What could change if you became a little more willing to put yourself out there?

My guest on this episode of Leading You, Nick Bendel, set himself an unusual challenge: to have lunch with 500 complete strangers.

For an introvert who preferred staying home with a book and a cup of tea, it wasn’t the most obvious choice. But after starting a business, Nick realised that if he wanted different results, he needed to become more willing to connect, initiate and put himself out there.

What began as a networking experiment became something much bigger.

Over six years and 500+ lunches, Nick built an extraordinary network, developed greater confidence and discovered the power of what he calls social courage - taking action even when you don’t feel completely ready and despite the possibility of rejection, judgement or embarrassment.

We talk about why social courage is like a muscle, why confidence often comes after taking action, and what happened when around 95% of Nick’s lunch invitations received no response.

But perhaps the biggest change wasn’t his network. It was Nick himself.

He became more proactive, more willing to ask and more prepared to create opportunities rather than wait for them.

In this episode, we explore:
Why an introvert decided to have lunch with 500 strangers
What social courage is and how we can develop it
Why confidence often follows action
How repeated exposure changes our relationship with rejection
Why we reject ourselves before giving other people the opportunity to say yes
How curiosity creates more meaningful conversations
Why small, sustainable actions can create significant change
The increasing value of human skills in an AI-driven world
How social courage can strengthen leadership, connection and opportunity

You don’t need to start with 500 lunches.
You simply need to begin.

 

Links:

Learn more about my group coaching program here
Get the Clarity Compass here

 

Connect with Julie:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/
Instagram: @juliehydeleads
Website: https://juliehyde.com.au

 

Connect with Nick:
Website:https://www.nickbendel.com/
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-bendel/

What could change if you became a little more willing to put yourself out there?
My guest on this episode of&nbsp;Leading You, Nick Bendel, set himself an unusual challenge: to have lunch with 500 complete strangers.
For an introvert who preferred staying home with a book and a cup of tea, it wasn&rsquo;t the most obvious choice. But after starting a business, Nick realised that if he wanted different results, he needed to become more willing to connect, initiate and put himself out there.
What began as a networking experiment became something much bigger.
Over six years and 500+ lunches, Nick built an extraordinary network, developed greater confidence and discovered the power of what he calls&nbsp;social courage&nbsp;- taking action even when you don&rsquo;t feel completely ready and despite the possibility of rejection, judgement or embarrassment.
We talk about why social courage is like a muscle, why confidence often comes&nbsp;after&nbsp;taking action, and what happened when around 95% of Nick&rsquo;s lunch invitations received no response.
But perhaps the biggest change wasn&rsquo;t his network. It was Nick himself.
He became more proactive, more willing to ask and more prepared to create opportunities rather than wait for them.
In this episode, we explore:
<ul>
<li>Why an introvert decided to have lunch with 500 strangers</li>
<li>What social courage is and how we can develop it</li>
<li>Why confidence often follows action</li>
<li>How repeated exposure changes our relationship with rejection</li>
<li>Why we reject ourselves before giving other people the opportunity to say yes</li>
<li>How curiosity creates more meaningful conversations</li>
<li>Why small, sustainable actions can create significant change</li>
<li>The increasing value of human skills in an AI-driven world</li>
<li>How social courage can strengthen leadership, connection and opportunity</li>
</ul>
You don&rsquo;t need to start with 500 lunches. You simply need to begin.
&nbsp;
Links:
Learn more about my&nbsp;group coaching program&nbsp;<a href="https://juliehyde.com.au/leadher-mastermind" data-href="https://juliehyde.com.au/leadher-mastermind">here</a> Get the&nbsp;Clarity Compass&nbsp;<a href="https://programs.juliehyde.com.au/programs/claritycompass/" data-href="https://programs.juliehyde.com.au/programs/claritycompass/">here</a>
&nbsp;
Connect with Julie: LinkedIn:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-hyde/</a> Instagram:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/juliehydeleads/">&nbsp;@juliehydeleads</a> Website:&nbsp;<a href="https://juliehyde.com.au">https://juliehyde.com.au</a>
&nbsp;
Connect with Nick: Website: <a href="https://www.nickbendel.com/">https://www.nickbendel.com/</a> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-bendel/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-bendel/</a>

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?

Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.

There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.

I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.

Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.

Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?
Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.
There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.
I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.
Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.
Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.

A Podcast dedicated to business owners and leaders to inspire you to make it count

Leading You

Want to know the secret to confident and successful leadership?
Every week, Leading You showcases leadership of all kinds and you get the scoop on how to be an effective, modern leader who makes an impact.
There’s one thing we all have in common. We’re all leaders. First and foremost, you’re a leader of you. You don’t need a title to be a leader. Leadership is a mindset which anyone can adopt to create influence. The more leaders the world has, the better it will be.
I'll let you into something I know to be true - You can’t be a leader of others unless you’re a leader of self first. So if you want to have impact that leads to prosperity and happiness, it all starts with you. With your mindset and personal leadership toolbox, which Leading You will help you build up.
Leading you is hosted by Julie Hyde, an entrepreneur, corporate drop out and passionate leader. Julie knows one thing: you can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. It’s why Leading You is important.
Each week, guests share their secret sauce. They reveal their roadmaps to success. How they’ve stayed anchored to who they are, insights into their courage and resilience and how to be emotionally and behaviourally agile. It’s a conversation, not an interrogation, and you’ll hear the human side of household names.