Dancing in the Discomfort Zone with Anne Bonney

Courage Before Proof: The Leadership Skill You Need

Anne Bonney Season 17 Episode 388

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 34:00

What happens when everything you’ve built… disappears overnight?

In this powerful episode of Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, Anne Bonney sits down with Lisa Pagotto, founder of Crooked Compass (https://www.crooked-compass.com/) to talk about resilience, reinvention, and the courage to lead when there is absolutely no clear path forward.

When the pandemic shut down global travel, Lisa’s entire business came to a halt for nearly three years. No revenue. No team. No roadmap. 

Most people would have waited it out.

Lisa? She learned how to fly… and accidentally built a second business that saved the first.

This conversation is packed with real-world lessons on:

  •  Leading before there’s proof (and why waiting is a trap)
  •  The truth about resilience (hint: it’s NOT “just push harder”)
  •  How to recognize burnout before it breaks you
  •  Why discomfort, travel, and uncertainty make you stronger
  •  The mindset shift that turns crisis into opportunity

And here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear:
 👉 Strength is not about endurance… it’s about knowing when to pause.

Whether you’re leading a team, building a business, or just trying to figure out your next step—this episode will challenge how you think about risk, growth, and what it really takes to move forward when plans fall apart.

Because the people who thrive aren’t the ones with the best plan…  They’re the ones willing to move without one.

Want more from Lisa?  


Lisa Pagotto is the founder of Crooked Compass, an immersive travel company built on depth, cultural respect, and meaningful experiences in complex destinations. A business owner shaped by uncertainty, she speaks on resilience, leadership, and decision-making when there is no clear roadmap. Drawing from lived experience building, adapting, and reinventing through crisis, Lisa brings grounded insight on risk, reinvention, and what it