BoldJourney is all about helping our audience and community level up by learning from the experiences of others. One of the most important topics we’ve been focused on sharing insights and lessons on is confidence building and self-esteem. Below, you’ll find some brilliant entrepreneurs and creatives sharing their perspectives and advice.
Jaymie gerena
I wasn’t always a confident person. Due to years of trauma, I actually didn’t have much confidence at all. I believed for a long time I was worthless or not enough.
I got fed up feeling this way and went on to understand myself and why I thought the way I thought.
I learned that confidence is a choice. it’s an ability to take action even when you don’t want to. it is a decision to DO when you’re afraid that raises confidence. you don’t just wake up confident. you do the uncomfortable tasks that support you in gaining confidence around something you lacked confidence in. Read More>>
LeTony Hadnot
Let me be completely honest with you—I’m a work in progress. These past couple of years, ever since I took the leap into full-time photography, have been a whirlwind of experiences. Some days, my phone is blowing up with booking requests, and the next, it’s as quiet as a desert. It’s been tough, especially with the influence of social media and the constant temptation to compare myself to others. I fell into that trap, mistaking someone’s flashy posts for their supposed success. Unfortunately, this led to my ego taking control and pushing me into a deep state of depression. Read More>>
Lacey Humble
My mother and grandmother from a very young age told me how important and smart I was and that I could do anything I put my mind to. I started a kids clothing line that specializes in micro preemie clothing and products. I never saw things for babies that little but having my daughter at 24weeks I decided to start my own. We’ve really grown and by popular demand we now make clothing for children preemie through school age. We also sell organic hair oils, bonnets, family packs that are all inclusive to all families and communities. We have now branched out to care for pregnant moms pre and postpartum with touch convos such as depression, and medical malpractice and what that looks like as a minority woman. Read More>>
Glenn Shelhamer
Growing up, I faced numerous challenges that seemed impossible at times. Raised by a single parent struggling with substance abuse, life was uncertain and unstable. On top of that, I endured relentless bullying at school and grappled with learning disabilities. It was a lot to bear, and it felt like an uphill battle to develop confidence and self-esteem. Read More>>
Leta Taylor
Being a female automotive photographer in male dominated industry does come with challenges. Despite the challenges and stereotypes that may exist, it is crucial to remember that talent knows no gender. By focusing on honing my skills, I learned to showcase my unique perspectives and break through societal barriers. I learned to embrace failures as stepping stones to growth, and therefore I believe I can push boundaries and carve my own path, inspiring others and redefining industry standards. Read More>>
Alliah Cabradilla
Growing up in a suburban area in the rural areas of the Philippines, I was surrounded by conservative and traditional Filipino’s so it was hard to express myself. There were always comments on how I looked, how I dressed and how I presented myself which made my self-esteem and confidence really low. As a young girl, you don’t realize how those comments get to you and how it damages you. This will sound really cliché, but I compared myself, a lot. I compared myself to the beauty standards of those around me, and asked myself why I did not have those same features, not realizing that everyone is supposed to be uniquely different. Read More>>
Lee
I feel my confidence and self-esteem comes from within myself. I truly believe in me down to the core. I know who i am, what I’m capable of, what i offer and can bring to the table so because of that no one can tell me different. Any positivity given from others will always add to confidence but overall you have to feel that. Love yourself first and foremost! Self love is the best love. Believe in yourself even if no one else does. Not everyone will see your vision and you have to know you got what it takes. I have the mentality that’s is me vs me so i can’t lose. I constantly want to be a better version of myself than i was yesterday.
