In this promotional monologue, performance coach Travis Thomas introduces himself—creator of Live Yes And, former leadership and team dynamics coach for the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team, and author of the new book Confidence Is Overrated: Why Action Is the Antidote and Why Feelings Make Cowards of Us All. He explains that while confidence is commonly touted as essential for success, his 15 years of work with athletes and leaders has shown that courage—defined as taking action despite fear—is far more critical. Thomas argues that feelings do not predict performance; instead, the willingness to act (courage) determines outcomes. He contrasts “fearless” (confidence) with “courageous” (action under fear), emphasizing that true courage involves discomfort. The video concludes with a call to readers to obtain the book, which he says provides stories and examples that shift a competence mindset to a courage mindset, enabling anyone to overcome obstacles.
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My name is Travis Thomas. I'm a performance coach. I'm the creator of Live Yes And. I'm the former leadership and team dynamics coach for the US Men's National Soccer Team. And I'm the author of the new book, Confidence Is Overrated: Why Action Is the Antidote and Why Feelings Make Cowards of Us All. As a performance coach, the number one question I get asked by people is, can I help them or their child when it comes to their confidence? When it comes to performance, most of us have been raised to believe that confidence is one of the most important factors when it comes to our success. But for the last 15 years, I've been working with youth, college, and professional athletes. I've been working with corporate leaders and high performers in all fields of all ages. And the question I have is this: would you rather be fearless Or courageous? Confidence would live in being fearless. And yet coaches, teachers, leaders, you'll often hear them talking about being fearless and courageous at the same time. So which one is it? Because remember, courage without fear isn't courage, it's comfort. Courage is the willingness to do what needs to be done even when you're afraid, even when you're nervous. That's what makes you courageous. That's what makes you brave. What's more important then than confidence? Courage. Our ability to take action. Knowing what to focus on in order to still perform at a high level. Understanding that my feelings don't predict my performance. At the end of the day, the question we shouldn't be asking people is, are you confident? The question we should be asking them is, can you be courageous? What does courage look like today? I wrote this book because this is the book I needed when I was younger. And I guarantee by reading this book, reading the stories, and seeing the countless examples of how people have shifted from a competence mindset to a courage mindset, there is no obstacle, there is no storm, there is no impediment that can get in your way. Do you have the courage to get yourself a copy?
