This week’s theme: Antifragility
In this episode of From Fear to Fire, Heather talks with Michael Snelgrove about adventure, growth, and the power of preparation. Michael shares how experiences such as climbing Mount Rainier, crossing the Atlantic by sailboat, and jumping from airplanes shaped his belief that with enough training and preparation, people are capable of far more than they think. Rather than asking, “Can I do this?” he encourages people to focus on what is truly valuable to them and trust that they can develop the skills needed to achieve it.
The heart of the conversation centers on Antifragility, the idea that some people do not just survive challenges, they actually become stronger because of them. Michael explains that while a fixed mindset breaks under pressure and resilience simply withstands it, Antifragility allows people to grow through chaos and discomfort. He uses examples such as joining Toastmasters International despite a fear of speaking, deliberately stepping into difficult situations, and questioning identities that no longer serve us. The episode leaves listeners with an inspiring reminder that growth often comes from intentionally pushing beyond comfort and creating opportunities to become stronger, more capable, and more fulfilled.
From Fear to Fire: Secrets to Overcome Fear, Embrace Your Gifts and Achieve Success
This is the place where real people share real challenges. Where you can find a common bond and uncommon wisdom through their stories. Use tips from the breakthroughs of others to jump-start your success. Speaker, author, adventurer, and host Heather Hansen O’Neill takes you on the journey from fear to fire. Today, we talk about how Antifragility helps people grow stronger through challenge, discomfort, and intentional self-development.
Michael Snelgrove
Michael is endlessly curious about human behavior. He first pursued this passion early in his career in the US Air Force as an intelligence officer. For the last decade, he’s served as an applied behavioral scientist in the corporate settings. He is currently the Head of Learning and Development at the leadership advisory Firm Egon Zehnder, and the Co-Founder of Applied Scholar.
Alongside his professional pursuits, Michael enjoys some very calm activities (like tons of reading) and some very adventurous things (like hiking, racing sailboats, and parenting!). He’s jumped out of planes, crossed oceans, climbed mountains, and consistently finds himself enjoying new challenges – always trying to embrace an anti-fragile mindset. He lives in Annapolis Maryland with his wife, young daughter, and an old dog.
Connect with Michael:
Website: Applied Scholar
LinkedIn: Michael Snelgrove
Quote of the Day:
“Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.” ~Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Finding Humanity: The Evolution of Sales is out now. Check it out here!
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