Courage Over Comfort: What Papua New Guinea Taught Me About Doing Hard Things

When I signed up for the Wayfinders trip to Papua New Guinea, I wasn’t seeking comfort. I was craving challenge. Adventure. A deeper connection – with others, with nature, and most of all, with myself.

I knew this trip would push me. Physically, emotionally, spiritually. But I didn’t fully understand just how much. And that’s exactly why I went.

On day one, Mike, the founder of Wayfinders, gifted each of us a hat embroidered with a simple message: Courage > Comfort. That mantra became the heartbeat of the entire experience.

Because here’s the truth: comfort doesn’t create growth. Courage does.

And entrepreneurship, at its core, is a constant leap into the unknown.

It takes courage to launch, scale, shift, speak, sell, start over.

This trip? It was a masterclass in courage.

From Uncertainty to Clarity

Papua New Guinea is unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. Remote, raw, and humbling in its beauty. The kind of place that strips away distraction and ego.

I experienced frustration, heatstroke, stinging plankton and sleeping with a massive spider beside my bed. (Thank goodness for my bug net!)

And yet, I also had the gift of diving with a sea turtle and shark, laughing and playing with children from the villages, learning words in their language, and being deeply moved by meaningful human connections.

I cried. I danced. I felt things I hadn’t let myself feel in a long time.

And somewhere in the water, in the laughter, in the heat and the quiet, I remembered what it feels like to hold space for myself.

The Entrepreneurial Parallel

There were so many moments on this trip that mirrored what it means to be a founder.

Jumping into open water on my first scuba dive felt a lot like stepping into a new business chapter – weightless, disorienting, full of wonder and fear.

Choosing to speak up when I felt unseen mirrored the brave conversations I’ve had as a leader.

Advocating for what I needed – space, stillness, support – was a reminder that we can’t pour from an empty cup.

Getting my scuba certification on the last day (when I wasn’t sure it would happen)? That was resilience. That was belief. That was me showing up for me.

As entrepreneurs we are often business building up other people that it’s easy to forget: we’re allowed to grow, too.

Not just our businesses. Us.

Finding Myself in the Wild

One night, after a full day of diving, connection, and releasing tears I didn’t know I was holding – I danced.

Not just a little sway-on-the-dance-floor dance.

I danced like I had nothing to prove. Nothing to protect. Nothing to hide.

Someone said, “I’ve never seen that version of you before.”

The truth is, I hadn’t either. At least, not in a very long time.

But she’s not staying in Papua New Guinea.

She’s coming home with me….and I’m not letting her go.

The Call to Courage

So here’s what I want to ask you:

✨ When’s the last time you did something hard just for you?

✨ When’s the last time you said yes to a challenge that asked more of you – and revealed more of you in return?

Entrepreneurship is hard.

So is travel. Growth. Healing. Leadership. Showing up fully.

But that’s the point.

Comfort zones are cozy – but they’ll never get you where you’re meant to go.

Courage will.

Because what’s waiting for you on the other side of discomfort…is you.

The bold you. The magnetic you. The deeply aligned, purpose-fueled version of you.

So go.

Do the hard thing.

Book the trip.

Launch the offer.

Have the conversation.

Say the thing.

Be seen.

It’s worth it.

You’re worth it.