The Courage to Run a Business Using Social Media

Does Showing Up Online Feel Scarier Than Running A Practice?

Social media marketing is not for the faint at heart. If you’ve ever stared at your phone before pressing “post,” wondering if your words sound right or if someone will judge you, welcome to digital marketing for entrepreneurs. The courage to run a business doesn’t just show up in your clinic or your finances. It’s tested every time you step into visibility.

When I watched Brené Brown on The Diary of a CEO podcast, I couldn’t stop thinking about how her ideas on courage and vulnerability speak directly to self-employed health practitioners. We trained to help others heal, not to market ourselves, yet success today requires skills inside the clinic and courage to show up online.

Brené’s conversation with host Steven Bartlett peeled back what it truly means to be brave at work, and how authenticity—especially online—isn’t weakness. It’s leadership. Watch the full interview here ⤵️.

Vulnerability Isn’t Fragile. It’s the Foundation of Courage

Early in the interview Brené said, “There is no courage without vulnerability, because courage is the willingness to show up and be all in when you cannot predict the outcome.”

That single sentence captures what most practitioners face daily. You craft a post, record a video, or launch a workshop not knowing who will respond—or if anyone will. Yet you do it anyway.

Vulnerability, Brené explains, isn’t oversharing; it’s showing up when the outcome is uncertain. The courage to run a business is exactly that: launching offers before they’re perfect, speaking to the camera before you feel ready, and sharing ideas that matter even when you’re not sure how they’ll land.

The Armor That Blocks Connection

Brené began the interview by saying it’s not fear that stops us, but “the armor we reach for to self-protect when we’re afraid.”

For practitioners, that armor can look deceptively responsible: spending weeks perfecting a logo, taking another certification before creating a course, or rewriting posts until they sound generic. It’s protection disguised as productivity.

But armor muffles connection. The people you want to reach can’t feel your sincerity through a polished façade. Dropping the armor means letting people see the real human behind the credentials—the one who genuinely cares about their transformation.

Trust Grows One Marble at a Time

Brené’s “marble-jar” story is unforgettable. When her daughter lost trust in classmates, Brené explained that trust is built in small moments—each act of reliability earns a marble in the jar.

That’s how marketing really works for healers and coaches. Every consistent email, useful video, or honest post adds a marble. When you disappear for months or post only when you’re selling, you quietly tip marbles out.

The courage to run a business means choosing consistency over perfection. It’s not the viral post that builds your livelihood; it’s hundreds of marble-sized acts of trust.

Emotional Range Makes You More Credible, Not Less

Brené shared how she was raised in a “tough-it-out” culture where sadness wasn’t allowed. Many practitioners can relate. We’re told to be professional, neutral, and unflappable. But emotional honesty is not unprofessional—it’s human.

When you admit that technology frustrates you, or that balancing client care with marketing sometimes feels overwhelming, you invite empathy. Clients don’t expect you to have it all together; they expect you to care enough to keep learning. Emotional fluency builds credibility faster than a dozen polished sales pages.

Systems Need Permeable Boundaries

As a systems-theory researcher, Brené explained that healthy systems have “permeable boundaries.” They allow feedback to flow in and out. When boundaries close, the system atrophies and becomes self-referencing—essentially talking only to itself.

Businesses are systems too. When we stop listening—to clients, to data, to colleagues—we stagnate. Permeable boundaries in business look like:

• Asking for feedback after workshops.

• Testing new approaches instead of repeating what’s safe.

• Staying open to collaboration without letting every opinion derail your values.

The courage to run a business includes the humility to keep learning and the discernment to filter feedback wisely.

Protecting Attention in an Algorithmic World

Brené warned that our attention is a commodity everyone’s trying to capture. For entrepreneurs, that means we must guard it fiercely.

Start your day creating before you consume. Film one short video, write a caption, or outline a blog before checking notifications. When you protect your focus, you protect your creativity.

Your attention is sacred business capital—spend it intentionally.

Give Yourself a “Lock-Through” Period

One of the most vivid metaphors for me came from Brené’ telling the story of visiting the Teddington Lock in London. She learned that in order for th eboats to move through the locks they need time to adjust to the different water levels. The lock must fill slowly to avoid capsizing.

She uses that as a metaphor for transitions. We all need a mental “lock-through” period to shift from one mode to another—from clinic brain to marketing brain, from creating to connecting. 