I’m my own competition and that type of confidence and mindset is top tier. Read More>>
Erin King
I developed my confidence after hitting a breaking point and wanting more for myself. I experienced toxic relationships, domestic violence, brokenness, hurt, shame, and humiliation in the past. But what I didn’t realize was my past was weighing me down and affecting my confidence until I reached my breaking point. As a single mother of two, I knew I wanted better, not only for myself but for my children as well. I decided to go on a healing journey to rebuild my foundation. I poured into myself daily from mirror affirmations to listening to podcasts, sermons, and taking walks, to find peace within myself. Slowly but surely, I began rebuilding my foundation and accepting both my past and the woman I was becoming. This process allowed me to reclaim my confidence and self-worth, no longer defined by my previous struggles. It empowered me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace new experiences, which further strengthened my confidence. Through self-discovery and acceptance, I have embraced my journey and developed a stronger sense of self. Read More>>
David Huffman
I have been lucky that leadership skills came pretty naturally to me. When you are the one that people look towards for guidance and direction, you better have some confidence in the decisions you make. I have also been able to recognize my strengths (time management, identifying and developing people’s skills, sense of humor, creative thinking) and use them as cornerstones to pick myself up when I’m questioning myself. Read More>>
Favage
All my life, I had no insecurities, but what made me insecure about my music are either new emerging artists blowing up on the internet, me thinking that I’m not good enough or thinking that people are way cooler than me. I hate the fact that I’m insecure about new artists blowing up because I shouldn’t feel that way and should view them as an inspiration for me to become the next new thing. Although, to help my self-esteem up, I look back on my music over the years and say “damn, I really made music for that long” and realized that I’m totally different than everybody, which both thoughts pushed me to continue making music and continue being different. I think it’s about looking back on how much you accomplished your goals, how long you been working on your dream for and learn how to accept yourself for who you are. Read More>>
Julie Whitney
I developed my confidence and self-esteem starting at an early age from appearing on stage in numerous talent shows where I sang throughout elementary school, and starring in numerous a few plays and musicals throughout my high school career, and also through working as a teen model. Believe it or not, I was very shy when I was a young child, but being on the stage and posing on camera was something that taught me to have confidence and it helped me thrive. These traits have served me well throughout my career as both a PR professional and also on-camera talent, as I have starred in podcasts, and also appeared in numerous TV and print commercials. Read More>>
Armin Nasseri
It took time to build my confidence and self-esteem. Throughout my life experience, I built my confidence by learning to trust and getting rid of self-doubt. Having self-doubt will only hinder you from accomplishing your goals. I built my self-esteem by learning to stop comparing myself to others. Making comparisons to other people both online and offline is unproductive and doesn’t do you any good. I’m always recognizing my strength and working on my weaknesses. Always know your value when you recognize your strength. I just continue to surround myself with uplifting people that want to see you evolve. Be kind to yourself and ignore the naysayers. Read More>>
Chania Price
I used to be very shy, and to this day it can consume me. However, sometimes you have to “fake it ‘til you make it. Once I realized that at the end of the day, everyone is trying to reach a certain goal, and that everyone gets embarrassed at times, it allowed me to let go and do things that made me happy regardless of judgement or stares. I also gained my confidence by simply talking to myself in front of a camera- whether I posted it or not- and over time it has become easier. I also love affirmations, because when you speak love and life into yourself, you will begin to develop self love and confidence. Read More>>
Andre’ Burgess
I discovered a love for music, plants, and art as a child. With roots in the South, I grew up with a family that mostly loved music and gardening. While helping my grandfather tend to his garden, I marveled at the way nature thrived under his care. Inspired, I began nurturing my own small garden, growing a variety of plants and vegetables. Although I worked in the civil engineering field for 35 years, through gardening, I found peace and a sense of accomplishment. Read More>>
Delora Green
Ever since I was a child, my parents showered me with compliments about my beauty. Their constant affirmations boosted my confidence and self-esteem as I grew older. Not only did my parents build me up, but strangers also contributed to my growing confidence by praising my looks. It was like a magical growth hormone for my self-assurance! However, as we age, our confidence can wane due to the negative opinions of jealous individuals who delight in picking apart our flaws. They project their own insecurities onto us, making us feel low and unattractive. I have personally encountered many people who took pleasure in tearing me down. But here’s the thing: when you truly know who you are and the value you bring, your confidence can bloom once again. It becomes difficult for anyone to tarnish it. By wholeheartedly believing in yourself, you can restore your confidence to the high level it once resided. Don’t let the opinions of unhappy people tarnish how you feel about yourself. Read More>>
