Confidence can open doors and is at the heart of so many amazing success stories across industries and disciplines and so we’ve always been interested in learning how we can help our readers and community members increase their confidence and self-esteem. Below, you’ll find highlights of some of the great conversations we’ve had on this topic.
Jodee Friday
I’m so lucky to have two incredible and inspiring parents. They’ve always modeled confidence and high self-esteem within themselves and loved me in a way that allows me to naturally have it in myself. They have empowered me throughout my life to take risks and work hard. They have taught me the importance of being kind and a good person to others and also to myself. I wouldn’t be who I am without their encouragement and care. They are the foundation for everything I am. Read more>>
Andrés Mejía Plazas
For me it was definitely the music I listen to. Most of my confidence comes from a sense of belonging and I’ve found that music is that place where I find belonging. Even when writing and creating characters and a world for my films, my first thought is “what music is playing here” because that is how things starts to feel multi-dimensional and real to me. And it’s perfect for me to have that tool because as a non-musician I don’t have to worry about creating a piece that resonates with me: someone else has already written it and made me feel seen. I express myself through film, so to have another art-form that allows me to sit back and let it be my vessel of decompression is something so comforting. Read more>>
Jennifer Nangano
Building self-confidence and self-esteem has been a journey of self-discovery and growth. I began by setting small, achievable goals for myself, each success boosting my belief in my abilities. Over time, I learned to silence the inner critic and replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Surrounding myself with supportive people who uplifted me made a huge difference, as did embracing my unique strengths and qualities. I also made it a priority to practice self-care and self-compassion, understanding that mistakes are part of learning and growing. By celebrating my progress, no matter how small, I’ve gradually built a foundation of self-confidence and self-esteem that continues to empower me every day. Read more>>
Amber Tullberg
Starting my own business has been a transformative journey, and a large part of that transformation has come from deeply personal reflections. Journaling has been one of the most therapeutic tools for me. It’s a practice that has allowed me to process my thoughts and feelings, especially during challenging times when I faced the question: “Is this what I truly want, or is this what I think I should do?” Journaling helped me sort through my emotions and brought clarity, helping me build the confidence to take steps forward. It gave me a space to reflect on where I was stuck in toxic environments, where control was tightly held by salon owners and fear-based loyalty was the norm. The non-competes, the lack of creative freedom, and the heavy-handed management styles left me and many others feeling trapped. Read more>>
Matthew Michael Ross
I believe my confidence and self esteem started with my mother and father. After my real father died when I was a baby, my mother brought my step father into my life. So I had what seemed like a normal upbringing. And I say that knowing how many different types of families there are, not saying one is more normal. I just meant I was lucky to have two loving parents. Then after your formative years, it’s all about working hard and believing in yourself. You know inherently when you’re not trying your best. When you do your best, you’re confident. Read more>>
Claretha Yeager
Confidence doesn’t happen overnight. But you can tap into a wellspring of personal courage with the right mindset. Growing up I rarely ever experienced a sense of “fitting in”. Being a child growing up in a Navy family meant that we moved around a lot as a kid. But when I finally got into junior high we stayed put, which was great to plant some roots, but I quickly realized that didn’t mean life was going to be a cake walk. Being the middle child of mixed race parents, I found it was a little harder to make deep friendships because I had different childhood experiences and I didn’t exactly look like everyone else. Read more>>
Jeremy Ramsey
Well, if i can be completely honest, it was this year! I lost my grandmother last year and it was the most painful things in my life. She was like a protective blanket over me. Where I thought I had overcame my own limitations of being my true self physically mentally I was still trapped from past trauma. God has a funny way of putting you by yourself to show you your purpose your unique personality and how much of a role you play on in this world. So, i started going to therapy, which im currently in, and Im learning to follow in his foot steps. Through this journey I am learning a lot about myself and some of the amazing things I have done, learned, and talent that have come from my own experiences. Read more>>
Charity Dent
When I was in the first grade, I started to experience bullying. It lasted until 4th grade but I was still dealing with my insecurities. From high school until now my confidence and self esteem has grown tremendously and I give thanks to God. I’ve been learning what I like and don’t like but also want I love about me. The parts I love about me make me love my flaws more. I’ve been learning to do things I want to do and not let anyone dictate my life decisions. That’s really what’s been helping me more with my confidence. Read more>>
Teodora Valentino
Confidence and self-esteem are deeply personal topics for me. I grew up in a time and society that encouraged me to stay quiet, avoid attention, and not aim too high. For a long time, that shaped how I saw myself. I struggled with low confidence and self-esteem, and the fear of making mistakes was paralyzing. Read more>>
Kerry Elise
Growing up I didn’t have much self-esteem. I spent years as a people pleaser just trying to be liked. I would do things for people out of fear that they wouldn’t like me if I didn’t. I kept that mindset not only with friendships, but family as well. Read more>>
Stells Di Rossi Hurst
I built my self-esteem as a plus-size woman of color in the rock ‘n’ roll world by learning to embrace every part of who I am and refusing to let society define my worth. In a space where racism, sexism, and impossible beauty standards are deeply rooted, I knew I had to be stronger than the limitations placed on me. I chose to honor my authenticity, believing that my talent, my voice, and my passion were more powerful than the boxes the world tried to put me in. Read more>>
Pharoah T.k.e Harrington
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through a combination of consistent practice, self-reflection, and stepping outside of my comfort zone. By setting small, achievable goals and gradually tackling more challenging tasks, I built a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, I learned to focus on my strengths while actively working on areas for improvement, and surrounding myself with a supportive network helped reinforce a positive mindset. Over time, these experiences allowed me to trust my abilities and maintain a balanced perspective on personal growth. Read more>>
Daniele Marrone
Probably the most valuable tool in business is confidence but how to build it can be elusive. We’ve all heard the phrase “fake it till you make it” but what does it really mean? You can’t fake the right answer or pretend to succeed that’s a recipe for disaster. I’ve reinvented myself numerous times and in each these simple steps has served me well in achieving confidence and ultimately financial success. First is LISTEN! Not to just winners but those struggling. Every business has a story filled with victories and defeat and hearing those tales is key. Often failures are because we think our customers want what we would want. Read more>>
Melissa Rohlfs
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by working through my past, the trauma, the hurts, the wounds and healing from them. Confidence and self-esteem was also developed in learning to listen to and trust my body and myself. Also acknowledging my identity in who I am, what I stand for, value and believe in gave me my confidence and self-esteem. It was a long and winding road, let me tell you! Read more>>
Emily Keiser
I was born with confidence and what I thought was an unshakeable belief in myself and my abilities. When I was a toddler, I was the kid who entered a room and you knew it right away! I was talkative, engaging, curious, and bold. I remained this way for most of my life. My confidence was first shaken when I entered the highly competitive world of Classical Pilates. I hadn’t researched the industry as much as I should’ve and chose to dive in. I didn’t ask many questions, I decided that I was going to become a Pilates instructor and just go for it. Read more>>
Heather Plumlee
Yoga helped me gain confidence and self-esteem, especially as a professional woman in marketing. It promotes mindfulness and self-awareness, helping me recognize and appreciate my strengths. Poses like the Warrior series embody strength and determination, building mental resilience. Practicing regularly reduces my stress and anxiety, allowing me to approach challenges with a calm and focused mind. This inner peace fosters a sense of self-assurance, making it easier for me to handle presentations, meetings, and deadlines confidently. Read more>>
Megan Van Der Baars
One of my favourite mantras that I love to live by is…”confidence comes from keeping the promises you make to yourself”. I hold myself to high standards and goals (sometimes too high!) but I have found that by meeting my goals and doing what I say I am going to do has given me more internal validation than anything else. Read more>>
Patrick “embryo” Tapu
I’ve always had a deep self confidence in myself from an early age. That doesn’t mean I haven’t dealt with fear, doubt, or ever questioned myself. I definitely have. For whatever reason I’ve always been able to fall back into this space of trust. I’m aware not everyone has that innate self belief, but I do believe it’s accessible to everyone. Meaning, I don’t have something that everyone else doesn’t have at their disposal. That self trust/confidence is our default state that has been covered with the conditioning of the world. Read more>>
Sharvari Bhat
