone who simplifies and examines and then takes the different steps to to execute what's the outcome that they actually

Christiane Schroeter:

get started on their goals before some invisible deadline you set yourself? I think the majority of people that I talk to are like, yeah, eventually I'm going to write a book. Then I sometimes challenge them, and I'm like, when is eventually? It's like, some days, well, that's not even on the calendar, you know? So then I asked them, they're like, well, when the kids leave the house, when I retire, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And there's like these, the future deadline is always very convenient and comfortable, because you don't want to become uncomfortable today. So I always say, if you make a plan and you again those sticky notes, pick one and start today. Before you change your mind to start, if you want to run marathons, you always wanted to run the marathon, go to the store and buy some shoes today. Step one shoes, right? Good. Step one, done. And so for me, I think the main thing is just that the step system actually gets the wheels going, and it makes you more aware that life is finite, and that this moment of I'm going to start doing this thing in the future might never happen. And you don't want to look back and think, gosh, I just wish I would have gotten ready to run them. Marathon, and now I can't anymore. What a big bummer, right? I mean, that's really something that would be so sad, and this is really important too. But I see with a lot of my clients, let's just say podcast. They're like, Oh, I always want to start a podcast, and I'm like, help them get ready. And then all of a sudden, they're like, You know what, Christiana, I actually don't like it. It's like, how amazing is that? That is a celebration right now. Because just imagine you never did it, and then, like, Gosh, I wish I would have started a podcast, but doing it and figuring out it's not great, that's wonderful, because at least you figure it out it's not great.

BEATE CHELETTE:

I always say that our job is to get people to an intersection. There's only a left and a right and a 711 so you can either, you can either be in the 711 eat hot dogs and Slurpees, or you make a left, or you make a right. There is literally no other option. I'm like you when somebody adamantly recognizes that they don't want something that's as much as a celebration as we help them to figure out what it is that they do want. Because that is, I think, the paralysis a lot of people experiencing. So I want to talk about that a little bit. A lot of people say I want to get out of overwhelm. I want to get stuff done. I want to be more productive. I want to get out of fear. But they're stuck year after year after year. How do we help them get out of that?

Christiane Schroeter:

Well, first things first is, obviously what you're doing right now is, is not really working. And I think that's the first thing is to step away from it and try something different. So I tried that. I signed up with this coach, I bought this book, I got a treadmill, blah, blah, blah, you know. And so it's like, did you actually use it? Did you actually work with that coach, right? Yeah, Oh, you didn't okay. So I mean, the first thing is, of course, you need to commit to it. I always tell my clients, you know what, winning is not comfortable. When we look at the Olympic Games and they look so happy and running through the finish line, but everything that led to that stage not comfortable. There were many mornings where they didn't want to get up and train, and many business owners don't share enough about how crappy some days are. I think if you are overwhelmed and you're feeling fear, you just have to become comfortable in sharing exactly those moments to become vulnerable means that you're actually starting to step into your unique value proposition, because you are starting to share what others are feeling. And if you become vulnerable and you share your struggles right now alone, that already feels good. It's kind of like poof got that out of my system, right? That is an immense service to others, because we're all feeling it, but just not pretending that everything is good, but saying I'm really struggling with that would

BEATE CHELETTE:

already be a service to others. And then how do we help them with this anxiety, though? Because once they in it, and I think in a lot of the spiritual teachings, we hear that if you allow the reality of it to be spoken into like you manifest by speaking about it. So if I were to admit that I'm overwhelmed or I don't know where to start, am I not doing the opposite of what spirituality tells me? Am I not manifesting it? How do you manage that? So

Christiane Schroeter:

you can write down all these words, anxiety, fear, overwhelm on one side. And you could even have this table on your desk. And in fact, in my books, actually, I have a table like that where I teach you write down all these words, and then there is an error that kind of flips the switch from that word to something that's more positive. So you need to figure out all right, so I feel overwhelmed. Okay? On the bright side, it means I have a lot going on. I could be bored and have nothing going on, so it's kind of nice. I have a lot of different ideas. I'm actually a creative individual, so being overwhelmed, it's not bad at all. Maybe I should write, write down all these different things that I'm thinking about, and some of those might just be overwhelming me, because they are there, but they are kind of irrelevant today. Maybe they're interesting in five years, right? So the first thing is just getting it out of your head, whether that's writing it down, whether that's maybe verbalizing it to somebody, or whether that's just stepping away from the problem. But I think that you need to appreciate sometimes that overwhelming. Is also something that humans are uniquely gifted with, because it just means that your mind goes in a million directions, but you just have to think a little bit about what matters right now today.

