Tag: risks

“Remember: Not all positive change feels positive in the beginning.” – S.C. Lourie

This is a friendly warning: It’s risky to comment on this blog. I’m joking, of course, but have a great example of no good comment goes unpunished. 🙂

A couple of weeks ago Brian Hannon commented that he approached finding positivity from another perspective on the How to Share Optimism podcast I did with Mark Petruska. To hear Brian describe it, it’s like peeling back an onion. The outer layers are the risks of a thing, whether it be an idea, invitation, initiative, or something else. Those layers need to be dealt with before reaching the savory goodness on the inside.

At which point, I invited Brian on the podcast to talk about his approach of sharing risks.

As a corporate communications professional, Brian Hannon has incredible wisdom about identifying risks and communicating effectively. In this episode of the How to Share podcast, Brian shares his unique perspective on optimism, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging risks and challenges before moving towards a positive outlook.

Brian discusses the role of authenticity in communication, the balance between optimism and realism, and how humor can help navigate difficult conversations. Our conversation also touches on parenting and the lessons learned from life’s challenges, ultimately highlighting the value of embracing discomfort for personal growth.

Takeaways

• Brian sees risks and challenges first before finding positives.
• Acknowledging failure is crucial for a realistic perspective.
• Authenticity is essential in communication and leadership.
• Humor helps in delivering downsides without negativity.
• Writing helps clarify thoughts and learn from experiences.
• Embracing discomfort can lead to long-term growth.
• Balancing perspectives can enhance collaboration and understanding.
• Life’s challenges often provide valuable lessons.
• Parenting influences how we perceive risks and challenges.
• Finding a middle ground between optimism and realism is key.

Here’s a preview of Brian’s grounded and resilient approach:

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this incredible episode:

• The podcast player embedded below
• Click this link to watch in a browser: How to Share Risks with Brian Hannon
• Subscribe to How To Share on Spotify, Amazon Music, or Apple Podcasts
• Subscribing to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@howtosharepodcast

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

Unleash Your Humanity: Courage, Resilience & Purpose with Yasmine Sherif – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

How can courage, resilience, and authentic leadershiptransform adversity into meaningful change? In this episode of The Life of Try, Wynne Leon talks with Yasmine Sherif—human rights lawyer, longtime United Nations humanitarian leader, and author of Unleash Your Humanity—about choosing humanity over fear and living with faith, joy, creativity, and purpose.Yasmine traces her journey from a multicultural childhoodand a life-changing promise to serve humanity to decades of humanitarian work in conflict zones. She shares how persistence opened the door to the United Nations, what she learned while helping refugees return home after the DaytonPeace Accords, and how trust and intuition helped her act courageously when lives were at risk.Together, Wynne and Yasmine explore how courage becomes a habit, why growth often begins outside the comfort zone, and how personal awakening can inspire collective change. Their conversation offers a hopeful perspective on resilience, human potential, service, empathy, and purpose-driven leadership—while reminding us that every person can help move the world toward greater humanity.Listen to discover:·       How to build courage through repeated choices·       Why adversity can become an opportunity for growth·       How authenticity and intuition support resilient leadership·       What it means to lead through service and shared humanity·       How joy, empathy, and creativity can fuel meaningful changeFollow The Life of Try for more inspiring conversations about courage, curiosity, personal growth, and what becomespossible when we keep trying. After this episode, listen to The Way Will Open: How to Trust Life’s Timing for more on faith, patience, and moving forward when the path is unclear.

1. Unleash Your Humanity: Courage, Resilience & Purpose with Yasmine Sherif 32:35
2. Stop Hustling For Your Worth: A Better Way to Grow 06:08
3. Way Will Open: How To Trust Life's Timing 05:34
4. How to Stop Procrastinating and Start: The 10-Minute Rule for Taking Action 05:58
5. The Art of Meaningful Conversations: Lessons from 200 podcast episodes 30:59

Links for this episode:

⁠Brian’s blog: Writing from the Heart with Brian⁠

⁠Brian Hannon⁠ on LinkedIn

(featured photo from Pexels)