You know there’s something more you’re meant to do.
Maybe it’s a leap. A shift. A letting go. A becoming. But you don’t need another self-help plan. You need a permission slip.
Enter Four Permissions.
In this short, poetic course, bestselling author Michael Bungay Stanier offers you four unexpected invitations to shake loose what’s stuck, see yourself more clearly, and move towards what matters most. Through powerful poems and quick, provocative insights, you’ll explore what it means to:
- Be reckless — in the best possible way
- Be faithless — to the things holding you back
- Be tyrannical — about reclaiming your ambition
- Be consumed — in service of something meaningful
This course will help you reclaim your boldness, rewrite the rules, and reimagine what’s next so you can move into action.
The Four Permissions is for you if
You Love Learning
Especially in new and provocative ways
that challege your thinking
You Crave Growth
And want it to feel honest,
surprising, beautiful, and human
and human.
You’re Ready for Change
For something new,
but you aren’t sure what yet.
You Want to
Reconnect
With your boldness,
your voice,
your sense of direction.
You Need a
Reset
A reframe or reorientation
that offers a quick and
powerful shift.
You Feel Stuck
Between what was and
what might be next, between
yourself and others.
Meet Your Guide: MBS
I’m Michael Bungay Stanier, author of many books, including The Coaching Habit, the best-selling coaching book of the century (yes, really!).
For more than 30 years, I’ve been helping people have better conversations — the kind that spark insight, build courage, and lead to real action.
I’ve always been more interested in asking better questions than having perfect answers. I get a kick out of nudging people toward their best work.
I’m drawn to big questions, tiny shifts, and the thrilling awkwardness of figuring things out in public. I take the work seriously, but not myself. I’ve written some books, built some tools, and started a few conversations that seem to have stuck.
If any of that helps you get clearer, braver, or just a little more yourself, then I’m doing my job.
My favourite thing about Michael’s work is his ability to deliver actionable, tactical strategies that are based on well researched ideas and data, then packaged in a book that I can read on a flight. And the wisdom is real — it sticks.
– Brené Brown
Michael Bungay Stanier delivers the goods. By giving us an equal dose of inspiration and action, he employs his unearthly wisdom to make our lives — and the world — better.
– Jessica Amortegui
I am a big Michael Bungay Stanier fan. I believe he is one of the most astute, wise, compassionate thinkers in the non-fiction/business/self-help space. Everything he writes is personal and powerful. Even when the topic is familiar, the delivery is not. Highly recommend.
– Dolly Chugh
Michael’s work is perfect for anyone going through transition. Going to college. Starting a job. Getting married. Getting divorced. Changing careers. These are all points of inflection, opportunities to create new identities.
– Peter Howard
Here’s What You’ll Experience
Think shifts in perspective, in permission, in possibility.
A Clearer Sense of What’s Asking to Change
and what’s asking to stay.
New Language
for desires and ambitions you’ve struggled to name.
Relief
in letting go of roles, rules, or expectations that no longer serve you
The Right Questions to Ask Next
… and maybe even a few unexpected answers
A Poetic and Powerful Reframe
of who you are and how you grow
How it Happens
Six powerful videos
With lifetime access to return whenever you need a reset
Resources to deepen the learning
Guiding emails, lesson summaries, reflection prompts, and transcripts
Downloadable workbook
To hold your insights, mark your shifts, and keep your permission close at hand
A community of
learners
to engage with in the comments and Team MBS support
Wondering, wandering, curious?
I’m busy. Will I actually have time for this?
If you have 30 minutes, or 5–10 minutes a day for one week, you’ve got time for Four Permissions
Do I need to love poetry?
Nope. Just be open to it. The poems are short, beautiful, and surprisingly sharp.
What if I’ve done a lot of self-work already?
Perfect. This isn’t more work. It’s a different kind of opening.
What will I actually walk away with?
A shift in how you see yourself — and what you give yourself permission to do next.
Will this really change anything?
Maybe not everything. But we think enough to matter.
Is this for me?
If something in you said “Hmm …” — it probably is.
This Is Your Permission Slip
To be bold, to be unsure, to begin. It’s not about having it all figured out.
It’s about being more fully yourself as you figure out what’s next.
