Every day, our team is focused on how to help our audience and community reach their full potential in every part of their lives – personal and professional. Building confidence and self-esteem is one of the most essential requirements for success and below we’ve presented some of the conversations we’ve had around how to build confidence.
Vanessa Van Dyke
Developing my confidence and self-esteem was quite a long journey, and I consider it to be one of the journeys in my life that I am most proud of due to how far I’ve come since the young girl I was who was afraid to even speak in public. After I was faced with bullying and even faced with expulsion from my private school at 12 years old for wearing my natural hair, I spiraled into depression and even became suicidal as I thought that the way I looked would never become acceptable and not pretty enough for society’s standard of beauty. Read more>>
MELI’SA MORGAN
I developed my Confidence and Self Esteem by constantly working to better myself. It is so important to recognize your weaknesses and try to work on them little by little. Not being to hard on yourself. I always say to myself… I am only human and at first I might not get it right but if I continue to research, learn and practice. Read more>>
Angela Thomas
Oh that’s easy… I’m “Delulu” (delusional)🤣 no seriously, I’ve always lived in “Lala land” a fantasy world perhaps.. in all seriousness I guess you could say I’m optimistic, I always see the cup being half full and not half empty. I see the positive side of everything. I never realized that was a form of confidence, I just understood that this the person I am. Read more>>
Olivia Simmons
If you were to go to my Social Media platforms, you would not think that the girl in those pictures suffered with HEAVY low self-esteem as child all the way up to adulthood. I was never the one who felt high of herself because I knew that I didn’t fit into the society’s view of beauty. I always hid behind the big and older looking clothing because that was my way of staying in the shadows. Read more>>
Lorenzo Davis
During my journey my confidence has been a rocky road. As a child I was apart of winning sports teams and was raised by a strong village. However going through my teenage years I got lost and my confidence dropped tremendously. I was betrayed by a childhood friend who attempted to rob me and unfortunately I was left paralyzed after the gun went off. Read more>>
KISS AVERY
Over the years I’ve performed at so many shows since I was a kid that it eventually felt as easy as brushing your teeth but more exciting. I gained skills as well in performing that propelled me beyond my nerves and take on a role to focus more on entertaining my crowd and making sure they are all having a great time! Read more>>
Gehan A Cooray
I had to learn to cope with a lot more family drama growing up than most children and adolescents back in my native Sri Lanka did – multiple divorces (starting when I was 3 years old), more than one set of new partners that my parents brought into the fold etc, all of which was very anomalous in what was a particularly traditional South Asian society. I am also an only child, which means I didn’t have any siblings to cling to for comfort amidst the constant upheaval, and yet this very fact turned out to be one of my greatest strengths – I learned at a very tender age not to look to any “peers” for emotional validation; rather, I learned to look inward and nurture myself from within. Read more>>
Franco Zizza
Generally speaking, I have developed my confidence over the years by expanding my consciousness and understanding of who I am, what I want to achieve and what vehicle that comes in. My experiences with life while growing up in a diverse area (Union,NJ) and having a great foundation for a family has made it easier to understand my path. Life is hard and growing up isn’t easy, but if you trust yourself and find something you are passionate in, I feel the development of confidence is easier to attain because of the belief you have in yourself on that journey. Read more>>
Diana Burbano
I grew into my confidence late in life. I was a performer, one of the least comfortable jobs for anyone, let alone anyone who doubts themselves. As an actor, you traffic in yourself, in your body, voice, and talent. Time and again, you are either rejected or, objectified, dismissed, or overpraised. Read more>>
Erica Brighthill
I’ve nurtured my confidence and self-esteem through a continuous journey of hard work in my craft. I’ve come to embrace the understanding that perfection is an elusive goal, particularly in the fiercely competitive industry I’m a part of. In such an environment, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of comparing oneself to others. However, I’ve learned that this industry thrives on collaboration rather than isolation. Read more>>
Tia Silver
Oddly enough… through performing! Before I would attend a party, I would look in the mirror and nit pick everything I saw… thinking that I was too old or my makeup wasn’t quite right or how my singing isn’t as good a Idina Menzel and the kids will notice. However, each time I walked into a birthday party and I saw the children’s eyes light up when they saw me, that gave me all the confidence in the world. Read more>>
Poppin Polly
Since I was a young girl, one of my biggest hurdles was getting over the way I viewed myself in society. I often thought to myself “Well what if I was prettier?” or “What if I was cooler?” The funny thing is, I never had an answer to those questions because what do those questions even mean? Prettier to WHO? Cooler to WHO? Read more>>
Akina Van de Velde
I developed my sense of confidence and self-esteem from moving around a lot as a kid. Having to go to different schools and integrating into other communities force you to create a sense of identity I think that is consistent and grounded since you have to reiterate and introduce yourself many times at a young age. Read more>>
Delylah Rose
I had to acknowledge my strengths within myself and not what I was told, I learned what I was good at. I set goals for myself, I embraced failure in the moments where I didn’t like things. I learned to speak positively to myself & push myself past self doubt. I had many ups & downs within myself but I continue to keep going. Having gratitude for all I’ve accomplished small or big & being & staying patient with myself as I work towards my goals. Read more>>
Koby Kumi-Diaka
I believe that true confidence comes from within, it is propelled from an understanding of a persons self worth and uniqueness, which is in direct correlation to their self esteem. Read more>>
Ed Wolkis
This is kind of a chicken or the egg question. I didn’t necessarily start out with a ton of confidence. It was built incrementally along with the small, and later the larger successes. If you can talk yourself into being confident without any accomplishments to back it up, more power to you! But in my opinion it’s something that goes along with developing the skills and knowledge to succeed in your field. Read more>>
Alexandra Gaudlap
When it comes to my confidence and self-esteem I would be lying if I said I don’t struggle with this daily. Growing up I was the girl who tried hard to please everyone and to fit in. As I grew older, I cared less but still struggled. I never felt I was accomplishing as much as those around me. Having a child with a rare disease truly changed my life and has allowed me to find my passion of helping others through my son’s story. Read more>>
Jonathan Blank
When I was a boy I ran away to join the circus. There, I was taken under the wing of Sergey Sillikov, a Kazakh clown who had fled to the west where his highly trained skills in the arts of balloon modeling, juggling and unicycling were not as widely appreciated nor understood. Yet, it was in my training to master the art of juggling unicorn balloon models while unicycling – which is a lot harder than it sounds – that my confidence and self-esteem really got on a roll. Read more>>
Kristen Muehlfeld
I like to build confidence and self esteem by trying new things. It can go one of two ways: I could succeed or I could fail. When I succeed I get giddy and take joy in the confidence I just build of knowing I made a good decision and it worked.. If I fail, I giggle, knowing I can learn from the failure and have grace with myself. Read more>>
Stephen Robert Johns
Confidence and self esteem is something you earn, by doing. A strong work ethic helps. My family lived near the ocean in Santa Monica, where I was raised from 1948-1972. My father was a Marine and my mother a housewife, hence the strong work ethic. Read more>>
Raxiel Liz
I developed my confidence & self-esteem through neglect & from not being respected & acknowledged! Growing up I always knew I had great ideas & had a skill set that many didn’t have. I knew I was valuable & a asset to any environment or team I attached myself to, but people can be greedy & selfish. Read more>>
Rashad Ali Muhammad
At the root, I think my self-esteem and confidence developed by liberating myself from what others think of me and honest self-awareness. If you met me today, you’d never believe I was ever shy or had low self-esteem. Read more>>
Allie Vasquez
I have always been a performer. Choir, color guard, dance … anything where I could be on stage in front of people. But being on stage in front of people is easy when you can’t hear what they think. When I was a high school teacher, I got feedback on every little thing about me, from what I wore to how I said a word to critiquing every single mannerism of mine. Read more>>
Carnen Dianne
I started singing sooner than I could talk — Really! Picture a kid in a car seat singing along in gibberish to No Scrubs. That was me — so I can’t say I have ever been anything but confident in my ability to sing, but it wasn’t until very recently that I could say that I am confident in my ability to be a singer. Read more>>
Cherone
Music has been the source of both my confidence and insecurities. For a long time I used to judge my live performances on my execution. Did I sing every melody precisely? Did I engage with my audience? Did I look good? If I didn’t do one of those things, I would beat myself up for days. Read more>>
Harold Smith II
During my youth I was usually the smallest and not taken seriously so as I got older I began working out and filling out my physique more, now as an adult that has played a big part in fueling my confidence and self-esteem along with the fact of just being older and being more comfortable in my own skin. I’m pretty comfortable with what I’ve done, what I’m planning on doing, and just being myself so my confidence and self-esteem are much higher these days! Read more>>
Roxi Fam
I have been developing my confidence and self-esteem more so in the past three years. It all started in 2020 when I decided to heal my inner child and began to accept myself for being authentically me without worrying what others thought of me. Read more>>
Melissa Banks
My name is Melissa Banks, I’m a Mississippi Native, raised by a single mother who is now 88 years old. I am the mother of two sons. Read more>>
Emily Thomas
Confidence was not something I possessed naturally. Being diagnosed with ADHD at a young age did not set me up for success with building confidence either. As a child with ADHD, I spent my childhood easily frustrating adults around me. When you consistantly feel like you are frustrating others, you feel like an inconvenience. Read more>>
Frankie Nobili
I grew up with very little cheerleading and had to learn to trust my guts, I had to search and find what makes me feel good and smile, what quiets my mind and keeps me motivated. From being a creative in an advertising agency to become a stop motion artist, and everything in between, like fanzines and amigurumi, they all served the purpose to make me feel true to myself. Read more>>
Caitlin Du
I struggled a lot with confidence and self esteem on my journey to becoming an illustrator. Although illustration does require technical skills with elements such as storytelling, composition, colors..etc, but at the same time, illustration is subjective in the way that a lot of it is dependent on everyone’s aesthetic taste. Read more>>
Victoria Fonseca
My journey to self-confidence started with a powerful realization: true worth goes far beyond what meets the eye. It’s about embracing honesty and self-awareness, and understanding that true beauty radiates from within. I faced my own battles with weight and body image, but I refused to let them define me. Conquering gym insecurity was no an easy feat but I took charge of my well-being. Read more>>
Amber Jenkins
How did I get here? Whew! Where to began, sheesh! I suffered from abandonment issues, and I still battle it a few moments, not many. It’s a work in progress, but I dated myself. I asked Spirit what did I need to do to love me, and Spirit communicated “Just get to know you”. I took myself more seriously. I courted myself and stopped putting the responsibility of my happiness and healing on others. Read more>>
Danielle Scales
Being a customizing company and having some of the same equipment as others can definitely be discouraging. I use to find myself comparing my work to others, worried that I was not good enough, trying to figure out what other businesses had that I did not. I have been in business now for 4 years and after all of the worrying about others I finally realized the issue is I’m not worried enough about what I have going on. Read more>>
