136- Business Has Become the Super Bowl and Most Leaders Aren’t Ready with Alan Guarino
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
Release Date: 01/22/2026
137- When Trust Collapses: Lessons in Courage and Self-Trust from Venezuela | Mariana Atencio
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
What happens when trust in leaders and institutions breaks down? In this episode, I’m joined by journalist and speaker Mariana Atencio, who grew up in Venezuela and witnessed firsthand what happens when trust slowly erodes across government, media, and social systems. That lived experience reshaped her understanding of courage, purpose, and self-trust. Her story isn’t just about politics. It’s about what we can all learn when certainty disappears and fear starts shaping decisions. We explore why self-trust is foundational to great leadership, how personal adversity can clarify purpose,...
info_outline
136- Business Has Become the Super Bowl and Most Leaders Aren’t Ready with Alan Guarino
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
Leadership today is more complex, faster-paced, and more uncertain than ever before, and I see how that’s leaving many capable leaders stuck between playing to win and playing not to lose. In this episode of the Live Brave Podcast, I’m joined by Alan Guarino, who I worked alongside for many years, and together we reflect on what modern leadership truly demands when clarity is elusive and the stakes feel higher. Drawing on decades of advising senior leaders and insights from his new book Greatness Code, Alan shares a practical framework for sustained success built on social capital and five...
info_outline
135 - Growth Begins the Moment You Say Yes with Lisa Nichols
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
So often we tell ourselves that growth will come once we feel more confident, more prepared, or more certain. But what I’ve learned, through my own life and through conversations like this one, is that growth usually begins much earlier than that. I sit down with Lisa Nichols to explore what happens when we stop waiting and start saying yes. Yes to what’s already within us. Yes to the next step, even when it feels unfamiliar. And yes, to using our gifts, rather than focusing on what we think we lack. Lisa shares the deeply personal story behind her book Something Extra, inspired by her...
info_outline
134 - How Your Personal Brand Changes When You Stop Hiding Your Story with Goldie Chan
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
Your personal brand is shaped by the stories you tell and the truths you hide. And when those stories come from fear, self-protection, or old narratives, they quietly limit your confidence, visibility, and leadership presence. In this conversation with personal branding expert Goldie Chan, I explore what happens when you stop shrinking your story and begin showing up with more honesty, courage, and authenticity. We talk about how personal branding really works, how to protect your energy in a digital world, and how evolving your narrative helps you step forward as the leader you are becoming....
info_outline
133 - This Is What Happens When You Stop Holding Yourself Back in 2026
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
How often do you put off the very thing you most need to do because it will feel awkward? You hold back from asking, saying, or doing what matters, not because it’s wrong, but because it feels uncomfortable. In this episode, I explore why awkwardness is not a sign you’re failing. It is often evidence that you’re choosing your values over comfort. Confidence does not come before action. It follows it. Courage is not about eliminating discomfort or waiting until you feel ready. It is about acting in alignment with who you want to be, even when your nervous system would prefer you play it...
info_outline
132 - A Toolkit for Courage: How to Break Fear’s Grip and Build Real Confidence with Mick Hunt
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
Fear shapes our lives in ways we often don’t recognize. It colors our decisions, narrows our vision, and quietly convinces us to play smaller than we’re meant to. Yet fear can also become the catalyst that strengthens our character and deepens our courage — if we’re willing to meet it with honesty and self-leadership. In this conversation, bestselling author and CEO Mick Hunt shares how early adversity shaped the leader he became, and how emotional intelligence, integrity, and self-leadership helped him transform fear into purpose. He opens up about the promise he made at ten years...
info_outline
131 - The Small Daily Actions That Change Your Llfe
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
Small daily actions shape our lives far more than big resolutions. Every courageous change I’ve ever made began with one simple choice — a choice to show up a little braver than I felt like being at the moment. In a world that constantly pushes us to “Go Big,” I’ve learned that our greatest growth doesn’t come from big, lofty actions but from the small, intentional acts we repeat every day. In this episode, I talk about how identity drives behavior, why momentum matters more than motivation, and how small daily wins slowly rewire our brains and expand our capacity to do...
info_outline
130 - New Courage Works Series: The Real Reason Fear Holds You Back (And How to Break Free)
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
Fear often shapes our choices long before we notice it, nudging us toward safety instead of growth. In this new Courage Works series on the Live Brave Podcast, I unpack how hidden threat biases and self-protective scripts quietly limit our confidence, decision-making, and potential. I explore how fear becomes ambient in an uncertain world, and why it so often trades our potential for false security. Drawing on my work with leaders at Google, Amazon, and NASA, I share why courage is a learnable daily practice and the meta skill we all need to lead and live with greater clarity and impact. ...
info_outline
129 - Your Brain Is Ghosting Your Future Self — And It's Costing You
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
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...
info_outline
128 - Brave the Awkward: Why Awkward isn’t the problem, it’s your pathway
Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell
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,...
info_outlineLeadership today is more complex, faster-paced, and more uncertain than ever before, and I see how that’s leaving many capable leaders stuck between playing to win and playing not to lose. In this episode of the Live Brave Podcast, I’m joined by Alan Guarino, who I worked alongside for many years, and together we reflect on what modern leadership truly demands when clarity is elusive and the stakes feel higher.
Drawing on decades of advising senior leaders and insights from his new book Greatness Code, Alan shares a practical framework for sustained success built on social capital and five essential qualities: stamina, courage, resilience, persistence, and passion. Together, we explore how leaders can redefine success beyond titles, prepare for life after peak roles, and build leadership capacity that lasts across an entire career.
This conversation offers a grounded look at leadership as a long game, shaped by character, relationships, and the choices we make when certainty isn’t guaranteed.
Alan's book: Greatness Code
Alan Guarino is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1982. His father immigrated to the United States in the 1920’s, and then left school after the eighth grade, Alan was raised by working class parents to value service, and strive to achieve. Like many Baby Boomers, he has lived the American Dream—rising from humble beginnings to become a trusted advisor to global leaders.
Over the course of his career, Alan has advised and recruited hundreds of top executives—guiding careers, transforming boards, and helping organizations around the world execute their strategies.
Join me in February for the Courage Is Calling Reset Retreat: https://www.meawisdom.com/workshop/courage-is-calling-reset-on-your-bravest-path/
✉️ Stay connected https://margiewarrell.com/newsletter/