Why'd You Think You Could Do That?

Welcome to the Bravery Digest — your weekly 3-minute mindset reset from Why’d You Think You Could Do That?
In this first mini-episode, host Sam Penny reveals one of the most powerful habits for stepping up in business, life, and leadership: the 90-Second Courage Habit.
Bravery isn’t a personality trait — it’s a muscle. One you can train, daily, in just 90 seconds.
You’ll learn:
  • Why the boldest people act before fear catches up
  • The 3-step habit that builds your tolerance for discomfort
  • How one small move a day creates long-term momentum
  • Why action — not confidence — is the real game-changer
Challenge for today:
What’s one brave action you can take right now? Start the timer. Move. Then share your story at @90dayswithsam.
🎙 Coming Thursday:
An extended interview with Lazarus Lake, creator of the Barkley Marathons — the man who designs races most people can’t even finish. You’ll want to hear how he redefined what’s possible, simply by asking why not?
📍Find every episode at sampenny.com/brave

Creators and Guests

Host
Sam Penny
Sam Penny is an adventurer, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker who lives by the mantra “Say YES! to the Impossible.” From swimming the English Channel in winter to building and selling multi-million-dollar companies, Sam thrives on pushing boundaries in both business and life. As host of Why’d You Think You Could Do That?, he sits down with ordinary people who have done extraordinary things, uncovering the mindset, resilience, and bold decisions that made it possible — and showing listeners why their own impossible is closer than they think.

What is Why'd You Think You Could Do That??

They’ve swum oceans, scaled mountains, launched empires, and shattered expectations. But before they did any of it, someone, maybe even themselves, thought: “You can’t do that.”

Hosted by Sam Penny, Why’d You Think You Could Do That? dives into the minds of people who said “screw it” and went for it anyway. From adventurers and elite athletes to wildcard entrepreneurs and creative renegades, each episode unpacks the one question they all have in common:

“Why'd you think you could do that?”

If you’re wired for more, haunted by big ideas, or just sick of playing it safe, this is your show.

Sam Penny (00:00)
Welcome back to the bravery digest on the, why'd you think you could do that podcast? I'm Sam Penny. And today we're talking about one of the most powerful habits I know something so simple. It almost sounds too easy building your brave muscle, just 90 seconds at a time. Now, if you're listening to this, you probably don't think yourself as a hero. You might not be aiming for the world stage or to break records, but you do want to live.

and lead a little braver, step up in business, life, or maybe just in your own mind. Here's the thing, bravery isn't something you're born with, it's something you build. And just like any muscle, it's built by practice, not by waiting for some perfect courageous moment to come along. Every week here on the bravery digest, I share one actionable idea to help you build that muscle.

And this week, it's a habit I use myself and coach others through every single day.

to it. This is what I call the 90 second courage habit. Why bravery is a practice, not a personality trait. Now, most people think of bravery as something that only shows up in big dramatic moments, crises, competitions, high stakes decisions, but honestly,

The bravest people I know don't wait for those moments. They take the small meaningful steps every single day out of comfort into discomfort. And over time, those steps add up to something big. That's how you build the brave muscle. The habit, one brave action every day, 90 seconds. Here's exactly how it works. So the first step every morning, ask yourself,

What's one brave action I can take today? Don't overthink it. This isn't about leaping out of planes or quitting your job tomorrow. It's about one thing you've been putting off, something that stretches you even just a little, not huge, just meaningful. Now, the second step is to set a timer for 90 seconds and act. No overthinking, no getting lost in the planning or the details, just movement. Send the email.

Make the call, have the conversation, put yourself out there. And once the timer starts, you're in motion. That's the whole point.

And the third step, repeat daily. Watch what happens. It's like compounding interest for your courage. One small deposit a day. And before long, you won't even recognize the person you used to be. The one who waited for the right moment. So why does this work? Well, a few reasons. And these are important. First, it's short enough to actually be doable. You're not committing to changing your life overnight. Just 90 seconds.

And second, it builds momentum before fear has time to catch up. You act before your brain talks you out of it. And third, you train in your brain to seek courageous action, not avoid it. It becomes your default. It becomes you. I see this with coaching clients all the time.

The ones who practice small daily acts of bravery don't just become bolder in their business, they become bolder everywhere. They take more shots, they learn faster and they stop letting fear set the limits on what's possible. So here's my challenge for you. What's your brave action for today? It doesn't need to be public. It doesn't need to impress anyone. Just something meaningful, something you've been putting off and something that

for 90 seconds you're willing to do before fear catches up. I want you to try it today. Drop your answer in the comments or share what's happened when you tried the 90 second courage habit. I wanna hear your stories, what you tried, what happened, how it felt. And remember, bravery isn't reserved for a lucky few. It's a skill, it's a practice. And it starts with one small action today.

Before I go, let me tee up what's next. This Thursday, I'm speaking with Lazarus Lake. Yes, the actual Lazarus Lake, the master mind behind the Barkeley Marathons, and one of the most original thinkers in endurance sport. If you want to hear from someone who has redefined what's possible, often just by asking why not, you won't want to miss it. I'm Sam Penny. This is your Bravery Digest.

Go build your brave muscle just 90 seconds at a time.