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.
Shannon Peppeard
I actually began my career in the financial sector while practicing interior design on the side for family and friends. Those years taught me discipline and the importance of earning people’s trust. When I left finance to launch my interior design firm in 2006, I knew I was taking on a profession where confidence matters. Read More>>
Emma Sartwell
Honestly, not by becoming more certain of myself, but by getting more honest about uncertainty. I spent years being the person who could analyze anything, see every angle, articulate exactly what was happening internally, and still freeze when it came time to actually trust myself and act. Read More>>
Alivia Faith Mack
I developed confidence by putting myself in situations that scared me. The more I faced those challenges, the more my confidence grew. Last year, my business experienced significant growth, and while I projected confidence on the outside, I was often terrified on the inside. After successfully completing a full season as a lead photographer, I entered this year with genuine confidence. Read More>>
Ashley Gooden-Stewart
I believe my self-esteem and confidence began developing in childhood. Even at a young age, I wanted to succeed, excel, and make a meaningful impact. Although I experienced many ups and downs growing up, I always showed up for myself and wasn’t afraid to speak up for what I wanted. Read More>>
Shawnti Boswell
Confidence wasn’t something I was born with. It was something I fought for. There was a time in my life when I struggled with severe anxiety and depression. On the outside, I looked like I had everything together, but privately I was falling apart. Read More>>
Juliana Meidl
I’ve been fortunate to have a strong sense of confidence for most of my life, and I credit much of that to my parents. They always believed in me and encouraged me to believe that I could accomplish anything I was willing to work for—and I believed them. Read More>>
Kimberley Martin
I think confidence is something that you build, slowly over time. I’ve spent nearly twenty years in Caribbean capital markets, in rooms where I was often the only woman, the youngest voice, or both. Early on, I thought confidence was something you either had or didn’t but my approach was fake it till you make it. In my early days i would get dressed up. Read More>>
Diana Campo
Where did you get your confidence and self-esteem? My confidence was built at home from a very young age. I was incredibly fortunate to have parents who intentionally nurtured my self-esteem in different but equally meaningful ways. Every morning, my father would encourage me with positive words before I even started my day. Read More>>
Brandon Holley
I don’t know that anyone is 100% genuinely confident. We all have weaknesses, and we all have doubts about ourselves. What changed things for me was realizing everyone else feels the same way. Once you know that, you stop performing and you can just be yourself. That is where I excel. I have been in real estate almost 12 years now. Read More>>
Dewy Ventura
I got my confidence and self-esteem from doing hard things and failing a lot. When you fail and keep trying instead of giving up eventually you succeed and the more you repeat that process the more you build confidence and resilience. The mind shifts. Read More>>
Anita Perry
People often assume confidence is something you’re born with. For me, it was something I had to earn through life’s challenges. I grew up in a close-knit Catholic Italian family as the oldest girl of six children. That role shaped me early. I was the responsible one, the helper, the peacemaker, and often the people pleaser. Read More>>
Waddell Richardson
I don’t follow the ways of the world. I’m aware of the trends and of all of the popularity but I don’t let it define or change who I am. God created me to be different and to in a sense stand out. I’ve tried at one point to be like everyone else and honestly it was boring and almost intimidating. Read More>>
Sagirah Mathews-Bennett
How did I develop my confidence and self-esteem? I would say my faith rebuilt it. I grew up, not really having much confidence or self-esteem, honestly to the point where I could probably say there were many times I didn’t like myself. I kept trying to find ways to strive and fix the feeling and every time would fail. Read More>>
Lindsay Shockey
Confidence and self-esteem weren’t things I always had, they were built through life’s challenges. I’ve experienced setbacks that humbled me, losing a parent at a young age, leaving a toxic relationship and moving on from a rough work environment. Each one taught me resilience, perseverance, and the importance of leaning on those who believe in you. Read More>>
DG Adams
In terms of making music, my confidence and self esteem developed slowly. I was coming from a long career in acting, so I had some performance chops, but playing music live and navigating a music studio for the first time felt very different. Luckily, I was able to surround myself with talented people who believed in my songwriting ability. Read More>>
Jasmine Alexander
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through experience, growth, and learning to trust myself. Early in my career as an actress, I had to navigate rejection, uncertainty, and the challenges that come with being in a competitive industry. Over time, I realized that my worth wasn’t defined by a role, an opportunity, or someone else’s opinion of me. Read More>>
Adassa Ramirez
