You can’t control life, no matter how hard you try.
Life requires courage because amid the beauty, there are also huge heaps of uncertainty. With all the opportunity at your feet, there are also a bazillion chances to be misunderstood. Alongside the joy, there are also choices to regret, failures to overcome, embarrassments to suffer, mistakes to face, hurts to sit with.
This is our world.
And sometimes in the midst of the doubt and the hurt and the overwhelming fear of what may come, you forget your strength. You forget your immense capability. You forget your ability to take risks, to face hard truths, to find grace in the fissures.
Instead, you spend your days doing anything possible to avoid fear.
Whether you spin in anxious circles or float on the surface of life in an attempt to dodge the depths — your life energy is tied up avoiding scary situations.
You make (unconscious) assumptions that avoiding fear — staying small, living what feels like “someone else’s life,” not making hard changes, being perfectly pleasing to everyone, avoiding hard conversations — is easier than taking risks and practicing courage with your life.
It’s not easier.
When you let fear lead, you’re sabotaging the very spirit inside of you that is capable of courage.
When you let fear lead, you’re using socially acceptable armor of procrastination, perfectionism, self-criticism, busyness, or self-deprecating humor to avoid the uncertainty of life.
When you let fear lead, you’re missing out on the beauty, the opportunity, the joy that taking risks brings to your world.
Any of this sound familiar?
“I’m too scared of the consequences. I’m too scared of what other people might think. I’m too scared to fail. I’m (weirdly) too scared to succeed. I’m too scared the grass won’t actually be greener on the other side. I’m too scared if I say it out loud it will become real. I’m too scared to disappoint my family. I’m too scared that I’ll go broke. I’m too scared I won’t be lovable. I’m too scared I’ll regret it. I’m too scared I’ll look like an idiot.
I’m too scared to be brave with my life…
Here’s the thing, honey. Taking risks with your life in the midst of uncertainty is scary. But it’s also essential.
And it only gets easier through practice, one courageous action at a time — one hard conversation, one scary ask, one creative endeavor, one big change, one new venture, one return to your integrity.
And you? You’re totally capable of it all. Ready to prove it?
I finally know how to DEFINE and ASK FOR what I want out of life. That’s thanks to Stratejoy and Molly.
You have big things to do.
Let these 3 weeks be an invitation to reconnect with yourself and recommit to your dreams.
You are here for a reason, honey.
Let these 3 weeks be an invitation (excuse?!) to be brave with your life.
Join this adventure, and not only will I walk you step-by-step through the process of practicing courage in action, but I’ll also cheer you on in you feel brave enough to post online about your progress. Supporting women as they navigate risk and face fear is one of my superpowers — I’ve been doing it for 9 years! Nothing makes me happier than witnessing YOU honor your life with action.
To doing hard things! And stepping out! And showing up!
The Courage Council is a chance get really clear on your confidence + your fears, fully understand the risks you’re considering, and activate the one Courageous Action that’s going to make the most difference in your world. Feeling that mix of nervous/excitement? Perfect! Let’s do this.
What’s Included
with The Courage Council?
Training Calls Released at the Beginning of each Week
Cozy up with the weekly Training Call — I’ll guide you through the prompts + exercises in your workbook and explain your challenges for the week.
- Week One: Assess Your Confidence — Understand Your Superpowers + Triggers in each Slice of Life
- Week Two: Clarify the Risks — Dig Deep into your current Opportunities, Decisions + Fears
- Week Three: Practice Courage — Dive into your Action Plan
As I examined my own fear stories, I was forced to face what was scary in my life and find ways to get through it. Knowing others were out there being brave (and sharing about it!) definitely helped me be braver. Through this Courage work, I have been able to trust my ability to face fears in an authentic and empowering way. I needed this reminder that — YES! — much courage is needed to live the life I truly desire.
Facing fears isn’t ever easy and it’s even harder when you’re deluded enough to think you don’t really have any. Digging into Courage with Molly + the Stratejoy Tribe has helped me to “put on my big girl panties” in several areas of life and grow up. From health screenings to finances to self-care, I took bold steps in positive directions and stopped hiding behind built-up excuses. Feels great to be living life a little braver!
I feel like I’ve been pretty courageous all my life. However, I learned that I was being courageous — in the things I felt confident I could do. But other “harder” stuff I pushed off to the side. Not this month! From a breakthrough on loving myself to going to a car dealership on my own, I definitely feel more capable. And the best part of all is celebrating every achievement with the Tribe. There’s always someone waiting to give you a virtual high-five!
