Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell

What happens when trust in leaders and institutions breaks down? In this episode, I'm joined by journalist and speaker Mariana Atencio, who grew up in Venezuela and witnessed firsthand what happens when trust slowly erodes across government, media, and social systems. That lived experience reshaped her understanding of courage, purpose, and self-trust. Her story isn't just about politics. It's about what we can all learn when certainty disappears and fear starts shaping decisions.

We explore why self-trust is foundational to great leadership, how personal adversity can clarify purpose, and why authenticity is so vital in a fractured and polarized world. Mariana shares her concept of a "signal audit" to help leaders stay grounded when external validation falls away, and the power of giving ourselves permission to be imperfect to lead with greater courage and humanity. This conversation is an invitation to trust yourself more deeply and to lead bravely, even when the ground feels unsteady.

Sign up for Mariana's Substack, PERMISSION TO BE by Mariana Atencio: 
https://substack.com/@marianaatencio?r=56ynk2&utm_medium=Click

About Mariana Atencio 

Mariana Atencio is a Peabody Award-winning Venezuelan American journalist,
bestselling author, and keynote speaker who helps leaders build trust and lead high-
performing teams in times of change. A former Univision anchor and NBC News
correspondent, she reported for over a decade from high-stakes environments where
truth is tested and courage is essential. Mariana also teaches executive
communication—helping professionals speak with clarity and confidence when it
matters most. Her TEDx talk "What makes YOU special?" has over 25 million views.
She writes PERMISSION TO BE by Mariana Atencio on Substack—an honest,
practical space for anyone ready to give themselves permission to speak, lead, and be
fully themselves.

Join me in February for the Courage Is Calling Reset Retreat: https://www.meawisdom.com/workshop/courage-is-calling-reset-on-your-bravest-path/ 

✉️ Stay connected https://margiewarrell.com/newsletter/ 

Leadership today is more complex, faster-paced, and more uncertain than ever before, and I see how that's leaving many capable leaders stuck between playing to win and playing not to lose. In this episode of the Live Brave Podcast, I'm joined by Alan Guarino, who I worked alongside for many years, and together we reflect on what modern leadership truly demands when clarity is elusive and the stakes feel higher.

Drawing on decades of advising senior leaders and insights from his new book Greatness Code, Alan shares a practical framework for sustained success built on social capital and five essential qualities: stamina, courage, resilience, persistence, and passion. Together, we explore how leaders can redefine success beyond titles, prepare for life after peak roles, and build leadership capacity that lasts across an entire career.

This conversation offers a grounded look at leadership as a long game, shaped by character, relationships, and the choices we make when certainty isn't guaranteed.

Alan's book: Greatness Code

Alan Guarino is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1982. His father immigrated to the United States in the 1920's, and then left school after the eighth grade, Alan was raised by working class parents to value service, and strive to achieve. Like many Baby Boomers, he has lived the American Dream—rising from humble beginnings to become a trusted advisor to global leaders.
Over the course of his career, Alan has advised and recruited hundreds of top executives—guiding careers, transforming boards, and helping organizations around the world execute their strategies. 

Join me in February for the Courage Is Calling Reset Retreat: https://www.meawisdom.com/workshop/courage-is-calling-reset-on-your-bravest-path/ 

✉️ Stay connected https://margiewarrell.com/newsletter/ 

So often we tell ourselves that growth will come once we feel more confident, more prepared, or more certain. But what I've learned, through my own life and through conversations like this one, is that growth usually begins much earlier than that.

I sit down with Lisa Nichols to explore what happens when we stop waiting and start saying yes. Yes to what's already within us. Yes to the next step, even when it feels unfamiliar. And yes, to using our gifts, rather than focusing on what we think we lack.

Lisa shares the deeply personal story behind her book Something Extra, inspired by her daughter Allie, and how that journey reshaped the way she thinks about courage, leadership, and possibility. Together, we talk about comparison and how easily it pulls us off course, the quiet ways we hold ourselves back, and why stepping forward before we feel ready is often the very thing that changes us.

This conversation is an invitation to notice where you might be sitting on the sidelines of your own life and to consider what could shift if you simply said yes and stepped in.

My question for you:

Where are you being invited to say yes right now, even if a part of you would rather wait until you feel more ready? 

Get Lisa's book Something Extra:  https://somethingextrabook.com/ 

Join me in February for the Courage Is Calling Reset Retreat: https://www.meawisdom.com/workshop/courage-is-calling-reset-on-your-bravest-path/ 

✉️ Stay connected https://margiewarrell.com/newsletter/ 

Your personal brand is shaped by the stories you tell and the truths you hide. And when those stories come from fear, self-protection, or old narratives, they quietly limit your confidence, visibility, and leadership presence. In this conversation with personal branding expert Goldie Chan, I explore what happens when you stop shrinking your story and begin showing up with more honesty, courage, and authenticity. We talk about how personal branding really works, how to protect your energy in a digital world, and how evolving your narrative helps you step forward as the leader you are becoming.

On this episode, we explore:

• How your personal brand is shaped by your inner stories

• Why hiding your story limits confidence and visibility

• What authentic personal branding looks like in real life

• The role of community in strengthening your courage

• Practical shifts for showing up bravely online and at work

Join me in February for the Courage Is Calling Reset Retreat 

• The Courage Gap — Available on Amazon + independent bookstores 

 •LinkedIn Learning Course: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/activating-courage-transform-discomfort-into-bold-confident-action

✉️ Stay connected Www.margiewarrell.com/newsletter

▶️ Watch the Live Brave Podcast on YouTube
@margiewarrell  https://www.youtube.com/@margiewarrell

Goldie Chan is a keynote speaker, author, advisor and cancer survivor. Goldie founded Warm Robots, an award-winning social media strategy and creative agency based in Los Angeles with global clients. 

