Everybody Needs a Gandalf Stick: Courage and Leadership with Lisa Butler

Wit + Grit

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Tuesday, 3 February 2026 - 47 minutes

In this conversation, Lisa Butler shares her inspiring journey from an 18-year military career to becoming a coach and advocate for courage and leadership.

She discusses overcoming early challenges, the importance of resilience, and how her military experience shaped her understanding of courage.

Lisa emphasises the need for individuals to be brave in their personal and professional lives, the significance of recognising and supporting others' struggles, and the role of boundaries in maintaining mental well-being.

She introduces her upcoming initiative, The Courage Collective, aimed at fostering a supportive community for personal growth and empowerment.

Takeaways

1. Dreams start with tea and ginger biscuits.
2. Importance of having that road track in your mind.
3. Blow things up if you can.
4. Courage shows up every day.
5. There's a real importance of knowing who your people are.
6. Help people to be brave.
7. Be fierce in your own agency.
8. We miss opportunities if we are not brave.
9. Speak up about things that are wrong.
10. Everyone needs a Gandalf stick.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Lisa Butler's Journey

02:50 Overcoming Early Challenges and Building Resilience

05:45 Military Career and Lessons Learned

08:57 Transitioning to Coaching and Leadership

11:54 The Importance of Courage in Today's World

14:42 Recognising and Supporting Others in Need

26:51 Navigating the 'I'm Fine' Culture

29:20 Inner Child Work and Rebuilding Confidence

31:57 Transforming Limiting Beliefs

35:29 The Importance of Values and Boundaries

42:12 Creating Community and Courage

50:05 Empowering Responses to Demeaning Language

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