Champion Mindset: Building Confidence & Self-Esteem

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.

Jess Laughlin

For most of my adolescent years I was quite introverted and shy. I would over think every scenario possible, worry about things before they happened, and assume people were talking about me the second I walked into any room. Fast forward to 5yrs ago, I was finally diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder at the age of 35.  Read more>>

Pablo Antinori

Fortunately or unfortunately, however you want to view it, my parents moved quite a lot during my childhood. Because of this movement from city to city, country to country – the act of adapting and developing new friendships in new places had to come very quickly. Luckily I was like able, so this gave me the confidence to put myself out there at an early age. Read more>>

Mo Osunbor

There are many sources, but one of the more impactful ones is science fiction… especially during my childhood. I’ve always been a fan of the hero’s journey depicted in books and movies. The Matrix was one of the most inspiring ones. Read more>>

Chelsea Jean

I developed my self confidence by practicing as much as possible. Practicing assist me to build my skills and ensure that I’m passing the correct knowledge and skills to others. Read more>>

Lawrence Chappe

I’ll start by saying I’ve always been naturally positive (generally speaking). I think confidence and self esteem come from positivity — and positivity probably comes from excitement, passion and love. When we don’t feel confident or worthy, it’s probably because we don’t feel positive or valuable. But Logically speaking, everyone and everything has value, otherwise it wouldn’t exits. Read more>>

Confidence and self-esteem are two aspects of myself that I will forever continue to work on. In others words, you are never “finished” with peak confidence and self-esteem. I realize that as I continue to evolve in to new versions of myself and my business, new levels of confidence and self-esteem are required. Read more>>

Livi DarConte

It took me a long time to develop confidence and a good self-esteem. Growing up, I was a very shy and quiet kid and it was always hard for me to fit in. I didn’t ever really feel confident or have a good self-esteem. I found that when I did art rather that be theatre, ballet, drawing or making little films on my Mom’s camera, I had a that sense of what confidence and good self esteem could be.  Read more>>

M’Laysia Smith

I developed my confidence and self esteem by praying and trusting God. God allowed me to know exactly who I am and who he created me to be. Without my faith in God, I wouldn’t have faith in myself. God has embedded confidence in me. Read more>>

Jericho Hatch

Growing up, I was a shy, introverted kid who often struggled with confidence and self-esteem. Social situations made me anxious, and I found it challenging to express myself or make friends. My world changed dramatically when I discovered the art of magic and sleight of hand. Read more>>

Venice Wong

Hello. First of all thank you Voyage’s Bold Journey for this feature. I am truly honored.
I develop my confidence over the years by being actively involved with onstage live performances with my pop-rock band siblings allowing me to express my passion in music. I am the lead singer and bassist of our band “The Wong Quadruplets” (yes we are quadruplet siblings) and we’ve been doing this since we were 9 years old.  Read more>>

The greatest source for Confidence comes from successful repetition, and the source for Self-Esteem is the Knowledge of Self. Let’s take a trip back to the Past to bring Clarity to the Present. Circa 2011: I was living the “American Dream,” life as a responsible adult as deemed by society-you know the corporate job, investments, houses, cars, etc. Read more>>

Anel Mancilla

I cultivated my self-confidence by attuning myself to the needs of my body and listening to its signals. Instead of seeking external validation, I redirected my energy towards introspection and self-approval. It was through embracing vulnerability that I discovered my inner strength, allowing me to fully accept myself in the present moment. Read more>>

Tiffy Sea

It’s always awe-inspiring to me that at thirty-one years old, I am the most confident I have ever been. Now I don’t give my trauma a tight and tear jerking hug, but I do plant flowers where credit is due; because even through my trauma something has grown from it. That something, is me. Read more>>

Jacqueline Ayala-Alonzo

I’ve always struggled with my confidence and self-esteem, especially when I first moved back to California. My last three years of high school were awful and I always felt less than everybody else. No matter how hard I worked, it just never seemed good enough and that took an emotional toll on my mental health. I feel like at that point in my life, I began comparing myself to others which would stress me out more than I should have been. Read more>>

