Building Blocks of Success: Confidence & Self Esteem

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.

Tripp Pickell

I was born afraid of everything. One of those fears was swimming. With that came public shame at any pool or lake gathering. The nice kids who would invite me to join them received my usual, “I can’t swim so I can’t join you” speech and the mean kids were the mean kids. When I was 9 years old, I had gotten so fed up with feeling so stuck and inadequate that something clicked in me and on a vacation, at a hotel pool, I swam in the deep end, on my own. Read more>>

Kalika Evans

Honestly, it took a very very long time to develop and I’m still working on it day by day. It took finally reaching a point in my life where I was exhausted with hating myself so much. It took a little bit of spite too. I had to start thinking, “Why would I let the people who wanna see me fail win?” So I started to build my confidence in doing better to show them up. Slowly telling myself every day I was amazing, started to repeat without me trying anymore. Read more>>

Monika Chwajol

caused myself since childhood, but life made me even more self-confident. Every obstacle I encountered motivated me not to give up and follow my own path and live on health principles. life may be because I have my own values ​​that are worth applying and never giving up. Read more>>

Anabell Villanueva

My confidence and self-esteem were developed through practicing self-awareness, mindfulness, and learning to listen to my intuition. I always considered myself a very insecure person, constantly doubting myself and relying on others to make my decisions. Life became complex from this perspective, which is why I was always open to spirituality, self-help books, and therapy. Read more>>

Candice Thibodeaux

I think self-esteem and self-confidence overlap, but they are different. Self-esteem refers to whether you appreciate and value yourself. Your self-esteem develops and changes as a result of your life experiences and interactions with other people. Self-confidence is your belief in yourself and your abilities. Read more>>

Tara Deal

I developed my confidence and self-esteem by first getting to know and understand who I truly am as an individual. This included recognizing my likes and dislikes, my passions and boundaries, and what makes me happy. It also involved believing in myself wholeheartedly and trusting in my ability to tackle anything I set my mind to. Read more>>

Tyrese Singleton

When I first started shooting, I was most insecure about posing! I feel like most new photographers have this problem, but I honestly feel like my confidence has just grown with experience and exposure. I find myself confidently directing models into poses without even thinking about it! Pinterest is also a great place to find and study poses! Read more>>

Carlos Rodriguez

I have always been a heavy person, and during my youth, I was also very shy and timid. This combination often attracted criticism, even from those who were supposed to love me. People would say things like, “You’ll never be able to do this,” or “You’ll never do that.” Strangely enough, these remarks gradually fueled my courage. Read more>>

Giuseppe Quarata

Confidence comes from God. I have learned that in business and life, confidence is the factor for success, but confidence found only in themselves becomes pride and selfishness. This is why I say that my confidence comes from God; even in confidence, we need to remain humble.  Read more>>

Alexa Roxelin

It all started when I was 13; that’s when I joined my first belly dance class. I remember that in the first month, I put my heart into it so much that my teacher proposed I become the kids’ teacher. I felt so flattered—I thought, “OMG, I’m so good at this!” However, I didn’t take the commitment because I didn’t want that kind of responsibility at that time. Read more>>

Aqua Ivy

I’ve always been an Aries through and through—confident, headstrong, and always ready to take center stage. My journey to developing this confidence and self-esteem started early on. Growing up, I was that kid who never shied away from a challenge, whether it was in school musicals or leading group projects.  Read more>>

Elnaz Moghangard

For a long time, I thought confidence and self-esteem were the same thing. As I got older and navigated my relationship with myself more deeply, I realized that confidence is more of an outward projection of our best self. It’s how we carry ourselves when we entire a room, our posture, the way we communicate, and the overall mindset that we are worthy of taking up space in our environments and interactions. Read more>>

Speakeasy The Storyteller

The past is literally not real. Like – you can do whatever you want. You may not have control over the specifics but you must realize that you are in full control of your mind and body. Insecurity is an illusion, a construct, a learned behavior. Confidence is the default state. We couldn’t walk, talk or even hold our own heads up at birth. Read more>>

