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.
Khairie Alim
I always been confident it kind of is in me. It is one of my things I’m proud about to be honest. It is one of the reasons I shoot for the stars and go after what I want. Nobody can tell me about me and if they do, I believe what I feel about me, so nobody can tell me otherwise, I don’t know if it was taught it could of been my mother who instilled in me I don’t know. Read more>>
Jason Allen Wear
My journey towards developing confidence and self-esteem has been deeply rooted in my faith and relationship with God. Through prayer, reflection, and a strong belief in divine guidance, I’ve learned to trust in my abilities and value myself as a unique creation. Read more>>
Ben Huynh
Growing up as a small, introverted refugee immigrant in the tough streets of Los Angeles was like navigating a maze with no map. Every corner held new challenges, and every step felt like a test of my resilience. But amidst the chaos, I discovered a strength within myself that I never knew existed. Read more>>
Arianna Hawthorne-Cox
Michelle Obama once said, “Your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude,” meaning that self-confidence frames the outcome of success. I firmly believe that if you don’t believe in yourself, then how do you expect anybody else to? Read more>>
Bri Logue
For me, building confidence and self-esteem has been a journey of staying true to myself and my commitments. As Andy Frisilla wisely puts it, “self-confidence starts with keeping the promises you make to yourself,” and I couldn’t agree more. It’s about setting goals, and holding myself accountable to them – or better yet, having a supportive community that helps keep me on track. Read more>>
Celeta Devine
So many times we look at other individuals and are in awe of what is seemingly confidence and self-esteem that presents itself as being unmatched. We sit on the sidelines and say “wow” I only wish that I could be bold enough to step into their shoes. Read more>>
Bossy CandyBarz
Honestly I taught myself self confidence, as a black gay male I always had to feel like I had to be strong in some way & I guess self confidence is that way. Read more>>
Renee Cunningham
I call it Nurturing Confidence, it is in all of us, but you must be surrounded by Mentors and Sheroes to enhance your light. In the journey of life, the development of confidence and self-esteem often intertwines with the influence of mentors and role models. Read more>>
Jordan Armijo
I really appreciate this question because this is something I’ve been asked a number of times before. I have learned how to answer it over time but I used to get a bit of imposter syndrome about it because I never truly felt confident until recent years. Read more>>
Franco Pomponi
Developing my confidence and self-esteem as an opera singer and artistic entrepreneur involved a multifaceted journey that, even still, encompasses both personal growth and external support. It takes dogged determination, and belief in yourself not only when things are bright but especially in the darkness. Read more>>
Aditya Patwardhan
My journey toward developing confidence and self-esteem as a filmmaker has been a multifaceted one, rooted in a profound belief in the stories and concepts I aim to share with the world. This belief forms the foundation of my creative identity, instilling in me the conviction that my work can provoke introspection and enrich the lives of audiences. Read more>>
Ashlie Williams
Growing up and throughout my college years, I never had a practice of building my own confidence and self esteem. I grew up in a household where my parents believed in me to the highest extent. Subconsciously, I relied on my educational pursuits, career achievements and connection to others as my source of confidence and esteem. Read more>>
Jayy Doll
Beautiful starting question! I used to wake up every day hating life, dreading everything in it and wanting my day to be over before it even began. I had conditioned behaviors/patterns and old limiting beliefs I needed to break to really be able to accept the truth of my reality. Read more>>
Tesha Smith Multidimensional Creative and C.E.O.
