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

Warning: This episode may not be your cup of tea if you'd rather not hear about nudity (or Oprah… or Jill Biden). Why? Because it starts with a wild and wacky story ripped straight from my morning. It might make you laugh, raise your eyebrows, and—hopefully—not judge me too harshly for failing to walk my own talk and say, "Could you please put your clothes on?"

Let's face it: if our deeply ingrained patterns didn't sometimes win out, there'd be no need for courage.

As I share in this episode, to be human is to be flawed, fallible, and to fail. But growth comes not from getting it right all the time—it comes from not missing the learning when we don't.

In reflecting on my own recent lapse of courage, I'm reminded that some of our greatest treasures come from the times we trip up and fall short of showing up as the person we most want to be.

Read my blog on this experience at www.margiewarrell.com and drop a comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

• Order The Courage Gap