Mark: Alright Michelle, you've read the book. Give me your five-word review of Imperfect Courage. Michelle: Okay... "Go scared. Build stuff. Hug people." Mark: I love it. Mine is: "Your fear is not the boss." Michelle: Exactly! And that's what we're diving into today. It’s this idea that you don't have to wait to be brave. Mark: We are, and we're talking about Imperfect Courage by Jessica Honegger. What's so compelling is that Honegger isn't just a writer; she's the founder and co-CEO of Noonday Collection, a massive fair-trade fashion brand that has a huge global footprint. Michelle: And the whole company started because she was trying to fund her son's adoption from Rwanda. She literally pawned her grandmother's jewelry to get it off the ground. This book isn't theory; it's a field report from the front lines of fear. Mark: A field report is the perfect way to put it. And that story of pawning her jewelry perfectly captures the first big idea we need to talk about: this concept of 'imperfect courage.'

Michelle: I’m so glad we’re starting there, because the phrase "be courageous" can feel so intimidating. It sounds like something for soldiers or superheroes, not for someone trying to start a side hustle or just speak up in a meeting. Mark: That’s the exact myth Honegger wants to dismantle. She quotes John Wayne: "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway." Her whole premise is that we’ve been sold a bill of goods. We think courage is the absence of fear. She argues it's the willingness to act despite fear. Michelle: Okay, but that sounds terrifying. How do you actually take that first step when you're paralyzed by fear? What does that feel like in a real moment? Mark: Let's look at the story of Noonday's very first trunk show. This was before it was a company, before it had a name. It was just Jessica, in her house, with crates of handmade jewelry from artisans she'd met in Uganda, Jalia and Daniel. She was doing it to raise money for her adoption. Michelle: I can just picture the scene. The boxes are open, the jewelry is laid out... and the panic is setting in. Mark: Total panic. She describes being so consumed with fear that she almost called the whole thing off. The voices in her head were screaming: "What if no one comes? What if they come and nobody buys anything? They'll think you're pathetic, asking for a handout." She says she was literally hiding in her room, wanting to cancel. Michelle: Oh, I know those voices. That's the "what if" spiral. It's brutal. So what did she do? Mark: She didn't have some magical moment of bravery. She didn't suddenly feel confident. She just made a decision. In her words, "I decided to simply go scared." She walked out of her room, terrified, and hosted the party. Michelle: And what happened? Mark: It was a massive success. She sold over 90% of the inventory. Her friends showed up, they bought things, they supported her. That single event, which she almost sabotaged out of fear, was the birth of Noonday Collection. Her takeaway is that the only courage she possessed was imperfect, but it was courage nonetheless. Michelle: That’s a great way to put it. It reframes the goal. The goal isn't to not be scared. The goal is to do the thing. But what about those voices? The ones telling you you're going to fail. She has a name for them, right? Mark: She does, and it’s brilliant. She calls it the "Itty Bitty Baloney Sauce Committee," or the IBBC. It’s that internal chorus of self-doubt, criticism, and fear that tries to keep you safe and small. Michelle: I love that name! It takes away their power. It's hard to be intimidated by something called the 'Itty Bitty Baloney Sauce Committee.' Mine holds meetings at 3 AM, by the way. But seriously, how do you fire them? Mark: You don't, really. You just stop giving them the microphone. Honegger's point is that you acknowledge they're there—that's the "baloney sauce"—but you don't let them write the script for your life. You recognize that their job is to keep you in your comfort zone, but your purpose lies just outside of it. It's about distinguishing between legitimate risk and the IBBC's noise. Michelle: Okay, so there’s a difference between 'going scared' and just being reckless. It’s not about ignoring all warning signs. Mark: Exactly. It's about understanding the source of the fear. Is this a genuine, data-driven risk I need to mitigate? Or is this my IBBC whispering lies about my worth and capabilities? Pawning her jewelry was a calculated risk born of desperation. Almost canceling the trunk show was just fear of social judgment. Learning to tell the difference is the core of imperfect courage. Michelle: That makes so much sense. It’s not about being fearless, it’s about being a discerning listener of your own thoughts. And what's fascinating about that first trunk show is that it wasn't a solo act. Her friends showed up. That success was a community effort. Mark: You've just built the perfect bridge to the next big idea. That moment wasn't just about her individual courage; it was about the power of the group, which brings us to this powerful concept Honegger calls the 'Sisterhood Effect.'

