Where Courageous Ideas Go To Die
It has been quite the week.
I had the pleasure of keeping it real with the Primal Kitchen crew up in Los Angeles where, for 72 hours, the team came together to dive into purpose, strategic plans, and the power of being more courageous in the year ahead.
If you know the Primal Kitchen origin story, you know #MarkSisson and Morgan Buehler Zanotti . The visionary and the scrappy get-it-doner—a perfect duo who were on a mission to change the way the world eats, one customer at a time.
Six years later, the baton has passed to Primal Kitchen President Audrey B. . Audrey, is not trying to be a "Mark" or "Morgan"— Audrey is focused on being Audrey. She brought me in to help her team connect to their personal purpose and to offer an outside perspective on how Primal Kitchen can keep fulfilling its audacious mission.
In my keynote, I stressed one simple truth: in this media-obese world, courageous ideas are the only ones that matter.?
But I also went to town expressing the kicker:
Courageous ideas die without courageous leaders.
Take Audrey, for example. She wants the best for her team. She wants them to be brave, to go for it. But some might fear that messing up means losing their corporate currency—or worse, their job. So, the easy move? Play it safe. Stay "smart," stay "strategic," and project all-knowing confidence instead of trusting their instincts.
Which brings me to one of the topics we landed in the room; that if we want the brand to get ahead we can’t just leave consumers in their very own heads — we had to graduate beyond the head and below the shoulders into that “feel zone”.?
I had shared the following:
In other words:?
market the creature, not the features.
Your "creature" is your brand's point of view on the world. Your "features" are just your product’s points of difference.
My guest on this week’s episode of The Courageous Podcast, Seth Godin, nailed it when he said, “It’s easy to tout your features, focus on the benefits, give proof that you are, in fact, the best solution to a problem. But proof doesn’t make the sale. Of course, you believe the proof, but your audience doesn’t. The very fact that you presented the proof makes it suspect.”?
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Your audience doesn’t buy features. They buy the feeling—the emotional rally cry that makes you authentic and aspirational.
So, ask yourself:
1. When was the last time you were presented with a truly courageous idea?
2.?Did you have the courage to stand up for it?
3.?Or did fear, politics or “playing it safe” get in the way?
The future belongs to those who step up, who embrace the risk, and who are willing to champion bold ideas that push us all forward. As for the rest, it is my belief that it will only be a matter of time before you’re presented with a grave danger.
THE COURAGEOUS PODCAST
Seth Godin is a 1 of 1.?With 21 bestsellers, five TED talks, and numerous entrepreneurial ventures, Seth has dedicated his life to helping people understand themselves and the complex world around them, often through the lens of creativity and leadership. In this episode with Ryan, Seth shares insights on everything from mastering Pictionary to improving organizational systems—even drawing lessons from airplane food. They explore ideas from Seth's new book This Is Strategy, discussing the link between courage and creativity. Seth explains that creativity isn’t about grand gestures, but about solving everyday problems generously, and how small, low-risk steps outside your comfort zone can lead to tremendous personal growth.
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Ryan Berman is the founder of Courageous; a think-feel-do change consultancy based in Southern California. With 25 years in creative business, Ryan believes your “future is safe with change”. Ryan is a speaker, practitioner, and authority on the subject who has been featured in Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Inc, and Forbes. Ryan has spoken on the topic all over the country including at Google, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, Logitech, Discover Card, and charity: water. Ryan also hosts The Courageous Podcast where he talks with leaders from around the globe to uncover what it means to be courageous in today's world. His book, Return On Courage , shares why companies need to unlock courage while providing practical tips on how organizations can operationalize courage today.?Learn more at couragebrands.com