From Groundwork to Growth: Why Itβs Time to Lead With Courage
Clarity is powerful.
Momentum is magnetic.
But neither of those arrive until one thing comes first: courage.
We all love talking about goals.
We dream big, plan, vision-board, and script our next chapter.
But the truth?
The gap between where you are and where you want to be…
Isn’t bridged with strategy.
It’s bridged with action.
Not just any action, it’s courageous action.
The kind that makes your heart race.
The kind that feels risky.
The kind that most people avoid.
But the people who rise?
They go for it anyway.
And that moment when you stop waiting and start moving changes everything.
Confidence Follows Courage
For years, I believed I needed more qualifications, more preparation, or more experience to be confident.
What I’ve learned is the opposite.
You don’t wait for confidence to arrive.
You create it by taking courageous steps before you feel ready.
In one of the most powerful conversations I’ve had with Erika Cramer, The Queen of Confidence, she said something that stuck with me:
“Confidence is a byproduct of taking courageous action not waiting until you feel ready.”
Yes.
That’s the truth.
Confidence is earned through motion.
And it’s courage that gets you moving.
The most successful people I know?
They’ve done things afraid.
They’ve made the call, sent the email, launched the idea not because they felt fully prepared, but because they were willing to trust themselves enough to start.
Courage + Resourcefulness = Your Edge
When I entered the hospitality industry, I didn’t know a thing about running a restaurant.
I had no experience, no training, and no real roadmap.
But I had something more powerful: resourcefulness.
I wasn’t trying to be the smartest in the room.
I just committed to being the most willing to figure it out.
When things didn’t go to plan (which was often), I didn’t fold. I adapted.
I asked for help. I learned on the fly. I moved forward.
Resourcefulness isn’t about having it all together.
It’s about doing what you can with what you’ve got and doing it anyway.
It’s a skill that builds resilience.
And that, paired with courage, becomes your competitive edge in any arena.
As Erika also shared with me:
“Resilience is built when you do the hard thing, again and again, and come out stronger each time.”
Exactly.
But that first hard thing?
That’s not resilience yet.
That’s courage.
You’re Not Waiting You’re Leading
Let’s be honest: Most people are waiting.
Waiting for the perfect time.
Waiting for certainty.
Waiting for external validation.
But leadership doesn’t wait.
You don’t need to be fearless to move forward.
You just need to stop letting fear make your decisions.
Most people stay stuck because they don’t trust themselves to handle what comes next.
But you’re not most people.
You’ve already survived hard things.
You’ve already done the impossible.
And the next chapter?
It starts with you making the call to go first.
Say the thing.
Pitch the idea.
Start the project.
Launch the business.
Write the book.
You weren’t made to live in hesitation.
You were made to lead with heart.
And leadership always starts with courage.
This Is What Intentional Growth Looks Like
When I made the commitment to step into speaking, hosting workshops, and building a bold, values-led brand it didn’t start with clarity.
It started with courage.
The courage to show up unpolished.
To be seen before I felt “ready.”
To try, knowing it might not be perfect but it would be real.
Growth rarely feels glamorous at the beginning.
But it’s the courageous steps you take before the outcome is certain that shapes who you become.
If you’ve been waiting for a sign, here it is:
Start now.
Do the thing you’ve been avoiding.
Say yes to the idea you’ve been circling around.
Lead yourself first.
Because once you act with courage?
Everything else clarity, confidence, and momentum follows.
Final Thought
You don’t need permission.
You don’t need the perfect plan.
And you certainly don’t need to feel 100% ready.
You just need to back yourself.
Because confidence isn’t the starting point.
It’s the reward for being bold enough to begin.
And leadership?
It doesn’t ask for perfection.
It asks for courage.
