What an F1 Movie Reminded Me About Risk

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:00:00]:

I didn’t expect a racing movie to punch me in the gut. But there I was, sitting in a theater watching cars go 200 miles per hour, and I wasn’t thinking about speed. I was thinking about risk. Not the kind of risk people post about on social media. Not the kind that looks bold. The quiet kind. The kind that looks like staying still. There was one line in the movie that cut through every excuse I had been holding on to: “What’s there to lose?” Most people think risk is about courage. It’s not. Risk is about clarity. It’s about finally naming what staying still is actually costing you.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:00:51]:

That thought took me back to Germany. Because if you grew up there, cars weren’t just transportation. They were culture, precision, discipline, pride in doing things right. And the movie captured that feeling perfectly. But the moment that hit me wasn’t loud. It was not even dramatic in the usual sense. It was quiet. Brad Pitt’s character sits at a bar, talking to a bartender. No racing, no music swelling, just a conversation. And then he asks this simple question: “What’s there to lose?” And I remember thinking, wait. That is not a dare. That’s a mirror. Because most of us already know what we could gain from taking a risk. The question is, what are we losing by not taking it?

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:01:40]:

Brad Pitt’s character sits at the bar talking to the bartender, and the bartender says something like, why would anyone do this? Why risk your life for this? And he answers with that line. “What’s there to lose?” And I realized something. We talk about risk like it’s all about what might go wrong. But that is only half the story. Risk is also about what stays the same if you do nothing. The opportunities you miss. The version of yourself you never meet. The growth you delay. The conversations you avoid. The work you keep hiding. The leadership you never step into. Risk is not just about fear. It’s about cost. It’s about what is actually on the line, not just what feels scary in the moment.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:02:32]:

High performers don’t avoid risk. They don’t chase it for adrenaline either. They calculate it differently. They do not wait for motivation. They do not wait to feel ready. They do not wait for certainty, for guarantees, for a moment when fear disappears. They get clear. They ask, what is this costing me if I stay exactly where I am? And when the cost of staying becomes bigger than the discomfort of moving, they act. That is the difference. Most people are not stuck because they are incapable. They are stuck because they are waiting for permission, waiting for clarity to magically appear, waiting for a feeling that may never come.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:03:15]:

But certainty doesn’t come first. Clarity does. And clarity often comes from asking a better question. Not what if I fail, but what if I stay here? What if I keep doing the same thing next year? What if I keep saying I’m waiting for the right time? That line in the movie reminded me that risk is not always a leap. Sometimes it’s one small decision to take a step forward. Sometimes it’s one email. One conversation. One application. One post. One move that makes you slightly uncomfortable, but brings you closer to the person you want to become. And that is what creates momentum. Not a perfect plan. Just a step. And then another step. And that is how you build confidence, not by thinking, but by moving.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:03:59]:

That’s not recklessness. That’s leadership. Petite practice® for me has always been about baby steps. The smallest step you can take that still moves you forward. Because small steps build proof. Proof builds confidence. And confidence builds the capacity to take bigger risks. That is how you change your life. Not with dramatic gestures, but with consistent action. So if you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself the question from that movie. Not in a reckless way. In a clear way. What’s there to lose by taking one small step? And what is there to lose if you keep waiting? Because sometimes the biggest risk is not failing. It’s staying still. This is Dr. Christiane. Thank you for listening. And I hope you take one petite step this week toward the thing you keep saying you’re not ready for? Talk to you next time.

Dr. Christiane Schroeter [00:04:40]:

I am your host, Dr. Christiane, and I can’t wait to connect more.