How to FIND THE COURAGE TO CHANGE in 2026 with Joanna Howes

0:00Hi everyone, welcome back to the podcast. This is our last episode of the year. So as I reflect on another year and it's now coming to an end. if I had to sum it up, I would sum it up in one sentence. It would be, we're all being asked to change faster than we're comfortable with. Now we know change isn't new, but the pace and pressure of it now is a whole different ballgame. I've seen in every boardroom I've been in, every workshop, every coaching session, leaders clinging to what was, even when it's quietly holding them back. I'm seeing teams pretending they're fine when really they're absolutely exhausted from constantly adapting.

0:44And I completely get it because change doesn't just challenge your plans. It challenges your whole identity of who you are. It makes you question, who am I if I'm not the person who always has all the answers? What if letting go means losing control, which we know we all like to have? And what if the thing I've built no longer fits the person I've now become? That's the real challenge of leadership right now. It's not strategy, it's courage. The courage to face what's no longer working for you. The courage to evolve before you're forced to. And the courage to admit, this version of me was good, but it's not enough anymore.

1:33I've loved hearing from my guests on the podcast this year who have channeled that courage to change. And there was no one more courageous or authentic as Dave Bonagridi for complete self-awareness and the willingness to share what he was good at and not so great at. It was one of our most refreshingly honest reflections on leadership and navigating business success that we've had on the podcast to date. and so many people reach out to say how it positively impacted them. How do you articulate your purpose? Your purpose is the thing that you love doing and why you want to do it. There's always a bigger reason for that.

2:11Mine is I want to make art to make people feel good. Nice. I want everything to be a positive battery, not a sponge. And so I know what my purpose is. But a lot of people, it's like when you get corrupted or sidetracked by money, you know money is not a purpose making you know traveling the world and experiencing the world that's a purpose you just have to make money to be able to do it but it's it's doing that and there's a lot of it is self-analysis and the problem is is that people don't like doing that it's terrifying and normally you have to pay a psychologist yeah or a mentor quite a lot of money to unpack all of that kind of stuff and i'm sure that you find that out of 10 people that you speak to probably nine and a half of them won't do anything about it because it's crippling and And it's scary.

2:56You know, it's so exposing. Confronting, exposing. Yeah. Because then once you actually figure it out, it's a big or two cycle with it. And it also requires a lot of work. And action. Yeah. And action. When you get to 40, I'm not supposed to be doing that. I'm supposed to be having my feet up on the table and getting people bringing me cups of tea all day. You know, it's like, no. If you're dumb enough to want to step away, and I say dumb in the nicest way possible because it is hugely traumatic. Yeah. Even when it's good, it's still traumatic. but you a light comes on in your head and you can see it's like when you walk into a derelict house you go if you're like that you can go oh I can see this and I can see that and you can just see other people just get dumbfounded by the rubble and they can't see it whereas I think certain people who are often people who set up businesses can visualise it and when you visualise it it makes it so much easier to walk towards it because it's manifesting or whatever they call it it's not that difficult But I think some people just find it easier than others.

3:53And that's why I think it's really important if you're thinking of setting up a business, why are you doing it? If you're doing it for the money, fuck off. Oh, yeah. If you're doing it to make your world better, make you happier, make your customers and your clients and your staff happier, go for it. I was also incredibly inspired by Lauren Spearman. And she really surprised me by sharing she's not confident person. something you wouldn't have thought with having over 55 000 followers on tiktok this led us to discussing how courage comes before confidence confidence shows up after the leap courage is what gets you to jump in the first place confidence has been something throughout my entire life i've had to work on and interestingly whenever i get called confidence now confident now it's like the biggest like it's the biggest compliment for me because it's something I've really had to work on I think when I was younger I used to see confidence as something you hit once and then you're there and you plateau and that's it you're confident forever but actually in the last probably few years and a whole lot of therapy I've realized actually confidence is like I see it like a wave you know it will come and go and there will be times when I'm absolutely riding that wave and there'll be other times when I'm in new situations I don't feel that and that's okay because I'm doing something for the first time it's uncomfortable you know I can't predict the outcome of it so yeah I I have a very wavy relationship with confidence I would say thank you for sharing that because I think it's so normal so many of us have that relationship but feel can we tell people that and we project he's like when I first saw your TikToks the assumption would be are you're confident in oh you can do those TikToks because you're a confident person I couldn't do it because I'm not so for people to know that actually that isn't your natural stance to just turn the camera on and put it on I think can also be very inspiring for people listening to go okay well okay maybe I can do that then yeah and I think when I when I make certain TikToks whether I'm calling out bad behavior in the industry or maybe I'm being vulnerable and sharing my experience I think the confidence comes from knowing it's just my opinion or it's just my experience.

6:08I'm not trying to be an expert in anything. I'm not trying, I think we often see on social media and people can paint things as black and white and they're just not that at all. Like life is so nuanced. So I think the confidence comes from knowing I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I'm not trying to be anyone except myself. And weirdly, the more I'm myself, the more I feel comfortable online. I remember my mentor saying to me, you've got to jump in the pond even when you don't have the armbands and you will figure out how to swim to the other side. And I also loved my interview with Karen Martin, CEO of BBH.

6:44She reminded us that having the courage to be direct, to say it how it is, can truly help people perform at their best. I'd love you to just share a bit of like your leadership style and what you've noticed with the style that you bring. I always believe you should do what you said you were going to do because they are your words. People will make their mind up about you in that small instance. Now, they don't have to like what you do, but they have to know what you're going to do. So I believe in being unbelievably direct. And I know it rubs people up the wrong way, but there's too much time wasted and too much energy and emotion and effort not calling it like it is.

