Advertise on podcast: The Courageous Podcast with Ryan Berman

Evan Hayes has spent his career bringing ambitious stories to life, even when the odds of getting them made seemed impossibly long. An Academy Award, BAFTA, and Emmy Award-winning producer and director, Evan has worked on everything from Love Actually and Les Misérables to Everest and the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo. Now, as Head of Film & Television and Executive Director at Unreasonable Studios, he's exploring new ways to bring Hollywood, brands, and audiences together. In this conversation with Ryan, Evan takes us behind the scenes of Free Solo, including the difficult ethical questions surrounding Alex Honnold's historic climb and the terrifying responsibility of preparing for what could go wrong. He also opens up about why hearing “no” never gets easier, what 25 years in an ever-changing entertainment industry have taught him about persistence, and why he believes the future of storytelling lies in unexpected collaborations between creators, studios, and brands

Mark C. Crowley spent more than 20 years in the cutthroat world of financial services, where he discovered something that went against nearly everything he’d been taught about leadership: the more he genuinely cared about his people, the better they performed. That unconventional approach helped him become an award-winning executive and eventually inspired his mission to fundamentally change how organizations lead. Now, as the author of Lead From the Heart and The Power of Employee Well-Being, Mark is making the case that caring for employees isn't soft management; it's one of the smartest business decisions a leader can make. In this conversation with Ryan, Mark explains why traditional leadership practices are so deeply ingrained, how employee well-being directly affects performance, and why fear can produce short-term results but ultimately undermines the people you're trying to motivate. He also shares the remarkable story of nearly abandoning his first book after being warned its message would never sell, and the simple shift from being self-centered to “other-centered” that could change the way we lead.

Tony Sarsam has spent his career walking into companies that need to change and proving that transformation doesn’t have to come at the expense of the people doing the work. After building his career at companies including PepsiCo, Dreyer’s, and Nestlé, Tony most recently led the transformation of SpartanNash as CEO, where his “people first” philosophy helped drive performance while reducing employee turnover by 40%. In this conversation with Ryan, Tony explains why every company should be transforming long before it reaches a crisis, why employees can immediately tell the difference between a leader who genuinely values people and one who simply talks about it, and what decades of trial and error have taught him about getting change right. Plus, Tony shares what he’s looking for in his own next chapter and why.

Eric Toda has helped shape some of the most influential brands of the last two decades. At Facebook, Nike, Snapchat, Airbnb, Gap, Stitch Fix, and Meta, he’s built marketing organizations from scratch, launched category-defining work, advised some of the world’s most prominent executives, and made a career out of pushing ideas further than most companies are comfortable going. But after two decades of building at some of the biggest brands in the world, Eric stepped away from his career entirely to coach his kids, reconnect with life outside of work, and figure out who he was without a company attached to his name. In this conversation with Ryan, Eric talks about rediscovering his creative fire, why being willing to be wrong is more valuable than always trying to be right, and the three non-negotiables that convinced him it was time to get back in the game. They also dig into what coaching kids has taught him about leading adults, why he looks for “fire” in every person he hires, and the wildly ambitious marketing stunt that reminded him he could still light up the internet when given the freedom to create.

Blake Mycoskie built TOMS into a global phenomenon, gave away more than 100 million pairs of shoes, and helped redefine what it meant for business to be a force for good. But beneath all that success was a belief he couldn’t outrun: that he was never enough. After selling TOMS, Blake fell into a profound depression that forced him to confront just how far his life had drifted from who he really was. In this deeply personal conversation with Ryan, Blake opens up about the shame that kept him isolated, the moment he finally admitted he needed help, and why radical honesty became the beginning of finding his way back to himself. He also shares why a group of longtime friends became his greatest “insurance policy,” how he’s approaching entrepreneurship differently at 50, and the thinking behind his new ENOUGH movement and No Magic Pill podcast. Plus, Blake explains why some of the most courageous work we can do is examine where our lives have fallen out of alignment with our values—and actually do something about it.

What happens when you reach the top of the mountain and realize there’s still more of yourself to discover? Ahmet Bozer spent 25 years at The Coca-Cola Company, eventually becoming President of Coca-Cola International, overseeing operations across more than 200 countries and roughly $80 billion in retail revenue. But his next chapter turned inward. In this conversation with Ryan, Ahmet shares what leading across vastly different cultures taught him about the things people have in common, how he learned to reset after difficult moments rather than carry them into the next meeting, and why the most important person any leader will ever learn to lead is themselves. They also dig into the idea behind his new book, Soulgery, and why Ahmet believes our thoughts, emotions, and everyday patterns can either trap our potential or help unlock it.

Suffer from achievement addiction? It’s a real thing. When accomplishment becomes the drug and slowing down feels threatening because it forces you to sit with yourself you might be in it. Mandy Balak knows the feeling. She was succeeding on the outside while quietly running on empty. As a three-time founder, she led a growing team, and collected plenty of accolades all while navigating the loss of her father, and a pattern of pushing through everything alone. Now, as President of The Gathering and author of new book Chasing Enough, Mandy is challenging high achievers to rethink what sustainable success looks like. In this conversation with Ryan, she opens up about how childhood patterns can quietly follow us into our careers, and the wake-up call that finally forced her to stop and look inward. Mandy also breaks down the difference between a “chasing leader” and a “choosing leader,” and the simple question that can reveal what’s really driving you.

