Building Blocks of Success: Confidence & Self Esteem

Vicki Rodriguez

I develop my confidence and self-esteem by reminding myself who I am, What I can become, and the people that I can and have inspired on a daily basis. I also remind myself how far I’ve came along, and the person that I am still working on becoming for the future.  Read more>>

Sonia Merchant

It took up until the last few years for me to really find my place and develop true confidence. I have struggled my whole life coming from a strong Indian background with higher expectations than most cultures. My biggest fear has always been what others are going to think and constantly over-thinking situations. After high school, I had no idea where I wanted to go or what I wanted to do. Being a doctor or in the medical field wasn’t in the books for me and what I enjoyed consisted of a very short list (fashion design, animals, make-up). Read more>>

Sabine French

I believe we are each individual manifestations of the “Oneness” that is back of all things. Each of us is a “once in forever” combination of genetics, frequency, and perspective coming from our life circumstances. You are the only “you” to exist in all of time! As a unique iteration, you deserve to “take up space” and you have inherent worth.  Read more>>

Vandor Hill

Through dance, specifically breakdancing in High School. The beginning was hard, since I had so many people at practice sessions tell me that I had no talent. It wasn’t until my mid to late twenties that I changed my mental and started taking my craft more seriously and block out the noise of ridicule that I began to win competitions and eventually gain world wide status as an elite dancer. Since starting my small business I try to keep that same confidence and self-esteem gained from years of competitive dance to get me through work weeks. Read more>>

Silvana Barrios

Believing in myself and trusting my journey are key principles I follow. Breaking down larger goals into smaller, more manageable steps is a strategy I swear by. ¨Make it simple¨ is my mantra. I celebrate even the smallest achievements, recognizing their significance. Read more>>

Alexis Stein

Our confidence and self-esteem branches from years of hard-work, which includes, but not limited to, practice, our peers and colleagues suggestions and recommendations, real world experiences, and support from our family and closest friends, After a few years of dedication and commitment to our craft, we were able to find our place in the wedding world as successful photographers, and this allowed us to remain confident enough to move forward with this as a full-time profession, Read more>>

Amber Goldhammer

In my youth, I was a state champion gymnast. Beginning at age 5, I would train 5 days a week and compete on Saturdays. Work ethic, discipline and repeated routine were instilled in me at this young age and has carried me through my life. Each time I would fall, the only choice was to get back up and do it again (only my coaches would make me stick 100 in a row or I would have to start over again). Read more>>

Courtney Johnson

I did it fairly slowly. In fact, I really didn’t start feeling confident until my early 30s. It wasn’t my age that brought this about, but a change in how I made decisions and showed up for myself. My confidence began to grow rapidly once I started making choices that were in-line with my soul, my truth, and my well-being. Read more>>

Tiffany Spataro

This is quite the question. I believe it is more, how do I continue the growth of developing confidence and self esteem. This area has always been a struggle for me. The constant feeling of not being good enough, creative enough, brave enough, innovative enough to name a few, is certainly a driving force. But also not necessarily a healthy one. When you are an artist of any type, in my situation a choreographer, the goal is to put real authentic work, feelings, stories emotions out there.  Read more>>

Yvette Perret

Great question! I basically found in myself an energy to make other people feel confident. By being confident myself and showing others that personal self-esteem is infectious. Everyone needs to know that in my line of work, I see everything! We are all unique and different in our own ways and that is what makes us special. We as a community need to stop comparing ourselves to others and to what we see on social media. Once you find your confidence, the world is yours! Read more>>

Kendall Doub

As an artist confidence and self-esteem are extremely important. For me confidence and self-esteem are earned through experience. With each successful project or goal I achieve I gain new perspective on what success is while also gaining the confidence to continue to push myself creatively in new exciting directions! Read more>>

Andrea Smith

I played basketball, ran track, and baseball when I was a young girl and I had to navigate through boys bigger and more athletic.. My mom put me in pageants against my will lol and I eventually became a fashion model ..it was tough but managing through it and staying grounded helped me trust myself and build confidence. Read more>>

Stephen Tyler

Hi I am Stephen Tyler of Jamaica queens new york city. I started out madly in love with becoming a basketball player. Due to my height and injuries that occurred I was unable to. I became inspired to write poetry at very young age. I produced a poem for the queens public library called “Ring says the king” published in the newspaper for it aswell. I wound up being introduced to the music scene in which I managed my high-school friends as becoming hip hop recording artist. Read more>>

Rebecca Mansueto

I wouldn’t say it’s developed but more so developing because I believe it is an ongoing process especially when you are seeking to continually grow as an individual and that means facing new challenges! I develop my confidence and self esteem by simply trying. When you try something new it’s unfamiliar and you will most likely make mistakes however when you do it a second time and so on, you learn from your mistakes and build competence which in turn builds confidence.  Read more>>

Shelby Anderson

Confidence comes from the ability to self express. For some, this may come with age but for me it came from experience. When you find your individuality and what makes you unique, this unravels your sense of purpose and contentment with the self. Wearing clothes because other people wear them, buying items other people buy. This is a norm and it is illusion of happiness. I feel this need to conform drains the idea of the self and what makes us unique. Read more>>

Amy Nutt Bouvier

As a child, I was very sure of myself. I was a star student who wanted to make everyone laugh and was full of personality. I didn’t know anything different than just being myself. Once I got to middle school, I began to tame who I was in order to fit in more with the crowd. I tried to dull the shiny parts of me so I wouldn’t stand out and over time, I lost touch with myself. Read more>>