Yeliena Theofilatos

Throughout my 20s, I was hiding behind the label that I had assigned myself long before: “introvert”. I successfully avoided drawing attention to myself in my social circles. I had a message to share but I was hesitant about sharing it because of the immense pressure I was putting on myself to sound crystal clear, eloquent, and smooth. I simply did not think I was worthy of being listened to unless I sounded perfect! Read more>>

Debi Vincent

I truly believe there are many contributors to the development of my confidence and self esteem. As a child I was always interested in gymnastics but was unable to participate at a high level due to finances. I became the captain of the High School gymnastic team which gave me the opportunity at a young age to be a leader. Read more>>

George Simon

I grew up in American Samoa making movies with my brother, Joe. I’m from a big family (7 brothers and sisters) and we would always show our movies on VHS when they were finished. We always got positive feedback, especially from my mom (thanks, mom!) and that allowed us to be creative and develop our storytelling and sense of humor in a really positive environment. Read more>>

Emma Mitchell

For most of my 20’s and early 30’s, I had a hard time with my self-esteem, and things easily knocked me down. I realized to be truly joyful in life, it is important to love yourself. Which is why I got intentional about building up my confidence, and still work on it almost daily. Read more>>

Katie Hickman

Early in my career, like many people, I felt the need to prove myself. I wanted to learn and experience all that I could. I asked questions, worked hard, and raised my hand to take on all that I could. I’ve worked in corporate, small companies, agencies, and with non-profits, helping me to understand the different perspectives and how to be successful in very different internal cultures. Read more>>

Nicole Fedele

When I really think about it, I’d say my confidence exists out of necessity. We moved from New Jersey to the DFW area last year and, as a result, I had to basically rebuild my photography business from scratch. Before our move, I started following other small business owners in the area, reached out to local photographers, and joined facebook groups to offer free sessions as a way to have eyes on me and my business. Read more>>

Beth Blair

I wish I could say I was born with confidence and self-esteem. These are muscles that I developed by moving around as a child. I was always the new kid, so I had to master the art of making friends and “appearing” confident. True confidence and self-esteem are inside jobs. This wasn’t learned until much later. My continuing education in wellness and massage therapy gave me confidence and self-appreciation.  Read more>>

DR. Chandra Smartt-Spicer

How did I develop my confidence and self-esteem I would say started a couple of years back when I decided I wanted to become a plus size model. For many years I believed that I would never be able to live out my dreams of becoming a model due to my size and from that alone I was dealing with self-esteem issues.  Read more>>

Petra Schott

I think my self-esteem grew over time with me accepting and liking what I created in my paintings. The more and the longer I painted, the more I developed the confidence that in the end something interesting will come out. And of course it is also very important to have some recognition form others, be it over social media or from friends and in exhibitions, Read more>>

Mi’Lisa Idora

Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a continuous journey over the years. I believe it is something you master in cycles. I’ve learned that it is not something you simply do once. As humans we are constantly evolving and growing. Read more>>

Sheena Yap Chan

Developing self-esteem and confidence really started with my mindset. Growing up in an Asian household, there were so many rules I had to follow. I had to be the perfect daughter, sister, friend, etc and I never shared what I was going through. Because of this, I felt like I didn’t have a voice and stayed in the background. Read more>>

Sofia Daguano

To develop confidence and self-esteem, the most important is believe in yourself and what are you capable of. As a Fashion Stylist myself, start by continuously honing my skills through practice and research, staying updated on the latest fashion trends, and experimenting with different styles to find my unique voice and aesthetic. Read more>>

Josh Scheuerman

When I started out creating as a child, there were no critics to judge or evaluate my work, it was just art for art’s sake. Throughout my early adolescence I kept doodling or creating with no agenda to make it a career or even take art classes. When I turned 30 I actively pursued painting, buying paint and canvas and just started with an idea. Read more>>

