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.
Moe Cooley
When I first started beauty school, it was challenging to feel confident (especially all the time). I had to accept that I was new and still learning, which is part of the process. Being overly critical of yourself only takes you so far—you have to become comfortable with making mistakes, and beauty school was the perfect environment for that growth. After graduating from cosmetology school, I continued learning through an apprenticeship and have made it a priority to keep expanding my skills as much as possible. Read more>>
Kaylah Casuccio
I grew up always watching people and wishing I could be like someone else instead of diving into who I was. Over time and realizing this was hindering my self identity, I started to show up regardless of the messiness in the process. I didn’t have the aesthetics. I didn’t have the lifestyle. I felt as though I did not have the appearance. But I knew there was beauty in authenticity. I continued to build my social media presence and pushed myself to be better for me and not anyone else. Life truly evolved for me and it was because I wasn’t glorifying or comparing myself to another person’s journey. Confidence is a byproduct of your environment and how you see yourself. You have to believe so strongly in who you are and form habits around your life that over time amounts to increasing your self esteem. Read more>>
David Pham
To be honest, I was a shy, nerdy Asian kid with low self esteem. I grew up in Germany as the son of two Vietnamese migrants, so naturally I was an outsider. I didn’t feel like I actually belonged to the German culture although I had the German passport. There was a lot of racism growing up. I remember one time we had to hold a presentation in front of the entire class and I was so nervous, my hands were shaking and my voice cracked several times. That was so embarrassing that I desperately wanted to change. I wanted to become good at public speaking and build my confidence. I realized that being insecure sucks. Going to school with a feeling of anxiety and fear sucked. I wanted people to respect me. Read more>>
Phil Reale
Confidence and self esteem can be hard to achieve. I believe people can be their own worst critic. Confidence can come in many forms. Knowing the most information possible is a great way to build confidence. Being able to relay that information to others in a way that they understand builds confidence because you see them utilizing the skills you taught them to improve their relationship with their pets! Self esteem follows confidence because you can feel good about yourself knowing you are making a difference. Read more>>
Zachary Tate Smith
Thinking back to the times when I have felt most at home in my own skin–most alive–there is a common thread of childlike, self-forgetful joy. That time I stood breathless on the edge of the grand canyon for the first time as the sun set. When I was surfing and felt the awe-inspiring power of the waves roll beside me and underneath me. In moments like these, my joy is found in being surprisingly invited into a deeper, greater beauty. My job often puts me on stages in front of groups of people, which comes with inherent dangers to one’s sense of self. “Do they approve of me?” “Am I impressive enough?” “Do they *still approve of me?” Even if I find an affirmative answer to these questions in a given moment, the next moment can take it away just as easily. Read more>>
Laura Coglianese
Growing up, I had my fair share of insecurities (like most women do). I spent way too much time feeling like I wasn’t pretty enough, smart enough, thin enough, funny enough…just never enough. I was constantly comparing myself to other women, which, spoiler alert, did not help. Read more>>
Larry Yu
My journey to self-confidence roots back to when I was in high school, when I first “came out” to my friends the summer before senior year. Aside from the expected changes in my life that came from this, one of the biggest promises I made to myself was to always stay true to myself from this day forth, no matter my surroundings. Read more>>
Lai Wei
I think my main confidence and self-esteem comes first and foremost from being happy with myself. As an artist, painting has been my passion since I was a child. Painting for me is a way of self-relaxation, a recreation, and it was only after more than ten years of carrying on in this way that I began to formally consider painting as a professional job.
When I took up painting as a hobby, the measure of my success did not come from the praise of others, nor from the monetary value I created, but simply whether I was happy doing it. That’s why I always feel satisfied, and I’ve always firmly believed that painting is meaningful, and that happiness is the meaning. Read more>>
Vempre Terrell, Jr.
