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.

Yu Tang

Self-confidence: refers to an individual’s cognition and evaluation of their ability and value. At the core of self-confidence is a belief in one’s abilities and positive future expectations. Self-esteem refers to the degree of self-recognition and self-love, and building true self-esteem and confidence is a gradual process that takes some practice and effort. Here’s how I developed my confidence and self-esteem. Read more>>

Dani Driusso

My confidence truly came from slowly becoming more comfortable with the parts of me that were always labeled as ‘wrong’ or ‘inconvenient’. It wasn’t an overnight fix or a change in my physical appearance that made me all of a sudden have a higher self-esteem. Low self-confidence and self-esteem is built as a response to an environment, or experience. It doesn’t go away or improve in a moment. Thoughts and beliefs that cause lower self-esteem have to be broken down and rebuilt on a more stead foundation in order to be improved. It took me years to rebuild my image of myself on a clearer perspective, one that reflected a love for who I am. It started with “okay well maybe I’m not the worst” before it got to “okay maybe I’m pretty damn amazing!” or “I’m really proud of who I am and the qualities I lead with”. Read more>>

Kyndle Taylor

My first step to building confidence and self-esteem was to focus on understanding who I was as an individual. I took the time to reflect on my likes, dislikes, strengths and the potential areas for growth. By acknowledging my accomplishments and focusing on my potential, I built a solid foundation of core values that define me as a person. Brainstorming sessions, introspection and journaling were particularly helpful in this process, allowing me to gain clarity about my values and goals. Read more>>

Leonardo Garibay

That’s a question I love answering. The key to building confidence lies in finding one’s own authentic expression and building upon it. I always tell my clients that authenticity feels foreign because no one else has done it and it is up to them to make their journey, their story iconic. The world needs every kind of unique and intricate character to share diverse stories across the world. My confidence comes from recognizing that I am “me” and that is a gift in of itself. Read more>>

Kimberly Jackson

Hello, my name is Kimberly Jackson. I am honored to share my life and this incredible journey with you. I am the proud mother of two beautiful children, my daughter Ciara and my son Marcus. As I reflect on the path God has led me on, I can truly say that every step has been part of a greater purpose, not just for my own life, but for those I’ve been blessed to walk alongside. Read more>>

Madi Warner

I spent most of my young life struggling with self esteem and confidence. It stemmed from anxiety, depression, and undiagnosed ADHD. The things I was experiencing and struggling with were often pushed aside and not taken seriously. As I got older, I found confidence in the person I could be when I was intoxicated and able to forget about my insecurities and social anxiety. I thought this was the secret and I liked feeling like everything was a party. It worked really well…until it didn’t. The drugs and alcohol ended up tearing me down and showing how truly sad and insecure I was inside. That false confidence and self esteem I felt when I was under the influence was just instant gratification.  Read more>>

Atila Carmona

I develop my confidence and self-esteem through a blend of training, experience, and personal growth. Rigorous acting education has equipped me with essential techniques, boosting my confidence as I become more adept in my craft. Regular practice and participation in performances reinforce my belief in my abilities, while constructive feedback from teachers and peers helps me recognize my strengths and areas for improvement. Read more>>

Skylar Erna

This is such a layered question for me but I started really developing self esteem when I stopped letting the way others treat me determine my value. I have always had a really hard time with other people’s thoughts or opinions of me, if someone called me pretty I was like ‘sure, but not as pretty as ____”. If someone didn’t like me or would say nasty things without even knowing me if would bother me so much and I did not get through that until after highschool (which I cut myself slack for because being a girl in high school is literally like the hunger games).  Read more>>

Nyree Van Maarseveen

First, I want to say that I love the fact that this magazine asks questions like this. Thank you for talking about real issues the everyone struggles with. The simple answer to this question is I stopped abandoning my inner child and started loving myself and being there for myself no matter what, and everything flowed from that. Because if I’m always there for myself, if I love who I am unconditionally, what other people think of me isn’t really all that important. Read more>>

