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.
Mikayla Malik
I did struggle with self-esteem, especially when I first started to put my work out in the world. I learned to be my own fuel, and to stop seeking external validation. I stopped letting my confidence and self worth depend on if others recognized it, because I knew it was there and that’s all that matters. Read More>>
Lynda Carouthers
I developed my confidence through a combination of perseverance, faith, and experience. For a long time, I felt like I had to prove myself in every space — as a mother, businesswoman, and leader. My confidence didn’t come from everything going right; it came from learning to stand tall when things went wrong. Read More>>
Elizabeth Walker
I’m not sure that I have great self-esteem! This is something that I am working on partially in counseling and partially with a business coach on a monthly basis! Read More>>
Ally Rose
My confidence was shaped largely by my relationship with my mom. She’s always been in my corner, encouraging every creative pursuit I’ve taken on. Growing up with someone who recognized my potential, made space for me to recognize it, and recentered me if I ever doubted myself was a true gift. Read More>>
Jack Hill
In the world of the arts confidence in something that needs constant attention. Just like a healthy diet it must be supplied daily. If you try something and it isn’t successful, an art work doesn’t sell, you don’t get the part in the show, your writing isn’t published… Read More>>
Malachi J. Stewart
For a long time, I couldn’t stand the sound of my own voice. I remember being a kid and dreading public speaking assignments — not because I didn’t know what to say, but because I couldn’t bear to hear myself say it. The moment my voice echoed through the room, I’d freeze. Read More>>
Marie Lavallee
Over the course of time, I have cultivated a close-knit circle of friends and family who have consistently provided unwavering support and encouragement throughout my journey. By eliminating the detrimental influences that surround me, I have achieved a profound sense of tranquility and self-assurance. This inner voice has served as my guiding beacon for the past several years, instilling immense joy, confidence, and inner peace. Read More>>
Milagros Rottjer
I’d always give my parents all the credit for my confidence and self-esteem. They taught me to always keep going no matter how difficult life gets. Read More>>
Ken Krekeler
I came from a very supportive family growing up, and I always knew I wanted to go into illustration and design as a career. After high school, I attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where I was surrounded by a lot of like-minded individuals that helped me build a community of friends and colleagues that exist still to this day. Read More>>
DeMarcus Eddie Eckford
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through faith, persistence, and showing up even when I was unsure. Coming from Oklahoma to L.A., I faced rejection and self-doubt, but I learned that confidence isn’t something you wait to feel—it’s something you build through consistency. Every ‘no’ taught me discipline, every opportunity taught me growth. Read More>>
Danny Madrigal
For me, confidence first came from my body teaching my mind what was possible. As a kid in the late ’70s and ’80s, I tried many things that were physical. Read More>>
Antonio Pendergrast
After covid and exiting a toxic relationship, is when i started to develop my confidence. During that time i started my healing journey because when i looked in the mirror I no longer noticed who i was. I was the largest i have ever been in my life a little close to 300 lbs. Read More>>
Deborah Franklin
As a survivor of verbal abuse, I never felt like I belonged. Can you imagine what it’s like to believe that nothing you do is ever good enough? That you never look good enough or measure up to those around you? Being constantly compared to others made it hard for me to accept my own unique gifts. Read More>>
kathryn wolf
It’s been a long journey, only up until recently I’ve started feeling my most confident and vibrant self. I think it’s been a combination of work on myself and age (I just turned 30). I think for so long I let others dictate my value, whether that be old friends, romantic relationships, or family. Read More>>
David Arakelian
I developed my confidence and self-esteem over time by learning to trust myself and stop comparing my journey to others. It definitely didn’t happen overnight — it came from making mistakes, hitting low points, and realizing that my worth doesn’t depend on anyone else’s opinions. Read More>>
Kristen Eliza Brock
My confidence and self-esteem developed from my hometown, where I was surrounded by people who believed in me long before I believed in myself. My parents, teachers, and mentors made me feel seen, valued, and supported in every dream I chased. Read More>>
Joe Fry
It was a slow burn combination of friends propping me and me learning to put myself out there. Before I was a filmmaker I played music. I spent a good chunk of my life going to smoke-and-light-show worship band churches, and as a very shy kid I coveted the idea of being on stage with the cool musicians. Read More>>
Emily Conrad
An important part of my confidence as a writer comes from having been raised in a household where books, imagination, and storytelling were valued and where my own attempts at writing were encouraged. My mom read to me and my siblings often, and I remember excitedly bringing her my ‘poetry’ when all I could really do was scribble on a page with a washable marker. Read More>>
Halima Curry
I have been fortunate to have a family who instilled confidence in me and provided structure and values that promoted self -esteem from a young age. As I have grown older, like many, I have experienced failure, heartache, betrayal, and disappointments that poked holes in my confidence and self-esteem. Read More>>
