Relational Courage for How You live and lead
Welcome. I’m Marilyn Gist
This is where courage meets tenderness and strength meets presence.
Relational Courage: A Short Introduction
Relational courage is not loud.
It doesn’t require grand gestures or bravado.
It’s the everyday bravery of choosing presence over rushing,
truth over pretending,
boundaries over resentment,
repair over distance.
It is the skill set — and the heart set — that allows individuals and leaders to create relationships where people feel safe, respected, and seen.
This work is my life’s calling. It lives in my writing, my teaching, and my book on leader humility. And it’s woven into each conversation I have with the people I serve.
A Personal Manifesto
I believe courage can be quiet.
I believe tenderness is a form of strength.
I believe boundaries are acts of love.
I believe repair is possible — and necessary — in every human life.
And I believe our world is healed most through how we relate to one another, one moment at a time.
Begin Here: My Weekly Essays
Every Tuesday, I publish The Gist of It — short essays on friendship, presence, boundaries, emotional honesty, and the inner work that supports a more grounded way of being.
These essays are written for anyone seeking:
clarity in confusing moments
steadiness in pressured ones
deeper connection with themselves and others
practical ways to show up with more wisdom and less fear
If you’d like to receive them directly in your inbox, you can subscribe below.
Marilyn Gist
Award-winning author and educator
25 years leadership
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About Me
I’m Marilyn Gist, a leadership scholar and writer exploring what I call Relational Courage—the quiet, steady practices that help us show up more fully in our lives, friendships, and leadership.
For more than 25 years, I’ve taught and coached leaders at major companies and institutions, including the University of Washington, Seattle University, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Across thousands of conversations, I’ve come to see that many capable people struggle not with skill, but with the relational challenges that make life meaningful: presence, boundaries, honesty, repair, and the courage to be fully seen.
My work now focuses on helping people cultivate a grounded, humane way of relating—one marked by clarity, steadiness, and genuine connection.
You can read my weekly essays, The Gist of It, or explore my book and speaking work to learn more.
Three Ways I Can Help You
Here are the core places where my work lives today. Each is designed to support you in cultivating clarity, steadiness, and deeper connection in your life and leadership.
The Gist of It
Weekly Essays on Relational Courage
Every Tuesday, I share a short, reflective essay designed to offer a moment of grounding amidst the pace of modern life. These pieces explore themes such as presence, boundaries, emotional honesty, repair, and the inner work that allows us to relate with more wisdom and less fear.
If you’re looking for a steadier, more humane way to show up in your relationships and leadership, this is a good place to begin.
My Book
The Extraordinary Power of Leader Humility
Winner of the Best Business Minds Book Award 2024
This award-winning book brings together years of leadership research, executive experience, and human insight to show how humility transforms the way people lead. It offers a practical, deeply humane model for creating organizations where people feel respected, engaged, and able to thrive.
If you’re curious how relational courage translates into leadership practice, this book is the foundation.
Speaking & Workshops
Bringing Relational Courage to Organizations
I work with companies, conferences, and leadership teams to explore what relational courage looks like in real organizational life. My talks and workshops focus on presence under pressure, the discipline of boundaries, navigating repair, and building cultures where people can bring both competence and humanity to the work.
If your organization is seeking a more grounded, connected, and effective way to lead together, I’d love to talk.
Contact
For Keynote Addresses:
For Press Inquiries, Retreats, and Workshops:
Marilyn@marilyngist.com