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.
LYNDA OSORIO
My confidence and self-esteem were not built overnight — they were the result of years of discipline, preparation, and the courage to constantly step outside my comfort zone.
From my early career in design, marketing, and business management, I realized that technical knowledge wasn’t enough. What truly opened doors for me was the way I presented myself, the confidence in my voice, and the presence I projected in every room. Still, like many women — and especially as a Latina entrepreneur entering the U.S. market — I had to face self-doubt and moments of insecurity. Read More>>
Junior Rodríguez
After Time of being in isolatrd áreas such Jail Prison self detached, and being told what todo mayory of My life , You come to a point where You figure out who You really are and come to the conclusión and accept who i am, That has lead me to keep My head up confident substain a Good job Interpreter wich i enjoy and maki g good money for bien México. Read More>>
Rachel Ferriter
I have developed a lot of confidence and self esteem through my journey as a horsewoman. I have been independently responsible for caring for and training my own horses since I was 16 years old. Horses respond to true confidence and honesty and good communication instantly. They don’t care about or respond to shallow external signs of “confidence” like appearance or conformity to trends. As a licensed professional counselor, one of the concepts that I’ve learned matters most around confidence and self esteem is locus of control: when you feel you are in charge of your life and decisions you have an internal locus of control and it makes you feel powerful, hopeful, and capable of influencing your path. Read More>>
Victor Dutra
For me, confidence started with really knowing who I am. Part of that is recognizing the gifts and abilities I’ve developed over the years, but just as important is knowing who I am not. Understanding what I don’t do, what isn’t my lane, has been freeing. It allows me to embrace my own identity without constantly comparing myself to others or trying to fit into someone else’s mold.
I’ve also learned that confidence doesn’t come overnight. It’s been built through small steps—playing my first professional gig as a teenager, saying yes to opportunities that scared me, learning from mistakes, and realizing that every experience shapes me. Over time those moments stack up, and you begin to trust your own process. Read More>>
Jessica Belizaire
Growing up in a Haitian household with a resilient single mother and a strong, faith-filled grandmother shaped me in ways I didn’t fully understand until I got older. They taught me to walk with my head held high, to know my worth, and to never forget the power of prayer. As a kid, it was hard to see the beauty in those lessons—especially when my peers made me feel like an outsider because of the way I dressed or the mole on my forehead that always drew attention. Read More>>
Marc Iskandar
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by pursuing what I truly love and surrounding myself with people who believed in me. In college, I stumbled across Alan Watts’ lecture on choosing passion over money. His words stuck with me: “The only way to truly master something is to be with it fully. And then you’ll be able to get a good fee for whatever it is.” Read More>>
Ozgun Sezen
From an early age, art has always been part of my life—both of my parents were art teachers, so I grew up in an environment where creativity was not only encouraged but embraced as a way of living. Art and painting are at the very center of my life.
Discipline has been very important in this journey. I never stopped creating and working consistently. At the same time, being able to define the emotions that life experiences have given me and translate them onto the canvas has provided me with an inner strength. For me, art is both a form of expression and a way of transforming lived experiences into an aesthetic language. Read More>>
Hope Martinez
I have developed my confidence and self-esteem by consistently taking on challenges that I feel are just out of my reach or even intimidate me. I believe that when you commit to doing something that intimidates you it improves your perception of what you can handle. When you finally complete this intimidating challenge, whatever it may be, you can’t help but see yourself as a strong and capable person. Some of the challenges I have set before myself during my life consist of various things. These challenges consist of moving to big metropolitan cities by myself such as Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Completing a college degree in something I initially knew very little about. Read More>>
T’Nia Thomas
Every day I am constantly evolving and gaining more and more confidence and self-esteem. The way I began to develop it stemmed from self-discovery. Taking the time to discover who I am and the things I love made me realize that there is only one me on this planet — and just that alone is a confidence booster. We are unique and individual in our own ways, which makes us so special. How can you not have high self-esteem knowing that you are special — a true one-of-one?