Michelle: The 'Sisterhood Effect.' I have to admit, when I first read that, I was a little skeptical. It sounds nice, but the world often feels like it's pushing women, especially, to compete. For jobs, for recognition, for... well, everything. Mark: And Honegger would agree with you completely. She argues that society creates these impossible, conflicting expectations for women, which naturally breeds an environment of comparison and judgment. The Sisterhood Effect is the conscious, deliberate choice to reject that programming. Michelle: So it's an active rebellion against the default setting of competition. Mark: Precisely. It’s choosing collaboration over comparison, empathy over judgment, and advocacy over apathy. It’s a mindset shift. She tells this incredible story about two women in the Noonday ecosystem: Wideleine in Haiti and Ginny in the U.S. Michelle: Oh, this story is so powerful. Set it up for us. Mark: Ten years ago, Wideleine is living in extreme poverty in Port-au-Prince. She's pregnant and feels she has no way to care for her child, so she makes the heartbreaking decision to place her newborn daughter for adoption. That baby is adopted by an American woman named Ginny. Michelle: Two women on opposite sides of the world, connected by this one child. You can imagine the potential for pain, guilt, and misunderstanding there. Mark: Absolutely. For years, Wideleine lives with the fear of not knowing what happened to her daughter. But then, she gets a job at Noonday's artisan partner workshop in Haiti. Through that connection, she eventually gets in touch with Ginny. And Ginny, instead of being threatened or fearful, chooses to open the door. Michelle: That's the moment of imperfect courage right there, for both of them. Mark: It is. Ginny writes to Wideleine, "This woman isn’t a threat to me; she’s a collaborator, a sister, a friend." They start emailing. Ginny sends photos. Wideleine finds peace knowing her daughter is loved and thriving. They build a bridge of sisterhood across continents, healing what could have been a source of lifelong pain. Michelle: That story gives me chills. It’s a beautiful example, but it feels so... exceptional. In the real world, comparison feels like an Olympic sport. How do you actively choose collaboration when your brain is wired to see another woman's success as a threat to your own? Mark: Honegger offers a very practical tool: a mantra. When she feels that pang of jealousy or comparison, she repeats to herself: "Her success does not diminish mine. She is not a threat. She is a sister. I will not feel threatened by her... Instead of elbowing, I will reach out my hand." Michelle: It's like a cognitive override. You're consciously choosing a different thought pattern. I feel like you'd have to say that to yourself a thousand times before it sticks. Mark: Maybe. But each time you do it, you're strengthening that muscle of collaboration. She tells another story about a trunk show for a teenager raising money for a volunteer trip. The girl's friends, in a classic act of meanness, all decide to boycott it. No one shows up. Michelle: Oh, that's just devastating. For the host and for that poor girl. Mark: The host, an ambassador named Mindy, was furious. She vented on the Noonday ambassador Facebook page. And what happened next was the Sisterhood Effect in action. Hundreds of ambassadors from across the country, women who didn't know this teenager at all, started placing orders for her trunk show. They wrote messages of encouragement. One wrote, "Let’s show her that love and sisterhood wins." Michelle: Wow. So they just rallied. Mark: They rallied. The trunk show ended up grossing six thousand dollars. They collectively refused to let meanness win. That's the Sisterhood Effect. It’s not just a feeling; it's an action. It's showing up for each other, especially when it's hard. Michelle: So it starts with individual courage, builds into community support... but how does that actually change the world? It can feel like such a huge leap from a successful trunk show to solving global poverty. Mark: That's the final piece of the puzzle. It's about taking that internal courage and that communal power and learning how to leverage it for real-world, global impact.