Christina Martin

Initially it was the greatest losses in my life, being abused by my father, then later my father dying when I was 19, being cheated on, cheated on others, loosing my older brother to an opioid overdose… these dark times have somehow led me to shed inhibitions at pivotal times in my life. In my lowest lows, I’ve always found solace in work and following what I call my own path with heart. Read more>>

Andrew Mesa

Confidence and self-esteem have been a journey for me, especially because growing up without a father figure made me question my worth. That absence created a gap in how I saw myself, and it was hard to feel secure. But over time, I realized my identity is not determined by what I lacked but by what God says about me in His Word. Read more>>

Karim Arias León

Developing confidence and self-esteem has been a journey shaped by personal experiences, challenges, and growth over time. For me, it really began with taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone. Starting out in the fashion and creative industries, there was always a level of uncertainty—whether people would like my work, whether I was making the right career choices—but each time I took a leap of faith, whether it was through styling, directing, or pitching my ideas, I learned something new and valuable. Read more>>

Kezzia Quintyne-hilaire

My confidence started with my mother, who always told me, “can’t is not in the dictionary.” I kept that as a mantra growing up, and it shaped my mindset. However, like anyone, I’ve had moments of doubt, especially when I decided to create my psychotherapy practice or write my self-love journal. I had to learn that it’s okay to fail. Once I released the need to do everything perfectly and accepted that I could still succeed even with flaws, I began to love myself more and give myself the grace I deserved. That shift was key to building my confidence. Read more>>

Shauvik Sharan

Over a decade of being a music artist and navigating the music industry has taught me that a lot of confidence and self esteem does in fact stem from external validation (as petty as that sounds). I believe confidence is built when you put forth your work, art or something you strongly believe in (In my case, that would be my music) in front of people , especially strangers, receive praises and positive responses, and then remember and carry that experience within yourself as you go through everyday life. Read more>>

Sarah Mills

My family moved around a bit when I was growing up. I went to three different elementary schools and two different high schools.
When I arrived at elementary school number three, I could have been cool. Somehow, I connected with the popular girls and often found myself with them at lunch. The only problem was, they would walk around at lunch, bopping around from group to group. While I wouldn’t say I’m anti-social, this was a problem for me. Lunch time is for eating lunch and I am not one to turn down an opportunity to eat. So I opted out of the cool-girl group and instead began sitting down to enjoy my PB&J at lunchtime. Read more>>

Sydney Smith

Developing my confidence and self-esteem has always been something I have struggled with in photography and as a human being. You’re always going to compare your work to someone else’s because that’s just human nature. The hard thing to do is to separate yourself. Taking a step back and looking at where I started from was super important in the development of my confidence. I have come a long way from that little 7th-grade girl who was borrowing her parents’ camera to photograph her high school classmates’ athletic events. I had no idea what I was doing then and am still learning more now as I continue to grow in photography.  Read more>>

Kwamise Fletcher

Well it is a continual process of love, acceptance & appreciation for myself & all of my developing iterations. In order to gain & maintain my confidence & self-esteem, I am intentional about nurturing the bond between my mind, body & soul. Confidence is not something at least for me, that is linear or a finite destination. There are days where I have all of the confidence in the world as well as days where I am self-conscious of the littlest things. The goal with self confidence is to accept it in all of its forms. I never try and stay in a place of self doubt & negativity for long. I honor & validate my feelings about myself in that moment, give them the space they need & then MOVE ON! Read more>>

Stewart Mcclain

My parents always uplifted me, constantly reminding me that I could achieve anything I set my mind to. Their encouragement laid the foundation for my self-esteem, teaching me to embrace challenges as growth opportunities. Over time, I built on this by setting goals, celebrating progress, and continuously pushing myself, which helped shape my confidence today. Read more>>

