Answering God's Call - Overcoming Doubts, Fears, and Finding Purpose with Stephanie Van Allan

Rita Mercer Author

This blog series explores Stephanie Van Allan’s journey of overcoming self-doubt, criticism, and fear to build a purpose-driven fitness mission.

Introduction

Imagine being called to a path you never expected—a path that feels far beyond your comfort zone and abilities. Now add a healthy dose of self-doubt, unexpected hurdles, and the overwhelming desire to succeed. This is the journey many of us face when we step into something new, and Stephanie Van Allan’s story is a perfect example of what it takes to embrace a calling even when it feels too big. 

Starting the Journey: Feeling the Call

As a fitness instructor with nearly two decades of experience, Stephanie Van Allan had spent years helping people improve their health. But in 2020, when the world hit pause because of COVID, so did her in-person fitness classes. Stephanie shifted to teaching Facebook Live workouts—what started as a casual way to stay active during lockdown suddenly took on a life of its own.

Around this time, Stephanie was also participating in a bible study. She explained, "It was teaching me to listen to God’s voice, not just asking for things I wanted, but being open to what He wanted me to do." It was here that she began to feel the tug to do something more—specifically, to create a YouTube fitness channel. But there was one small problem: the thought of starting a YouTube channel seemed daunting. 

"I’m an old lady at heart," she laughed. "I barely know how to use the TV remote without help from my son!" This wasn’t just about learning new technology; it was about stepping out in faith and leaving behind the comfort zone of what she already knew.

The Struggle is Real: Overcoming Doubt and Fear

Like Stephanie, I know we’ve all been there—standing at the edge of something new, chasing big dreams, feeling that pull to move forward but being held back by fear and doubt. For Stephanie, this manifested in several ways. She didn’t just doubt her technical skills; she doubted whether she was even the right person for the job. "I kept thinking, 'Fitness is my fun thing. It’s not where I need to be called.' But I couldn’t shake the feeling that God was saying, 'This is what I want for you.'”

That’s when the God—gave Stephanie the confirmation she needed. A little while after those early Facebook Live sessions, she learned about Mana Nutrition, a nonprofit that provides lifesaving food packets to malnourished children. By divine timing, she learned that Mana Nutrition was running a campaign that rewarded people's exercise efforts by donating food to children in need.

That was when she had an Aha moment. Stephanie realized that her fitness passion could be more than just a way to keep people active; it could be a way to stretch her faith and make an impact to help youth struggling with hunger needs.

The Battle of the Mind: Tackling Inadequacy

Leaning into the call, Stephanie faced another major challenge—negative thoughts. She admits having to overcome being a people-pleaser. "I like to be liked. My love language is words of affirmation. So this was really hard for me." When she started the YouTube channel, she struggled to get consistent views. 

"I’d put out content, and it’d get like three views. One of them was probably my mom," she joked. But it wasn’t just the lack of views that got to her—it was the criticism. "Within five minutes of every video going live, I’d get a thumbs-down, and it crushed me." Stephanie even began to wonder if she was wasting her time.

As she got quiet with herself, she started to learn that realized that she couldn’t measure success by the numbers on her screen. She explained, "I was getting caught up in comparing myself to other creators. It’s easy to look at someone else’s millions of views and feel inadequate." Through the support of her friends in her moms group, she identified this comparison trap.

A New Definition of Success: Faith Over Fear

At this critical point, Stephanie had to redefine what success meant for her. She found peace and her truth in a phrase that came to her at just the right time: "God qualifies the unqualified." It was a reminder that even if she didn’t feel ready, she had everything she needed to fulfill the calling that had been placed on her heart.

"God didn’t ask me to be successful," she reflected. "He asked me to be faithful." This shift in mindset allowed Stephanie to stop obsessing over the results and instead focus on being consistent and putting her heart into the work. It wasn’t about how many people were watching her videos or giving her a thumbs-up; it was about trusting that she was making a difference, even if she couldn’t always see it.

The Growth Process: Embracing the Messy Middle

The reality of building something meaningful is that it doesn’t happen overnight. And while Stephanie began to see the fruits of her labor in her second year of starting the Fitness Mission, she was also transparent about the hard work and patience it required. "I had to remind myself that growth takes time. I wasn't going to go viral overnight. And that’s okay."

