Fear often shapes our choices long before we notice it, nudging us toward safety instead of growth. In this new Courageworks series on the Live Brave Podcast, I unpack how hidden threat biases and self-protective scripts quietly limit our confidence, decision-making, and potential. I explore how fear becomes ambient in an uncertain world, and why it so often trades our potential for false security. Drawing on my work with leaders at Google, Amazon, and NASA, I share why courage is a learnable daily practice and the meta skill we all need to lead and live with greater clarity and impact.

My hope is that this episode helps you recognize where fear is shaping your choices and gives you a clearer path to acting with more intention, integrity, and bravery.

• Why fear becomes ambient and shapes daily decisions without our awareness

• How internal scripts keep us playing small and undermine confidence

• Why avoidance creates less security, not more

• Courage as a learnable and scalable skill for work and life

• How bold action aligns you with your deepest values

• A reflection prompt to notice where fear may be holding you back

The Courage Gap
February Courage Is Calling Reset Retreat at Rising Circle Ranch (Modern Elder Academy)

What if the real cost of playing it safe isn't what you miss today—it's who you never become tomorrow?

Your brain treats your future self like a stranger—and that's why you keep choosing comfort over courage. In this episode, I explore the neuroscience behind this disconnect and why it leads us to make decisions our future selves will regret. You'll discover why prioritizing what feels safer today is actually the riskiest choice you can make.

I share Richard Branson's advice that inspired my climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro (with my four kids!) and why you need to risk more "worthy failure" - the kind you'll never regret. If you're ready to start making braver choices you'll never regret, this one is for you.

In this episode:

• Why your brain treats your future self like a stranger—and how to change it
• The Timidity Tax: the invisible cost of letting fear make decisions
• How to build empathy for the person you are yet to become
• What worthy failure means—and why your future self will thank you for it

Related Links & Resources

• Read The Courage Gap
• Free Webinar: Nov 25, 2025 Close Your Courage Gap
• Retreat: Courage is Calling — Feb 15-19 2026 with Modern Elder Academy
• LinkedIn article: "Don't Betray Your Future Self — Bet on Them"
• Read my Kilimanjaro story: "What's Your Kilimanjaro?"

We've all had those moments of hesitation—"Do I speak up or stay quiet? Do I make the change or stick with the familiar?" Too often, fear of feeling awkward, exposed, or foolish keeps us playing it safe. Yet the awkward moments we try hardest to avoid aren't obstacles—they're the very gateways to the growth, opportunities, connection and confidence we desire the most.

In this episode, I share why my response to the "Pool Guest" (Ep 127) turned out to be wiser than I first thought—and why it matters. Because the more we practice braving the awkward in everyday moments, the more courage we build to back ourselves in the bigger ones that can truly change the trajectory of our work, relationships, and life.

Ultimately, awkward isn't the obstacle, it's the opening. I hope this episode gives you the nudge you need to risk the awkward moment your biggest future is riding on

Courage is Calling Retreat: Modern Elders Academy, Santa Fe, February 2026