Daena Gomez
I developed my confidence and self-esteem over time, through both challenges and small victories. When I first started my design studio, there were plenty of moments when I questioned myself — whether I was good enough, whether people would connect with my vision. But I kept showing up. Read More>>
Jon Worthy
I had always been on the more introverted side. In college, it took me quite a while to find my people. Eventually I was able to connect with some guys and start a band. We got lucky our senior year and got a weekly Friday night gig performing at a bar at Penn State. Read More>>
Lauren Cintron
I actually developed my confidence and self-esteem during one of the most challenging times in my life. After dealing with chronic illness and some changes in my body, I fell into a pattern of being really hard on myself — especially about my appearance. Read More>>
Jessica Gandara
My parents divorced when I was just 2 years old. Growing up, I spent every other weekend at my dad’s house. But as I became a teenager, I wanted to spend more time with friends, like any 15-year-old would. My dad worked long weekend hours as a gas station manager, so on those weekends, he would drop me off at my grandmother’s house. Read More>>
Matt Green
I believe this starts with an understanding that we are all different and each have our own individual challenges. Everything stems from genuine gratitude and accurate, even harsh, self-awareness As a child I was very shy and rarely spoke outside of my small friend group with the exception of while on the baseball field. Read More>>
Mariah Sargeant
My confidence didn’t come from a single moment—it was built over years of breaking cycles, rebuilding myself, and learning to truly see my worth. For a long time, I tied my value to how well I could please or take care of others. I survived things that could have easily broken me, but instead, they became the foundation of my strength. Read More>>
Grace Grossmann
Confidence is not something you develop, but something you are born with. As a kindergarten teacher, I see how young children dive into new things with courage and ease. So when teaching my Qiyoga classes, I reminded my students for one month with our mantra ‘courage is my natural state’ during a time of deep inner work post-break-up. Read More>>
Jing Ju
Honestly, I think my confidence came slowly, like light sneaking into a room in the morning. I stopped trying to be impressive and started being honest with myself — what I like, what I’m good at, what makes me feel alive. Once you know that you can handle whatever comes next, even if you mess up a little. Read More>>
Aniqa Khan
Building confidence and self-esteem starts from within. It’s about believing in yourself and your abilities, even when things don’t go perfectly. For me, it’s all about growth and consistency. I build confidence by setting small goals and celebrating each achievement, no matter how simple it may seem. Read More>>
Nadia Williams
When people see confidence, they often think it’s something you’re born with. But for me, it was something I had to build from the ground up. I didn’t always carry myself with strength or certainty. Read More>>
Raechel Van Buskik
I didn’t start out confident—I earned it one uncomfortable rep at a time. I said yes to tiny catering gigs in Omaha with one product: deviled eggs. During COVID I doubled down, got disciplined, and built real systems—par levels, grams, SOPs. Confidence came from keeping promises to myself: open the doors, serve the guests, fix what broke, and show up again tomorrow. Read More>>
Abbie Palmer
From exposure to the challenge! I previously had really strong stage fright and was very insecure about my physical presence on stage, speaking, singing, moving, etc. Slowly, I tackled each item on this list one by one in my performance career being on stage. I decided in my early twenties to go to as many open mic nights as I could to practice talking. Read More>>
Sue Brightly
Developing confidence and self-esteem is an ongoing process for me. Like so many women, particularly in my generation and religious upbringing, I was taught that obedience and selflessness were virtues, not confidence or self-esteem, and it’s taken a lot of unlearning to find my own voice and be comfortable using it. I’m still working on it! Read More>>
Sidney Reed Lodge
By doing the things I say I’ll do. Our brain believes what it sees and experiences, not what we say we’ll do. Your brain doesn’t take you seriously if you never follow through on your promises. The more I’m able to do, the higher my confidence. Read More>>
Savannah Duffey
That’s a great question. I honestly believe developing self-esteem and confidence is an ongoing journey. Something that ebbs and flows with different seasons of life. There are days I feel incredibly confident because I’ve built a business from the ground up and have been “making it” as a personal trainer since I was 20. Read More>>
Lauren Dunitz
Well, for me, these developments are ongoing. Ha. Confidence and self-esteem are such fickle things; sometimes they’re earned and sometimes it really is a fake-it-’till-you-make-it situation. Read More>>
Kashimi Asai
When I was two years old, my father passed away. At that time in Japan, being raised by a single parent was not considered “normal.” My grandmother raised me strictly—from manners to speech—so that I would grow up to be a child she could be proud of anywhere. My mother worked hard as a single mother to support us. Read More>>
Tamara Corbin-Lyons
Confidence was stored into me from a young girl. I was poured into from my parents early. Being their only child for 10 years. Over the years confidence was grown through experiences I never gave up on. One Jewel 3 Charms accessories is my 1st baby or creative project I started on Dec 10, 2011. Read More>>
