{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6941f90b891c3619dca97138/696afb3d1e4bca00bf2617ff?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Growth at the Edge of Discomfort with Dr Michael Gervais","description":"<h4>What if your next breakthrough is on the other side of being seen?</h4><p><br></p><p>Today we’re joined by world renowned performance psychologist Dr Michael Gervais for a conversation that will change how you think about confidence, vulnerability, and what it really means to grow.</p><p><br></p><p>Tess opens the episode with a raw intention, navigating a heavy season with family and teenagers, and the ache of knowing you have the tools, but still having to let the people you love find their own way. From there, the conversation moves into one of the most freeing concepts you’ll hear all year: the danger line.</p><p><br></p><p>Michael explains why growth happens at the edge of discomfort, and why for most of us the real danger is not physical. It’s social. It’s the fear of being judged, misunderstood, or exposed. The fear of looking stupid. The fear of caring deeply and coming up short.</p><p><br></p><p>This episode is packed with lived stories, elite performance psychology, and deeply human truths about identity, ego, and what keeps us playing small. If you’ve ever felt yourself holding back, performing to look okay, or avoiding the very thing you want most, this will land.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode, we talk about:</p><ul><li>What the “danger line” is, and why growth lives right at the edge of it</li><li>Why most danger today is social danger, the fear of people’s opinions</li><li>The hidden ways we play the “look okay” game instead of going all in</li><li>Michael’s pivotal story from his PhD program: when ego hijacks presence</li><li>What mastery looks like in real time, and how safety creates transformation</li><li>Why awareness is the starting point for self mastery</li><li>How foundational beliefs shape how you move through the world</li><li>“The world is dangerous” vs “I feel safe in it” and how both can be true</li><li>Why psychological skills training should be normal, not taboo</li><li>The difference between succeeding from fear and succeeding from love</li><li>How stories like “I’m not enough” can drive achievement and also cost you</li><li>Vulnerability as a leadership superpower, especially in high performance spaces</li><li>Rest, recovery, and why burnout culture is not a badge</li><li>The “permission slips” organisations need so people actually change behaviour</li><li>A practical relationship ritual that builds connection when life gets busy</li><li>Three first principles for inner mastery: extend your danger line, lean on relationships, and build psychological skills</li></ul><p><br></p><p>We also explore:</p><ul><li>How to recognise when your identity is running the show</li><li>Why self discovery feels hard, especially when you’re already overloaded</li><li>The real cost of protecting reputation over being present</li><li>How to build trust, with yourself and with your inner circle</li><li>Why mastery is available to everyday humans, not just champions</li></ul><p><br></p><p>If you’ve been feeling like you’re capable of more but you keep hesitating, shrinking, or overthinking what people might think, this episode will help you understand why, and give you a framework to start expanding your life again.</p><p><br></p><p>And if you’re listening thinking, “I want to keep doing this work with support,” we share how you can join The Awake Collective for monthly coaching, accountability, community, and practical tools to help you apply what you’re learning.</p><p><br></p><p>Connect with Awake</p><p><br></p><p>• Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses</p><p><a href=\"https://awake-academy.mykajabi.com/awake-collective-sales\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://awake-academy.mykajabi.com/awake-collective-sales</a></p><p><br></p><p>• Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself, Grow Yourself</p><p><br></p><p>• Watch the episodes on YouTube</p><p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@Awake_Academy\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.youtube.com/@Awake_Academy</a>_</p><p><br></p><p>• Follow Layne on Instagram @laynebeachley</p><p><br></p><p>• Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer</p><p><br></p><p>• Follow Awake Academy on Instagram @awake_academy</p><p><br></p><p>• Book us for a workshop: wakeup@awakeacademy.com.au</p><p><br></p><p>• Awake’s TikTok</p><p><a href=\"https://www.tiktok.com/@awakeacademy\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.tiktok.com/@awakeacademy</a>_</p>","author_name":"Layne Beachley AO & Tess Brouwer"}