What does courage mean to me?

"For me, courage is about showing up. Showing up for ourselves every day and showing up for others. It takes courage to be seen. It takes courage to face our fears every day to become who we really want to be.?Courage is about doing the hard things."

Do you think fear holds young people back?

"Yeah absolutely. Fear can be paralysing. If we let it, the fear of making the wrong choice or of failure can cause us to stay in our comfort zone. It can hold us back from growth or success.

I’ve seen that one of the biggest fears young people face is the fear of being rejected. Belonging to a group and being accepted trumps everything. Rejection can be crushing."

JT so many people look up you, have you always felt courageous?

"No not at all! I know how tough rejection can feel when you’re a teenager. When I was young I was overlooked by selectors for being too small or too skinny. Getting knocked back time and again was one of the hardest things I’ve experienced.?

I know what it’s like to fear things and I know how important it is to have the courage and self-belief to face them. Courage is how we get back up and keep believing in ourselves to get to where want to be. I learnt rejection is just part of life."

Is that why courage is one of your 3 values?

"One hundred per cent! If we can help young people to tap into their courage and believe in themselves, they’ll be able to handle rejection positively and not see it as the end. It’s just part of daily life. Courage is how you deal with the fear of rejection or failure that can hold us back."

What tips on courage can you share with us?

"You need to back yourself. To keep telling yourself you can do hard things no matter what other people say. Keep focusing on your goals. On where you want to be. Having goals helps you keep your focus on the outcomes of facing your fears and doing the hard stuff.

Then it’s about just make a start. Starting can be easy to put off. But avoiding it means we go nowhere. Remind yourself of what you’ve already achieved in your life. Of the hard times you got through.?

Then it’s about getting in the habit of being brave by practising the hard parts. Showing up even when it’s hard or your scared. When you finish what you start you’re courageous."

What happens when young women in JTLeadLikeAGirl use courage?

"Sometimes young women joining our program don’t recognise they already have heaps of courage. They may not have even thought about it before.?

Our program helps them to see how they already use courage in their life. When they remember a time they’ve conquered something they feared they’re able to see they can do it again.?

We want to help them take rejection or hard times in their stride and keep moving forward in life. It’s about hardwiring confidence and courage into their everyday life. Once they believe in their strengths and abilities, they have more confidence to use them.

There’s a whole set of behaviours around courage for young women to learn like speaking up to say no in certain situations and to believe in themselves to keep going. It takes courage to speak up, to pick yourself up from failure and to face fears.?

It blows my mind seeing young women’s courage and confidence develop during our program. Hearing and seeing them stand in their true selves and use their voice is amazing.

My wife Samantha and I want to foster that courage in our daughters, so they develop into confident empowered young women that chase their dreams."

JT Lead Like A Girl program is powered by NBN Australia. Our NBN partnership enables us to connect and empower with young women in remote and regional communities and make a real difference to their everyday lives.