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.
Porscha Johnson
My confidence and self-esteem have evolved through a combination of intrinsic passion for researching, planning, and actively pursuing my goals. Embracing my human design has provided a profound sense of alignment and confidence in my energetic self, significantly boosting my self-esteem. Additionally, continuous education through reading has played a pivotal role in enhancing my communication skills and presenting knowledge, further contributing to my confidence. The synergy of these factors has been instrumental in shaping a strong foundation of self-assurance and belief in my abilities. Read more>>
Chris Thomas
Developing confidence and self-esteem is kind of one of those things. I learned growing up. To take things on myself and make them the way I kinda had envisioned them. I always have thought I a could do almost anything given chance and opportunity i would give it hell. Read more>>
Dairu Ren
I profoundly recognize that self-awareness and acceptance are crucial components of confidence, propelling me more steadfastly along the path of professional development. Simultaneously, I believe that failure is not something to be feared; instead, it serves as an opportunity for learning and growth. Therefore, I maintain the courage to experiment and embrace mistakes, consistently refining my design methods and style. All of these elements collaboratively shape my confidence and self-esteem in the field of fashion design. Read more>>
Jamie-Lee Dimes
This is something I’ve struggled with in my life, it’s probably my biggest obstacle. I think music and deciding to give it my everything for five years, was the turning point in helping me find my voice, speaking up more, and understanding myself more. In the past few years, I’ve spent months at a time alone in the desert, I feel a bit sensitive leaving the house sometimes so when I do go out, I have a ritual to help me be more extroverted and confident to talk to people. Read more>>
Derrica Webb
I developed both confidence and self- esteem from how my parents raised me. I was raised to be a Queen by my mother and father and an entrepreneur by my father. Both confidence and self-esteem are traits you need to be a Queen Boss. Read more>>
Daniele Klien
I was naturally born as a shy person. I always had inner confidence in my abilities but struggled with self expression. I was born in Georgetown, Guyana, where I resided up until my teen years. When my family migrated to New York City, I was exposed to University life at 16 years old where I studied Finance – a field that does now allow for you to be the quiet one in the room if you want to succeed. Read more>>
Rebekah Laur’en
The more and more you do a thing that is truly for you, the better you get at it, leading to you gaining more confidence and self-esteem. I also believe in myself and always have so I act in that energy at all times. Read more>>
Victoria Makanjuola
Thank you for the opportunity to be featured in this series! My confidence in myself comes from my parents. From a young age, my mom would always tell me to “Dream big!” so, I truly believed I could do anything. When some mean boys were making fun of my face in elementary school, my mom said to tell them- “God made it and I like it!” Over time, I learned that no one can really teach you how to have confidence or self-esteem, it’s a learned practice and happens within. Read more>>
Ro DelleGrazie
It took me awhile to feel really confident on stage. I started in ’99 and I was 21. So I was trying to figure out adulthood while I was trying to figure out how to do stand up. I bombed…. a lot. Like leave your body and watch you die a slow death from up above bombing. But I just kept going, and I went everywhere. Any city, state, country I could get to. Read more>>
Yissendy Trinidad
I’ve developed my confidence and self-esteem through a combination of self-reflection and recognition of my achievements. I’ve dedicated a lot of time to personal growth, acknowledging that no one is perfect and that we all make mistakes. I’ve also come to understand that our past experiences can impact our confidence and self-esteem. Read more>>
Catherine Gulley
Well, where do I start, I struggled with my confidence and my self-esteem for a long time. Growing up my self-esteem was so low. I got teased a lot and I believed what some people would say. I didn’t believe in myself at all. I just didn’t think I could do anything, but God. I had to pray and ask God to help me and that’s what he did. Read more>>
Ayiana Viviana
My confidence as an artist has come in waves and from several different things. The medium I am exploring the most at the moment is painting and with painting, I started with zero technical knowledge or experience. The most I had done prior to September 2022, was doodling in journals and notebooks. In September of 2022, I was suicidal and there was a voice in my head that kept telling me I was a problem. Read more>>
Delphi
Coming from a household with a single mother and a very present grandmother Iv’e had an abundance of love and encouragement. Though I grew up struggling financially and without a long term father figure I’ve always been encouraged to follow my dreams. Positive reinforcement is a gift my mom and grandmother gave me. I think that has played a large part in building my confidence. Read more>>
Jessica Hall
I firmly believe developing confidence and self-esteem is a unique journey for each individual. My path involved a combination of self-reflection, learning experiences, and personal growth which is honestly a daily work in progress. I have thought quite a bit on a few key components that are continually to help me allow the way. Read more>>
Morgan Moody
I developed confidence and self-esteem by God and Self Affirmations. I have about 20 things I say to myself everyday to remind myself of how worthy I am internally and on the outside. God always helped me build my confidence because he made me to be one of a kind. In which I thank him everyday for making me the way I am on the inside and out. Read more>>
Crissy Faison
Developing confidence and strong self-esteem proved challenging for me. The journey to becoming the person I am today involved persistent self-questioning, not solely influenced by others’ opinions but by my commitment to meeting the high standards I set for myself. Read more>>
Maia Beatty
My first thought about confidence is that it’s much more situational that we’ve been led to believe. I mistrust the idea that you either have confidence or you don’t. In my work with clients and audiences over the years, I have found that most of us have some areas in life where we feel pretty confident—even if we don’t make it a big deal. We all have areas where we’re much less confident, or not confident at all. Read more>>
Rodolfo Roman
