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.
Andrea Bellucci
It has been a gradual and multifaceted journey for me: from the early days of studying classical piano to diving deep into the world of music composition for visual media, I have always been driven by passion, and that’s probably your best friend, when you work in a highly competitive industry. Gaining recognition and working on projects with major companies like Riot Games, Skydance, and Amazon has certainly boosted my confidence, but the crucial aspect of building my self-esteem has been embracing both successes and failures along the way. Read more>>
Jaysean Berndt
I develop my confidence from my mom. She’s always told me you could do anything you put your mind to. She also raised me to be patient And kind. Read more>>
Joshua Dupiton
Self-esteem grows as we keep the promises we make to ourselves, regardless of what others believe. This means staying the course no matter what. The Opinions of Others don’t matter more than My Opinion of Myself. Confidence comes from Power. True Power, comes from Knowledge. Therefore, Knowledge is the Key to unlocking the Power to Achieve your Dreams. Power Alone is not enough to achieve what is seemingly impossible. The Will to Face Failure, Where the Destination is Unknown… This is known as having Heart. Power Plus Heart, equals the Impossible becoming Possible. Read more>>
Anna Sidana
My elementary school motto – Courage is Destiny, has served me well throughout life. It became my inner voice that nudged me to take the leap whenever I had any hesitations. By taking risks in life, I learned to deal with failures and successes. I realized that if I had not taken some steps I would not be where I am today. For example, I recently took a big risk in leaving a successful marketing career to go back to school for a master’s degree in art. As a result of that today, I am a full-time visual artist and have created a life that gives me joy every day. There was plenty of hard work, bumps, and self-doubt, but I stayed true to myself in my art practice and committed to this path with a passion. Becoming a practicing artist has given my confidence and self-esteem a big boost, and I have never looked back. Read more>>
Stacey E. Haught
I think this is something that I’m still working on as a woman who has freshly turned forty, and who has dealt with body confidence issues my entire life. I feel like I haven’t fully come into my own. And I don’t think I am the only one. If we are being honest with ourselves. Truly, there are things we are deep down still struggling with. Flaws only we see in the mirror. That pesky 5lbs we want to lose. Or those grey hairs we think we are too young to have. Perhaps even those fine lines and wrinkles we can’t admit to having. I think truly deep down what really comes down to self-esteem and confidence is being okay with the person we are. In my experience when I’ve met a confident, fully secure person. Female, male, non-binary. They’re not bothered by what they “look” like. They’re more “bothered” by how they affect other people. What that lasting impact is like. That’s the kind of esteem I strive for. Wanting to unpack those deep-rooted issues to where I don’t take out my lack of confidence and lack of esteem on my fellow human. To where I can fully embrace all of me in order to fully embrace everyone around me. Read more>>
Raina / Nana Menné / Kailiwai
I’d like to start off by saying although I actively work through my battle with imposter syndrome and doubt it still exists. The older I get the more I learn that every season truly has a reason and the more you grow and evolve the more you will be tested. But this is exactly where I feel my confidence and self esteem sprouted. I had to make a choice to be aware of my insecurities and face them. When I first started modeling I did it because I knew I was beautiful externally but I don’t think I was yet aware of the beauty that lies within me. Over the last eight years of me modeling I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to this brilliance, to my light. it’s like at a certain point we have to look within, take inventory, and say ok, this is what it is, and what it ain’t, but nobody is gonna tell me what it can’t be!? it’s almost as if we’re in a constant relationship with self, learning new ways, tricks, love languages and how to truly embrace what we’re growing into. Pretty much what I’m saying is what has helped me obtain confidence is my desire to get to know myself whilst being kind in the process bc it isn’t always easy. 🙂 Read more>>
Vera Morris
The key ingredient to developing confidence and self-esteem is finding things in life that you’re passionate about. Growing up, I was a very shy girl from a small town of Nashville, NC, but I was a huge dreamer. Even at a young age, I kept a journal and would wrte down things that I wanted to do in life. One of those items on my list was pageants. My love of pageantry started when my mother and I would always watch the Miss USA pageant together and when I saw now actress Halle Berry represent Ohio in the Miss USA pageant and become first-runner up that year, I knew that I too wanted to do a pageant. She made me believe that I too could compete at the Miss USA pageant, or better yet, achieve any dream that I had. I entered a local Christmas pageant, and had no clue what I was doing. It was definitely a learning experience. It was when I was in high school that entered another local pageant, and also found another passion of mine, which is community service. Read more>>