Michelle: Okay, 'leveraging your power' can sound a bit like corporate jargon. How does Honegger make it tangible? Mark: She breaks it down into five key areas of life to recalibrate. She calls them the five Ps: your Power, your Pocketbook, your Priorities, your Proximity, and your Perspective. It’s a framework for turning good intentions into a lifestyle of impact. Michelle: I like that. A practical checklist. Let's talk about the 'Pocketbook' one. That feels very direct. Mark: It is. Honegger is a huge advocate for what she calls "conscious capitalism." The idea is that business can be the single greatest force for good in the world. It’s not just about profit; it’s about creating value, dignity, and opportunity. Michelle: So, 'recalibrating your pocketbook'—does that just mean donating more, or is it about where you buy your coffee and your clothes? Mark: It's much more about the latter. It's about understanding that every purchase you make is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. When you buy a Noonday product, you're not just getting a piece of jewelry; you're helping to sustain a dignified job for an artisan somewhere in the world. This is where the ripple effect becomes so clear. Michelle: Can you give an example of that ripple? Mark: Absolutely. Take Jalia, the artisan partner in Uganda who made the jewelry for that very first trunk show. When Noonday started, she was living in poverty. But as the business grew, she was able to build a thriving workshop. She now employs dozens of people. And here's the ripple: one day, she and her husband are driving in their car—a car they could afford because of their business—and they see a man passed out on the side of the road. Michelle: And most people would just keep driving. Mark: They almost did. But Jalia felt compelled to turn back. They discovered the man was severely dehydrated. He'd been in a public hospital where, because he had no family in town to bring him food and water, he received none. He was dying of thirst just a block from the hospital. Jalia and Daniel used their resources—their car, their money—to get him help. Michelle: Wow. So the empowerment didn't stop with her. She became a source of power for someone else. Mark: Exactly. That's linked prosperity. Her success enabled her to help someone in her own community. That's leveraging her power. And it brings up another 'P'—Priorities. Jalia chose to let an inconvenience disrupt her schedule to live a people-first life. Michelle: Okay, let's talk about 'Proximity.' That one feels tricky. How do you get proximate to suffering without it feeling like 'poverty tourism' or making people feel like a 'summer project,' as she describes in the book? Mark: That's a crucial question. Honegger learned this lesson the hard way. During a college internship, a woman in a recovery home named Wanda called her out, saying Jessica was treating them like a project. It forced her to realize that proximity isn't about observing; it's about connecting. It's about building genuine relationships with people who are different from you. It’s about listening, not fixing. Michelle: So it’s less about going on a mission trip and more about befriending the immigrant family that just moved into your neighborhood, or volunteering consistently at a local shelter. Mark: Yes. It’s about closing the gap between 'us' and 'them' until there is no 'them.' It's seeing yourself in others. As human rights attorney Bryan Stevenson says, "If you are willing to get closer to people who are suffering, you will find the power to change the world." That's proximity. It's not a trip; it's a relationship.

Michelle: So what I'm really hearing is that changing the world isn't one giant, heroic act. It's not about waiting until you're rich or famous or fearless. It's a thousand tiny, imperfect, often scary 'yeses.' Mark: Exactly. It's about recognizing that your fear, your story, your community, your purchasing power—it's all connected. Honegger's point is that courage isn't a destination you arrive at; it's the vehicle you choose to drive every day. And it's a vehicle we're all invited to drive, even if we're shaking the whole way. Michelle: The book is highly rated, and it's clear why. It resonates because it feels so achievable. It’s not an abstract philosophical treatise; it’s a call to action grounded in a real, messy, and ultimately successful journey. She’s not telling you to be a hero; she’s inviting you to be human, with all the fear and imperfection that entails. Mark: And that's where the real power is. The book's title comes from a biblical verse in Isaiah, which essentially says that if you spend yourself on behalf of the hungry and oppressed, "your night will become like the noonday." It’s this idea that by shining a light for others, you illuminate your own path. Michelle: It leaves me with one big question for everyone listening: What's one small, scary step you could take this week? Not to change the whole world, but just to start. Mark: This is Aibrary, signing off.