I wasn’t the biggest or strongest, but playing football and wrestling in high school allowed me to build a thick skin. Also, when I worked in a local news station one of the reporters would be on top of me and calling me out in front of everyone. In a way, she was bullying others and myself. I would go home distraught, but I spun that negativity to make me better. Sure she was hell, but I thank her for her cruel words. It made me a better writer. Read more>>
Efua
My journey toward developing confidence and self-esteem has been a transformative and challenging one. It’s important to note that self-efficacy wasn’t something that came naturally to me; rather, it was a trait I had to actively work on. Read more>>
Rachel Mostofizadeh
Their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence? I think a lot of my confidence comes from the awesome support I get from my family, parents, sisters and brother, friends, and of course, my clients! Also, I think what they say about, “fake it till you make it” definitely has some veracity to it. Read more>>
DALIANA CADAVID
I remember in my childhood I was a fan of Michael Jackson, my mother had a restaurant and every time we went to buy the supplies for the operation, there were videos of Michael dancing and doing shows in any direction you saw, I asked my mom to buy me the CDs so I could watch the videos at home, From watching them so much I learned the choreography and each time I danced while the video was playing. Read more>>
Sojourner White
Growing up I was a very shy kid around both family and friends. I also had a stutter that hindered my confidence and made me self-conscious to speak. It was so bad that when I ordered food at restaurants I couldn’t look the waiters in the eye to order. Instead, I would read off of and talk directly to the menu telling it my order rather than the person next to me. But this changed when I went off to college. I was in therapy my first semester that challenged me to tap into my vulnerability and understand who I wanted to be. Read more>>
Nigel Clayton
When I was 25 I was hired to be the accountant for a college that had 2 campuses and 6 continuing education locations in the mountains of Colorado. It was located in a small town where I could see deer and elk outside my kitchen window and bald eagle flying overhead. It was Rocky Mountain High as John Denver would say. We were 30 miles from Aspen. I loved the job. I had lots of responsibility and was enjoying the things I was learning. I was living in heaven. Read more>>
Shiquasha Little
Well first, I developed my confidence and self esteem in my vocals. When I would sing for fun in highschool in class, and then talent shows and open mics people would give me good feedback. Read more>>
Autumn Thomas
I haven’t always been the most confident person. But on my journey of self-actualization, I have found that anything you don’t like about yourself, you can change, you can improve if you’re willing to do the work. So, I started digging deeper, trying to identify the root of my low self-image. In doing so, I uncovered years of childhood trauma, self-deprecating and destructive behaviors. Desperate for change, I started pouring into myself by caring for my body and my mind. Read more>>
SAM FOX
Learning to accept my voice is an ongoing practice in trust and self empathy but I’ve noticed that the truer I stay to myself and my vision, the more confident I feel about my work. It’s difficult to not be influenced by my desire to live up to and be like the directors who I so greatly admire, but I have to realize that once I start trying to be like Kubrick or Argento or Cronenberg, I start comparing myself to these legends that are incomparable. That’s where the insecurity lies, when I try and be someone else because inevitably I’m going to fall short. Read more>>
Elsa Janney
This is not a question I had thought I would answer when I initially read through the series of prompts; yet I felt called to it, so I’ll give it a go! In my adolescent years I was bullied a lot, yet praised for my physical body and athletic skills and it created a very odd dynamic within my inner dialogue and sense of confidence. I developed a very strange self esteem from the neck down. Read more>>
FILIP KOSTOV
When I was a teenager I always been fan and addicted to the pop culture sceen. Since I remember I always been around girls and love making them glamorous. They inspire me and gave me the confidence to create my full vision. Read more>>
Jennings Rice
Confidence is something that built overtime with me. Even to this day, I can feel myself shy away from a choice because I am afraid Casting won’t understand it or think I’m weird. Confidence in myself came from training and persistence. When I’m in LA, I’m in an acting class. Read more>>
Cortney Herron
I believe my confidence and self-esteem have evolved through consistent practice and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I’ve found that growth happens when you’re willing to embrace challenges, even if they seem small at first. Whether it’s taking on new tasks, engaging in social situations, or learning new skills, each step outside my comfort zone has contributed to building my confidence. Read more>>
Jon Mohr
There are two ways I did this: First, the decisions I’ve made throughout my life and music career have led me to this point. The risks I’ve taken, opportunities I’ve accepted and declined, all led me to where I am now. So over time my confidence has grown because I trust myself to make the right decision for me and my career. Read more>>
Abi Heidel
I developed my confidence in the shower at 7 AM on a Tuesday. I don’t remember fully if it was a Tuesday… it could’ve been a Wednesday. Regardless, it was one little phrase in a podcast that shifted everything for me. Confidence is not a feeling. Confidence is an action. Read more>>
Gregory A.K.A “Nico” Ellis
My childhood was filled with moving around a lot and I didn’t feel confident as a kid, but as I grew to understand that finding my purpose in this world was the key to becoming my most authentic self I started taking steps to steel my resolve. I dropped out of high school around 10th grade and started living on my own, then later joined the army at 21. It was then that I truly started to see how my choices affected the world around me and I began to see the changes I needed to make in order to become the person I wanted to be. Read more>>
Deven Lawrence Bromme
I developed my confidence when I stepped outside my comfort zone. That being said, it developed by making many mistakes! But every time you make a mistake, there’s an oppurtunity to learn from it and make a correction. My blue print for success has never been linear and there have been multiple setbacks, but when you take a second to look back at what you’ve been able to accomplish, that really makes all the difference. When it comes to self-esteem, I try to surround myself with people who inspire me! Read more>>
