On Courage

Courage isn’t the absence of fear.
It’s the presence of vision.

This is one of my favorite cognitive reframes. I come back to it often—especially with clients who feel overwhelmed.

Because sometimes they’re buried in doubt.
The challenge feels too big.
The odds too narrow.
The leader above them seems impossible.
The NIL landscape is chaotic.
The timing, the market, the pressure—none of it ideal.

When these stories come up, I let them finish. I don’t rush to solve or redirect. I just listen.

And then I usually say something like:

“Thanks for laying that out. I hear you. Now, tell me about you.

You’ve told me about the circumstances.
Tell me about your capabilities.
What you’ve overcome.
Why you’re here.
What you know to be true about yourself—especially in moments like this.”

Because when people anchor too hard on circumstances, they tend to forget who they are. They start thinking they’re stuck. But usually, they just need to flip the script.

Not ignore reality.
But remember their role in shaping it.

When we shift the focus to agency—to what’s possible, to what we want to create—it opens something up. There’s movement again. The energy returns.

Fear doesn’t disappear. But vision takes the lead.

Every great story has conflict. That’s what makes it worth watching.
The struggle, the grit, the “how will they get through this?” moment.

If you’re in one of those moments right now, don’t stop the story here.

Remember who you are.
Why you started.
What you’ve already come through.

You’re not defined by your circumstances.
Your circumstances will be defined by you.