It’s okay to be scared, often that’s a sign that you are pushing yourself towards greatness. However, it’s equally important to build up your confidence and we hope the conversations presented below can help provide some food for thought around how you can level up your confidence and self-esteem.
Brian Dougherty
Growing up with two older brothers and supportive parents, I always had a strong sense of self-confidence. My parents were always there for me, and my brothers pushed me to give my best. But it wasn’t until I became a Navy SEAL that my self-confidence and self-awareness truly blossomed. Read more>>
Julia Pistsova
Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a gradual process, taken one step at a time. As a perfectionist, I see this trait as both a blessing and a curse. I deeply admire people who find satisfaction simply in trying to create something, but for me, it has always been about achieving beauty, high quality, and excellence. Read more>>
Red Thalhammer
I have overcome many obstacles and challenged myself throughout my life, creating a history of success. This includes many autodidact events engaging in creative hobbies, working in the family restaurant as a teenager, supporting friends, and building a successful career as an Art Director and Brand Designer for brands such as Pepsi, Sprite, Dove, and Porsche. Read more>>
John Michael Notarte
I fully embodied self confidence and self-esteem when I stopped caring about what other people will say. It took me most of my life to harness that energy of authenticity. Giving yourself that freedom to be unapologetically yourself is one of the greatest gift a man could give oneself. Everything comes naturally when you are yourself, it’s a beautiful butterfly effect of magic and power to be in that spirit. Read more>>
LaTosha Tervo
Do the things that scare you. The development of my confidence and self-esteem has consisted of thousands of moments where I’ve pushed out of my comfort bubble, just a little bit. Once I feel comfortable again, I breach my bubble in a different area. Read more>>
Christian Garcia
The internet! I’ve always had an affinity for pop music but no one around really seemed to care as much as I did. It felt isolating. However, through the internet, I found my people! Stan Twitter, for what it is, helped me see beyond my city and into the world of pop music, it’s fans and the community I could build around it. Read more>>
Tamya Peoples
Growing up my mom always made sure my sisters and I knew we were prizes. As i grew into a young woman I took it upon myself to always be my biggest supporter and never doubt myself. I am reminded in my everyday life by strangers that my aura is beautiful and that I can be whoever i desire to be. I think in this life it’s important to have confidence in yourself because if you don’t who will ? Read more>>
Rebeccah Silence
For decades, confidence meant resilience and my ability to survive the impossible. I grew up in a household filled with domestic violence. My first marriage was marked by domestic violence as well. In my twenties, I was a single mom on the brink of bankruptcy, working three jobs, struggling with an eating disorder, and abusing alcohol. Read more>>
Drs. Phillip & Janice Porter
We developed my confidence and self-esteem through many small accomplishments & successes combined with overcoming obstacles over the years in my education, professional career and personal life. It began by setting and surpassing by education goals. We built on that by setting by professional goals in both the corporate, public education and nonprofit sectors and surpassing by goals in several senior leadership roles. Read more>>
India Harris
My confidence and self-esteem was a long and arduous process. Many years of loss, despair and hopelessness disallowed me from becoming confident and strong. Losing my mother at an early age, was one of those destructive occurrences that attacked my confidence and self-esteem. Read more>>
Bailey Macejak
My confidence and self-esteem is an on-going project. A lot of it comes from my experiences growing up — I started off as a super shy kid. I had trouble talking to anybody, even family members when they’d come over for holidays or celebrations. I started to see opportunities that I wanted, even at that young age, and see that they required someone more outspoken and comfortable in themselves. Read more>>
Avis LaVonne S.
