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231: Vulnerability As a One-Way Ticket to Trust with Billy Anderson

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“Vulnerability is a one-way ticket to trust,” says today’s guest Billy Anderson, founder of The Courage Crusade and mutual friend of longtime friendtor Michael Bungay Stanier (two-time guest of the Pivot Podcast). 

Billy is the author of Your Comfort Zone is Killing You: Finding the Courage to Be You. In this conversation we cover finding the courage to move past others’ expectations toward greater authenticity, transparency, vulnerability, and self-expression. 

Check out full show notes from this episode with links to resources mentioned at http://pivotmethod.com/231

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More about Billy Anderson

When I was 5 years old my mom heard me crying in my room. She asked what was wrong and I said “You’re born, you live for a while, and then you die. What’s the point?”

It took me years to answer that question. Now I help other people figure out their “point” and live a life that’s true to them.

I also find time to get WAY out of my comfort zone so I can grow my courage “muscle”. I’ve jumped out of an airplane exactly 101 times. I’ve traveled to over 30 countries. I’ve trekked in the Himalayas, Run with the Bulls in Spain, and swam with sharks in Thailand. I’ve been a sugar-cane farmer in Costa Rica, an apple picker in New Zealand, and a fundraising director for an international charity.

I know what makes me tick. I set goals and I achieve them. I understand the importance of courage in not allowing my fears to hold me back. In fact, I’m scared of the exact same things you are: failure, looking stupid, not being liked. Your version of success may be completely different than mine, and that’s fine. I’m here to help you define what yours looks like and then make it a reality.

Topics Covered

  • Allowing his bright, open energy to come out 

  • Pivoting from corporate to canoe guide to courage crusades

  • His courageous mustache move

  • How do other people’s expectations hold you back?

  • Fear or fit? Lead with the fear

  • “Vulnerability is a one-way ticket to trust”

  • Do I fit in, do I matter?

  • How the last few months have been for Billy

  • His value of simplicity 

  • The experience of hanging a “free hugs” sign

  • Map your “unhappy list” on a grid: Avoiding/Taking Action (X-Axis) vs. Clear/Confused (Y-Axis) From Left, Clockwise:

    • “I know what I want but I’m not sure how to make it happen.”

    • “This is what I want and this is how I’m going to get it.”

    • “I keep trying things but they don’t end up being the right fit.”

    • “I don’t know what to do or even how to start figuring it out.”

Resources Mentioned

Check out other episodes of the Pivot Podcast here. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen, and if you enjoy the show I would be very grateful for a rating and/or review! Sign-up for my weekly(ish) #PivotList newsletter to receive curated round-ups of what I’m reading, watching, listening to, and new tools I’m geeking out on.