Matt Kelly
Confidence is a funny thing. Influence from both nature & nurture. Family support is great, bc you trust these people. Reinforcement when you’re young is extremely important. But if you just surround yourself with yes-man and have not become familiar with rejection, it’s really easy for that confidence to turn into a fragile ego. Sometimes insecurities can come from a situation outside of you support circle that makes you question yourself, I think when you’re an artist, insecurities are a part of the gig and it’s really important to take your mental health serious, but part of that is being able to brush your shoulder off like Jay. I am a firm believer that the best way to overcome your fears is to fight, no flight. you have to become comfy with rejection because it’s inevitable. Trial by fire… Like a mf pheonix. Read more>>
Diana Flynn
I’ve always believed that you can do anything you set your mind to. My parents didn’t have a lot of preconceived notions about what kind of career I would choose and so I always thought I could do anything I wanted. If you’re not afraid of failing then you’re more willing to put yourself out there. I think having that early freedom just allowed me to build on the confidence that we all start with as young children. Read more>>
Jaclyn Croel
Since adolescence, I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum (I was the kid who would wear my dress-up princess dress and plastic click-y shoes to the grocery store with my mom; she always encouraged my extra-ness). I owe a lot of who I am to both of my parents to be honest; my work ethic, how to find my Truth, my purpose and my confidence. My dad would always say to both my brother and I, “You’re a leader, not a follower,” and to be honest, I never knew the purpose of that statement until I took the space and time to do some soul searching. There’s never a day where I haven’t said that same thing to myself ever since I figured out what that meant. I’m from a small town, a place where life moves way slower, a place where you actually take the time to stop and smell the flowers, to enjoy the little things. But it’s also a place where the standard set by its own society is judgment, hypocrisy and a lack of acceptance. My childhood through teenage years were anything but easy: that time was also full of the aforementioned. Though these actions are not okay, I know that being faced with adversity at such a small age and size, built the tough skin I needed to prosper and overcome the not-so-great experiences. It has taught me the true meaning of my dad’s statement: to never conform, to never stray from who you are at your core and to *never* turn your back on your own personal Truth. Read more>>
Lisa Beaufait
My development of confidence and self esteem has been a lifelong journey. I came from a family of divorce and remarriage with lots of children and lots of issues, including two suicides. One child was sociopathic and often Found himself in the maximum security prison systems. My beginning of building confidence was a mad rush to escape from my childhood and past while working through school to pay for my bachelors degree I was grateful to work at a fantastic company that Funded my executive MBA from Kent State University and my registered corporate coach certification from the worldwide association of business coaches. Through various projects and leadership roles, I began to help others learn and grow in their journey. This is where my true learning went even further. Sometime you need to help someone else to realize where you are. I will always be grateful for my journey and and helping others. I helped a friend start a non-profit, called She Elevates. This nonprofit helps girls ages 8 to 14 build confidence, build the skills to start businesses, write books, and become leaders in their schools. This is some thing that I wish I had growing up. Read more>>
Julie Johnson
To reach the core of my confidence and self-esteem issues, I underwent extensive therapy that delved into the deep-seated impact of childhood trauma on my beliefs. It’s crucial to recognize that navigating confidence and self-worth in a society that imposes unrealistic standards on women often necessitates mental health therapy. Seeking a neutral observer to confront our internal conflicts and challenge the falsehoods imposed by external sources is vital. While a supportive circle is valuable, having individuals who can affirm our inherent completeness without sugarcoating reality is equally essential. Read more>>
Javen Jackson