In my journey to develop confidence and self-esteem, I have found that stepping out of my comfort zone, continuously learning and improving my skills, setting achievable goals, practicing self-care, engaging in positive self-talk, surrounding myself with supportive people, and reflecting on my achievements have been instrumental. Read more>>
Swati Tiwari
By showing up to the studio to create choreography consistently. Creating choreography is the hardest thing I do — it has to appeal to and challenge my dancers and has to be entertaining to our audiences. Knowing that I can do hard things consistently gives me confidence. Read more>>
Mayana Geathers
I am constantly working on my sense of well being, my sense of self, my confidence and my self esteem. It starts with reminders that I am worthy. That I am worthy to take up space, to have my perspective, to try new things and to simply be. Read more>>
Badmon Zae
I was overweight as a child. Once I started exercising and eating healthy I lost the weight. Once I was able to wear the clothes I wanted and I felt good about my appearance it was over. No one could tell me anything! Read more>>
TeAndra Nikele
Whew! So, when it comes to building confidence and self-esteem, it’s been quite the ride for me. I’ve been navigating the struggle of perfectionism, fearing judgment, and finding my genuine self for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I faced some serious hurdles, but those challenges helped shape who I am today. Read more>>
Ashley Ladd
Starting off, the beauty of confidence lies in its mystery of authenticity. Just like many others, I have faced imposter syndrome in the past and occasionally still do. In my experience, what boosts my confidence in both myself and my work is surrounding myself with hardworking individuals who are devoted to self-improvement and support me. Read more>>
Sam MacLean
Confidence is something that I have struggled with in my life and it was made even more challenging when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 14. I hated how this made me different from others in my school and classes and it only heightened my self-consciousness. Read more>>
Harvey Tannenbaum
For me, developing confidence and self-esteem is part of a process that starts with a willingness to take some amount of risk and to accept the results. I remember as a kid the first time my parents took me to an amusement park and I was terrified to ride the roller coasters. Those coasters were big, they went really fast, and the people riding them were screaming! Read more>>
Robyn Gutierrez
Building confidence and self-esteem is an ongoing practice, a lesson I learned later in life. Initially unaware of my lack of confidence, a turning point came when I got curious about why I struggled to believe in myself and pursue my dreams. Read more>>
Sarah Teeple
I developed it the hard way – through lots of nitty-gritty life experience! Singing in a touring rock band, plenty of partying, a heartbreaking divorce, loss, career changes, a fertility journey…. My solid relationship with myself and my intuition was developed over a decade of ups and downs – and witnessing firsthand that all the answers and wisdom were already inside of me, and that I had to slow down to access it. Read more>>
WIIM The Musician
Growing up I was kind of a people pleaser. My mom tells me, even as a kid, I would always make sure other kids had toys first before I did. She never saw it as an issue, until I was old enough to realize my self-confidence was fleeting and conditional, making it a flaw. Read more>>
Jacquelin Finnicum
I believe that self confidence and self esteem is something that we build within ourselves by knowing ourselves intimately. Having a strong sense of self is a key element for both self confidence and self esteem. Read more>>
Jacqueline Fields
In 1972, Bethel Grove was a working-class neighborhood in the northeastern corner of South Memphis. We had a quintessential , “Leave It To Beaver” type of childhood, complete with bike brigades and street light curfews. Our biggest worry was running fast enough to catch the ice cream truck. Read more>>
Ali Mariles-Golamb
It has taken many years to develop my confidence. When I was in college studying art, I had very little confidence about the art I produced, but I kept going because I knew that this is what I wanted to do. Read more>>
Elian Monjack
I was my worst enemy, The Queen of low self-esteem, And Self-judgments. Overthinking everything, Caring too much what other people think of me, Self-sabotage my efforts to succeed, Making myself small in every way possible, And feeling that im not enough for almost all of my life! Read more>>
Jocelyn Lomahan
Growing up in a very strict household where both of my parents were immigrants from the Philippines, I was taught at a very young age to keep my head down, get good grades, don’t get into trouble… so it wasn’t easy to stand out growing up. Read more>>
Nashira Arno
In my journey as a designer, solo entrepreneur, and woman of color, building confidence and self-esteem has been essential. Embracing my uniqueness has allowed me to juggle my natural talents, like designing and storytelling, while also learning and mastering new skills like leadership and brand building. Knowledge has been my ally in adapting to new roles. Read more>>
Carolyn Carpenter
I think confidence and self-esteem are two different things. I feel that self-esteem is something that comes from having a sense of self-worth, valuing yourself regardless of your circumstances. Everything in your life could be falling apart, you could be at rock bottom and you still know that you have worth and value, you still love yourself. Read more>>
Megan Nance
Confidence is something that I find I constantly have to work on, like a muscle, to keep pushing forward when I want to just curl up in a ball and disappear. I listen to people like Gary Vaynerchuk and Mel Robbins and it helps keep me going when I think I am failing. Read more>>
Cindy Leewood
The unknown is scary when you don’t know what you are able to do. My confidence and self esteem comes from the knowledge I’ve gained from my experiences. When you are equipped with skills to combat a problem, you feel more comfortable confronting the challenge. Read more>>
