EP47: The Psychology of Courage

Courage means choosing growth despite uncertainty. How can entrepreneurs adopt this mindset? Joshua Steinfeldt, a renowned coach and host of “The Courageous Life” podcast, joins Alex Raymond to discuss the psychology of courage, fear, and personal growth.

 

Joshua’s coaching journey began during the 2008 economic downturn when he noticed fear as a prevalent challenge. This led him to explore courage deeply, culminating in his master’s thesis on its four key components: choice, fear, risk, and a worthwhile goal. He emphasizes aligning actions with core values and regularly reassessing motivations to stay true to oneself.

 

Joshua’s research highlights that effective coaching requires courage—honest feedback, self-awareness, and empathy are essential. He distinguishes coaching from therapy, noting that coaching focuses on future goals without diagnosing clinical issues. Entrepreneurs must clarify their goals and approach coaching with openness and vulnerability.

 

Community and support are also crucial. Joshua debunks the lone hero myth, stressing the importance of feeling connected and supported. Alex reinforces this, sharing feedback from the Conscious Entrepreneur Summit about the desire for deeper connections.

 

This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs looking to navigate their journeys with courage, authenticity, and community. Joshua Steinfeldt’s insights provide a clear roadmap for overcoming fear, staying aligned with values, and leading with bravery.

 

Quotes

• “So often, living well, leading well, or doing what we really want to do in life requires some degree of risk. There might be fear around it, and often there’s a sense of courage, whether small or big. This is the centerpiece of what I tend to focus on.” (07:19 | Joshua Steinfeldt)
• “As entrepreneurs, we want to provide value for customers and clients. That’s such a natural thing… And I think, to work through some of that, being able to continually ask for feedback from a client, and to be able to receive it—to be able to hold that, take it in, and learn, ask questions to get better—I think there’s courage in that, as there is in leaders asking their team for honest feedback. And not shaming your team members, but really making it safe, and taking those learnings and putting them into action to get better, to grow.” (25:10 | Joshua Steinfeldt) 
• “I think coaching is more about working. It’s a very collaborative process, working more to kind of help the client find their own answers in many ways.” (31:43 | Joshua Steinfeldt)
• “To be a leader right now is so hard. You have to be with uncertainty, which is so human, but people like control too. There has to be a part of you that’s willing to let go and be willing to go with it to some degree, like relaxing into uncertainty. I think that is the superpower of our time—being able to deepen and relax into uncertainty, to be with it. That takes courage because the natural response for so many people is to want to control it.” (36:49 | Joshua Steinfeldt)

 

Links

Connect with Joshua Steinfeldt:

https://www.practicingcourage.com/

 

Connect with Alex Raymond:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/

Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/

 

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