Lancefield on the Line

Scott Simon: How to face fear and live more vibrantly

David Lancefield

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 49:12

What if the best things in your life all began in a moment of fear?

My guest Scott Simon, author of Scare Your Soul, believes exactly that.

After a panic attack on a plane, he committed to one scary act every single day for a year. Those small daily acts transformed his life, and one of them, singing in front of a restaurant, sparked a global movement. He now coaches individuals, leaders and organisations to build their own courage practice.

We get into why high performers get stuck coasting on past success, and what it takes to break free. You'll also hear how building a personal courage practice shapes the culture and trust of the teams around you. Scott also shares why asking for help and practising forgiveness are strategic acts, and how small consistent actions create the conditions for bolder decisions and better leadership.

If you think your life is fine and you do not need to push yourself, this one is especially for you.

“When we start doing brave things in life, it affects everyone around us” – Scott Simon

You’ll hear about

  • A panic attack that sparked a daily courage practice.
  • Focusing on action, not outcome.
  • Courage as internal work, not just external action.
  • Why forgiveness is the ultimate act of courage.
  • Being successfully stuck and how to break free.
  • The CEO who took on Big Tobacco despite success.
  • The lie you tell yourself to stay safe.
  • Why courage is an act of service.
  • Why 85% of our fears never materialise.

About Scott:

Scott is the founder of the global Scare Your Soul courage movement and bestselling author of Scare Your Soul: 7 Powerful Principles to Harness Fear and Lead Your Most Courageous Life (Hachette). As a keynote speaker and courage consultant, he has worked with the Cleveland Cavaliers, United Nations, Nestlé, Logitech, Lululemon, and SXSW to inspire braver teams and bolder cultures. His methodology is a unique blend of neuroscience, positive psychology, and behaviour design. Scott is dangerously obsessed with the NYT online word puzzles and is on a perpetual quest to discover the world's best hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

He teaches that courage is not a personality trait — it's a practice.

Scott's work: www.scottsimon.us 

Weekly courage challenges: https://scareyoursoul.substack.com 

Books: www.scottsimon.us/book


My resources:

Try my High-stakes meetings toolkit (https://bit.ly/43cnhnQ).

Take my Becoming a Strategic Leader course (https://bit.ly/3KJYDTj).

Sign up to my Every Day is a Strategy Day newsletter (http://bit.ly/36WRpri) for modern mindsets and practices to help you get ahead.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/3cFGk1k) where you can watch the conversation.

For more details about me: