Scott Simon  is a happiness entrepreneur and founder of Scare Your Soul. He is dedicated to creating, curating, and leading opportunities for people around the world to be happier and more courageous. Scott founded the Scare Your Soul organization in 2015, organically growing it from one Facebook post to a global movement with weekly courage challenges, content on social media, email newsletters, and 60 volunteer ambassadors worldwide. He has presented to groups around the world, on TV and podcasts, given a TEDx Talk, and has brought his passion for courage to retreats, a life coaching practice, and mindfulness meditations in person and online. Prior to Scare Your Soul, Scott co-founded Thrive, the country’s first “happiness incubator,” where he and a team of 30 volunteers developed and led dozens of community events to share science-based interventions.

Scott earned a BA in English Literature from Skidmore College and an MA in Nonprofit Management from Case Western Reserve University. He studied Positive Psychology with Professor Tal Ben Shahar (who at the time taught Harvard’s most popular course, “The Science of Happiness”), and earned a Certificate in Positive Psychology with Dr. Ben Shahar at the Wholebeing Institute. Scott is a father to Noah and Teilah, who bring him unequaled joy and continued opportunities to push his comfort zone as a dad.

SCARE YOUR SOUL: 7 Powerful Principles to Harness Fear and Lead a More Courageous Life (Balance, December 6, 2022)

Fear is unpleasant: It can make us sick—mentally and physically. Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid the feeling, allowing our fears to dictate our choices and limit what we feel comfortable doing. Scott Simon has found an ingenious way to harness fear; through his organization Scare Your Soul he has developed an inspiring, accessible method: “fear-chasing.”

Courage is like a muscle—the more you exercise it, the stronger it will be. With writing prompts, activities, and real-world challenges, Scare Your Soul is an interactive guide to building bravery. Supported by scientific research on positive psychology, the tools in this book will walk you through practicing confronting your fears in ways that will broaden your horizons and lead to greater joy and fulfillment in your life. Through the thrilling and moving stories of Scare Your Soul participants who have already seen the life-changing results of seeking out their fears, you’ll discover how embracing this counter-intuitive habit can transform your world.