Hitting send on the scary email is two seconds of courage. The waiting is the actual test.

The push you need to send something is brief, and then comes the part nobody warns you about: days of checking, of drafting follow-ups you should not send, of deciding that silence means no. That stretch is where people undo their own ask, by nudging too soon or talking themselves back out of it. Waiting well is a separate skill from asking.

When you send the next one, decide right then how long you will wait and what you will do if nothing comes. Two weeks, then one polite follow-up. Put it in your calendar and get on with the week.