Keynote speaker, author and fear researcher Darryl Bellamy Jr. visited the Bolles Upper School San Jose Campus and Middle School Bartram Campus on August 27 for high-energy presentations that were equal parts entertaining, inspiring and thought-provoking. 

Known for helping educators, leaders and students take action through fear, change and uncertainty, Bellamy has conducted global research uncovering universal patterns in human fear by posing a simple question: “What do you fear?” His work is rooted in the Fear Intelligence framework, which he developed after collecting more than 75,000 handwritten fears from students, educators and professionals worldwide.

During his presentations at Bolles, Bellamy encouraged attendees to view fear not as the enemy but as a signal, guide and challenge that can push people to be better and achieve more, when met with clarity and courage. He said students should not strive to be fearless but instead to fear a little less.

Toward the end of each presentation, Bellamy invited students to write their fears on notecards and then “burn” them by placing the cards into flames. He then read anonymous responses aloud, eliciting nods and murmurs of agreement throughout the audience. To further illustrate how fears are often more universal than expected, Bellamy asked audience members to stand if they had ever felt they didn’t belong in a room or were afraid they would come up short of people’s expectations. 

At the conclusion of the convocations, Bellamy distributed black wristbands to attendees as a reminder to fear less. See pictures from the upper school presentation in our online photo gallery and learn more about Bellamy here.