Kacie Fournier
Gaining confidence and self-esteem has been a transformative journey for me. I was extremely shy as a child. It all started with perfecting my craft and honing my skills. I dedicated countless hours to mastering my chosen field, striving for excellence every step of the way. The more I invested in refining my abilities, the more my self-assurance grew. Read More>>
Nae Webb
Like anything you do in life as a human we always wanted to be good, look good or be better than the next person. When I started baking it wasn’t to make a profit or to try to start a business, it was simply me trying to figure out this skill that I had all this time. I wasn’t confident at all and didn’t really have a high self esteem about my baked goods until the positive feed back. I would always think “what looks and taste good to me might not to someone else.” With the help of my family and friends being my critics, taste testers and supporters I developed a confidence nobody can tear down. I know that God has put me in a position to where I can overcome different obstacles in my growth and journey and build a confidence and self esteem level that makes me stand out. Read More>>
Vivian Diaz
This is not an easy question, but the best way for me to answer it, is learning from every mistake I have done, Every time we make mistakes, we think we fail but the truth is that we are learning, we are growing, we are empowering ourselves to be better than the self before, I learned that every time I face a hard situation the way I faced and solved it is the one that makes me more confident in myself. I always say that life is a quest, and we only succeed if we solve every challenge we face. Read More>>
Princess
Developing confidence as a woman can be so very tricky. Especially because we live in a patriarchal society that doesn’t like to celebrate women in their power. Your confidence is reflected by what you feel about yourself, and the value that you feel you bring. I always tell women that they have to stop viewing themselves through the eyes of others, and especially the uneducated. It’s all about setting goals for yourself, trying new things, and taking the action to challenge yourself. Confidence comes from self discipline, and consistently doing things you use to think were impossible over, and over again. Your goals can be big or small. I’ve learned the smaller achievements is what helps you get to the bigger achievements. Like, you can set a small goal of “I’m going to read 5 pages out of a book every night.” If you’re consistent with that habit over time you’re going to become an avid reader. On top of that you’re learning from whatever you choose to read. In the end, let’s say in the span of 6 months you’ll be confident enough to not only read more but, also you’ll feel confident to share with others what you’ve learned. The same techniques applied to my own self-confidence. In order for me to feel more confident within, and boost my self esteem I needed to consistently pour self discipline, self love, self discovery, and self care into myself. Read More>>
Pastor Chelle The Overseer
I believe I developed my confidence and self-esteem through my Faith in God. My Faith helped me to understand that I am much more than I was giving myself credit for. I have always been known as the person that is “The Life of The Party”, but it was a to facade that hid what I really thought of myself, When I was younger, I saw my peers, who were seemingly, living their lives to the fullest and having no regrets while I was a Teenage Mother. I “allowed” others to place me in a Category that tried to dictate who I could be and what I could do. I seemed to “settle into that mold” and it caused me to not pursue some of the things I had dreamed of doing. I always wanted to be a Singer, but I never felt I was “good enough”. I wanted to be an Author, but I did not think I could do that. But as I grew up and my Relationship with God grew, I begin to understand that I could do anything I put my mind to and I could be whatever I wanted to, because regardless of what people thought of me or even said about me, The Word of God let me know that I am “fearfully and wonderfully made”. I have learned that the love I have for myself is the love that I deserve from others and if the love I give is not reciprocated, then that is a place I do not need to be. I love myself, I love who I was created to be, and I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I am and always have been, more than enough! Read More>>
India Kern
Developing confidence after going through a devastating divorce was a challenging journey for me. It required a shift in my mindset and a commitment to personal growth. I discovered that building confidence involved three essential actions: Believe, Behave, and Become. Let me share my experience with each of these components:
I first had to believe that I could overcome the devastation of divorce and create an extraordinary life for myself and my daughters despite the pain. Doubts and fears consumed me, yet deep down, I knew that I had the strength to rebuild my life. I held onto that belief. Read More>>
Heath Martin
Confidence really comes from constantly improving your skill, knowledge, or ability to do something to a point where you have proven evidence that you posses the skill, knowledge, or ability to be proficient in it.