This week, Ryan Berman is turning the Courageous Podcast toward a different kind of challenge: raising courageous kids. Fresh off a back-to-school appearance on KTLA, Ryan shares the full segment and expands on why curiosity can be one of the best ways to help kids navigate fear, anxiety, and unfamiliar situations. He talks about resisting the urge to rescue kids from discomfort, building confidence through small acts of courage, and the simple formula he tries to follow as a dad: attention + belief. Plus, Ryan shares why courage is a muscle kids can strengthen over time and a simple question for every parent to consider: when you walk into the room, are your kids gaining energy from you?

Dr. Shirley M. Collado knows firsthand how transformative an education can be. The daughter of Dominican immigrants who grew up in a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood, she became the first in her family to attend college and eventually made history as the first Dominican American to serve as president of a four-year college in the United States. Now, as President and CEO of College Track, she’s taking on an even bigger challenge: making sure a student’s zip code, family income, or access to resources doesn’t determine how far their talent can take them. In this conversation, Ryan and Shirley unpack College Track’s 10-year commitment to first-generation students and the unlikely partnerships helping bring that mission to life, from Kevin Durant and his mother Wanda to the Baltimore Ravens and M&T Bank. They also wrestle with a much bigger question about the future of higher education and why America has struggled to tell a compelling story about its value.

Jackie Plaza knows a thing or two about betting on yourself. She left a successful career in Los Angeles for a new opportunity in San Diego, stepped into the challenge of helping reshape perceptions of one of the world’s most recognizable theme parks, and discovered that taking risks gets a little easier once you’ve survived a few that didn’t work out. Today, as VP Marketingand Sales at SeaWorldSan Diego, Jackie is bringing that same willingness to experiment to a brand with more than 60 years of history. In their conversation, Ryan and Jackie talk about the freedom that comes from getting comfortable with failure, why the best leaders know when to call an audible, and what happened when a seemingly crazy idea for a hip-hop and R&B concert series became a massive hit. Jackie also shares the side of SeaWorld she didn’t fully understand until she joined the company, including its decades of animal rescue work and the experience of releasing rehabilitated animals back into the wild.

Ania Smith learned early that you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can be intentional about what you do next. After moving from Poland to South Dakota at 12 without speaking English, she developed a curiosity and adaptability that would eventually take her to companies including Airbnb, Uber Eats, Walmart, and now Taskrabbit, where she serves as CEO. In this conversation with Ryan, Ania talks about the difference between reacting to change and choosing it for yourself, and why asking better questions has given her the confidence to keep making big moves. She also opens up about taking her family on a gap year in Argentina and the surprisingly simple framework she and her husband use to balance two ambitious careers with raising three kids. Plus, Ania shares what she’s learned from more than a decade building marketplaces, how AI could transform the way we hire people to help in our homes, and why staying close to Taskers remains deeply personal to her.

Everyone wants change to be easier. Ryan Berman thinks that's exactly the wrong goal. In this solo episode, Ryan challenges the growing belief that transformation should be effortless and makes the case that the strongest teams don't avoid friction—they create the right kind of it. Ryan explains why hard conversations are the real starting point of change, why leaders should stop trying to eliminate discomfort, and how alignment, belief, and clarity create the foundation for lasting transformation. He also shares the question every team should be asking, why "believe again" became one of Courageous' earliest rallying cries, and the mindset shift that can help leaders stop waiting for change and start creating it.

Elle McCarthy is drawn to transformation. It's the thread that connects everything she does, from challenging outdated ways of thinking to helping some of the world's biggest brands—including Ford, PayPal, EA, and now McAfee—reinvent themselves from the inside out. In this conversation with Ryan, Elle shares why real change starts by getting people to believe in what's possible, why the strongest brands are built long before a campaign ever launches, and how a little "chaos magic" has helped shape her approach to leadership. They also discuss building trust during times of change, the lessons motherhood has taught her about leading others, and the personal promise she's made to stay true to the values that first drew her into marketing.

Adam Markel has built his career around helping people navigate change, but lately he's been asking a bigger question: what if the real challenge isn't changing ourselves, but changing the systems we work in every day? After years advising Fortune 500 companies and studying resilience, Adam has become convinced that culture isn't a byproduct of leadership—it's the reason organizations succeed or struggle in the first place. In this conversation with Ryan, he unpacks why leaders can no longer expect employees to shoulder the burden of resilience alone, and what it looks like to build a culture that people actually want to be part of. They also dig into why so many well-intentioned leaders still get culture wrong and the simple idea that sits at the heart of Adam's new book, Re-Culture.

Helen Calcraft believes the best creative work can't exist without joy. At a time when fear, AI, and constant change are reshaping the advertising industry, the co-founder of Lucky Generals joins Ryan for a thoughtful conversation about what leaders can do to protect creativity instead of stifling it. Together, they explore why saying no is sometimes the most important decision a business can make, how trust became the foundation of Helen's decades-long creative partnership, and what she learned from building not one but two successful agencies. They also discuss the challenge of letting go of day to day control, the surprising lessons Helen is taking from executive coaching, and why designing the next chapter of your life requires every bit as much intention as building a great brand.