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.

Kim Pagano

I was always a really hard worker, I rarely took the the easy way, I think with my heart, mostly everything I do is heartfelt. My biggest lesson, was believing in myself, my dad always told me to look in the mirror and smile and believe in yourself, that wasn’t always easy, I used to ask a lot of people their opinions, I finally realized, that was their opinions not mine. Thats really how I developed my confidence & self esteem when I could trust myself & my opinion & decisions and finally had learned to trust my own decisions. Read more>>

Shardae Thomas

Going through a moment in life where I was insecure helped a lot. I know that sounds funny but confidence came from pointing out my own flaws to absolutely loving them. Read more>>

 Tim Yun

I believe that confidence comes from consistently giving my best effort in life and making the most of each day. When I strive to live without wasting time, I naturally build self-assurance. Just like a well-prepared student feels at ease before an exam while an unprepared one feels anxious, I find that knowing I’ve done everything I can allows me to feel at peace with myself. True self-esteem, I believe, comes from being able to stand proudly before oneself, knowing that no effort was spared. Read more>>

 Diana Kimmay

I developed my confidence and self-esteem during my time at UC Davis. Leaving my hometown to attend university allowed me to embrace my true self and explore new opportunities. It was there that I honed a variety of skills from effective communication to business acumen and learned how to navigate social interactions with authenticity. Being on my own pushed me to discover who I really was and to trust my own judgment about the future I wanted to create. Ultimately, I learned that believing in yourself and working hard are the keys to unlocking your potential. Read more>>

Debra Hopkins

This is an interesting question because I believe that confidence and self-esteem ebb and flow as we learn, grow, and experience the world around us. I have a vivid memory from when I was three years old, walking down our stairs early on Christmas morning, rubbing my eyes as I was just waking up. I remember my parents and my two older sisters joyfully saying, “There she is!” They were so happy and waiting for me to come down to open the presents under the tree. When I arrived, I was met with laughter, love, and excitement to share in that experience. This moment filled me with immense joy because I felt special, needed, and loved. At that moment, nothing could deter the happiness I felt. I was safe, and all was well. Read more>>

Esther Yi

I developed confidence and self-esteem through making, sharing, and teaching art. Throughout my life, I have spent a lot of time in school getting an education. I wasn’t particularly good at school; I struggled in classes and needed extra help in and after school. Socially, I was awkward and bullied like a lot of kids growing up, but what was a consistent, safe space in my life was art. Art classes were instrumental during elementary, middle, and high school as it was a community of like-minded creative individuals who expressed themselves differently. Read more>>

Cameron Lundstrom

There was a time in my life when I found myself at rock bottom—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained. For years, I had been running from adversity, avoiding the pain and unresolved struggles of my past. But avoidance has a way of catching up with you, and eventually, the weight of everything I had ignored became too heavy to carry. I reached a breaking point where I felt completely disconnected from myself, my self-worth shattered, and my confidence nonexistent. Read more>>

Urša Kavčič

Confidence, for me, comes from trusting myself. And to develop that trust, I believe I first had to love myself and accept myself completely. The tricky part is that the »I« which I am is constantly changing. With every interaction, every challenge, every experience, the »I« changes a little bit. My job is to allow there to be space for the everchanging »I« and to take time to get to know what is evolving – in every moment. That certainly takes time and practice, but at the same time it is unbelievably thrilling. Getting to know myself and to persist at it – delving deeper every time – has been one of the most delightful experiences. And the more I get to know myself, the more I can love and accept myself. The confidence and self-esteem then come naturally. Arguably, there are times when I find myself in a completely new and unknown situation or environment where I am not comfortable or I do not know how to set boundaries or take up space. In those moments I just try to be present and observe my surroundings as well as my inner self. Read more>>

Heather/ Brittany Schuette / Burns

Brittany and I share a strong partnership and friendship that was built on consistent support and encouragement. We recognize each other’s strengths and deeply appreciate the unique qualities we each bring to the table. Whenever one of us doubted our ability to start this business, the other offered unwavering support and encouragement. By facing our fears head-on, we truly built our confidence and self-esteem. Read more>>

Brit Nardolillo

I grew up with parents who instilled confidence in me from a young age. They always made sure I knew my worth and encouraged me to go after what I wanted. But beyond that, I built my confidence by proving to myself that I could handle whatever came my way—especially when no one was holding me accountable but me. Read more>>

Rachel Barrett

It has absolutely taken me a lifetime to develop a sense of confidence and self-esteem. Part of this journey has been the mistakes and missteps, which is most certainly how you learn to do anything right. But truly, age has been the biggest asset. What I have learned is that I will only ever feel truly accomplished when I set the standards upon which I challenge and judge myself. When I look outwards for validation or reassurance of my worth, I will always be left feeling that I am not good enough. Now that I create my own metrics for success, I am consistently proud of myself. I am only 3 years into running my business Cake Queen LA, and am of course still learning and growing, I hope to always be. But I have worked for decades in the pursuit of artistic and professional success and I do feel very confident in both my skills and the quality of what I am creating for my customers. Read more>>

Kevin Myles

One thing I’ve learned about self-esteem is that it is often sparked externally. If you know that someone believes in you then it becomes easier to believe in yourself. Then it’s just a matter of continuing to grow that. For me, it was learning the positive impact I could have on others. I could see things in people that they often couldn’t see in themselves. There are so many people who are amazing and just don’t seem to know it. Then as I stepped back I could see that I was similar in a lot of ways, too focused on mistakes and shortcomings and not as much on accomplishments and possibilities. Read more>>

Aldo Widjaya

Being confident in myself is something I’ve always struggled with, especially given my tendency to compare myself to others. I used to feel like I was not good enough compared to the people around me. Read more>>

Charlie Sprinkman

As the founder of Everywhere Is Queer, I was never this confident! I didn’t find my confidence until I found myself surrounded by confident queer community. As one that was raised in rural Wisconsin and catholic, I did not have much confidence at all. Read more>>

Gina Cas

As unexpected as it sounds, through comparison. When I was a little girl, then a teenager, I had very few opportunities to know myself through my interactions with others, because my circle was so small, the town I was born in was small too. I only began to understand who I was when I moved to a bigger city, because I observed those who had access to things I didn’t before, who I thought were more brilliant, more talented than I was…were not better. They were the same as me, I was the same as them. Then it was starting a business in the fashion industry, with no experience, entering the world of entertainment and celebrities. I realized they were people too, as I was, with hopes and dreams, they were not smarter or more talented, I was as good or better than many of them. With each goal I achieved, each mountain I climbed, my confidence went up. Read more>>