Power Players

'Shark Tank' star Barbara Corcoran: This is how you can overcome fear

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Barbara Corcoran
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Self-made millionaire and "Shark Tank" investor Barbara Corcoran has dealt with fear her whole life.

"I'm good at facing my fears and forcing myself to do what I'm afraid of," Corcoran said in her "Business Unusual" podcast. "It's the only way I know to build my confidence."

But fear can be overcome by pushing forward, Corcoran told CNBC Make It

"Fear of making the wrong call or judgment, and fear of not knowing enough to get going, can be overcome if you just shove yourself out there and really do it," she said.

"All of those fears are false fears," according to Corcoran, especially for entrepreneurs. ("Even if you had someone shove you off the cliff to get going, you're gonna encounter those same fears every day from now until you stop building your business," she says.)

Corcoran herself has dealt with a relatively common fear: public speaking.

"I used to be horribly afraid to get up on stage and talk," she said in a 2014 interview with Entrepreneur. "I couldn't find my place. I stuttered. I had that terrible embarrassment — the kind where people lose their voice, nerves are frayed, your heart rate goes up — all of it."

Corcoran overcame her fear and speaks at numerous events as well as speaking confidently on "Shark Tank," and hosting two podcasts.

Corcoran says she did it by facing the fear head — she signed up to teach a real estate class at night and did so for six years, according to Entrepreneur. Corcoran also forced herself to accept every speaking opportunity that came her way.

"I overcame my fear of public speaking," Corcoran recalled in a 2016 Facebook post. "Now I see it as one of my most powerful tools in life and business."

If you're an entrepreneur, Corcoran says pushing past fear is just part of building a business.

"[Fear] comes in all different forms: short on cash, the wrong person in the shop to get rid of, not having enough talent, not having the marketing materials, not having a PR agent… the 'not not not' list. It's all based on fear and can all be overcome."

"If you're an entrepreneur, that's your enemy. The fear is your enemy!"

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Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank."