Why was it nerve-wracking? Because it was someone I admire and had been wanting to talk to for a while. And I'm British. I always feel like I'm going to put my foot in it.
In my head before the call: What if I say something stupid? What if I ruin it?
I did it anyway.
You can't be the kid standing at the top of the water slide afraid to go down. You've got to go down the chute.
That's a Tina Fey quote (I only have a vague idea who Tina Fey is, but I know this quote, and it's a good one).
Sometimes you just have to do things. Just do them. Even when, especially when, your brain is telling you every possible reason why it might go wrong.
Go down the chute
That's it. That's the whole thought. Just do the thing you've been standing at the top of, working yourself up about.