There’s a constant refrain I’ve been hearing in almost every conversation for the last two weeks.

I am hearing women say again and again:
“If I just had more confidence…”
“I’m not sure I’m ready yet.”
“What if they think I don’t know what I’m doing?”

This isn’t about competence. It’s about courage.
And more specifically, the courage gap that women—especially high-achieving ones—often face.

Let’s get clear on something:
Courage is the ability to take action despite fear.
Confidence is what often comes after you’ve taken that action and survived it.

We tend to think we need confidence before we do the thing.
But really, what we need is courage in the absence of it.

The courage gap is that tender space between knowing what we want and actually going after it. And that fear—of judgment, failure, being too much or not enough—can keep us stuck. Quiet. Over-functioning for others instead of betting on ourselves.

So how do we move through that gap?

Conscious leadership offers a powerful roadmap.

Step One: Name the Drama

When we’re in the courage gap, we often slide into what the Conscious Leadership framework calls the Drama Triangle—rotating between Victim (“I can’t do this”), Hero (“I’ll take care of everyone else instead”), and Villain (“They’ll never take me seriously”).

Sound familiar?

You might be caught in “I’m not ready” mode, but it’s just your inner Villain whispering, “You’ll fail.” Or maybe you over-function as the Hero, solving problems for everyone else to avoid taking the risk of betting on yourself.

Naming this pattern is powerful. It shifts you from unconscious reactivity to conscious choice.

Step Two: Shift into Creator Mode

Conscious leaders don’t deny fear—they welcome it. But they also move. When we claim 100% responsibility for our experience (not 150%, not 50%), we shift from victimhood to creative power.

Ask yourself:

• How am I keeping this courage gap alive?
• What do I really want—and what am I willing to do to create it?

From this place, you’re not waiting for permission. You’re designing your next move.

Step Three: Feel the Fear—And Stay With It

One of the most radical conscious leadership moves? Letting yourself actually feel the fear.

Not THINK about it.
Not avoid it.
But FEEL it—in your body, where it lives.

Conscious leaders breathe into their bellies, shake if they need to, even say out loud, “I’m scaring myself right now.” Because when we allow fear, instead of resisting it, it stops running the show.

Fear, it turns out, is just energy. Energy that can be alchemized into movement—into creation—into courage.

Step Four: Say Yes From Your Whole Body

Not every opportunity is a yes. But when you find one that is, let it be a Whole Body Yes—the kind that resonates in your head, heart, and gut.

If you’re saying yes with your head (“This is a smart next step”), but your gut is clenched and your heart isn’t in it, that’s not alignment. That’s performance.

Conscious courage comes from a grounded yes—not a forced one.

So what does this look like in action?

It might look like raising your hand in a meeting even when your voice shakes.

Or telling your client, “This is my recommendation,” instead of hedging with a million caveats.

Or finally pricing your services based on value—not comfort.

The courage gap isn’t something we cross once and for all. It’s a threshold we meet again and again. But with the tools of conscious leadership—awareness, choice, emotional fluency—we don’t just wait on the edge.

We leap.

And we trust that the net will appear.