How to manufacture bravery & take the leap
Almost 20 years ago, Amy Jo Martin, author of the bestselling book, “Renegades Write the Rules,” and host of the “Why Not Now Podcast,” was working as the “figure-it-out person” in new media marketing in the front office of the Phoenix Suns basketball team when she got a call from a colleague in operations telling her to head to the locker room to teach superstar player Shaquille O’Neal how to use Twitter.
Martin got on the elevator and went down to the locker room. “Little did I know then but my life was about to change,” she told attendees during her professional development presentation at the HealthTrust University Conference in August.
Amy Jo’s Playbook
Courage is a system: Bravery isn’t luck—it can be manufactured by following repeatable steps.
Manage capacity, not just bandwidth: Free yourself by deleting, delegating & divesting tasks.
Your brand matters: People connect with people, not logos—authenticity builds trust.
Fear check: Identify the worst-case scenario to move from fear to pragmatic action.
Experiment boldly: Treat “why not now” moments as experiments—you can’t fail if you’re learning.
These were the early days of using social media to build brands, and no one had established rules yet. Within weeks, O’Neal—and Martin—found themselves riding the wave of social media stardom, and when O’Neal suggested that she should consider going out on her own, Martin faced a big “leap” decision.
“In that moment,” she said, “I could either take action or not. I sent Shaquille a text that said, ‘I’m going to start my own company.’ And he quickly wrote back, ‘Great! I’ll be your first client.’ That was my ‘why not now’ moment.”
In the years following the launch of her social media agency, Martin developed an operating system of seven “renegade rules” to help fuel courage when people are faced with the “why not now” moments in their lives.
“If we’re able to understand what it takes to manufacture bravery, we can call upon it whenever we want,” Martin said. “It doesn’t have to be this magical thing or mood; it’s a system.”
Remember to view “why not now” situations as experiments, because an experimental mindset is key to the process. “Don’t forget: We can’t fail when we’re experimenting, but if we’re not experimenting, we will fail,” she added.
7 Renegade Rules
1 | Understand the difference between capacity & bandwidth. Bandwidth, is finite; there are only 24 hours in a day. Capacity, or our potential, however, is infinite. You can manage bandwidth by determining what you can delete, delegate & divest. Use AI to pinpoint operational efficiencies that will allow you to stretch your capacity. You have to get lighter to fly higher.
2 | Use your personal brand to help you scale. In the age of AI, soft skills are where it’s at. Humans connect with humans, not with logos. If you’re not sharing who you are & why you’re doing what you’re doing, you’re leaving opportunity on the table.
3 | Identify the worst-case scenario. When evaluating your “why not now” opportunities, first ask, “What if this idea doesn’t work?” Then what? This reality check puts you in a place of pragmatic thinking versus fear-based thinking, which will make your idea ‘safe’ to try.
4 | Put a mechanism in place to hold yourself accountable. If you want to take the island, you burn your boat.
5 | Leverage adversity. Take your challenges & use them as a springboard.
6 | Be hyperaware of your mental, physical & emotional states. Pay attention to how your body reacts & what your self-talk is when “why not now” situations arise. When we’re on to something, our bodies are going to tell us quicker than our minds are going to process.
7 | Sync your operating system & your belief system. Our belief system keeps us anchored in something bigger than ourselves & that’s insurance because there are droughts of feeling passion or purpose.
LIKE WHAT YOU READ HERE? Learn more about the seven Renegade Rules on The Source’s content hub healthtrustpg.com/thesource or on Amy Jo’s website at amyjomartin.com
Share Email Communications, Employee Retention, Employee Training, Management Best Practices, Q4 2025