Jean Schapowal

It was developed over a period of time. After struggling with freelance work and just not feeling confident in my abilities I took some time off, switched gears and started putting myself out there. I started to take some risks( baby steps) and take advantage of as many opportunities cities as I could. Eventually this helped to build up my confidence, my self esteem, my ability to work harder for what I wanted and that focused work ethic. Read more>>

Vivian Campbell

I have been very fortunate to have an outgoing personality. People tell me they love the energy I bring to a room. I am not saying this to brag, I am not sure why people even say it. I just love approaching every day with a can do attitude. I love having fun and being of service to others. I think it shows up in everything I do. My actions are genuine. If I decide I don’t want to do something, I don’t do it. Read more>>

Gilda Mercado

I develop self-confidence by keeping my promises and doing what I say I will do. This makes me trust myself and my ability to accomplish anything. To break out of my comfort zone and try new things, especially those I want but am afraid to do because of the inescapable fear of failure as an actor and creative. However, I am confident that even if I fail, I will succeed with time because of my commitment, discipline, and work ethic. Read more>>

Mayson Honek

Overtime, I’ve developed my self-esteem by creating art that represents me and my ADHD brain, I knew not everyone’s going to like my work but I do. I kept going on with how I liked it and kept practicing to get where I want to be. Read more>>

Jef Caine

I’ve gained a great deal of confidence thanks to positive feedback on social media. I’ve always had self esteem issues, impostor syndrome, and social awkwardness, but I find the more vulnerable I am on social media the more kind, compassionate, and encouraging people tend to be. *Ignoring the trolls of course. Read more>>

Mia Barba

As an artist, I believe confidence and self – esteem fluctuates so quickly. When I began my journey with tattooing, I quickly grew insecure about my work and my capabilities compared to my peers. After discussing with a couple other artists, I soon realized how judgmental each one was regarding their own work. I realized that I was my own worst critic and I have been actively combating it by trying to find bits and pieces that made me feel confident about my work and my skill. Read more>>

Michèle Tambika

At the age of 19, I moved to Los Angeles, all by myself, without knowing anyone there. Looking back now, I’m not sure how I did it. The beginning was tough because I didn’t know anyone, and I had to adjust to the culture and the people. It was scary but exciting at the same time. I’m so grateful that I had the courage to do that. I would not be the person I am today if I didn’t have that experience at such a young age. That definitely added to my confidence too, because I had to grow up quickly. Read more>>

Siyi Chen

Building confidence and self-esteem was challenging, given my upbringing in an environment that didn’t particularly foster these qualities. The turning point came from the unreserved praise and support of my teachers and friends. Their genuine appreciation of my work helped me recognize my own worth. Read more>>

Aileen Stewart

My father used to say, “You are only a failure if you don’t try!” and “Courage isn’t a lack of fear, but simply doing something despite your fear!” These statements led me to realize that many things in life are simply choices. So despite having anxiety about speaking in public, I encouraged myself to speak in front of groups. In spite of not knowing where to start when it came to beginning my writing career, I began researching and asking other people questions. Read more>>

Catara Lane

A good way I have developed my confidence is something I like to call the do it anyway approach. So I do it when I’m happy, sad, scared or when its not working out. I think when your not confident about something most of the times you just don’t have any experience with it so if you keep doing it then eventually you will become more familiar with it making you more confident and building your self esteem. Read more>>

Patrice Smith

Pre-teen years can be difficult for everyone and personally I had a lot of issues with my confidence and self-esteem. My Dad noticed I was struggling and made it a point every day to drive me to school. He would lock the doors and ask me the same question, “Who do you love” and I would respond, “Well, I love you, Daddy.” and he’d say, no and ask again. “Who do you love?” and again, I would respond that I loved him. Read more>>

Krystal Simmons

I’m Krystal Simmons, a photographer located in Northeastern Pennsylvania, specifically Allentown. (Although I am known to suggest other locations if it will make for more dynamic visuals!) I specialize in capturing women celebrating their existence and their achievements. In my photography business, I prioritize a hands-on approach with clients, focusing on authenticity rather than following trends. Read more>>

Tiesha Williams

I developed my confidence and self-esteem through the women in my family speaking life and affirmation into me from a very young age, more specifically my Aunt Sherry. She nicknamed me Buddha Doll and The Beautiful One when I was about a year old because people would always stop my mom and tell her I looked like a doll. My Aunt would make me look into the mirror and repeat things like “I am so beautiful”, “I am amazing”, “I am so talented” etc., so constantly hearing that and saying those things over and over while looking into my own eyes in the mirror, it built my confidence and self esteem tremendously! Read more>>

Alexis Matteson

As far as I can tell, my self-esteem has been built up overtime in direct relation to achievement. The more we’ve been able to bring into fruition our vision as a company, after lots of hard work, the more confident I’ve become. I think a common misconception is that confidence or self-esteem is something everyone should simply strive to have. Instead, I believe it is earned through hard work and accomplishment. Read more>>

Dr. Radhia Afif

I developed a strong sense of confidence and self-esteem in my adult years. When I started to see myself without outside input and influence it changed a lot for me. I started to focus on who I saw in the mirror, what I truly enjoyed, and who I was in my most authentic form. To work on my confidence and self-esteem I stated positive affirmations in the mirror as well as wrote them frequently in my journal.  Read more>>

Ju-Marri “Kaesevyn” Sims

All my life, I fantasized about performing onstage for an audience. My first break came in high school when I was cast in a musical, ‘Rent’. The rush and adrenaline that came from acting and singing in real-time fueled me to do and be more than just an actor on a stage. I wanted my own thing, I wanted to be a part of the conversation when it came to those with musical abilities, and I wanted to turn fantasy into reality. So I studied the great musical acts for years, perfected my craft of writing and performing songs, and invested more than just time and energy into making music. Read more>>