My connection with God is the cornerstone of the development of my confidence and the heightening of my self-esteem. Taking the time to individually study the Word of God, evaluate it in small groups, and listen to the presentation of sermons has brought about a spirit of confidence and an enhanced self-esteem within me. In addition to this, taking the time to engage in prayer has also developed my confidence and built my self-esteem. By increasing my knowledge of the Word of God and my connection with Him through prayer, becoming a confident person has served as the outcome. Read more>>
Alexander Blanco
Confidence has been my Achilles heel for a long time, and working on holding myself in high esteem is still a work in progress, but I’m making strides every day. I feel that in a lot of scenarios, my social anxiety has amplified my insecurities in moments where I need to show confidence and the best way I’ve learned to combat that feeling is by shifting my mindset to look at the people around me differently. At the end of the day, we are all experiencing this life for the first time so while I give the people around me the benefit of the doubt, I have also learned to remind myself to give myself that same virtue. It evens out the playing field in my head and gives me self-assurance, and though it’s in my nature to be humble, having a balance between both confidence and humility highlights the person I want people to perceive me to be. Read more>>
Jahara Jennae
This was such a journey for me. I did not start out confident at all. I was afraid, I was unsure, nervous, and didn’t fully believe in myself. However, I knew, and just truly felt that this was something I was supposed to pursue. I truly believed that if this is what I meant to do, then I needed to do it regardless of my fears. I trusted that would come. I just needed to stay focused. Read more>>
Vempre Terrell, Jr.
Worry. Anxiety. Depression. These are three aspects that have sadly become key points in society, yet the negative effects that they have upon the mental health of countless individuals has become excessive. When an adverse happening takes place in life, many people are naturally drawn to hang their heads in shame and submit to their challenges. Although times existed in my life when obstacles presented themselves in fashions that made me what to give up, I learned that something so small, yet so significant was what I needed for me to overcome any obstacle: faith. Read more>>
Gianpaolo Pabros
I can attribute all of my confidence and abundance of energy to my theater program at ACHS. Before I could even conceptualize myself as a creative artist, I lacked direction and had no place to call my community. I joined this program during my freshman year of high school and wanted no part of it; for almost that entire year. Entering my sophomore year, I ended up in the second level of the class by happenstance. I tried joining *three* different elective courses until I found out there was only Drama 2 available. I joined it without a care in the world and was not participating during those class periods. It wasn’t until I got to meet my backstage crew (AKA Booth Gang) that we put together a beautiful show, “Almost, Maine”. Read more>>
Jennifer Lynn
I developed my confidence and self-esteem as a plus-size woman by first acknowledging the insecurities I faced about my appearance. By becoming aware of the negative comments often directed at plus-size individuals, I took back my power and learned to stay one step ahead of negativity. This realization gave me immense confidence. Additionally, I focused on how to dress my body in a flattering way, chose a hairstyle that suited me, and began using makeup to stand out instead of blending in. These changes helped me embrace my individuality and build a more positive self-image. Read more>>
Zuzanna Całka
My journey with confidence and self-esteem has definitely been a work in progress. Growing up as the only musician in my family, I started playing the piano at seven and was determined to pursue music. In those early years, my self-esteem largely came from external validation—my teachers’ praise and good grades on annual exams. Read more>>
Claudia Tejeda
My confidence and self-esteem have grown through a mix of experience, faith, and perseverance. Starting in real estate with a degree in Computer Technology, I faced challenges that pushed me to master new skills. Each success, from handling contracts to closing deals, reinforced my belief in my abilities. Read more>>
Kate Kingsley
This is a deeply personal topic for me, but I believe it’s important to share for anyone who may be going through the same struggles I have. I’ve battled imposter syndrome in many areas of my life, and to this day, I still face it from time to time. For the longest time, I believed there were always others who were more qualified, more suited, or simply better than me. This mindset held me back in so many ways. Read more>>
Khairi Williams
A lot of my confidence comes from my faith and exercising that faith during some of my most challenging trials. It’s something I can lean on in times of doubt or just minimal understanding and going through those things then coming on the other side stronger makes me extremely confident. My self-esteem is something that I work on everyday. I battle with imposter syndrome and sometimes I second guess myself. However, when I let those anxieties subside for a second and reflect on all the wins (big or small) I get more self assured. Read more>>
Danica Carson
Over the years, I’ve learned that confidence and self-esteem are struggles for just about everyone, especially in business. But starting your own business amplifies those insecurities tenfold. The highs and lows of work are so much more intense when it’s your business or product out there to be judged and assessed by the world. You’re making tons of sales one month, and the next, you have none. The constant up and down can take a huge toll on your confidence, not only professionally but personally, too. Read more>>
Hetal Nagaraj
My all of this and everything is from my education, knowledge, generational knowledge as well that is passed within families, trainings, skill courses, experiences that shaped me and were by my peers and the exposure that brought me on this level.