Preston Lewin

Growing up, I was a quiet, introverted kid—not exactly the one you’d expect to take charge or command attention. But in high school, I became friends with Ani, this loud, rambunctious guy in band with a personality that was impossible to ignore. Ani didn’t care what people thought; he was unapologetically himself (or the characterization of his high energy attributes), and he brought this intense social energy everywhere he went. Being around him pushed me out of my comfort zone, and we became this dynamic pair, feeding off each other’s energy.  Read more>>

Kendra Chanae

Well, I got my confidence and self-esteem from my children and my husband. My entire childhood going into my teenage years, my self-esteem was not the best and I didn’t really saw myself as being beautiful or pretty to some people. But after I had my second child, I felt really confident and self-esteem started to build. On top of that, my husband has always been my main support when it came to my looks, my appearance, my dreams; and having someone like that in my life 24/7 built so much confidence in me. That I even had to look in the mirror to encourage myself. and then, knowing that I could sing, and I have this creative mind, and how it made people feel is what really amped up my self-esteem and confidence for my future. Read more>>

Shiloh Miller

The only true answer to this questions is through Jesus. When we are confident in who we are in Him, we get the most incredible source of confidence and self-esteem. I know we were created as a unique individual and no one else on this earth has my personality, interests and vision for a photo. Imposter Syndrome is REAL in this line of work, especially with social media at our fingertips. I find myself getting sucked down the rabbit hole of not believing I’m good enough during months where I feel overwhelmed with our editing queue, but coming back to my knowledge that I’m never alone and I have my own personal set of strengths is so reassuring. Read more>>

Jasmine Somers

I grew up across multiple different countries and cities – from my childhood in the Cayman Islands to high school and college in Canadian cities and suburbs – and that experience forced me to become comfortable in my identity in the face of change and regardless of my environment. When I moved from the Caribbean to Canada, I had to become comfortable with having a different accent from my peers, looking different than my peers, and having a different upbringing from those around me. Though this could have led to situations of bullying and feelings of isolation, I chose to surround myself with positive people and embrace my differences, and that became my first major lesson in developing confidence and self-esteem.  Read more>>

Tricia Campbell

That’s a good question, I was never this confident or had amazing self-esteem. I alway thought I was never enough, not tall enough skinny enough or smart enough. After going through being fat shamed and discriminated against for the color of my skin and looks. I begun to tell myself this is just not the way. Read more>>

Violet Jeffries

The biggest habit I built was taking up space. Walking into rooms full of people, especially venues I sing in, used to trigger + overwhelm the hell out of me. Here I am all dressed up trudging through crowds with all my equipment and I couldn’t take the heat of their stares. I practiced the art of simply…Looking people in the eyes. Read more>>

Steph Zakas

It all boils down to betting on myself and learning to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Confidence is built through an internal drive, I don’t believe that you can get true confidence if you keep relying on external circumstances to affirm your confidence. It truly has to come from a space within and I feel like stretching yourself to do things that are outside of where you feel comfortable is where that happens. I know it sounds cliche as growth comes from getting outside your comfort zone, but if you don’t challenge your own thoughts and perceptions and beliefs as part of that process, you won’t build a confidence in yourself and know yourself.  Read more>>

Roman Gastelum

Building my confidence and self-esteem has been somewhat of a balancing act throughout my career. I think when I was much younger around my early 20s, there was a fine line between confidence and arrogance. When I was younger there was a lot of ego involved and I don’t think I was realistic with how I was perceiving myself and my abilities. This makes sense because when I was younger I was finally breaking free from the confines of the familiar faces of high school and had a fresh start in the middle of Los Angeles free to be myself – I just kind of ran with it. Read more>>

Eva Vigouroux

My confidence and self-esteem have developed through a combination of personal experiences, continuous learning, and a mindset focused on growth. Early in my career, I learned the value of stepping out of my comfort zone, whether that meant taking on challenging projects or assuming leadership roles that pushed my boundaries. Each successful experience built my confidence, while setbacks taught me resilience and the importance of perseverance. Read more>>

Emma Halstead