Picture this. The years is 1998 Almost the Turn of the 21st Century in LA, not Los Angelos but Lower Alabama. and A young couple has just had their fourth child together, their second baby boy. Though their marriage is clearly out the door they made a pact. even though they couldn’t workout they would do their best to provide the love, discipline and work ethic necessary to see their kids thrive. That boy was me. and I always had passionate and felt a sense of purpose. And that unique time period of their lives and the turning of the century promised one thing, endless opportunities. My journey has been anything but easy but, My self-esteem stems from my fathers words to me every night I would spend with him as a child where he would look me in my eyes a utter the saying “you can do anything you set your mind to”. then my mother taught me pride, your names attached to it so do It right the first time. She also showed me what hard work looks like, clocking night shifts to provide for her children. Read more>>
Eliza Moser
Developing self-confidence might be a continuous journey, but I found that it all comes down to experience. Just trying something, even if it might not work. When you fail, you learn that the world hasn’t come to an end and that you’ll be fine; when you succeed, you realize you are capable of more than you know. As an artist, my career path didn’t really come with an instruction manual. Fresh out of art school I had no idea how to turn my passion into a living, so I had to cast a wide net and see what approach would work. Over the years I tried many different business models before I found one that was sustainable. Many ideas didn’t bring any results, and in the beginning that sometimes seemed devastating. But then I’d wake up the next day, I’d see all was not lost, and I could try something else. Compound that with small successes along the way, which gradually turn into bigger successes, and you will eventually develop the confidence and resilience to navigate any situation no matter how daunting. Read more>>
Sabrina Avellán
In order to develop my self-confidence and self-esteem, I first needed to debunk everything I thought I knew about self-confidence. Because self-confidence isn’t taught to us like learning how to read or ride a bike. We absorb its meaning through what we see represented to us in the media, our social circles, and communities at large. So the idea of what a self-confident person looks like was flawed, to begin with. We’ve been taught that confidence looks like a size 0 white woman working in the corporate environment who wears a power suit. Why? Because if you Google “confident woman”, this is what you’re going to see come up. We also think that a confident woman looks like someone epically dressed and strong walking into a room and commanding everyone’s attention. Why? Because this is what is represented to us in the media. Confidence as it’s shown to us somehow gets wrapped up in what we look like, what we dress like, and what our jobs are. But true self-confidence and true self-esteem don’t come from claiming how great you are in the way that you dress and talk, they come from acknowledging, owning, and embodying all of the ways in which you are great. And no matter what size or what color or what industry you’re in, your internal greatness makes you inherently worthy to be, feel, and exude confidence. Read more>>
KATIE VALENTINE
Ten years ago, at the peak of my DJ career, Facetune hit the market, and I developed body and facial dysmorphia. At 24, I sat in a doctor’s office with a Facetuned photo of myself. I called it “my dream face,” begging him to make me look like that. I had been called horrible names on the internet. My agency even circulated a photo of me, saying I looked fat and pregnant. My already fragile confidence was shattered. After playing around on his computer for a few minutes, the doctor turned it around, and I saw my dream face. In that moment, I felt in my bones the kind of life a woman who looks like that would have. I imagined how much easier my existence would be. When I found myself in the bank trying to get a $40,000 loan for plastic surgery, I had a BIG wake up call. It took many years and numerous rock bottoms before I finally found “the work.” The day I hit my scariest rock bottom, I found my hypnotherapist, who is now my partner in healing in my signature program ‘Metamorphosis.’ Through subconscious work, I completely redefined my self-concept. After years of abusing my body, avoiding mirrors, analyzing photos of myself online, and injecting crap into my face, I began to fall in love with the woman I saw in the mirror each morning. It took a lot of repetition—my low self-esteem had taken over two decades to develop—but through consistency and dedication, I have rebuilt myself from the ground up. And I fucking love the woman I have become in the process. Read more>>
Tiffany Gong