During one particularly challenging time, she shared a vulnerable moment with her mom friends. "I told them how much the thumbs-downs were getting to me, and one of them said, 'If someone is giving you a thumbs-down, it’s because they see you as a threat. That means you’re doing something right!'” It was the encouragement she needed to keep going.

Despite the discouragement, Stephanie learned that staying the course was key. "You have to keep showing up. You can’t let one thumbs-down ruin something that could bless a lot of people."

The Enemy's Tactics: Overcoming Criticism and Self-Sabotage

The truth is, with every great mission comes resistance. Stephanie found this out the hard way when, no matter what she did, criticism seemed to be lurking in every corner. "Every time I posted a video, within minutes, I'd get a thumbs-down. It was like clockwork." At first, these small acts of negativity seemed trivial, but over time, they started to eat away at her confidence.

"It's embarrassing to admit, but I was letting these little thumbs-downs really get to me. They made me question if I was on the right path." While many would dismiss such a small setback, Stephanie realized that these moments were chipping away at her sense of purpose. She confided in her friends about how much the negative feedback was affecting her, only to be surprised by their reaction. "One of my friends said, 'If someone is targeting you like this, it means you're making an impact. They see you as a threat.'”

Stephanie began to see the truth in this statement. The thumbs-downs weren’t a sign of failure; they were proof that she was doing something right. "I realized that if I was getting under someone's skin that quickly, I must be doing something worthwhile." This mindset shift helped her shake off the negativity and focus on the people she was helping.

In fact, she began to turn the criticism into a source of strength. "If the worst the enemy could throw at me was a thumbs-down, then I knew I was in a pretty good place," she said with a smile. Stephanie began to laugh at the negativity, allowing it to fuel her commitment rather than drain her energy.

Lessons in Resilience: When Life Tests Your Mission

Running a YouTube channel while balancing work, family life, and personal growth isn’t easy. Stephanie admitted that the first couple of years tested her limits. Between working full-time as a speech therapist and raising her three kids, carving out time for her mission felt overwhelming. But it wasn’t just the physical demands that stretched her—it was the emotional journey.

Instead, Stephanie found peace in surrendering the results to God. "I realized I needed to work hard, give my best effort, but surrender the outcome. I couldn't control how many people watched or liked my videos. That was God's department." It was a profound lesson, one that she learned not just in her YouTube mission, but also in her personal life.

This mindset helped her release the stress of performance and allowed her to reconnect with the why behind her mission. "I remembered that it wasn’t about becoming famous or getting millions of views. It was about creating something that glorified God and helped others."

Fighting Through the Fear of Failure

Despite all the positive momentum, Stephanie still battled with one of the most common fears—failure. "There were days I thought, ‘What if I’m doing all of this for nothing?’" But she quickly realized that failure wasn’t the enemy. In fact, it was part of the process.

"Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s a stepping stone toward it," she explained. This epiphany helped Stephanie reframe her setbacks as opportunities for growth. Instead of fearing failure, she began to embrace it. "I had to remind myself that I’m learning as I go. And that means I’m going to mess up sometimes, but that’s okay."

Her journey became a lesson in resilience, teaching her not only how to bounce back from setbacks but also how to grow through them. By accepting failure as part of the process, she could focus on the bigger picture—her mission to inspire others and make a difference in the world.

A Mission That Reaches Far Beyond the Screen

What started as a simple YouTube channel evolved into a global movement of generosity and fitness. Through partnerships with organizations like Mana Nutrition, Stephanie’s channel became a force for good, helping to feed severely malnourished children worldwide.

For Stephanie, the numbers eventually did start to climb—her channel’s growth has exploded recently, attracting more viewers, more engagement, and more opportunities to give back. But even in the early days, when the growth was slow, she understood that her work had meaning.

"Even when I wasn’t seeing the growth I expected, I knew we were saving lives with every workout. That kept me going." Stephanie’s fitness mission isn’t just about exercise—it’s about transforming lives, both physically and spiritually.

Conclusion: Keep Showing Up

Stephanie’s story is a powerful reminder that sometimes the things that seem the hardest—criticism, self-doubt, and failure—are the very things that shape us into who we are meant to be. Her mission has shown us that success isn’t measured by likes or views; it’s measured by faithfulness, perseverance, and the impact we have on others.

Connect with Stephanie

If Stephanie's story resonated with you and you’re interested in connecting further, you can connect with her at https://www.youtube.com/c/TheF...

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Categories: : Doubt, Emotional Health, Faith, Fitness, Physical Health