BEATE CHELETTE:

So what I'm hearing you say and tell me if I'm right the way I understand this, but you are saying it is okay to actually admit these deep fears and thoughts that you're having, even if they are appearing on the outside as negative, get it out, and then find a way to reframe that into something that has a more positive connotation. So what you said is, I could be saying I'm overwhelmed, but if I look at this on paper, I can say I am a I'm a creative I have a lot of fabulous ideas that all deserve to be heard and brought out in the open. I'm still overwhelmed, but now I have a positive spin to it. Is this what I heard

Christiane Schroeter:

completely, yep, flipping the switch. That's exactly it. I think that. Let's just say you're walking into your kitchen, you see all these dirty dishes. All right, there's two things you could think it's like all I have to do after plain dishes. Now I'm so overwhelmed, the house looks like a mess. It's a nightmare, or dirty dishes means you just ate something. So there was food in the fridge, right? It also means that, hey, you had dishes to begin with. That's amazing in itself, and you have a kitchen, whoa, right? So think a little bit of like starting to break it down, really. I what's happening really, is that a lot of the the thoughts immediately spiral to what you see in that very moment. It's just like so bad and we are so hard enough itself. We need to fix it like right now. I need to get there and clean up those dirty dishes. Maybe you do, sure, but at the same time, it also is just the outcome of something that led to that. So maybe, if your desk is messy, cool, but maybe that just means that you had a really busy week, and it doesn't need to be all cleaned up in one day. Maybe you can talk to somebody on your phone while you're cleaning it up with your headset on, and so you're combining the beautiful message you're sharing with your friend with cleaning up the desk. And so you're flipping the switch and like, you know what I need to clean up at my desk, but let's make this a really positive experience by talking to my friend about that. And so cleaning the dishes, same thing. You could put on music. You could talk to your family in the kitchen while you do that. So it's not always just like this, oh, I have to do this. It's sometimes like, All right, so let's just, let's just kind of get it done, right? It's all right. Just getting it done doesn't necessarily have to be all that bad. It just basically means like, how can I make the best out of this right now?

BEATE CHELETTE:

Yeah, and I think that's a beautiful spiritual approach to life in general is to get away from the I have to to the I have the privilege to be in a home with a kitchen with food in the refrigerator. That was an amazing meal that we have had. Now let's get everything ready for the next one. So that's a very different positive outcome. Were you always this positive? Or did you have to train yourself? Or did you learn that?

Christiane Schroeter:

And I want to add on too. So instead of saying I have to, I must just try the word I get to, I get to clean dishes because I own dishes and I have food in my fridge. I mean, how amazing is that? Right? Was I always this positive? That's a really great question. We are uniquely gifted in certain areas. I think that it's a muscle I had to work on because we, I mean, it started small, you know, coming back to my petite practices, and then I felt it worked, and then I trained it. And now it just it. I pull it out when I need it so it, it doesn't necessarily mean, if you are not a positive person, that you always will be this Negative Nelly. It's just something you have to slowly start. And I think that the the magic really starts and just starting small, like for instance, you could look at when you when you go grocery shopping, they have these little sample booth in a store. You could look at this on opportunity. You're just sampling something, and you totally might not like it, but you know what? It was free doesn't cost you anything to try positivity. I think it's just trying positivity, and I promise you that what you will receive will be far bigger than what you get give far bigger. You will feel that on the worst day possible where you're like, sitting there like, I can't believe. If I didn't even know I have that many dishes, how my kitchen looks like is beyond and on that day where you maybe share a text message to a friend and that person doesn't have even have to struggle, what you will get back will give you the motivation to clean up the whole thing.

BEATE CHELETTE:

Well, I certainly, I certainly know what it's like to have a lot of dishes and then not have a single dish in 24 hours, right? It's certainly

Christiane Schroeter:

why I'm bringing this up, because I know what you went through, and so you totally resonate with that. Like losing everything means all of a sudden you're like, I don't even have any dishes.

BEATE CHELETTE:

That's a very, very strange feeling to be with that. But I like your idea of how to reframe by simply educating yourself in the small, petite steps in, you know, following your system in moving forward. So for somebody who now wants to learn a little bit more about you or read one of your books, where do we send them? Go to my

Christiane Schroeter:

website, drchristiana.com it's all right now. drchristiana.com, all in one word. My podcast is called"Happy, Healthy Hustle," right? Because we can be hustling by being happy and staying healthy. And then, of course, my books are all available on Amazon, so grab them there. Dr. Christiana Schroeter, that's my last name, and if you have a question, reach out to me. info@drchristiania.com I would love to

BEATE CHELETTE:

help you. Wonderful. Thank you so much. Well, it's been a delight to have you on the show and talking to you about overwhelm and positivity. So thank you so much for being here. Thank you. And that is it for us today. So I like the idea of taking petite steps and just get it done one small step at a time, instead of trying to look at a really daunting test task, break it down into small steps, and with that, I say goodbye, and until next time, that's it for this episode of the business growth architect show, founders of the future. If you're done playing small and ready to build the future on your terms, subscribe, share and help us reach more Trailblazers like you. And if you're serious about creating, growing and scaling a business that's aligned with who you are, schedule your uncovery session at uncoverysession.com lead with vision. Move with purpose. Create your future.

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Beate Chelette

Host
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Dr. Christiane Schroeter

Guest

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