Working with Molly + this authentic Tribe has taught me that living a life of daring and delicious courage is well within my reach!g
Why Does This Work?
I’ve been lucky to support all kinds of women as they take ALL kinds of risks in their lives over the last 9 years. Some risks are tiny and some are huge — but each and every risk has proven my hypothesis that courage grows through action.
You can’t just learn about fear, or chant your mantras quietly to yourself, or write your desires in your journal over and over again…
You’ve got to get out there + take action! You’ve got to practice being courageous!
Taking risks — in the face of uncertainty, doubt and conflicting external expectations — is something you get comfortable with by doing it.
So what about you?
Are you considering a big leap? The next step? Speaking up or acting out?
During our three weeks together you will –>
- Examine your own levels of confidence in the different slices of life, so that you can capitalize on your strengths and prep for your known triggers
- Evaluate the opportunities/choices/actions you are considering right now, so that you choose the risk that’s going to make the most difference for you right now
- Create and start implementing your Courageous Plan around one specific risk, so that you can take action while being supported by this Council
Because here’s the thing, honey.
Taking courageous action always teaches you something about yourself and the woman you want to be.
Experimenting with your edge always shows you that you are more capable than you imagined. That you can do it. Or if it all blows up, it proves that you can survive it!
Trusting your intuition by listening to the small whispers of desire or discontentment always strengthens your trust in yourself.
You do something brave and you become braver.
Courage begets courage.
And that’s what we do together during the Council — create sacred time + space for you to connect to your confidence, evaluate the risks, and practice courage in action — proving to yourself that you are capable of taking risks in honor of your life.
Is it hard to take risks? Heck yeah! But I know that working through my fears is the only way I’ll fulfill my dreams.
Register Now!
If you’re ready to take a big leap, have the hard conversation, quit cold turkey, do something out-of-character, stand up for what is right, step into your brilliance, change your mind, ask for what you want, or burn the barn down — this 21 day exploration is for you.
Take the time and space to connect to your own bravery, sugar.
Together, we’ll practice Courage in Action.
Ready to really show up for your life?!
Putting my attention + intention on courage has empowered me to be vulnerable and to be seen + heard — good things are coming from it!!
Additional Details and FAQs
Easy one! Here are just a few of the risks I’ve witnessed through this work, in no particular order.
Courage in Action
- Applied for credit cards in her own name as first step in taking back financial responsibility, after the 7 year bankruptcy waiting period
- Asked for responsibilities and salary increase in writing so she could prepare for negotiations when her boss suggested a promotion
- Reevaluated her reasons for drinking, and if it’s necessary in her life
- Wore bikini to the beach for the first time and rocked it, without self-judgment.
- Spoke up publicly when someone posted something very racially charged, hurtful and insensitive on Facebook
- Forced herself to leave her desk and eat lunch with a new co-worker everyday for a week, even though new people are a big anxiety provoker
- Opened an investment account in pursuit of building a down payment for her future home (while not letting her inner critic tell her “I don’t know enough”)
- Had a hard conversation with her boyfriend about priorities and the need for their relationship to be more important than work
- Volunteered to speak to homeless/at-risk teens, because she used to be one (even though almost no one knew about this part of her past)
- Committed to returning to her preferred part-time work schedule despite fears around money and fears of others seeing her as selfish
- Got a meaningful tattoo after wanting one for years
- Returned to voice lessons after an earlier unplanned end to her Opera career
- Started an honest conversation with her father where she stood up for herself after years of abuse
- Requested a lateral transfer at her company (which no one understood), knowing it would greatly improve her environment and well-being
- Booked a massage she’d been putting off for months out of fear that she should use her money for something more important/less self-indulgent
Through this Courage work, I identified my innermost fears. Once I did that, I started dealing with the source of that anxiety, and it’s made all the difference.
Babe? You don’t need to avoid fear. You can be fearful in the very same moment of courage.
You shore yourself up with your superpowers. You can learn ways to deal with both the physical and mental triggers of fear. You can take risks and practice courage sitting alongside your uncertainty, your worst case scenarios, your inner critic, your cringeworthy failures, your unsupportive family.
You can build belief in your own capability through action.
The only question is — are you willing?
Molly Mahar is the founder of Stratejoy — an online community for women reclaiming joy and meaning in their world. She’s an entrepreneur, a mama, a feminist and an adventurer currently obsessed with taboo topics, designing personal experiments and the power of sisterhood. She can’t wait to meet (and love) you!