A well knit loving family grooms person just as well as it does to the other ways of so called “life lessons”. Technically my life if you see my share of struggles with my mom’s decade of bed rest issues made me independent. Read more>>
Dustin Parro
Over time from I suppose since childhood, i became social towards many people during school social gatherings with adults, and openly chatting with other people I just met at more social circles. I was also raised from a family with beliefs of honesty, integrity, positivity, and care. These qualities I think helped me carry my confidence deep inside to this day. Also mixed with a hopeful mindset towards things I love/like, & stay loyal towards. Read more>>
Timothy Doaty Ii
I think this is something that just improves over time right? You start off having this idea or belief of what you can do or how great you can be at something, but then you fail and boom that’s when it gets real. I think you just over time learn that you are your own worst enemy, nobody takes you as serious as you do and people’s opinion of you don’t define you in the end. Being authentic in who you are bleeds and oozes confidence and self-esteem, so I just try to be myself, not put too much focus into what others think or believe of me while understanding that people generally don’t think about me the way I would like to give them credit for doing and that’s what works for me. Read more>>
Eric Hawkins
Growing up on a farm in Virginia Beach, Virginia, gave me more than just skills—it built my confidence. My father, Edmon Hawkins , was a farmer and a hard worker. He made sure we were capable of handling all the responsibilities the farm demanded, which often involved tasks that required real trust and courage. He believed in building confidence through action. Read more>>
Lisa Chiodo
There’s no one or right way to developing confidence and self esteem. Personally, I gained both through trial and error and rejection starting at a young age. I would busk and book myself gigs in restaurants and bars all around the city in Australia from 10 years old all throughout high school and learned very quickly that not everything was going to be a ‘yes’. Read more>>
Melissa Kincaid
Through experience, trial and error, and lots of therapy! I think that true confidence comes from making mistakes, learning from them, and showing up again and again despite the fear. We don’t learn and grow without making mistakes. Building confidence is about having the courage to face that fear of rejection through mistakes. When you make a friend out of the fear and allow your desire to shine brighter than the fear itself, you can do what you are put on this planet to do. You become a light for others. Read more>>
Ben Hawes
I love this question because, to be honest, on the surface, it might seem like I’ve always been naturally confident—but that’s not the full story. There are a few sources of my confidence, and truthfully, I’m not always confident in every area of life. However, people do tend to know me as a confident, outgoing person and there are specific things that have helped me get to where I am today in terms of confidence. Read more>>
ELY HOLBOROW
Confidence and self-esteem are like muscles—you have to work at them regularly to see growth! For me, it started with embracing my uniqueness and trusting in my abilities. I’ve always believed that everyone has something special to offer, and when I focused on my own strengths, it helped me stand taller and believe in myself more. Photography has also been a powerful tool in this journey. Seeing the world through my lens, capturing moments of beauty, joy, and authenticity, helped me realize the value of perspective—mine and others’. Over time, surrounding myself with positive, supportive people and celebrating even the small wins made a huge difference. Every challenge and new project allowed me to grow a little more confident, and that’s what I hope to pass on to every client I work with! Read more>>