Developing confidence and self-esteem, particularly after being told you wouldn’t succeed, is a significant and inspiring to my journey. I took the time to understand and accept my strengths and weaknesses. Instead of letting negative comments define me, I used them as a catalyst for self-improvement. I consciously replaced negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Read more>>
Phillip Dorsey
Growing up I wasn’t always as confident and self assured that I am today. I remember being a little kid and in class who knew the answers and the pronunciation of words the correct way and being bullied and made fun of for that, and that hurt me because I thought that was a cool thing to know your school work and how to pronounce words the correct way so instead I chose to think smaller to the level that my “friends” were in order to be accepted. Read more>>
Lara Svedin
Growing up in a small town of about 50k people everyone seems to know each others business. I feel that when you grow up in a way where you aren’t just a number you learn early on that you have to either decide to blend in, not be seen at all or really stand out. I chose the later. With a strong, supportive family behind me I was destined to stand out. I always was extremely social and outgoing. Read more>>
Elle Dane
I grew up in a military family with two of the most hard-working people I know, my parents. One of the best things they taught me throughout my life is exactly what I am capable of. Anytime I would go looking for an easy way out of a challenge or the answer to a simple homework question, they never gave in and taught me to work for it. Read more>>
Leigh Aschoff
My encouragement on how to develop confidence and self-esteem is to begin with curiosity around the areas where you do experience confidence and self-esteem. When you discover this, notice how your body feels when you experience confidence and self-esteem. Are there any sensations in your body? Do you notice a particular body posture? What thoughts do you notice having when aligned with embodied confidence and self-esteem? Read more>>
Meaghan Young
I have greatly developed my confidence and self-esteem throughout the past decade. Growing up, I was constantly insecure, felt very shy, and also dependent. My journey to growing my inner confidence started after high school, when I took a gap year to study in Italy. Read more>>
Julie Yeo
It can be difficult to remain grounded amongst your peers, there are so many different layers, flavors, and perspectives to bring to the table. I’ve always tried to look past the competition of it, and see the diversity of talent as confirmation that there is room for me as well. Read more>>
Olivia White
My confidence and self-esteem blossomed when I developed a better relationship with myself and with God. When you understand that you and God are not separate, everything starts to make sense. I firmly believe that how you see yourself influences your business, relationships, boundaries, and more. This has certainly been true for me. Read more>>
Kenda Bell (Spruill)
Both are two things, in my opinion, we are always developing because life always gives us sacred opportunities to gain greater wisdom about the world we live in. With this wisdom we will hopefully gain greater confidence & rise our self-esteem by learning & growing. Read more>>
Tony H H
It is definitely not something I always had early on in my music career, more so on the production side because although I enjoyed what I was making, I was afraid of what people would say about my music if and when I played it live. What I will tell you is having a strong friend circle that you trust and will be honest with you is so key. Read more>>
LATOYA KNIGHT
We all know how brutal it can be to be a teenager. This is primarily when confidence and self esteem issues develop because we care about what our peers think of us. I had it rough mentally in middle and high school. I was born in NYC and lived there until I turned eleven years old. Upstate New York eventually became “home” but I felt like I was living in a foreign country. Read more>>
Donny Apollo
Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a profound journey shaped by my struggle with depression and recovery from a suicide attempt. During my darkest times, I learned to confront the fragility of life and discover the strength within me to keep moving forward. Each relapse became an opportunity to understand myself better and to rebuild reassurance from within. Read more>>
Mike
You know, if you had asked me this question two years ago my answer would have been very different than it is today. Two years ago I would have said that my confidence comes from “faking it until I make it”, which is basically how I lived my life. I pretended to be a casino manager until I became a proficient one. Read more>>
Mycala Baker
Throughout my childhood and young adult years, I have had seasons of low confidence and lacking self-esteem in various areas of my life. A big part of this was my fear of being seen and my fear of outshining others. One thing that I was always confident in is my artistry. It was the one thing that I knew no one could take away from me. Read more>>
HaLisa Sowash