A lot of it stems from spending time by myself. When I studied abroad in Seoul, South Korea in 2017, I had a big desire and curiosity to explore, but I didn’t know anyone in the city. I found myself planning out spontaneous day trips, trying out new restaurants, attending dance classes, and crusading around town on my own. I had my own reservations at first (what will others think of me? is it awkward if I sit here by myself?), but what started off as by force (hanging out alone as I didn’t know anyone in a foreign country) ended up leading me to an embodied appreciation for solo adventure, which has grown exponentially till this day. In fact, I often prefer it as I get to have my own experience without being overly conscious and/or feeling responsible of others’ experience. It also opens me up to opportunities, people, and fated encounters that I may not have had if I were in the company of another. When I was younger, I always needed a friend to accompany me to a new spot or experience, and if I couldn’t find anyone to go with, I wouldn’t go at all. Now, I book the ticket, make the reservation, and initiate my own experiences in my life without needing to rely on anyone else. Eating alone at restaurants is normal. Bringing my guitar to parks and serenading the birds, bees, & the trees with song is normal. Going out to events on my own is normal. (in fact, these are all more than normal to me! they’re life giving!) Read more>>
De shawn Montel Fowler
I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to say I grew up in a house hold that was very intense on instilling confidence within ourselves at a young age. My mother grew up as an artist as well and she pushed us all to keep believing in what you will have vs what you don’t have. She has always said to me that it’s ok if someone doesn’t like what you do because someone will and you should keep putting out what you feel for those that enjoy connecting with what you make. My aunt also was very big into us having high confidence in what we believe in because if we don’t, who will? Every day I thank God for the amazing support from the two most impactful women in my entire life. Without them I wouldn’t be able to be who people know me as today. Read more>>
Austin Gelhar
I really don’t think there are many things that any of us are inherently born with. I actually would argue that there’s no such thing as a prodigy or that natural gifting makes someone successful. The attributes and skills required for someone to be great are learned, they’re built through experiences and people. Confidence and self belief are no different. I fully believe that confidence is a skill that anyone can learn. You just have to be willing to learn. I remember 8th grade being in middle school and feeling so self conscious and insecure. It was like I had finally become self aware and I realized that I was different than other students. You see growing up I went to a small private school where none of my classes were larger than 8 people. Everyone knew everyone and there weren’t really any outsiders. 8th grade I decided to make the switch to public school and boy was that a shock. I didn’t know anyone. I was completely out of my element and had know idea how to find connection. Enter one of the first mentors in my life. I was at a youth camp and he was one of the youth leaders. The first day he came right up to me and introduced himself. It was quite a shock for me because I had just spent the last year of school very much getting made of fun and not being accepted. Quickly our friendship began and he became like an older brother to me. Under his mentorship/friendship I learned how to love myself and express myself as myself without fear of what other might think. It was so powerful and I can’t thank him enough for helping me come out of the shell and the walls that I had built around myself. He singlehandedly changed my trajectory in high school and now I can fondly look back at that season of life so happy at the friends I had made and the life I got to experience. Read more>>
Temitayo Ibitoye
Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a transformative journey, much like building muscle at the gym. In my early teenage years, I dreaded photos because I felt unattractive. I would tear up any picture with my face on it until one day, I decided to start keeping them as time stamps to document events. I began writing names, dates, and details on the back of each photo. This simple shift in habit changed my mindset and gave me the courage to preserve memories rather than destroy them. One day, a girl I had a crush on saw some of my pictures and was genuinely thrilled, complimenting my appearance. At first, I thought she was just being kind, but soon I realized she meant it. That moment was a revelation—nothing had changed physically, but everything had changed mentally. I felt like the Denzel Washington among my friends and became the one to initiate taking pictures. This experience taught me that self-esteem starts from within. This experience taught me that self-esteem starts from within. Another crucial aspect of building my confidence has been focusing on others and sharing my knowledge. As a music producer and sound engineer, mentoring aspiring creatives and imparting my insights has been immensely rewarding. Seeing others value and benefit from what I share not only boosts my confidence but also reaffirms my abilities. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” This quote perfectly encapsulates my experience—each act of helping others has, in turn, helped me grow and build my confidence. Read more>>
Candace Causey