So, every teacher I have encountered has said that there are “no stupid questions.” And it’s been sort of a lifelong journey for me to internalize and believe that statement. I grew up in an education system where the numbers game was paramount. At the end of a semester, our school ranked us by cumulative scores received on tests. In 5th grade, I got the first rank in my cohort. I remember being on top of the world that month, I remember my parents raving about me to anyone who would listen, I remember secretly loving when all my classmates called me a nerd. What I don’t remember is what we actually learned in 5th grade. So I quickly began to base my self worth on being right, deprioritizing learning in the process. Read more>>
Zack Mester
Mine came from honing my craft by being mindfully aware of my weaknesses while patiently working on them so that they aren’t a problem anymore. Of course, there’s always more to work on so I try to have gratitude for what I can do well too. There’s a lot of monster players out there which can lead to insecurity, but if you develop your own voice and individuality, you effectively eliminate the competition because you are always doing you. For example, sometimes I have insecurity or imposter syndrome playing jazz because it can be less obvious what to play. If I take it back to the basics and focus on relaxing and letting the music unfold, then it becomes fun and everyone sounds good. Read more>>
Ashley Fortune
I have always been an expressive and outgoing person (which people automatically think equals confidence). It wasn’t until I divorced that I feel my walls came crumbling down. I stepped out of a relationship that was no longer serving my highest self and was able to look through the lens of my life more clearly. Read more>>
Aaron Culver
I develop my confidence and self-esteem primarily from knowing that my identity is in Jesus Christ. I know that if what I have set out to do is ordained by God, it will be worth all of the trials and tribulations that come with taking the risk of a business start up. Apart from that, I try to keep myself humble by getting advice and input from family, friends and mentors. Accepting that I do not know everything allows me to learn more, which in turn, builds up my confidence. Read more>>
Suanna Lynn
Confidence and self-esteem is not easy to cultivate. It takes discipline and I really believe there is a mental, physical, and spiritual component to feeling good about yourself. Mentally, there is a mindset that you need to have that you tell truth to yourself. Daily you need to remind yourself that you deserve to be here, you have a right to dream, and you can’t please everyone. It’s so important to just assume the positive – assume that someone wants to be your friend, assume that people are on your side, assume that people really want you to be somewhere & go into social situations with that mindset. Read more>>
Sarrah Smith
My adolescence and teen years were a struggle for me. I was bullied by my peers and even by adults. This toke a toll on my confidence and self esteem. I had a hard time Making connections with others. I was a people pleaser always doing anything and everything for everyone in hopes that I would be loved and accepted. This led to toxic relationships that further destroyed my self esteem and confidence. It wasn’t until everything in my life was a complete disaster and I was hitting rock bottom that I finally said enough. Something has to give I need to make serious changes in my life. I started with meditation. Read more>>
Luis Estrada
As a coach, I’ve learned firsthand and with clients that building confidence and self-esteem comes from stacking wins! Figuring out what the smallest achievable action you’re willing to do today that you can build on! Every win, no matter how small gives you a boost of dopamine and self esteem that you start looking for the next thing to overcome or accomplish! You’ll get to a point where you can collect enough wins to know that no matter what comes in front of you, you CAN accomplish it! Read more>>
Silvana Ralphs
My confidence and self-esteem developed over time as I got deeper into my passion for woodworking and home improvement. In the beginning, I wasn’t always sure of my skills, and I still have those moments time to time and like most creators, I made plenty of mistakes (still do). But every project, every video, every challenge was a lesson that built me up. I learned to trust my creative instincts and not be afraid to share my journey—mistakes included! Putting myself out there on YouTube, seeing people enjoy my work, and growing from feedback really boosted my confidence. Read more>>
Billy Pinckney
My parents did an exceptional job instilling in me a strong sense of self-esteem and confidence. Growing up, school can be challenging, especially when others try to bring you down because of their own insecurities. However, when you understand your true worth and value, those attempts to undermine you become irrelevant. Read more>>
Nathan Smith
Long story short, I can tell you 1,000 ways to fail. If there was a struggle bus headed to the corner of “There aren’t enough hours in the day”, and, “My back hurts”, I would be driving it. Much like dating, you only need one good idea amongst the sea of bad ones to come out on top. I’m typically the type of person who would steer away from listening to a how-to success story, until I realized my path to success wasn’t through selling life insurance policies, or Amazon dropshipping. Once I found cannabis, everything changed. Read more>>
Raven “dream” Collins
Growing up I had to learn that self love is the BEST kind of love! Knowing yourself understanding and learning your likes/dislike’s… You will then know how to carry yourself and be confident to walk into any room without having low self-esteem. Read more>>
