Michelle Khare

This is

is me, about to perform one of the most dangerous stunts in cinematic history, hanging on the side of a C-130 as it's taking off.

No goggles, no helmet, no parachute.

This stunt has only ever been performed by one other person on the planet.

Tom Cruise.

So I think it's fair to say that this is the first time this stunt has ever been attempted by a mere mortal.

My name is Michelle Carré, and I created a show on YouTube called Challenge Accepted, where I attempt the world's toughest stunts and professions.

But despite my job title, I was not born a daredevil.

I was born a child of immigrants who sacrificed everything to give me a safe, secure and a chance at a successful life.

They gave up so much for me just to exist.

So why would I ever risk that?

So growing up, I only saw fear as a stop sign.

In seventh grade, I was the kid who quit the cheer team when someone else got hurt.

And my biggest rebellion in high school was choosing to use the font Gil's Sands instead of Times New Roman at the International Science and Engineering Fair.

And while this mindset definitely set me up for success, it also left me incredibly lonely as an adult.

So I decided to take my first big risk and sign up for something that had absolutely nothing to do with my career, a cycling club.

And I was terrible.

But I kept coming back because I had something I had never had before, the freedom to fail without consequence.

Now, most of our learning journeys look something like this.

In the beginning, learning something new is really, really fun, and our brain floods with dopamine at any sign of progress.