As an example, you will not be confident in yourself if you constantly fail to keep the promises you make to yourself. Alternatively, if you consistently follow through on things you say you are going to do, then you will be confident that you can get things done and be productive. Confidence comes from having both competency and the required reps put into a certain skill to point where you feel like you can execute upon that skill at any given moment. Read More>>
Carmen Grayson
My confidence and self esteem go hand in hand. It was a risk. In order for me to put my fears to rest and pursuit my dreams and aspirations I needed to take the chance and go for it. As I took a step out in faith and enter the PR world my confidence and self esteem gradually followed and the more I pushed my self and challenged myself the more my confidence and self-esteem progressed and developed. Read More>>
Emily Chandra
To embody confidence, truly, is to get comfortable with and embrace all of who you are; your mistakes, your human-ness, and even your pain. A common misconception when people see videos from my dance studio or peek at my instagram, is that I am feeling myself 100% of the time- and that’s what it means to be confident. In actuality, I feel like a bad b!tch on some days, and other days I don’t- but on those days, I give myself grace and compassion and choose for myself what I need and how best to take care of myself. And I own that choice. That feels like confidence to me. Read More>>
Meredith Corning
Confidence and self-esteem go hand-in-hand with overall good mental health. One must first develop the core belief in one’s self that they can overcome any challenge sent their way. Harnessing emotions is a skill I developed to conquer fears. If something scares me, I will often jump in feet first to test and strengthen my perseverance. Over time, it has allowed me to develop a very niche skill of channeling positive or negative energy into something beautiful. Whether that energy is coming from somewhere internal or being projected onto us by outside forces, the power lies within each of us to decide how to use it. People will try to dim your shine because they are unhappy with themselves. Your internal dialogue trumps all. Nobody knows you the way you know yourself. Always tell the story you know is true and don’t let the cattle get in the way. Truth, good intentions and self-awareness will always lead to a healthy confidence and holding yourself in high esteem. Surrounding yourself with with others who respect themselves enough to care for their own and others’ well being, is a great place to start when seeking these qualities. I would recommend therapy to anyone having a hard time overcoming their fears and emotions that are holding them back from fully embracing their higher self. Read More>>
Shunnae McBride
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through what God gave me through my empowerment ministry, Meeting in the Ladies Room. I did not grow up with much external validation and didn’t have that internal validation. But because of my passion for wanting to help women in all aspects, I had to build confidence and boldness around who I am. This pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone, and through helping other women, I was able to face my own limitations and overcome my fears. Read More>>
Jazmin Rodriguez
Having been raised in a family with many Hispanic women who are strong-willed and confident helped to create the foundation for my confidence and self-esteem. The women in my family (mom, tias, and grandmother) all have strong characters and personalities, they always know what they want. Seeing how they carried themselves and stood firm in their words, taught me to carry myself like that in everything that I do. My mom always reminded me to embrace all of me no matter what others thought or said.
