Episode 92- Reshma Saujani on How to Be Brave, Not Perfect

Where along the way did we trade in our confidence and courage for approval and acceptance? And why? That’s the question Reshma Saujani challenges us…

Episode 92- Reshma Saujani on How to Be Brave, Not Perfect

Where along the way did we trade in our confidence and courage for approval and acceptance? And why? That’s the question Reshma Saujani challenges us…

Where along the way did we trade in our confidence and courage for approval and acceptance? And why? That’s the question Reshma Saujani challenges us with in her book Brave, Not Perfect. Reshma is the founder & CEO of Girls Who Code, an international nonprofit working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. Her TED Talk, “Teach girls bravery, not perfection,” has been viewed more than 4 million times and sparked a worldwide conversation about how we’re raising our girls. On this episode, we talk about how to fear less, fail more and live boldly.

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“Bravery is the antidote to perfection.”

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Show Notes

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What inspired Reshma to start Girls Who Code (2:44)
Measuring the impact of Girls Who Code’s work (4:16)
A failed congressional run becomes a catalyst (5:52)
The mentorship she’s received from Hillary Clinton (7:53)
Be brave, not perfect (10:00)
How we socialize our girls differently than boys (10:30)
Prepare yourself to be brave in the small moments (14:30)
The learned need for approval and being liked (16:01)
How to build your bravery muscle (18:13)
Just start: the lesson she learned starting Girls Who Code (21:25)
Show the mess behind the scenes (22:48)
Bravery builds your confidence (24:18)
Don’t stay stuck in things that you are good at, that you don’t like (25:24)
Does failure motivate you more than success? (27:11)
Anxiety as a superpower and overcoming the imposter syndrome (28:04)
Three failure hacks to help you recover from setbacks faster (30:54)
Take an athlete’s approach to soliciting feedback (33:00)
Bravery is at the core of relationship transformation (34:27)
How to get involved with Girls Who Code (35:56)

Resources / People Mentioned

Brave Not Perfect by Reshma Saujani
Girls Who Code
Reshma Saujani TED Talk: Teach girls bravery, not perfection
Fortune: The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders
Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People
Brave, Not Perfect with Reshma Saujani (podcast)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, U.S. Representative
Onward Together
Hillary Clinton
Girls Who Code: Most Innovative Nonprofit
Tracy Dennis
Letitia James, Attorney General of New York
Serena Williams, athlete
Rha Goddess, coach
Rent The Runway

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