By challenging herself to run 330km across mountain terrain – facing extreme physical discomfort, sleep deprivation, and mental exhaustion – Linda Hubbard discovered that pushing boundaries leads to profound personal growth and unexpected calm.

To break free from comfort zone paralysis, we must first identify what truly matters to us beyond our immediate comfort, then build a support system of people who believe in our vision.

Staying too comfortable for too long means sacrificing our potential and missing the deep satisfaction that comes from conquering difficult challenges. Our leadership abilities stagnate, and we model complacency rather than courage for those around us.

But as Linda discovered, our fears become manageable when shared with others.

This episode will help you

• Discover how pushing your boundaries leads to unexpected mental clarity,
• Learn practical strategies for managing pain and fatigue
• Understand how to balance personal goals with family responsibilities

Highlights

• [00:15:44] The first night of the race
• [00:20:17] What Linda was not prepared for
• [00:25:06] Linda's next challenge
• [00:30:04] The incredible power of the mind
• [00:34:09] What is Linda afraid of?
• [00:39:00] What Fearless Forward mans to Linda
• [00:41:08] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Linda via LinkedIn
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn

Many organisations struggle to build structures that balance leadership and equality. Traditional hierarchies often lead to inefficiency, lack of clarity, and a stifling of innovation. Employees can feel disconnected or undervalued, and companies can lose sight of their mission in pursuit of profits.

Mark Vletter’s approach offers a different way forwards. By embracing self-management and holacracy, organisations can create a culture where decisions are made collectively, accountability is clear, and everyone has a voice. Steward ownership ensures the company’s mission is safeguarded for the long-term, free from the pressures of maximizing shareholder profit.

This conversation will help you

• Create clarity on accountability without traditional hierarchies
• Hire people who are strong where you're weak and who can constructively disagree with you
• Transition to steward ownership, where a company's mission is safeguarded beyond individual interests

Highlights

• [00:07:11] Mark is given an ultimatum
• [00:09:48] Mark's first hire
• [00:14:01] Transitioning to holacracy
• [00:18:23] On the desire for constant improvement
• [00:21:35] Moving Voys to a steward ownership model
• [00:26:12] Does everyone want to be a leader?
• [00:27:28] Communicating vertically vs listening with curiosity
• [00:32:40] Fear is a bad advisor
• [00:37:01] Your organisation is part of a bigger ecosystem
• [00:41:09] What Fearless Forward means for Mark
• [00:42:23] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Mark via LinkedIn
• Holacracy: dive into the world of self-management – from the Voys blog
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn

Navigating life’s biggest changes takes resilience and adaptability, especially when multiple challenges occur simultaneously.

Even highly capable individuals can struggle when faced with unexpected events, from starting a business and having a child in a foreign country to dealing with illness and death.

Jon and Lori Smith’s experience highlights the importance of acknowledging the cognitive stress that builds up in periods of upheaval, rather than maintaining a "happy-go-lucky" mindset that everything will simply work out.

This episode will help you

• Explore how to rebuild a relationship after significant personal and professional challenges
• Understand the importance of pausing and prioritising self-care in times of overwhelming stress
• Learn how curiosity and open communication can transform conflict into connection

Highlights

• [00:06:01] Startups, moves, new lives, and uncertainties
• [00:14:29] When things began to fall apart
• [00:19:45] Jon and Lori meet Sally-Anne
• [00:23:05] Things take a turn for the worse
• [00:29:34] Help arrives, with a difficult choice
• [00:34:28] Finding space to renew and repair
• [00:40:36] Looking over the parapet
• [00:48:06] The fears Jon & Lori faced
• [00:51:03] What Fearless Forward means for Jon and Lori
• [00:55:52] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Jon via LinkedIn
• Connect with Lori Alexa-Smith on LinkedIn
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn