Skip to content
Dr. Margie Warrell seated on a crimson tufted armchair in a warm panelled living room, wearing a cream blazer and gold jewellery, smiling to camera

We know the right choice.
Fear just makes the wrong one feel safer.

Dr. Margie Warrell equips leaders to make braver choices before certainty arrives, and to lead others to do the same.

  • CNN
  • Forbes
  • Bloomberg
  • TIME
  • FOX
  • NBC
  • Harvard Business Review
  • NVIDIA logo
  • Duke Energy logo
  • NASA logo
  • Berkshire Hathaway Inc. logo
  • VISA logo
  • Salesforce logo
  • Dell logo
  • Deloitte logo
  • Mondelēz International logo
  • Accenture logo
  • Citi logo
  • Meta logo
  • IBM logo
  • UnitedHealth Group logo
  • HP logo
  • Pfizer logo
  • EY logo
  • Telstra logo
  • KPMG logo
  • X logo
  • Morgan Stanley logo
  • Mastercard logo
  • Intel logo
  • Abbott logo
  • Nike logo
  • BT logo
  • Goldman Sachs logo
  • Zurich logo
  • Xero logo

The biggest risk we face today isn’t out there. It’s in here.

Under pressure, the deeply human instinct is to protect rather than lead. Fear rarely looks like fear. More often, it hides in plain sight.

  • Hard conversations deferred as "not the right time"
  • Bold decisions buried under due diligence
  • Truth diluted upward, risk managed down to nothing
  • Trust weakened. Silos strengthened.
  • Compliance rewarded. Courage penalized.
Darkened stage set of vertical truss framework lit in deep blue

We often know exactly what needs to happen.
We just don’t do it.

That's the Courage Gap - the distance between what we know and what we're willing to risk.

Closing it doesn't require more data. It calls for more depth.

Not closing it costs more than any organization can fully measure.

Explore Speaking
Dr. Margie Warrell on stage in a lime-yellow trouser suit, both hands open at waist height as she speaks

What people say about Margie

“This isn’t just a book—it’s a lifeline! A bullseye on a critical subject!

Portrait of General Stanley McChrystal

General Stanley McChrystal

Team of Teams

“It takes courage to develop yourself and lead others. Here’s where to find it.

Portrait of Hans Vestberg

Hans Vestberg

CEO, Verizon

“Magnificent! A compelling framework.

Portrait of Professor Amy Edmondson

Professor Amy Edmondson

Harvard Business School

Beautifully crafted!

Portrait of Jim Kouzes

Jim Kouzes

The Leadership Challenge

The Courage Gap

Keynotes that move people from insight to action.

Most programs leave people better informed but no braver. Margie goes deeper - to where the real resistance lives.

She translates decades of research on human behavior, fear, and decision-making into the one thing most leadership programs miss: the inner capacity to act from values, not anxiety.

The result is leaders who don't just think more clearly under pressure. They make better choices - even when no path is clear - creating cultures where others do too.

Margie Warrell mid-keynote on stage in a red and black patterned dress, arms wide, a presentation screen behind her
Make decisions with greater clarity
Margie Warrell celebrating on stage with a team of about seven people, a large red sun graphic projected behind them
Build cultures of trust and accountability
Margie Warrell seated in a floral jacket during an interview in a wood-panelled room
Lead difficult conversations

“Margie is a powerhouse of wisdom, master of her craft, and an absolute inspiration.”

Attributed to Google

Meet Dr.MargieWarrell

Dr. Margie Warrell in a red blazer, chin resting on her hand, smiling to camera

“I will not be a victim. I will not be defined by my circumstance.”

Long before Margie was advising leaders across continents, she faced her own defining moments. Her decision not to let fear lead became the North Star for all that followed.

From the Aussie bush to Fortune 500 boardrooms, Margie's life - her adversities and adventures - has been her curriculum.

Research informs the frameworks. Lived wisdom animates them. That's why her impact lands differently. It's lived.

Read Margie’s Story →

My latest book

Motivation fades. Courage doesn’t have to.

Fear creates the gap between what you’re doing and what you’re capable of. Courage closes it, and it’s a skill you can build. With a foreword by General Stanley McChrystal, voted Best Management Books of 2025 by The Globe and Mail.

“Magnificent!”

— Amy C. Edmondson, Harvard Business School
GET THE BOOK
The Courage Gap: 5 Steps to Braver Action by Margie Warrell, PhD — hardcover edition

A deep dive into choosing the braver path.

Margie's Live Brave Podcast - Ranked Top 1.5% Globally

iPhone showing the Live Brave with Dr Margie Warrell podcast player, playing the episode The Courage Deficit

Featured episode | Amy Elizabeth Fox

Amy Elizabeth Fox: Inner Work Has Never Been More Urgent

In this episode, I sit down with Amy Elizabeth Fox, CEO and co-founder of Mobius Executive Leadership and co-author with Nicholas Janni, of Leading in Chaos to explore why the inner life of a leader matters more now than ever.

Listen on

Why do I do this?

What does it take to answer the call to lead with the courage this moment demands?

It’s the question at the heart of everything I write, speak, and explore, because choosing courage isn’t just a decision. It’s an act of faith in who we’re capable of becoming.

Margie Warrell’s handwritten signature
Dr. Margie Warrell speaking on stage in a red dress, a projection screen and stage truss behind her

Choose braver

Where behavioral science meets soul - and courage becomes a decision, not a feeling, that expands your future.

Join 15,000+ readers in 45+ countries.