Working from home, with my husband as my business partner pretty much makes that "lock-through" time impossible. Unless it's intentional. 

If you rush straight from treating patients to filming content, your energy carries the residue of one world into the next. Give yourself five minutes to breathe, stretch, or simply name your intention. “I’m about to share something that might help someone.” That pause is the difference between posting with tension and posting with presence.

Power “With” Beats Power “Over”

Brené described four kinds of power: power over, power with, power to, and power within.
Power over relies on control and fear. Power with and power to expand collective strength.

The healthiest businesses operate from power with—inviting collaboration instead of competition. When you celebrate another practitioner’s success or share tools that make everyone better, you reinforce abundance instead of scarcity.

The courage to run a business rooted in integrity means trusting that generosity multiplies opportunity, not diminishes it.

Standing Alone and Belonging Anyway

In discussing her book Braving the Wilderness, Brené said true belonging requires the courage to stand alone. That tension defines modern entrepreneurship.

It’s tempting to copy what’s trending—to fit into industry formulas for visibility. But belonging built on imitation is fragile. Brené’s reminder hit me hard: “To fit in, the first person you betray is yourself.”

For practitioners, this means crafting marketing that reflects your real tone and values, not someone else’s blueprint. You’ll repel a few people, yes—but you’ll magnetize the right ones.

Gratitude Makes Joy Sustainable

One of Brené’s most relatable insights was that joy itself is vulnerable. When life is good, many of us brace for the other shoe to drop. She found that people who sustain joy practice gratitude in those exact moments.

As entrepreneurs, we often minimize our wins—“It’s just one new client,” or “It’s only a small launch.” But each success deserves recognition. Gratitude steadies the nervous system so joy can stay without turning into anxiety.

Take thirty seconds after any win to say, “I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve.” That tiny ritual keeps the heart open while the business grows.

Self-Compassion: The Quiet Backbone of Resilience

One story that made millions of listeners tear up was when Brené’s therapist told her, “He likes you more than you like you.”

That line landed like a lightning bolt. How many entrepreneurs sabotage growth because they don’t yet like themselves enough to receive success?

Self-compassion is a business skill. It lets you recover from criticism, accept compliments, and keep creating even when you feel imperfect. Without it, no amount of external validation feels safe.

When you catch yourself doubting your right to be visible, remember Brené’s words: “There is no courage without vulnerability.” Showing up as you are is not arrogance—it’s contribution.

Four Teachable Skills of Courage

Brené outlined four trainable skill sets that build real bravery:

1. Identify and live your core values. They guide decisions when money or popularity tempt you off course.

2. Recognize and navigate vulnerability. Notice your fear, name it, and move forward anyway.

3. Build and restore trust. With yourself first, then with others.

4. Learn to rise after failure. Treat mistakes as feedback, not final verdicts.

These apply perfectly to entrepreneurs. The courage to run a business isn’t mystical—it’s a sequence of learnable habits practiced daily.

Integrating Brené’s Wisdom Into Your Entrepreneurial Life

After listening to this conversation, I understood that entrepreneurship is less about mastery and more about emotional endurance. You don’t need to eliminate fear; you need to relate to it differently.

The courage to run a business means:

• Letting yourself be seen before you feel “ready.”

• Releasing perfectionism so connection can happen.

• Staying open to feedback without losing your center.

• Practicing gratitude and self-compassion as non-negotiable disciplines.

Every post, proposal, and new project is another invitation to practice bravery. The world doesn’t need more flawless brands—it needs real humans willing to show up with heart.

A Personal Thank-You

To Brené Brown, thank you for putting language to what so many entrepreneurs feel but rarely admit: that courage isn’t loud or flashy. It’s the quiet daily decision to keep going, to keep caring, and to keep learning in public.

To Steven Bartlett, thank you for creating an amazing podcast that seeks to inform and uplift the entire community of entrepreneurs from every walk of life. You are appreciated.

To my fellow practitioners: every time you share your knowledge online, answer a comment with kindness, or build something that helps others, you’re living proof that vulnerability and professionalism can coexist. That’s the true courage to run a business. And I am grateful you are here.

Source

Brené Brown on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett — a powerful conversation on leadership, emotion, and the brave work of being seen.