In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Emmy-winning sports broadcaster Anne Marie Anderson dives into the power of audacity — dismantling doubt and embracing bold risks. From pushing for high-stakes career opportunities to rafting wild rivers, she shares how saying “yes” to challenges has shaped her success. Anderson redefines audacity as a mindset and a behavior — one that leaders must cultivate to foster growth and innovation. Leaders, are you encouraging audacious thinking in your workplace, or playing it too safe? It’s time to listen, lean in, and lead with boldness!
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Anne Marie Anderson is an Emmy-winning sports broadcaster, speaker, and author of Cultivating Audacity, known for her fearless approach to life and career. With over 35 years in sports media, she empowers others to dismantle doubt, take bold risks, and embrace their full potential.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, Sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
THE REASON FOR RISK-TAKING
For Anne Marie Anderson, the willingness to take risks wasn’t just a mindset shift — it was a defining moment. Early in her career at ESPN, she witnessed firsthand how fragile life can be when a former colleague, Peter Rogat, tragically passed away just days into his dream job as a SportsCenter anchor.
“I remember thinking in that moment that if you could be 37 and newly married and just starting your dream job and have it all ripped away in a moment, I was never gonna wait for anything ever again,” Anderson recalls.
That realization pushed her to stop hesitating and start saying yes — to adventure, to challenges, and to bold career moves. She traveled to the Serengeti, rafted dangerous rivers, and even hiked to Mount Everest Base Camp. But she didn’t stop there. She also took risks in her career, walking into her boss’s office and saying, “Hey, I’d like to be producing the Olympics in Barcelona.”
That moment of clarity shaped her approach to life and leadership, instilling the audacity to go after big goals without waiting for the “perfect” time. Because, as she learned, sometimes there’s less risk in taking the leap than waiting too long to try.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Defining Terms
“I think when you talk about a negative connotation, people think of somebody who is rude, perhaps, or disparaging. That’s what I thought it was originally when I grew up. My parents would say, ‘You have the audacity to ask me that after’ — you know. But when I looked it up, it is the willingness to take bold risks. […] My sister-in-law is Argentine, and she said that in Argentina, ‘audacity’ is a great word. Like, ‘What do you mean it’s negative in this country?’ And it’s something that I believe in because, for me, taking bold risks was not second nature. So that’s where the word ‘cultivating’ comes in, right? Because you want to cultivate this ability to take bold risks, and it doesn’t come naturally to most of us.”
Swinging for the Fences
“Why do you come out and play the second half of a basketball game when you’re losing by 12? Because you think maybe if you get your offense together, you might win, right? So that’s just the mindset. But you can have a mindset all day long and sit on the couch, and nothing’s going to happen. So the second component, of course, is audacious behavior, which is just an action. When we talk about an example, it can be as simple as saying no to something that you don’t want to do—without explanation, without that trailing ‘No, I can’t because…’ Just ‘no.’ It’s really uncomfortable, but it’s an easy way to practice. And when you marry those two together — the mindset and the behavior — then you’ve got an identity. And you go from ‘What is Brandon doing?’ to ‘That’s Brandon. He swings for the fences.’ And for me, that’s a great place to live.”
Urgent vs. Important
“For procrastination, [I recommend] carving out blocks each day to do what’s important. And to do that, you have to be able to define what’s urgent and what’s important — because they’re different. ‘Urgent’ is something that can be ticked off your list easily and usually provides a nice sense of satisfaction when you’re done with it. Something that’s important is not that way — it requires more thought and more skill. Something that’s urgent has an impending deadline — due at a specific time. Something that’s important may not have a deadline but has consequences if it’s not accomplished.”
What’s Holding Us Back
“Fear of failure, rejection, embarrassment, exposure, judgment, whatever. Time, not having enough of it, looking for the right time. Money is always a big barrier for people. And then your inner critic. Those four things can get between you and the thing you want to do. And I suggest kind of leaning into them because none of them will go away. You’re not going to overcome fear and never be afraid again. You’re going to learn to make friends with fear and recalibrate your relationship with rejection. That’s when the magic starts to happen — when you build a relationship with each of those barriers.”
Finding Your Passion
“What do you want to do with your life? When I’m speaking to college graduates, they yell out jobs, and I say, ‘Is that all you want — to work? I asked you about your life, and you gave me a bunch of jobs.’ What do you want to do with your life? What do you want it to look like? How do you want your free time to be spent? And believe me, something will reveal itself to you when you start doing the exercise of figuring out: What is it that really makes me happy? What do I enjoy? What am I good at?”
Counting the Cost
“Chances are if you’re listening to this going ‘hmm,’ or reading the book or whatever, there’s something you’d like to change. Staying the same only ensures one thing — and it’s not safety. Staying the same ensures that there’s no growth possible. That’s it. And so, in order to do anything different, you have to be willing to try and experiment. For me, the fear of staying the same means I’ll never grow. So again, for people who have this fear of changing, let me just ask: What is it that you would like to change? And then, what’s the cost if you don’t?”
Your Front Row
“Nobody does this alone. And what you need is a ‘front row’ […]. These are the people who are going to push you, challenge you, lift you up, ask you questions, and hold you accountable. Your front row is probably not your mom. It’s probably not your best friend — because they want you to stay safe. They don’t want to see you hurt. It may be people who are already where you want to go — some mentors, some people who are doing big things in their own lives in different areas where you’ll be challenged. But when you literally use that term and say, ‘Brandon, I am writing a book right now on audacity. I intend to finish it this year. Will you be in my front row?’ — now I have engaged us in a social connection. You have a role in my life, and at that point, you feel an obligation to check in and see how things are going.”
LEARN MORE
Pick up Cultivating Audacity today and dive into the “Audacious Assessment” to spark meaningful conversations with your team. Or connect with our guest at AnneMarieAnderson.com or on Instagram @CultivatingAudacity.