Michelle Miltenberger

This has been a life-long journey so far. When I was a teenager I was tall and lanky, with bad skin, and did not feel like I fit in very well. I hated my body, and I tried to tailor my personality towards the girls in school that were popular. I was also taught, like most young girls, that we always have to be polite, that others’ comfortability is more important than our own. When I was in my 20s, I tried to be the person that society expected of me. Read more>>

Karla Dascal

I developed my confidence and self esteem by going within. By learning how to look inside and understand what my body and mind were craving, by understanding the importance of listening our intuition, by testing my self and going after what I knew I needed, by trusting my intuition, by retreating when necessary, by education myself on the things and themes that I had an interest in, and I was passionate about, by reinventing myself and evolving with life.  Read more>>

Jason Flesher

I think my confidence and self-esteem really started to develop while in the presence of brothers of mine in the United States Army. We all really built each other up and gave each other the encouragement, and confidence that we can do anything we set our minds to. Read more>>

Todd Stark

I developed my confidence and self-esteem through a combination of education, setting small goals, and building a strong support network. Learning about my industry and acquiring relevant skills provided a solid foundation. Achieving small, realistic goals built my confidence over time. Read more>>

Tonya Mack

I grew up as a chubby kid and was so self conscious of it. I would refuse to participate in gym class in elementary and junior high school. I didn’t play sports and I wasn’t athletic in any way. One day, I came across ESPN when they used to run exercise programs. I became addicted to those early days with Denise Austin and Gilda’s Bodies in Motion. I would do multiple programs a day and dropped weight. Read more>>

Sophia Center

Growing up, I was in one of those stereotypical middle school bands with my best friend. We started writing songs together, played at local coffee shops, and became the go-to entertainment at our school’s events. It was my first time writing with another person rather than just alone in my room, and I absolutely loved it.  Read more>>

Tara Fulgenzi

A blessing or a curse I am not sure which but I am always creating the next challenge or the next big adventure. As soon as one is overcome I am looking for the next experience that will challenge me. I love travel and spent many years traveling via sailboat. I also really love backpacking and take every opportunity to carve out time to cover ground and be immersed in remote wild spaces.  Read more>>

La Shawna Griffith

I think my confidence developed as I matured into an adult. Growing up in Barbados I was not always as confident as I am now as I came from more humble beginnings living in the Mapp Hill, St. Michael area. But over the years, as I grew into my purpose I developed the confidence to know that I was brilliant and had a purpose.  Read more>>

Zoe Chavira & Tayleur Dubord

Working in the floral industry, most of the feedback we get is positive and supportive, but sometimes it can be harsh. You have to be able to respect that everyone’s taste is subjective and our work is sometimes not for everyone because we are not traditional nor do we take a traditional approach to design. Read more>>

Savannah Beauchene

Confidence is something that is within all of us. Even though confidence comes in ebbs and flows, all of us have it. Looking back at my confidence in high school versus college, I definitely feel more confident now than I did back then. I think about all the pressure I used to put on myself in middle and high school to look prettier, have better style, have the same body type as every other girl, but it’s now in my early 20s that I am starting to come to the realization that I have give myself some grace to learn that I can become more confident.  Read more>>

Michele Tays-Hopkins

I developed my confidence and self-esteem through many challenges during my life. By trying and sometimes failing but getting back up on my feet and try a different path. Read more>>

Janavi Mahimtura Folmsbee

The marine world gives me so much happiness and peace when I dive. I live and work in Houston, Texas. If you told me 15 years ago when I began my Marine Conservation art practice, that there would be one of sixteen US Marine Sanctuaries located here in Texas, and that I would be sitting on the Advisory Council to NOAA (making Monumental public art to bring attention to the beauty of the sanctuary), I wouldn’t have believed you. Read more>>

Montse Soto

Since I was a little kid my mom taught me to be brave and to love myself so much.To have self-esteem nowadays is tough, because it’s very easy to compare yourself to others on social media. But what I’ve learned in recent years is that everyone has their own path, and what matters is being authentic.Self-love is the most important thing for me because it has kept me afloat when my heart has been broken.  Read more>>

Pramita Mukherjee

I started working in the animation industry when I was 19 years old from Mumbai, India in 2007. Back in those days, very few actually knew what this industry was about and one can make a living out of it. Being a young woman trying to make a start in animation was even more harder, so at a very young age , I started facing various challenges trying to survive and make my way.  Read more>>