As I got older, I always remembered my mom saying that to me. When you are confident in yourself and your words, people tend to listen to you more and believe you. Not only do I carry this in my personal life but also in my business life. Being confident and believing in yourself can get you farther than you can ever imagine. With confidence, comes self-esteem, passion, and so many good things after that. I can proudly say that with the confidence that I was taught and built for myself, I have gotten farther in my business than I had imagined and have been presented with great opportunities. Read More>>
Ariel (my artist name is aryy) Mancanares
I used to be very insecure and shy growing up, especially when it came to my craft. Something that helped me immensely in the beginning was posting Youtube videos and getting validation from strangers. I know that sounds counter productive but it helped. And then to get out of that mindset of needing validation from strangers what helped me the most was honestly therapy. Read More>>
Natazia Cole
Growing up was a little different for me. I was never a “girly girly.” I used to enjoy playing video games and playing basketball in the street. My biggest change came for me in 7th grade. I started to look at boys different and my friends were going through puberty. I started cheerleading and really got into sports and my femininity. I was awarded homecoming queen that year. That alone changed my perspective about myself completely. The year after I became captain of my cheerleading team because of that. Once high school came that’s when puberty hit for me, and I went through a whirlwind of emotions and changes. As of today I am literally the blueprint of a girly girl. I enjoy keeping myself up and my appearance. It allows me to be the best version of myself. Read More>>
Jenna Michele
This was not an easy thing. I grew up with the worst confidence and self esteem you could imagine. I was told as a young child that I was fat, ugly and that no one would ever love me because I had a bad attitude and that stuck with me for about 22 years. I noticed that I was trying to full the void in myself with people that just used and abused me. It wasn’t until after I discovered mirror work did I really begin truely love and care for myself. I am 32 years old now and I can say so thankfully that I am in love with every part of myself. I love how I learn, how I work, how I fail and how I push through my failure. Had it not been for mirror work I would have never seen the beauty in a collapsed clay piece. I would have never seen the unique and artist energy it brings to the world. Read More>>
Tamara Mitchell-Davis
Developing confidence and self-esteem has been an ongoing journey for me, one that I believe is crucial for anyone striving to make a meaningful impact. While it’s difficult to pinpoint a single factor that shaped my confidence, there are a few key elements that have played a significant role in my personal development. Those elements include self-awareness, embracing failure, having a growth mindset and taking consistent action. Read More>>
Cesar Pichardo
My mother is a major reason for my confidence. In the eyes of a Latina mom their son can do no wrong. She has always believed in me to overcome any type of adversity. I also give credit to my father who was constantly working on a project or staying busy. He was always looking for something to and there was nothing he couldnt do in his mind. Seeing both my parents leave their native home and begin a new life here in America has always driven my confidence to reach my goals. Read More>>
Nick Cavalier
Growing up as a troubled kid in Cleveland Ohio, I pretty much had zero confidence until about junior year of high school, I started to turn that around by getting good at difficult tasks. First representational Drawing, then metal Drumming, and eventually into the my current path as a filmmaker. I think when you challenge yourself to do difficult creative tasks, you learn a lot about yourself and you overcome your perceived limitations. Leading to confidence and self esteem. Read More>>
Aria Cauthen, MS
Exceptional confidence and high self esteem are two things I consistently put in hard work and dedication to. I have always been a confident being and I have always exuded a high vibrational presence, however my confidence elevated once I realized how powerful my energy is. Positive affirmations, mirror work, self love, and plenty of self care. I treat myself like royalty and that has developed and grown my relationship with SELF. I love me. Read More>>
Tiffiney Cheairs
I would not there was a time in my life when I wasn’t confident, but there were times when my esteem was low. This would come from weight, acne breakouts, or even just situational stresses. When those situational stresses would arise, I would let myself go. My appearance didn’t bother me much. I knew that I could and should do better, but I didn’t. This took a toll on me mentally. was up and down. When I had my daughter in 2013, I knew something had to change. Watching her grow and see everything so positively forced me to change in ways I would have never imagined. I wanted her to see that no matter what goes on, try to have the best mindset possible. This means getting up in the morning and showering, washing your face, putting on a nice outfit, and smiling. While teaching her this, I was instilling it in myself. I started in a great mood each morning and would not let anything ruin my day. When I started taking my mental and physical health seriously I began to notice that I saw my life and the world around me in a more positive light. So my confidence and self-esteem is something I owe to my daughter. Read More>>
