“What’s worse than the temporary pain of discomfort is the avoidable pain of regret,” says Judi Holler, who has brought her Second City improv training and humor to her work as a keynote speaker, bestselling author, podcaster and entrepreneur. She’s on a mission to increase her tolerance for pain by conducting daily fear experiments and trying to be a bit braver and more authentic today than she was yesterday. Now, instead of asking herself what could go wrong in each new situation, she asks, “What could go right?”
Fear isn’t something we can get rid of—and we shouldn’t want to. In many cases, fear is there to keep us safe. But when fear is blocking us from doing what we need to do, acting despite that fear is what builds up tolerance for that discomfort. In this episode, Holler talks with On Your Terms host Erin King about the problem with perfectionism, what improv taught her about bravery and authenticity, and how creating an environment of psychological safety increases our ability to truly be ourselves.
Learn more about Judi Holler at judiholler.com and follow @judiholler on Instagram. Her latest books are The Fear Boss Project and Fear Is My Homeboy.
On Your Terms with Erin King is no longer releasing new episodes on the SUCCESS Podcast Network, but you can still listen to the full conversation below.