For me, I have learned to be patient with myself. I am human, as all of us are, and I can only do so much. I have learned to not over commit, over think or over complicate anything that I do. Chipping away at tasks, and telling yourself, “you will get there” become my advice to others, as well as myself. We are not perfect, which makes life so interesting. I have learned to love me, and what I am about, what I look like, what I am capable of, and I do challenge and stretch myself in small quantities, which end up helping me grow in major ways. Doing small things that make me happy, watching a sunset, wearing a favorite outfit, fixing my hair in the morning, taking a breath, all these small things just ground me. I pause, I didn’t use to, I do now, because sometimes you need to stay still, be silent and listen. Some of my confidence and self-esteem has come from others, my husband. He always has faith in me, he trusts me, and builds me up when I don’t think I can do something. Having that support system has been key. Because you can’t be 100% positive every single day. Practicing self-care, which is hard. Who has time for yourself, when you work full time, are a parent, have a start-up business on the side, and maintain friends and family activities. It’s exhausting just thinking about it. But I decided to chip away, to start small, and build. Rome was not built in a day. Read more>>
Laura Franco
Gaining confidence and self-esteem was not an easy task; it took many years and tears. Considering my upbringing in Soviet Ukraine in the 80s, where people were not encouraged to have personalities, be creative, or achieve much in life, I was extremely shy and introverted as a young woman. As I grew older and realized that my thoughts and talents were worthwhile and valuable, my mindset shifted. Life often presents unexpected challenges that we may feel unequipped to overcome. However, I developed resilience, and confidence and self-esteem followed. I embraced the opportunity to pursue my desires without fear of rejection or appearing incompetent. I sought knowledge from every encounter and avoided arrogance or ignorance. I believed in sharing my expertise and positive energy with clients and colleagues. Above all, it is vital to appreciate every individual who contributes to our growth, regardless of the nature of the lesson they impart. Read more>>
Brad Belmondo
A long time ago, way back at the end of middle school, I had to deal with a lot of bullying and not fitting in, due to the fact that I found something that I genuinely found interest in and wanted to devote my time to. Back then, writing music and playing an instrument was something the other kids in my class viewed as dumb and irrelevant to any sort of job. Around this same time, I was faced with losing all of the close friends that I had, due to leaving my other passion, baseball. Baseball was always something that gave me energy and made me smile when I played; but it became clear that, yes, even in middle school baseball, smiling and not crying after striking out was sinful. I’ll never forget the feeling of being surrounded, not only by my peers, but my entire town and community and being bullied by other fathers and parents and their kids. The truth is, I have always been a very optimistic person and I was lucky enough to have a fantastic and happy childhood. Being this way, my classmates and many families around the town treated us differently and made an effort not to include us in anything. Read more>>
Kirby Wade
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through practice. Practice of putting my work out there for people to see. Noticing how it affected them or what they may have to say about it and realizing I don’t care what people think about my art. I never began making art for the “fame” or it. I began making art because it brings me joy, exercises my mind, challenges me and enters me into a meditative state. So, once I realized I didn’t need or want approval from others,I gave myself the freedom to create whatever weird thing is in my mind. I can present any work of art and it doesn’t matter if I thinks is a good piece of art or not. It will speak to those who it does and if I make a sale great! If not, so what. Life is too short to live by others perception of it. Read more>>
Sarah Galvan
It has definitely been a journey developing my confidence and self-esteem. Through the years I am came across many experiences and personal situations where I have failed, felt confused and feeling unsure what next steps to take next especially when I was younger. Along this journey I have been very lucky to have the support of amazing friends as well as the awareness of how impactful a good therapist can truly be. I am a proud neurodivergent who found it so empowering to learn and accept my creative and magical brain through the years. Becoming a mother encouraged me to focus on the generational patterns I did not wish to repeat as a parent myself along with learning about my ADHD and advocating for my needs along with the needs of my therapy clients and others. This has not been an easy journey and I still have days where I have to remind myself of the affirmations I teach others. I think self-awareness and openness to learn and do better has been the ultimate way for me to build up my confidence and truly accept myself. Read more>>
