Courage to try.

Every week I ask my Brave New Girls podcast guest how they define courage. This is how Nina Mohanty, founder of Bloom Money and shortlisted for the Veuve Clicquot BOLD Woman Future Awards 2025, thinks of it:

“Courage is having the willpower to do what you believe is right- even when it’s not popular, when no one’s cheering you on, when people aren’t supporting you, when you’re not getting the likes on Instagram. When there isn’t a general consensus that what you’re doing is right or how things should be done.”

Real courage happens in quiet moments- when we choose to keep going despite resistance, when we trust our instincts against the grain, when we step into a space no one else has dared to enter.

For Nina, that space was financial technology. After a successful career at Mastercard, Klarna, and Starling Bank, she noticed that the people who needed fintech solutions the most- immigrants- were being left out. So she built Bloom Money, a money club app that digitises traditional communal saving practices and serves communities often excluded from mainstream banking.

It took courage to leave a secure career and build something for a marginalised group. But it also took integrity, empathy, and deep roots in her own identity as the daughter of Indian and Taiwanese immigrants. She knew from lived experience that community, not individualism, is what really sustains us. That courage- the kind that sees beyond the status quo- lit the way.

So how can we grow this kind of courage in our own lives?

It starts with listening. Listening to what feels out of alignment, to where we’re playing small, and to the quiet voice that says: “What if I tried?” Then, it takes action- especially when the outcome is uncertain. Like a muscle, courage strengthens with use.

If you’d like support creating a healthier, happier, impactful life, go to our Life Lab services HERE

Dare to do things differently, for a happier, healthier, impactful life.

Here are practical ways to embrace courage & support a healthier, more sustainable world:

10 Actionable Steps to Build Courage:

1.     Challenge Your Comfort Zone
Try something unfamiliar that stretches you- speak up, take a risk, or start something you've been putting off.

2.     Own Your Story
Embrace your background, values, and lived experiences. Let them ground your decisions and fuel your direction.

3.     Understand Your Why
Get clear on your deeper motivation. Write it down. Return to it whenever fear or doubt creeps in.

4.     Reach Out
Connect with others who support or inspire you. Courage grows in community.

5.     Act, Even When Afraid
Don’t wait for fear to disappear. Take small steps forward- courage is built in the doing.

6.     Give Yourself Grace
Mistakes are part of being brave. Forgive yourself quickly and use the lesson as fuel.

7.     Elevate Others
Encourage a friend, amplify a voice, or support someone else’s brave step. Courage is contagious.

8.     Commit to the Long Game
Stay steady. Real change, purpose, and impact take time- keep showing up.

9.     Observe What Matters
Let go of the need for external validation. Tune into your inner compass, not the crowd.

10.  Unplug and Reflect
Make space for stillness. Courage often whispers- give yourself time to listen.

Grow the kind of quiet, purposeful courage that changes lives- starting with your own.

PS. As your Wellbeing Coach, I give you the tools to heal, grow & create the life you want. 

If you’d like support in growing your inner Brave New Girl for a healthier, happier life: BOOK A CHAT

PPS Join our one-day Brave New Girls Wellbeing Retreat to reset from our crazy lives HERE