Meghan Mills

My main enemy has always been my own mind in survival mode. When you spend all your processing power preparing for potential problems and anticipating the future, it doesn’t leave much space for the present. I realized overanalyzing and planning didn’t make me happy or more prepared; instead, I was creating a world of problems to live within. Read more>>

Craig Altobello

I am often in a position where my anxieties creep up and I feel like I have hit a wall. I build my confidence by telling myself that there is nothing that can stop me but me. That my anxiety is only because I am challenging myself and accomplishing hard things. That my anxiety is my weapon that tells me I should be scared because I am attacking the challenges in front of me and I am about to break through a wall. Read more>>

Maria Tilkens

I developed my confidence and self-esteem through a process of failing and adapting. Having moved over 20 times before I turned 15, I was constantly in new environments where I had to overcome challenges and adapt quickly. This often led to failures, but each failure taught me valuable lessons about resilience and self-acceptance. Read more>>

Jacqueline Olich, PhD

Two things helped me develop confidence and self-esteem: athletics and travel. Athletics taught me how to practice, win, lose, and represent my institution. My parents enrolled me in tennis lessons when I was in elementary school. On the tennis court, I learned how to be strategic and handle frustration and pressure. Read more>>

Stephanie Thomas

Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a journey with several key components. One of the biggest factors is my love for challenging myself with strength training. I love lifting weights – it feels so empowering and I love seeing myself get stronger in the gym. It not only boosts my physical capabilities but also builds my confidence. There’s something incredibly empowering about pushing my limits and achieving new personal bests. Read more>>

Steffany Maybel E. Reyes

Building self-esteem is truly a hurdle every person must persist through–especially those of us in the arts. As does the moon, my confidence certainly goes through its phases, but there is always the assurance of tomorrow, tomorrow night, and so on. Although outside influences may shake your self-esteem, both confidence and self-esteem emanate from within–beyond the stares and words of outsiders.  Read more>>

Alyce Rose

Building my confidence and self-esteem has been an evolving journey, deeply influenced by the way people would frequently compliment and inquire about my outfits. While I appreciated their interest in my fashion sense, I often wished they would also ask about my mental well-being, as I had a lot happening beneath the surface.  Read more>>

Emily Rose Weeks

I’ve learned that becoming confident takes time and effort. I’ve built my confidence by having a growth mindset. Instead of comparing myself to others, I focus on my own progress. I’m not afraid to ask questions, seek knowledge, and keep learning. Every challenge is a chance for me to grow, and every setback teaches me something new. Read more>>

Rubi McLaughlin

When I was growing up, I was definitely always put into the box of the “cute chubby girl.” That affected my self confidence for years. I hid behind comfy, baggy clothes, and didn’t pay much mind to my appearance beyond the ocassional haircut. My mother would buy me such beautiful clothes and accessories and was very patient with me when I would hoard them, but never wear them. Read more>>

Fairen Kia

Let Me run it back: In 2015 I started a fitness journey that reinforced these toxic ideas about my body: If you have a fat body or a large body, if you have a belly, if you have rolls, saggy boobs, stretch marks or cellulite, that there’s something wrong with your body and that you are undesirable.  Read more>>

Sally Allen

I built my self-esteem by first acknowledging that I lacked both self-esteem and self-confidence. This realization stemmed from my upbringing. Since then, I have learned to build resilience and self-confidence through various means. Joining supportive communities, receiving coaching, and most importantly, gaining experience and achieving success have been crucial in this journey. Read more>>

Aris Federman

When I decided to make my first short film, I had no idea what I was setting out to do. I wrote the script in a google doc, without any proper formatting. I had no understanding of the filmmaking process, image composition, or what a film festival was. I charged in with a ‘fools’ confidence, or the confidence of someone without enough experience to know how high the probability for failure was. Read more>>

