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.
Gerren Ard
My confidence and self-esteem, huh? Well, there’s a saying: “A MAN will stand up for himself. A HERO will stand up for others.” I usually pictured myself as the “hero” in my personal story. The earliest memories in my life were spent watching 70s and 80s television shows and these were some of the most positive, morally and ethically driven shows around. They handled difficult topics on a weekly basis and you always learned something new through humor! Read more>>
Jared Hall
This may or may not come as a surprise to you… but I’ve struggled with self-doubt for a long time. Sometimes I would immediately minimize an achievement, the moment I accomplished it. I get into a film festival? Oh, that’s not really a big deal. My film gets an award? Oh, I was just lucky. I was always thinking stuff like this, moving the goal posts over and over in my head. Read more>>
Forrest Savage
Throughout my life I have suffered from having very low self-esteem. I’ve never been part of the “in crowd”, I’m horrible at mingling with the opposite sex, and I’ve often times questioned my faith. It’s still a daily struggle, but when I’m performing it’s like a switch that comes on. I can go from being an anxious nervous wreck one second to a confident and charismatic individual the next. There is something about when that first note of music hits…..”its go time”. I feel like when I have a microphone in my hand…..I have control. It’s the only time I feel like I fit in and belong. I wish that other aspects of my life came just as easily. Read more>>
Tiffany Yelverton
My confidence and self-esteem have been shaped by a combination of personal development and self-awareness. Growing up in a family that valued personal growth and a positive attitude, I learned early on that with focus and effort, I could achieve anything. While I was shy and often experienced depression, this mindset was pivotal in helping me push through challenges. Read more>>
Dr. Timogi
It was 2005 and my weight was it its heaviest. I had given birth, twice in the last 5 years, though a stay-at-home mom I was unhappily married, and I had not completed my undergraduate degree. Could I feel less beautiful, less powerful, less worthy of my voice? Read more>>
Kelly Kasle
I developed confidence and self-esteem by jumping into opportunities that were uncomfortable! Since I was a kid, I have taken on jobs and opportunities that I didn’t have all the knowledge or skills on how to do. I had to learn in real time, knowing I’d have moments of failure and success, but also that I’d come out the other side stronger with a new skill set. Getting paid to learn is one of the most fun ways to make money! My first internship in college was with the local jazz radio station. Each summer Rochester is home to one of the largest jazz festivals in the country. The summer after my sophomore year I was hired to help the radio station at the festival. The job description said I would be helping with scheduling, research and filming. Read more>>
Mercedelli Graciano
Funny enough, within my private practice, I led a group that dealt with self-esteem building and I would always start the session with reminding them that there’s a difference between confidence and self-esteem. Confidence deals with our specific belief in an ability we possess. On the other hand, self-esteem is our regard for our self-worth and the feelings surrounding our value as a person. Read more>>
Ryan Alvarez-cohen
Speaking in front of other people is hard. And its especially hard for me. This has been the case for as long as I can remember, going back to the days when I was in the first grade and never raised my hand to answer questions proposed by my teacher. Today I speak in front of people often. I’m not addressing large auditoriums with thousands in capacity (yet), but I’m frequently talking to groups of people from 10 to 50 in size and occasionally up to 100. This is a story not about how I overcame my fear of speaking in front of people but how I’ve learned to manage it and not let it hold me back. Read more>>
Connie Bergstein Dow
As a child, I was shy and quiet. I never sought the spotlight, or even wanted to stand in front of my class and present a book report. I was also a bit clumsy; I had a difficult time getting my body to move in an integrated way. My mother said I used to trip over the patterns in a carpet! She signed me up for a community dance class when I was four years old to help me to develop balance, strength, and coordination. This wonderful opportunity was my introduction to the art form of dance. I found that I loved to dance; it gave me self-confidence and a voice to express myself, and it led me to a lifelong career. Read more>>
Susan Aquila
Developing confidence in music and in life is like working out a muscle. If you don’t use it, it will fade away.. In spite of being fearful, I am always putting myself in a position which requires me to depend on myself to fight my way through. Even though it’s a painful process and can lead to failure, it’s not a failure if you continue to grow. The more times you do this, the more confident you become. Musically, I’ve always taken chances and put myself in front of an audience…. Do or die. It’s exciting and sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. The important thing is that you put out there experiencing it! Read more>>
Sydney Welsh
I was fortunate to be raised by a mother who knew the importance of cultivating confidence and self-esteem in her daughter. So, when asked how I developed my confidence the answer is simple, it was taught to me. Growing up I was given room to explore and understand who I am as a person and that to me is where confidence comes from…truly knowing yourself. I watched my mother tackle the world with her own particular brand of self-esteem and while some of that naturally rubbed off on me, she was also sure to share essential life lessons. Lessons, which may have annoyed me at the time but have stuck with me always. Read more>>
Janine Davis
Growing up I was incredibly shy. I actually dropped out of kindergarten (if that’s such a thing) I just didn’t like being around people I didn’t know. Exhausted by my daily “crying and whining”, my mom eventually gave in and said I didn’t have to go back. I stayed with my grandmother during the day – loads of fun for a 5 year old – eating. watching TV, games, etc. Read more>>
Brooke Ebeling
As both an artist and art educator, I center my practice around creative confidence. Feeling good about your work is a skill that takes practice and a lot of grace. A large factor in being able to develop that skill is giving yourself permission to experiment and make “bad art”. It took years of painting tiny studies nearly every day before something finally *clicked*. There were times where I was frustrated or maybe less satisfied with the final product than I had hoped, but I kept going, kept practicing, and never beat myself up for making a “failed” painting. Every single session in front of the easel is an opportunity to improve. I can look at the work I create now and compare it to the work I’ve made in the past, and I can appreciate the growth in not only my skill, but in my love of the process. Read more>>
Dee
I believe it was always there. When I was a teenager, I was never that focused on dating or just validation from others in regards to my looks, so I was able to appreciate who I was as a person much more at a very formative time in my life. Of course, we all have insecurities, but I have always been a big proponent of the mantra, ‘fake it till you make it’ when it comes to building up confidence. Once you do this, it just comes naturally after some time. When you act like you’re the hottest person in the room, you will eventually be that girl. Read more>>