7:28And I've always gone on the philosophy of soft on the person, hard on the topic. You don't have to be horrible to somebody if you're delivering really, really tough news. You can be really nice about it, but what you don't want to do is mince those words. You want everyone to walk out of a room going, I don't like what you said. I don't like that people think this about me, but I'm very clear. So often, especially as women, we feel we have to be soft and nurturing. And hearing from Karen embrace being so confidently and courageously direct was genuinely refreshing. which actually reminds me of another incredible woman we had on, Kerry Collins, who spoke about the cost of conforming and the risk of losing yourself by doing this.

8:14Kerry went from broken to finding her courage to change and speak out for what she believes in. There's a stat from HBR, I believe from last year, that 85 % of people feel the pressure to conform at work. And if there's one thing I would love to rally against, it's the beige of culture. It's the let's all try and be the same and let's squeeze out people that are a little bit different because they don't fit in with my gang. It's tribalism. It's bullying sometimes. You know, it's not understanding the diamonds that can come from difference. So if this year has felt heavy, uncertain or uncomfortable, maybe it's not because you're failing.

8:59Maybe it's because you're growing and growth always starts as disruption. It is uncomfortable and this needs to become our new normal to get used to the unknown and not need to have so much control, not need to know what's coming next. the only thing you really have control over is how you choose to show up and whether you have the courage to change how you're willing to keep evolving as a leader and showing up for yourself and your team so the question for you next year shouldn't be how do I stay comfortable how do I stay safe it's what do I need to release let go of so I can rise in my leadership an example of this was when CEO of AMV, Zav Reeves, shared how he took the role at AMV without knowing a soul.

9:54He felt so uncomfortable, but trusted he would know how to connect with people and just took the leap to go for it. Deciding to leave Havas, where I'd had such an important part of my career and enjoyed it and built an amazing agency and team of people. I felt safe and trusted and to decide to throw all that away and and go start somewhere where I didn't know anybody I think that was I don't know is that bold or courageous I don't know but it but it it felt a big deal it's probably the best thing I could say. So I need to ask why? I wasn't running away from anything it was it was more about there was something I wanted to run towards but when there's something exciting there and you feel like you want to go there you start to question are you mad you know you're mad is the right thing to do um a lot of your survival instincts kick in in in almost a an avoidance of risk way i think as humans we're programmed to avoid risk and only take it when our lives are at stake almost biologically so to you know to take that risk yeah felt like a big deal at the time another amazing insight was from kato's episode, one of my favorites, where she quit her role without having a backup plan.

11:12That takes huge courage and self-trust. For Katu, it was about having a strong intention for her career versus needing a secure plan. So knowing what she wanted, but maybe not having the plan of how she was going to get there, but trusting herself and having the courage that she was resourceful enough to know she could get there two and a half years ago three years ago um I had been in my role with uni and coffee for uh seven years and I felt like um I need to change in order to push myself um a bit more you know when you're getting too comfortable and you're you're feeling like I need to I need to uh push myself a bit more um and I found myself not doing it um because it's actually hard when you're you're busy at your everyday work life and trying to think about what do you want to do next or um to so um I just resigned um without having um another job to go to never done it in my life never been uh not working um and that felt very scary but at the same time liberating because it meant that I was forcing myself to actually uh make the leap yeah um so that's very courageous I do genuinely think of this if you're on your deathbed what do you think that you should have done and I think the more you do it the more you realize that you never actually regret taking a risk you only then think what if if you hadn't done it what is the worst thing that can happen if I take this decision or go this way or take a risk and normally it's not actually that bad normally it's something you can definitely deal with away from the podcast and within my role as a leadership coach, I've often been asked this question, how do I build a high performing team?

13:04Well, the first thing a leader needs to do is take a look in the mirror. If the team is not high performing, you need to be willing to have the courage to ask yourself, what needs to change in you first? Because remember, your team is a reflection of you. Yes, I know this is very confronting, but it is also the most powerful exercise you will do to see change. Because the leaders who thrive in 2026 won't be the ones with all the answers. It will be the ones with the self-awareness to evolve, step into the unknown and the guts to act on it. Because there's one thing knowing, but it's going to be the action you take next year that will make the difference.

13:51For me personally, the courage to change has come with managing my thoughts, coming off autopilot and being more conscious with how I operate as a human being. Because our thoughts create our feelings, which shape how we behave. So real leadership is having the courage to take personal responsibility for those thoughts, not blaming any else, and to choose them with real intention. So as we close and reflect on the year, here's my challenge to you. Take one honest look at yourself and ask, where am I playing safe? Where should I be stepping forward? And then do something about it, even if it's small, even if it scares you.

14:42Actually, especially if it scares you, because courage doesn't always shout. Sometimes it's those quiet moments that you decide, I am done repeating old patterns and I am ready to change. That's where the key to unlock your growth will sit, is finding the courage to change. I hope that's been helpful. and if you or your team are thinking about making some changes next year and want a bit of guidance advice or support then do get in touch and honestly thank you so much for listening and watching not just to this episode but all year your messages and feedback mean so much and they're what keep me doing this bringing on amazing guests and sharing insights to help you on your leadership journey.

15:37Have a wonderful break. Take some time to recharge. It's going to be a big year next year and I'll see you there on the other side. Thank you. If you've been enjoying the Courageous Leaders podcast, we'd love it if you'd subscribe to our YouTube channel. Your support helps us keep creating quality content and reaching more leaders like you who are ready to grow and make a real impact. We fund this podcast ourselves so every subscription truly makes a difference and allows us to support courageous leaders like you. Thank you for being part of the journey.