What Does Bravery Really Look + Feel Like?

What Does Bravery Really Look and Feel Like?

What if everything you thought you knew about bravery was keeping you from actually being brave?

In this episode, George and Liz dig into the gap between what we believe bravery looks like and what it actually feels like. Spoiler: it's not the absence of fear. It's not dramatic heroics. And you're probably already doing it more than you realize.

The Misconceptions We've Been Sold

When most people think about bravery, they picture something cinematic. A hero running into a burning building. Someone standing up to a villain. A moment so big and bold that everyone can see it happening.

George calls this out directly: "Because of this, I think many people think that if they're not doing something epic, they're not being brave. And this is simply not the truth."

This thinking creates two major misconceptions.

First, that bravery means having no fear. We look at brave people and assume they must be fearless. But that's backwards. Bravery isn't about not being scared. It's about feeling fear and still moving forward anyway.

Second, that bravery has to be loud and obvious. In reality, some of the bravest things we do are quiet and personal. Speaking up in a meeting when you're usually silent. Ending a relationship that isn't healthy. Admitting you need help. These acts don't get applause, but they come from deep honesty and authenticity.

What Bravery Actually Is

George's definition cuts through the noise: "Bravery is choosing to be true to yourself even when it's scary or uncomfortable. It's about making decisions that align with who you really are or maybe even who you want to become, and more importantly, what you believe in rather than what's easy or expected."

Two directions to avoid: the easy street and the expected avenue.

Bravery isn't something you either have or don't have. It's something you practice. Small steps every day that move you closer to the life you want to live, even when those steps feel uncertain.

And here's the thing that trips people up: bravery looks different for everyone. For one person, it might mean speaking up at work. For another, it's leaving a job to start a business. What takes courage for you might come easily to your neighbor, and vice versa.

George gets personal about his own fears: skydiving, roller coasters, and heights. He's ridden a roller coaster and climbed tall ladders anyway. Why? Because the reason to act was bigger than the fear. Service. Family. Something that mattered more than his comfort.

"If the comfort zone is keeping you from doing and being what is you, the true you, then it's not really a comfort zone. It's a freaking jail."

The Bravery vs. Fearlessness Distinction

This is where the episode gets surgical.

Fearlessness is when you don't feel any fear at all. Jumping into something without thinking about the risks. It sounds nice, but if not kept in check, it can be reckless. There's no awareness of danger or consequences.

Bravery is the opposite. You feel the fear. You understand what could go wrong. And you still choose to act because you believe in what you're doing.

"If we think we need to be fearless to be brave, we might not ever act. And the lack of acting is the worst thing that we can do."

Think about it: the first time George asked a girl out, he felt like he was going to vomit. The first time he started his own business, it felt like jumping off a cliff. The first time he launched the podcast, it felt like inviting people to judge him.

None of that was fearless. All of it was brave.

What Bravery Actually Feels Like

George describes it as a strange mix of anxiety and peace at the same time. There's tension from stepping into the unknown, but also a sense of liberation because you're doing what feels right.

"There's this sense of clarity and purpose, and even excitement. Some people have looked at me like I have three heads when I make this certain statement where I'm like, oh, man. I get excited when life gets rough. And they're like, what is wrong with you? And I'm like, oh, I can't wait to see who I'm gonna be on the other side of it."

Liz offers a different angle, one that might resonate if you're the overthinking type.

"True bravery, for me, at least, is where I am not thinking about bravery at all. I'm doing the thing. And I may be experiencing fear while I'm doing it. But you gotta go. You gotta go do the thing."

She draws a parallel to motivation and confidence. If you wait to feel motivated before taking action, you'll wait forever. If you wait to feel confident before doing something, you'll wait forever. Bravery works the same way. You don't wait to feel brave. You move.

The Real Problem Hiding Behind "I'm Not Brave"

Liz gets brutally honest about what she's discovered in her own patterns.

"I've noticed the times when I struggle quote unquote to be brave, I'm masking the real problem. It's not that I don't know how to be brave. In many cases, it's just because I feel overwhelmed and don't know what my first step should be."

She shares a story about a work task she put off. Got it done on time. Client loved it. Everything went smoothly. But she punted it for a day, then thought about it for 12 hours straight.

The task took 35 minutes.

"We want things to be harder than they actually are, because it creates a safety in which we don't need to take action if things are harder than they actually are."

The breakup example drives it home. Strip the emotion out of it for a second. A breakup might involve a phone call to set up a meeting, then 5 to 45 minutes of actual conversation. That's the lift. The rest is mental anguish we create for ourselves.

"You will spend hours, days, weeks giving yourself mental anguish over something that may cumulatively from a lift and transactional perspective take anywhere from a half an hour to 2 to 3 hours."

The Die Hard Principle

Liz brings up John McClane from Die Hard as the perfect example of relatable bravery.

He doesn't want to be there. He's complaining the entire time. He's miserable. He literally says, "How do I keep getting into this shit?"

But he keeps going. Not because he feels brave. Because he has to.

That's what makes the character work. He's not sitting there thinking, "Yes, a moment to be brave, a moment to explode." He's just dealing with whatever's in front of him.

"That's what bravery feels like to me. Bravery feels like you're not thinking about bravery. You're just dealing with whatever is in front of you. And it'll be messy, and it'll be uncomfortable."

Quiet Acts of Bravery

George and Liz both point out the bravery that doesn't make headlines.

For George, the list includes:

• Embracing his full identity, including the rough parts of his history
• Starting this podcast and showing up week after week
• Facing fear head on and reframing how he thinks about it
• Being vulnerable in public about being a high school dropout, growing up in a one room log cabin, almost dying three times

For Liz:

• Letting go of relationships and situations that drain her energy
• Having authentic conversations that are sometimes uncomfortable
• Navigating the uncertainty of personal growth and investing time in it without knowing what will come

These are the kinds of brave acts that don't get applause. But they matter.

Quotable Moments

"Bravery isn't about not being scared. Bravery is about feeling fear and still moving forward anyway."

"If the comfort zone is keeping you from doing and being what is you, the true you, then it's not really a comfort zone. It's a freaking jail."

"Bravery is in the small choices we make every day to be a little bit more honest, to be a little bit more authentic, to be a little bit more aligned with our values, to be a little bit more, well, us."

"We want things to be harder than they actually are, because it creates a safety in which we don't need to take action."

Your One Thing

George's takeaway: Look for ways to be alive. Look for ways to take action. Don't think about being brave. Just be a human who takes actions. "I am a human who takes actions. I am a human who is brave. I am a human who embraces discomfort."

Liz's takeaway: You're already brave. Look back at your life and you'll find substantial evidence of moments where you were brave and didn't even realize it. Bravery is like a recession. You can really only declare it after it's already occurred. Champion the moments where you were brave and didn't give yourself credit. Then put bravery out of your mind. Recognize it in retrospect. Don't seek it out as you look toward the future.

Reflection Questions

1. When you think back on your life, what moments stand out where you took action even though you were scared? Did you recognize them as bravery at the time?
2. What's something you've been avoiding that, if you stripped away the mental anguish, would actually take less than an hour to complete?
3. Are there areas of your life where your comfort zone has become more like a jail?

Ready to go deeper? Press play above and let George and Liz walk you through the full conversation. If you've been waiting to feel brave before taking action, this episode might be the permission slip you didn't know you needed.