Confidence and self esteem weren’t things that I woke up with. They were built over time, often through experiences that challenged them. I’ve learned that confidence isn’t about being fearless or always feeling certain. It’s about continuing to show up even when life has tested you. Read More>>
Bran Merritt
I read a study that said children who grow up with their grandparents actively engaged in their lives tend to be more self-confident and have higher self-esteem. I believe I’m a poster child for that study. I keep my ego in check, but I was blessed and fortunate enough to have both sides of my grandparents actively involved in my life—including some wonderful step-grandparents. Read More>>
Rebekah Laur’en
Confidence and self-esteem are built through repetition and consistent action. The more you show up, the more capable you realize you are, and confidence naturally follows. That said, I’ve also always had a strong sense of who I am. I think real confidence comes from knowing your worth without depending on validation from other people. Read More>>
Matt Wheatley
Confidence did not happen overnight for me. It came from putting in the work, finishing projects, and realizing that every song, mix, or production taught me something, even if it was not perfect. One of the biggest things I have learned is to develop thick skin. In music, you are constantly opening yourself up to criticism from collaborators, clients, and listeners. Read More>>
Erika Ristovski
For a long time, I was a deeply insecure, shy girl who felt unlovable, ugly, and constantly exposed to harsh criticism. My turning point came after three decades of longing for maternal warmth that wasn’t possible—I finally realized I had to step in and become my own mother. Read More>>
Freeband Gee
I have good days and bad days. Some days, I feel like myself, and some days, I feel like a nobody. But I always keep pushing, and that’s what matters. Sometimes, I go into a depression over this and start overthinking, but then I remember who I am, where I came from, and all the things I’ve already accomplished. I remind myself to keep going. Read More>>
Marissa Childers
I don’t think confidence suddenly appears one day. For me, it came from making a lot of work—good work, bad work, and everything in between. Early on, I compared myself to other artists constantly. I’d look around and think, ‘Why doesn’t my work look like theirs?’ or ‘Maybe they’re more talented than I am.’ I think a lot of artists go through that. Read More>>
Jeremy Sawyer
It’s been a work in progress to discover who I am through every stage and challenge of my life. As a Korean adoptee growing up in a predominantly non-Asian community, I often felt different. Along the way, I encountered racism, stereotypes, and questions about where I belonged. Read More>>
Andrea Mathis
I don’t think confidence is something you’re born with or something you magically wake up one day and have. For me, it was built over time through experience, healing, and making the decision to stop letting other people’s opinions determine how I saw myself. Like many women, I spent years believing that my worth was tied to the size of my body. Read More>>
Julianne Vallera
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by being around collegues and peers that lift me up instead of being around so-called friends and acquaintances who brag about getting all the opportunities that I applied for but didn’t get. Read More>>
Jasmin Dice
I would love to say that one day i woke up and it was just there, but that would be a lie. As someone who was bullied as a child, my confidence and self-esteem was something that I struggled with through my adolescence and even into college. Honestly, my confidence and self-esteem developed more as I grew stronger in my faith. Read More>>
Emma Wood
If you had asked me at the beginning of my photography journey if I was confident, I probably would have laughed. Like many creatives, I spent a lot of time comparing myself to others and wondering if I was ‘good enough.’ I was my own biggest critic, and I let self-doubt speak louder than my accomplishments. Read More>>
Herve Tennessee
To give context to my perspective, I have always lived an unconventional life guided by a distinct, idealistic worldview. My confidence began with a conscious choice I made in my youth, to endure the challenges of staying true to my core essence rather than sacrificing my identity for social conformity. Read More>>
Agustina Caminos
I believe confidence and self-esteem are built daily through preparation, consistency, and the willingness to keep growing. Since childhood, I have been practicing yoga and meditation, and over the years I became deeply curious about everything that supports healing and self-love. That curiosity led me to study Ayurveda, massage therapy, Pranic Healing, coaching, breathwork, and other holistic disciplines. Read More>>
Angela M Rustici
I still question myself. Every artist I admire seems to, so I’ve stopped seeing that as something to overcome. Self-doubt has become part of the conversation rather than the thing that ends it. I trust my process more than my emotions on any given day. Over time, I’ve realized that uncertainty sharpens my attention. Read More>>
Shinaiya Ferguson
As a child, I have been so shy and insecure that – to sum up that insecurity – I just didn’t love myself. I wasn’t the popular girl in school; I wasn’t the prettiest…I didn’t want to step out of the box; you know, be my own person. Read More>>
Ilaria Santesso
Confidence isn’t something you suddenly wake up with. Our families are the first people who help us build it, and I’m incredibly grateful to my mother for raising me to believe we, as humans, are capable of anything. Today I’m a mother, and I try to do the same for my daughter. Read More>>