Get Goldie's book: Personal Branding for Introverts  

Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldiecylon/ 

How often do you put off the very thing you most need to do because it will feel awkward?
You hold back from asking, saying, or doing what matters, not because it's wrong, but because it feels uncomfortable.

In this episode, I explore why awkwardness is not a sign you're failing. It is often evidence that you're choosing your values over comfort. Confidence does not come before action. It follows it. Courage is not about eliminating discomfort or waiting until you feel ready. It is about acting in alignment with who you want to be, even when your nervous system would prefer you play it safe.

Avoiding awkwardness does not make life safer. It makes it smaller and quietly sells you short. Every time you decide to brave an uncomfortable moment, you cast a vote for the person you are becoming and strengthen your capacity to lead with integrity, clarity, and influence.

Episode Takeaways 

• Avoiding awkward situations limits personal growth and leadership potential.
  Putting off uncomfortable conversations, requests, or actions keeps you stuck in patterns that feel safe but prevent progress.

• Awkwardness is a signal of values-aligned action, not failure.
  Feeling uncomfortable often means you are choosing integrity and long-term impact over short-term comfort.

• Confidence is built through action, not before it.
  Waiting to feel ready or confident delays growth. Taking small courageous actions rewires the brain and builds self-trust over time.

• The brain is wired to favor comfort and certainty.
  Understanding this helps explain why hesitation shows up even when you know what the right next step is.

• Leadership requires choosing values over emotional discomfort.
  Effective leaders act based on who they want to be, not how they feel at the moment.

• Repeated courageous behavior strengthens confidence and credibility. Neuroscience shows that practicing bravery makes future courageous actions easier and more natural.
  
  

Resources 

Courage is Calling: Reset Your Bravest Path 

Transform discomfort into bold, confident action: The LinkedIn Course 

✉️ Stay connected Www.margiewarrell.com/newsletter

▶️ Watch the Live Brave Podcast on YouTube @margiewarrell  

Fear shapes our lives in ways we often don't recognize. It colors our decisions, narrows our vision, and quietly convinces us to play smaller than we're meant to. Yet fear can also become the catalyst that strengthens our character and deepens our courage — if we're willing to meet it with honesty and self-leadership.

In this conversation, bestselling author and CEO Mick Hunt shares how early adversity shaped the leader he became, and how emotional intelligence, integrity, and self-leadership helped him transform fear into purpose. He opens up about the promise he made at ten years old, the hard decisions that tested his character, and the mindset that anchors him in moments of uncertainty.

We explore what it truly means to lead yourself first — from regulating your emotions and making values-aligned decisions to navigating tough conversations and staying grounded in a world that feels increasingly polarized. If you're working through self-doubt, stepping into bigger responsibilities, or wanting to strengthen your confidence from the inside out, this episode offers a steady, practical toolkit for building courage that lasts.

Books mentioned 

 • The Courage Gap — Available on Amazon + independent bookstores 

 • Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning 

 •LinkedIn Learning Course: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/activating-courage-transform-discomfort-into-bold-confident-action

✉️ Stay connected Www.margiewarrell.com/newsletter

▶️ Watch the Live Brave Podcast on YouTube
@margiewarrell  https://www.youtube.com/@margiewarrell

Learn more about Mick Hunt 

He is a multiple-time Forbes Business and Coaches Council Member, a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs, and the host of the Mick Unplugged Podcast a global platform where he sits down with influential leaders to unpack the principles behind success, resilience

Follow Mick: https://www.instagram.com/mickunplugged/ 

Listen to Mick Unplugged Podcast https://mickhuntofficial.com/podcast/ 

Small daily actions shape our lives far more than big resolutions. Every courageous change I've ever made began with one simple choice — a choice to show up a little braver than I felt like being at the moment.  In a world that constantly pushes us to "Go Big," I've learned that our greatest growth doesn't come from big, lofty actions but from the small, intentional acts we repeat every day.

In this episode, I talk about how identity drives behavior, why momentum matters more than motivation, and how small daily wins slowly rewire our brains and expand our capacity to do bigger things over time. I share the moments when I doubted my path, the choices that helped me reclaim agency in difficult seasons, and the practical tools I rely on — including my favorite "One Brave Minute" practice — to stay grounded when life feels shaky or overwhelming.

If you're navigating uncertainty, needing a 'reset' or just trying to become the person you know you're capable of being, this episode will help you begin right where you are… one choice, one action, at a time. Each small step, no matter how tiny, casts a vote for the person you're on the way to becoming.  

Episode Takeaways:

• Small daily actions create lasting change more reliably than big resolutions or dramatic resets.

• Courage is built through repeated micro-choices, not bold leaps or perfect timing.

• Identity drives behavior; choosing who you want to be clarifies what action to take next.

• Momentum matters more than motivation, especially during seasons of doubt or overwhelm.

• Small wins release dopamine that reinforces confidence and expands capacity over time.

• Agency is reclaimed by focusing on what you can control, even in difficult circumstances.

• The "One Brave Minute" practice lowers resistance and makes hard things feel doable.

• Each small action casts a vote for the person you are becoming.

Read: The Courage Gap
 Join me in February for the Courage Is Calling Reset Retreat 

▶️ Watch the Live Brave Podcast on YouTube
@margiewarrell 

✉️ Stay connected Www.margiewarrell.com/newsletter 

Fear often shapes our choices long before we notice it, nudging us toward safety instead of growth. In this new Courage Works 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

Resources 

Order My Book: The Courage Gap 

Retreat, Modern Elder Academy, Feb 2026 
Join the Live bravely newsletter: Www.margiewarrell.com/newsletter

New Course: LinkedIn learning Course

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