Allen Plone

Such an interesting question for an artist. Mostly I find myself appreciating my life, call it self-esteem, from the relationships I’ve had over many years. My wife of 45 years, my daughter, friends from college. Confidence only grows when I can look at my work and know I’ve done as well as I can. Of course, both confidence and self-esteem grow when I sell a script, get a poem or short story published, when my work is praised and considered to be good. Read more>>

Daniela Tabares

In my journey to boost my self-confidence, I started with deep breathing exercises to reduce stress and bring in positivity. I also made a habit of practicing gratitude, appreciating even the little things in my life. Recognizing my uniqueness and value was crucial for building my confidence. I focused on believing in my ability to make a difference, both for myself and others. Read more>>

Jamie Hayen

As a child, I was incredibly shy, often hiding behind my mom’s legs at family events. Now, I regularly show up on video and have even taken the stage in front of thousands of people. This transformation happened by saying yes to opportunities that pushed me out of my comfort zone, even though I was scared and uncomfortable.  Read more>>

Julie Belardinelli

It wasn’t always sunshine and roses for me. For a long time, I struggled with self-doubt, shyness, and, introvertedness. Here’s how I found my confidence and self-esteem: Self-care became a priority. A good night’s sleep, healthy eating, and exercise aren’t just about physical well-being. It fuels my mental strength and confidence. Read more>>

Nabila Ismail

Confidence and self-esteem is something I’ve struggled with for a long time… but solo traveling the world has helped me develop it in so many ways. Going to a foreign country where you don’t speak the same language, don’t know anyone, and are in a completely new location + routine really shakes things up. Being alone in these situations has forced me to trust my instincts, make decisions for myself, and to get to know myself really well. Read more>>

Hanna Simone

I developed my confidence and self esteem once I began healing. I felt that I could see things with a steadier eye once I sat with uncomfortable feelings and thoughts. My confidence and self esteem is nurtured through safety and kindness from myself. Even to this day I spend time holding onto moments and letting them go. I trust I make the right decisions. Read more>>

Gloria Glow

I definitely didn’t start with the amount of confidence I have now, but from what I know of my story, it started with a quote I heard in 2019. A friend of mine was a life coach, and after a discussion we were having he told me this, “Success is 90% mindset”. Regardless if that was true, I was hooked. Drawn to this new idea, that the way I think, could change my future. Read more>>

Amelia Clover

Confidence was always tough for me. If left unchecked, my old feelings of inadequacy can still sneak in and needle me in the ribs when I drop by guard. Reminding me that I’m never enough or not doing enough. But, thankfully, these moments are rare and, these days, I feel solid in my talents and capabilities. Read more>>

Orville Cummings

For me and probably most people, this was a long journey. Growing up I lived a very sheltered childhood, being the only child of a single parent my mother did everything she could to provide a safe and comfortable environment for me, which by the way had its challenges.  Read more>>

Matthew Boyer

Self-confidence was not something that came naturally to me during my youth. Even though I was involved in martial arts, competed in tournaments, and accomplished several different achievements, I still never had what you would call strong self-confidence and definitely not what one would have considered great self-esteem. Read more>>

Chenese Lewis

Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a journey deeply rooted in the positive reinforcement and guidance I received from my family, particularly my mother. Being plus size my entire life, my mother was instrumental in instilling a strong sense of self-worth in me from an early age. Read more>>

Karlie Waldrip

Growing up, I had very low self esteem and confidence as a deaf person. I struggled being able to hear/understand conversations around me as I could not keep up. I received hearing aids at a year old when my parents found out I had hearing loss at 1o months old. I struggled to hear sounds around me, understand words and conversations.  Read more>>

Nael

My confidence comes from uniqueness. I do the face art since 2015 which few people can master it and not the majority, so, male artists themselves are trying to learn it these days. The fact that I am from the few masters in middle east makes me happy and confident. We are talking male artists in middle east. Read more>>