The New Currency Of Change

This morning in my SoulCycle class, my instructor David said something that stopped me mid-spin:

“Bravery is owning up to the fact that you might have fear—but doing it anyway.”

And just like that, it clicked.

I often talk about conscious leadership—and that still matters. But awareness without action is just observation.

What we need now is an evolution. We need brave leaders.

Bravery isn’t about being fearless. It’s about acknowledging fear and choosing to move forward anyway. It’s about stretching beyond what’s comfortable. It’s about choosing what’s possible over what’s proven.

The status quo? That’s just a story we’ve agreed to tell ourselves.

Brave leaders are the ones rewriting the ending.

I always say there are two types of people:

• Those who see what they see (status quo)
• And those who imagine what could be (pattern makers)

Brave leaders live in that second category. They do what hasn’t been done before—not because it’s easy, but because it’s necessary. They don’t wait for the path to be paved. They take the first step and trust the road will rise to meet them.

One of my earliest brave leadership moments came when I had the idea to migrate market research from offline to online. My bosses said it wasn’t the right time—that no one was online yet, and we wouldn’t get a representative sample.

But I believed it was the future.

So I asked the CMO of P&G when the right time would be to talk to them about it. He said, “Next week.” My bosses all said they would go to the meeting. I said, “If I’m not going, I’ll cancel the meeting—and you can all wait for the right time.” I showed up—and the future showed up with me. That was a brave move, and it changed everything.

Another brave moment came when I was selling my company, OTX. My investors handed me a standard investor deck—tiny numbers on a page, no story, no soul. It didn’t represent the company I built.

OTX was a wow factor—a one-of-a-kind.

So I trusted my gut and reimagined the entire deck to match the energy of our company.

Every page turn had purpose. It was storytelling, not just selling.

We didn’t just get attention—we got 10 out of 10 yeses.

That’s the thing: the first time you do something new, it’s going to feel uncomfortable. That’s normal. Growth isn’t supposed to feel easy.

My mom always says it’s like wearing a new pair of shoes—especially high heels. The first time you put them on, they might pinch. But the more you wear them, the more they stretch.

Eventually, they fit like they were made for you—and you find your stride.

The same is true for bravery. The first bold move feels risky. The second, a little less so. By the third, you’re no longer thinking about fear. You’re leading with conviction.

Because here’s the truth: you don’t have to do it alone. When we ride with the pack, we gain strength from one another. One brave act becomes many. Momentum builds. Change accelerates.

So let’s stop talking about being different—and start being different.

Let’s stop waiting for permission—and start giving ourselves the green light.

Let’s trade status quo comfort for purposeful stretch.

And if you want it badly enough, you don’t just think it.

You lead it.

And remember:

Anything is possible—if you want it.