Princess Smith
I learned to develop my confidence and self esteem by remembering that I’m here on this Earth for a purpose, just like everyone else. Therefore, I can take up just as much space, and feel comfortable with that! Read more>>
Kelly Thomas
Growing up, I was incredibly shy and didn’t have much confidence. I never liked being the center of attention and often stayed in the background. My love for music helped me begin to overcome this. As a pianist and singer, I eventually became comfortable playing and singing in front of others, thanks to the support of choir directors who believed in me. Along with that, I was blessed with amazing parents and family who always supported me, no matter how crazy my dreams seemed. Read more>>
Catlyn Ladd
I faced some pretty intense bullying in middle school, so much so that my parents moved us to a neighboring town so that I could attend a different school. It took me years to recover from those experiences, and I acted out in some pretty self-destructive, attention-seeking ways during high school and college. But I had the good fortune of firstly, having amazing parents who recognized what was happening and who took steps to help me, and secondly, a series of really amazing people who believed in me and weren’t shy about showing me. Read more>>
Amina Cush
Building my confidence really began in my late twenties, when I began to dial into my intuition, purpose, and gifts. Confidence, I’ve come to realize, comes from truly believing in your own agency and the superpowers you hold to navigate life in the direction you choose. For a long time, I relied heavily on external sources and advice, thinking that was the key to success. But the moment I took the time to understand who I truly was—what brings me joy and what I’m passionate about—was when my confidence grew exponentially. Read more>>
Macee Hilliard
It’s no surprise that all of us often struggle with self confidence, I know I have had my fair share of it. I would say that most of my confidence comes from my dad. For as long as I can remember my dad has never been afraid to be himself, and that really stood out to me. He would constantly remind me of what he calls “rule number one” which is “forget what they think” only he used another “f” word if you know what I mean. My whole life that has stuck with me, and I feel like it’s a big part of why I love photography so much. I am able to show my confidence throughout my work, and that’s something that has always been important to me. Read more>>
Kecheng (coco) Wang
Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been an ongoing process, deeply tied to both my personal journey and professional achievements. Growing up, I was fortunate to have a strong foundation in music, thanks to my background in classical piano and violin. This early exposure to performing in front of audiences helped me build a sense of discipline and resilience, which later translated into confidence in my professional life. Read more>>
Physteethemodel Brown
Growing up I was always loud and very outgoing. Always had my own unique style and way of owning a room. Taught to be a leader and never a follower. I enjoyed dressing up and had always been very stylish. Read more>>
Seyan Washoma
I developed my self-esteem and confidence by reminding myself daily that I am loved and worthy. There was a time when looking in the mirror and affirming that I was beautiful and deserving of good things felt impossible. But even on those tough days, I committed to showing myself compassion and grace, especially after mistakes. Affirmations, journaling, and surrounding myself with supportive people played a huge role in keeping me grounded during this process. One key lesson was learning to embrace my differences, understanding that they are what make each of us unique. Read more>>
Iru Barfield
I believe confidence and self-esteem are built step by step through dedication and self-discipline. For me, it started with a commitment to constantly work on myself, whether that meant improving my skills, mindset, or physical well-being. Practicing yoga has been a key part of this journey, helping me balance my mind and body while keeping me grounded in the present. Read more>>
Ian Bean
Becoming Batman is the ultimate confidence booster. Once you start to realize that you shouldn’t care what other people think you can go so far into what you can achieve don’t let anyone mess with self-confidence and self-esteem. You are your person and you can do whatever you want. Read more>>
Cody Jackson
I began to build my self-confidence when I made the decision to be true to myself, rather than putting on a façade to please others. Once I stopped worrying about others’ opinions, I found a deeper sense of confidence in who I am. My self-esteem grew significantly during a challenging period in my life when I spent three years incarcerated. This experience allowed me to truly understand myself, clarify my values, and define what I wanted for my future. Read more>>
Kylan Maree
I found my confidence and self esteem just by growing up a little. Throughout the years I’ve found my own sense of style and confidence through social media and fashion, and I think I’ve just now really found a place in my life where I’m so confident, not only in myself but also in my career. Read more>>