Back in 2011 I went blind after having a migraine for 8 weeks. I had to be put on a very large dose of steriods to help regain my vision. This caused dead bone to develope in my body. Which later caused me to have bilateral hip replacements and bilateral knee micro fractures. My self esteem and confidence dropped to zero becuase of my weight gain and depression. Read more>>
Claire Welton, MA, Ed.D, PLPC
Confidence and self-esteem is something I work on day in and out with my clients. It’s something that is so easily stolen from so many people these days with social media and everyone playing the comparison game. Confidence and self-esteem have to come from within, an unconditional source, rather than conditioned. Once I figured this out, my anxiety lessened and I was able to unapologetically be myself. Read more>>
Nicole Mangina
Confidence and self esteem are an interesting thing. No matter where you are on the continuum, it often feels like everyone else has more, and you are the only one experiencing doubt. I spent most of my childhood and early adult life being very shy and insecure. I was the first one to opt out of an event or leave early, all in the name of being an introvert. Read more>>
Thavika Savangwongsakul
For me, confidence and self-esteem came naturally over time. I realized that not being scared or afraid to be yourself is very important. It’s about understanding that everyone is on their journey, walking their path. Once I recognized that, I stopped comparing myself to others. This shift in mindset was crucial for me. Read more>>
Michelle Vo
I believe that confidence and resilience intertwine and, in my case, have been fostered through both positive and negative experiences over the years. I started drawing back in middle school, and I wasn’t the greatest at it. One scenario that positively influenced me was during a t-shirt design contest for the Science Olympiad club I was involved with at the time. Read more>>
Laura Baits
Lack of confidence and low self-esteem are things I’ve struggled with most of my life- it’s only been more recently- over the past 10 years or so- that I’ve really come into my own and truly hold myself in high regard and know my worth. Read more>>
Liz Nistico
I’m a musician and I’ve been in t he music industry for over 10 years can you believe it? I’m on the “had success in the 2010s, faded to obscurity, though is now rising again thanks to social media” trajectory. I’ve been recognized by MoMA, I wrote a song for rapper Future, my music is global. I direct my own music videos. But honestly those are useless accolades if you don’t know me. I want to be genuine and express myself, hopefully so other people feel like they can do that in their own lives. Read more>>
Dimple Kapoor
My journey to self-confidence and self-esteem has been deeply spiritual. Through introspection and prayer, I found inner strength and embraced vulnerability, anchoring myself in faith during life’s challenges. Gratitude became my guiding light, empowering me to inspire others to embrace their uniqueness and walk boldly in their truth. Read more>>
Emily Cariker
Confidence comes from building trust with myself—believing that no matter the outcome, I will be okay. I will figure it out. Mindset is everything. The stories you tell yourself can be inspiring or immobilizing, and action is the key to confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of worth. For me, failure is not trying or refusing to take action. Read more>>
Dan R. Howard
I love this question because sometimes I think maintaining confidence and self-esteem can be the hardest part of a creative journey. If I’m being honest, I’d say for the majority of my life I wasn’t confident and I had pretty low self-esteem. Sometimes friends will ask me if I miss my days of being in college, and I say no because I don’t miss how I felt then on a daily basis. I was mostly insecure and severely lacked confidence. Read more>>
Donna Caselden
There’s a special person in my life, I consider her to be my mentor. She’s the reason why I became a professional painter. As I struggled with self doubt about my artistic ability she told me that I had to believe in myself. I’ve never forgotten that. Even now, when I’m struggling with a painting, not sure if it’s right or not, I think of her words. Read more>>
Cindy Alvarez
I grew up with entrepreneurial parents who taught me the art of business connections, processes, and marketing within the context of a small business. This early exposure gave me a foundational understanding of entrepreneurship, but as a first-generation college student, navigating the corporate work culture presented new challenges. Read more>>
Tshepo Mokonyane
I cant stress how much practice, rejection and also learning new things helps immensely with confidence. I’ve spent years bettering myself as an artist, failing, getting rejected, destroying, creating again, and eventually some fair share of my wins. This has not only helped me better myself but it has also improved my confidence significantly. Read more>>
Meg Wagler
I believe an artist’s primary job is to be themselves and express their lived experience to connect with others. In order to do this, you’ve got to be confident in who you are and how you think. For me, this started to develop when I changed my perception that confidence means you have to be right, or be the best. Instead, I pulled confidence from my imagination and my curiosity. Read more>>
