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

Facing our fears means understanding how they shape our actions, while creating space for self-awareness, connection, and growth in both personal and professional contexts.

Carlos Saba is the co-founder of the Happy Startup School, an alternative business school and learning platform that focuses on helping entrepreneurs and professionals align their work with their values and passions.

With a PhD in atomic physics, Carlos transitioned from a career in science and digital advertising to co-founding a digital studio and eventually dedicating himself to creating programs, events, and courses that foster connection, learning, and personal growth.

This episode will help you

• Understand how to embrace and work through fear rather than suppressing it, allowing for personal and professional growth
• Explore the importance of aligning your work with your values and creating meaningful connections with others
• Discover how self-awareness and emotional openness can enhance creativity, resilience, and authenticity

Highlights

• [00:07:28] Identifying core needs
• [00:11:56] Purpose with a big P or a small P
• [00:16:43] How Carlos is meeting his needs
• [00:21:17] How do we create resilience?
• [00:28:14] Carlos' relationship with shame
• [00:33:07] Meeting "Kung Fu Carlos"
• [00:38:05] What Fearless Forward means to Carlos
• [00:42:37] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Carlos via LinkedIn
• The Happy Startup School
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn

As change makers, we an become overwhelmed and anxious about our place in the world, the impact we have, and the resources we have to create it. These feelings often stem from deeper fears, like that of losing what we cherish or even the fear of dying. This can leave us feeling stuck, disconnected, and unable to act.

For therapist Agnes Otzelberger, facing these fears head-on helped her feel more alive and capable. She believes we can find strength by connecting with others, embracing creativity, and building a better relationship with ourselves and the natural world.

When we ignore our fears, they can paralyse us. We can feel numb or powerless, unable to make decisions or take meaningful action. This
disconnection from ourselves and others only deepens the sense of hopelessness.

This conversation will help you

• Explore how fear can be acknowledged and integrated for personal growth and resilience
• Understand practical ways to reconnect with nature, creativity, and community to navigate overwhelming emotions
• Address feelings of scarcity, stress, and paralysis in the face of global challenges

Highlights

• [00:02:16] A breathless tightening
• [00:08:26] How we respond to hopelessness
• [00:14:42] The need for community
• [00:22:13] Survival mode
• [00:28:16] Managing yourself to care for others
• [00:33:21] Agnes' deepest fears
• [00:41:31] What Fearless Forward means to Agnes
• [00:43:32] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Agnes via LinkedIn
• Work directly with Agnes
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn
• Waking the Tiger: Healing the Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Overcome Overwhelming Experiences, by Peter Levine
• 30 Lies about Money: liberating your life, liberating your money, by Peter Koenig
• Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy, by Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone
• The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred work of Grief, by Francis Weller
• Big Magic: How to Live a Creative Life, and Let Go of Your Fear, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Many of us struggle with finding peace and quiet in our fast-paced, noisy lives. This lack of space to reflect and connect with ourselves can leave us feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and stuck in patterns that don’t serve us.

The solution is to embrace quietness, slow down, and create intentional space for reflection and connection. Pete Mosley’s approach shows us how we can live more in tune with our nature by making deliberate choices about how we spend our time and where we focus our energy.

Without time to pause, we risk becoming trapped in a cycle of stress and disconnection. Our thoughts can overwhelm us, and we might lose sight of what’s truly important, leaving us feeling unfulfilled despite all our efforts.

This conversation will help you

• Explore how embracing quietness can lead to personal and professional growth
• Understand the importance of creating workplace cultures where both quiet and loud individuals can thrive
• Learn practical techniques for managing thoughts and reducing mental clutter through cognitive diffusion and mindfulness practices

Highlights

• [00:01:53] Peak experience
• [00:04:56] A move to Cyprus
• [00:12:08] Choosing independence
• [00:14:51] Contemplating the time we have remaining
• [00:17:20] Pete's journey to quietness
• [00:20:51] Finding clarity in community
• [00:23:55] Making slow transitions
• [00:26:54] You are not your thoughts
• [00:31:59] Learning to give up control
• [00:36:18] On "pushing through"
• [00:39:06] Pete's quiet trilogy
• [00:43:33] Moving past introversion vs extroversion
• [00:44:30] What Fearless Forward means to Pete
• [00:45:47] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Pete via LinkedIn
• Pete’s books
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn

Losing a loved one unexpectedly is a devastating experience. It can be even harder when the circumstances involve negligence and injustice. Many of us might feel overwhelmed by the enormity of seeking accountability, or unsure of how to move forwards while grappling with grief.

Nigel Burt, father of Olivia who was killed in a preventable accident while queuing at a night club, shows us a way through this. He focused on breaking the overwhelming challenge into smaller, manageable steps. He sought expert legal help, relied on his professional skills to problem-solve, and leaned on his network for support. By focusing on what could be done each day, he avoided being paralysed by the bigger picture.

This honest and emotional discussion will help you

• Discover how focusing on actionable challenges can help navigate overwhelming grief and adversity
• Understand the transformative power of channeling loss into meaningful change
• Learn how perseverance and leadership skills can overcome systemic obstacles in pursuing justice and accountability

Many people working in sustainability feel disillusioned and burned out. The problem is that businesses often prioritise profit over real, impactful change. Sustainability is seen as secondary, and those driving it are left feeling unsupported and powerless. This lack of meaningful action leaves even the most dedicated individuals questioning their efforts.

Kathryn Sheridan suggests slowing down, reconnecting with our values, and acting from a place of stability. By making small, steady changes, we can avoid burnout and create lasting impact. It's about finding balance, caring for ourselves, and learning to pace our efforts for the long haul.

If we continue at breakneck speed, we risk losing the energy and clarity we need to make real progress. Burnout can leave us unable to act, and the noise of the world can overwhelm us. Without intentional change, we might stay stuck in cycles of stress and frustration, unable to move forward.

This episode will help you

• Understand how to approach sustainability with credibility, integrity, and a focus on human wellbeing
• Discover the importance of slowing down and acting from a place of stability for meaningful and lasting change
• Learn how to navigate the challenges of balancing personal purpose and professional responsibilities in leadership

Highlights

• [00:08:17] The slow and steady road to, and through, burnout
• [00:11:21] Kathryn's reflections on her consultancy
• [00:12:50] Learning to slow down
• [00:14:16] The challenges of the founder-led business
• [00:17:20] Falling out-of-love with ustainability
• [00:23:20] Time to ccut the noise
• [00:27:25] The role of fear
• [00:30:23] Change is made through small steps
• [00:32:38] Caring for others' fears
• [00:35:51] People Planet Place
• [00:36:34] What Fearless Forward means to Sally-Anne
• [00:37:19] Takeaways from Sally-Anne

Resources

• Connect with Kathryn via LinkedIn
• People Planet Place
• Connect with Sally-Anne via LinkedIn