The Non-Axious Leader Podcast explores research and practical tips so you can be a non-anxious presence. In Chapter 2, entitled Decoding Fear, Michelle Obama tells of how she was offered a role in the Church Christmas pageant but refused to go on stage because she was afraid of stuffed animals. Edwin Friedman writes that in a chronically anxious society, people choose safety over adventure. On the other hand, non-Anxious leaders choose adventure, and that means not only embracing discomfort, but learning to like it.