Hollie Rill
In the hair industry you’re forced into being confident & extroverted! You have to be otherwise clients will feel uneasy, questioning your work & capabilities. When I first started I faked it until I made & over time it becomes sense of nature. Read more>>
Marco Delli
By understanding my strengths and weaknesses helped me to recognize what I’m good at and areas where I can improve. Also by replacing negative thoughts with positive affirmations, self care and reflecting on my experiences helped to learn and grow. Read more>>
Kamilah Wong
I think within the artist community, lacking confidence and self-esteem is a very common problem. Art is all about putting ourselves in our work, so when our work gets critiqued, it feels as if they’re critiquing us as a person. Advice I’ve heard a lot is to separate yourself from your work, which is easier said than done. Read more>>
Christine Radlmann
Confidence was never something I consciously thought about until college, when a professor gave the following assignment: Write a memoir of a typical day in your life speaking only from the voice inside your head. The following week, everyone in that class was instructed to read their memoir out loud. My peers were as surprised at my “voice” as I was by theirs. Read more>>
Ryota Nishiyama
I developed my confidence by believing myself. I don’t even wanna use the word “believe” because it is as factual as the gravity. I know I am awesome in my own definition, and I do not need anybody else’s definitions because it’s MY life. I love myself for being a do-er, and connecting with the people I feel good with through my art. It’s all based on MY point of view, because it is MY life. It’s as simple as that. Read more>>
Shubhra Goyal
By taking risks by learning even when you are failing, the passion and drive is what keep me going. Read more>>
Natalie Mortell
Hi, thanks so much for having me! Confidence definitely wasn’t something I started out with; I had to gain it over time. Attending college for animation was a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows in the perception of my own artistic ability. By the time graduation rolled around, I felt incredibly conflicted and lost, as I had let my confidence and value be determined by what other people thought of my art. Read more>>
Vaishali Bellad
It all started as a hobby. This journey began with my love for henna art, which I initially pursued for the sheer joy it brought me. In India, my career started with a non-profit organization called Swaimsidha, where I taught handicrafts and art. We were able to empower economically challenged women to make their own living through arts. Read more>>
Jess Rose McDowell
I’m continuously building upon my confidence & self-esteem through experiences, failure, success & simply navigating life’s challenges with resilience & optimism. I personally do not believe we’re ever at our peak confidence or self-esteem, it’s not a one-time accomplishment; rather, it’s a continuous journey of self-discovery & growth. Read more>>
MaryLanae Linen
When I was younger, my parents always told me that I was in my chubby phase. My older brother was “chubby” when he was younger, and when he started playing sports he lost most of the weight. So most of my childhood I was waiting to get out of my chubby phase, but it never seemed to come.
With this failure hanging over my head I started to hate my body. Read more>>
Jake Cassman
Man, I’ve struggled with both of these — it’s a lot of what my new album is about. It took years of therapy for me to work through my hang-ups from childhood bullying and disordered eating. That, and the realization that most people don’t even notice the stuff that keeps me up at night — playing a wrong note, saying the wrong thing at a party, etc. Read more>>
Nicole Drew
Confidence and self-esteem development is an inside job ultimately, so I think it strengthened over time with being able to trust my own self and my abilities. I also view myself as imperfect, and that’s perfectly OK (no pun intended!). Striving for perfection is a set up for disappointment. I also blocked out any negative thoughts or self-depravation. Read more>>
Narelle Thomas
I think that aside from being born strong willed (I was born three months early), I’ve always been somewhat unique and have always had my own way about me. Throughout life I’ve had to trust myself to deliver that which I needed. I’ve never been cliquey or liked things like that and I’ve never had people like that to fall back on. People have told me “no” because they didn’t see my vision or they might get scared that what I’m doing is too different, or won’t produce what they need because I’m quiet in my certainty. Read more>>
Leticia Lorenzini
Building confidence requires significant inner work. You must first learn to accept yourself fully, embracing your flaws, mistakes, and both the good and bad aspects of your character. It is an ongoing journey. Recognizing that not everyone will appreciate your art and coming to terms with that will ultimately make you feel more confident, as you let go of the need for universal approval. I really think that the key here is to embrace yourself. Read more>>
