PPP 491 | What a Children’s Book Can Teach Leaders About Fear, with former news anchor Lynn Smith

Summary

In this episode, Andy talks with Lynn Smith, former NBC News, MSNBC, and CNN Headline News anchor, executive communication coach, and author of Just Keep Going. Lynn is best known for helping Fortune 500 leaders turn pressure into presence, but her newest book takes an unexpected form: a children’s story about fear, resilience, and perseverance.

That surprising choice is exactly what makes this conversation so relevant for leaders. Andy and Lynn explore why the same fears that stop CEOs are often the ones that show up in kids, how our inner critic or “Brain Bully” shapes behavior under pressure, and why the goal is not to eliminate fear but to metabolize it. Lynn shares deeply personal stories about rejection, family influence, and the lessons she learned growing up that shaped her approach to leadership and communication.

You’ll also hear practical techniques leaders can use to calm their nervous systems, give feedback that actually helps instead of harms, and model resilience for their teams and families. If you lead people or projects and want practical insights on emotional intelligence, confidence, and navigating fear, this episode is for you.

Sound Bites

• “The one trait and the one skill that separates us from success is resilience. If you can acquire that skill, you will be successful. Hard stop.”
• “Your greatest failure can be in service of somebody else.”
• “We are biologically wired for fear. Trying to delete it is a fool’s journey.”
• “Bravery is doing something even if you are afraid.”
• “How you show up within one tenth of a second is defining you for your audience.”
• “Feedback leads to growth. Criticism feeds the brain bully.”
• “When we calm our nervous system, we can make better decisions.”
• “There’s a mouse in all of us that needs the reminder to just keep going.”
• “Ending what doesn’t serve you is not quitting.”
• “Fear often shows up as stress, pressure, or imposter syndrome, but it’s the same circuitry.”
• “Resilience is the greatest gift we can give our kids and our teams.”

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:45 Start of Interview
• 01:55 Family Influence and Early Experiences
• 06:45 Recognizing the Brain Bully
• 12:28 Learning Resilience Over Time
• 14:08 Giving Feedback That Helps Instead of Hurts
• 15:50 Metabolizing Fear Instead of Eliminating It
• 20:05 Rejection and the Origin of the Book
• 23:00 Strategies from the Book for Big Feelings
• 26:15 The Business Equivalent of Jumping Up and Down
• 28:50 When Just Keep Going Does Not Apply
• 31:50 How Lynn and Her Team Help Leaders
• 34:10 End of Interview
• 34:47 Andy Comments After the Interview
• 37:30 Outtakes

Learn More

You can learn more about Lynn and her work at LynnSmith.com.

For more learning on this topic, check out:

• Episode 462 with Margie Warrell, about going from playing it safe to speaking up.
• Episode 397 with Dr. Julia DiGangi, a discussion Andy continues to revisit for practical insights.
• Episode 394 with Joshua Freedman, one of the leading voices on emotional intelligence.

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Thank you for joining me for this episode of The People and Projects Podcast!

Talent Triangle: Power Skills

Topics: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Fear Management, Communication Skills, Executive Presence, Feedback, Confidence, Self Leadership, Team Culture, Project Leadership

The following music was used for this episode:

Music: Summer Awakening by Frank Schroeter
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Music: Tuesday by Sasha Ende
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license