(Unless you have a twin, of course — lol.) Read More>>
Jericho Ma
I’ve built my confidence by surrounding myself with positive, supportive people who encourage me to grow. I also stay curious and open to learning, every time I pick up a new skill or explore something unfamiliar, it boosts my self-esteem and reminds me what I’m capable of. Read More>>
Krish Sav
My confidence and self-esteem developed through a combination of early passion discovery and learning to reframe rejection as growth. My fascination with cybersecurity began in fifth grade when I first learned about online safety, which gave me a foundational interest to build upon over the years. However, the real confidence booster came from recognizing a genuine problem that I was uniquely positioned to solve – when I discovered my intelligent peers couldn’t identify basic phishing attempts, I realized I had knowledge that could genuinely help others. Read More>>
Alia Parise
My journey to self confidence was a long and difficult one, and it is something I still struggle with. All through school, Middle School and High School in particular, I i would sit in the back of the classroom and hide in a baggy clothes. I have always been a big girl, my dad was 6’3 and my mother was 5’7. But as many know, standing out in school wasn’t always a good thing. In Art School, I started to stretch my wings a bit, make new friends, and really start to get a vision of what I wanted to do in life. Read More>>
Mary Alice Stephens
I was a late bloomer when it came to self-esteem and confidence — I didn’t start to build them until I was 45. Growing up as the sixth of seven kids, I always felt “less than”: less interesting, attractive, athletic, funny — you name it. I craved validation, believing that if I excelled at something or won approval, I’d finally feel worthy. Read More>>
Taeko Fujio
I was born and raised in Japan, and worked for 12 years at a long-established Japanese company. In Japan, humility is considered a virtue, and people are often encouraged to adjust to those around them rather than to assert themselves. On top of that, seniority-based systems and a culture of comparison still remain strong. In such an environment, it was not uncommon for my opinions to be dismissed or my way of doing things to go unrecognized, which made it difficult to build confidence or self-esteem. Read More>>
Lisa Schoenthal
You know, people always assume confidence is something you’re either born with or not, but here’s the truth: confidence is built like muscle—it only grows when you use it.
For me, it didn’t happen overnight. It came from a million little “do it scared anyway” moments. Leaving a comfortable career in special events to travel solo around the world. Writing my first book when my inner critic kept screaming, “Who do you think you are?” Becoming a flight attendant at 47, when most people told me I was too old to start over. Each time, I had to quiet the noise, trust my gut, and leap. Read More>>
Kayla Griffin
In the beginning, I battled with comparison. There are so many talented photographers out there, and I often felt like the “not enough” girl in a room full of “already made it” women. But God has this way of reminding me that I wasn’t called to compete — I was called to create. When I pick up my camera, I’m not just taking pretty pictures; I’m capturing the fingerprints of the Creator on His people. Psalm 139 says we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and I get the privilege of showing my clients what that truth looks like through a lens. Read More>>
De’Erika Watson
Early in my real estate career, I wasn’t the confident woman you see today. I was shy, reserved, and unsure of how to present myself in spaces where I wanted to belong. I would attend networking events, walk around with my real estate badge, and not say a single word—not even a small introduction. Looking back, I realize I was wrestling with a kind of social anxiety I didn’t even know I had. Read More>>
Will Sims
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through years of struggling with depression. I used music to channel my emotions and get through the hard times, but people have become increasingly numb to the struggles that the people around them are facing. I often feel alone in my struggles, but I have managed to survive my lowest points with help of music. I am lucky that I have the ability to write and work with incredible producers and musicians to help turn my pain into something beautiful. Years of being lucky enough to do this has made me confident as a songwriter and of my place in the world. Read More>>
Heather Hillhouse
I believe that my confidence and self-esteem comes from believing that I, and every human being, has something unique and of value to add to the world while we are here. I think that every single one of us is here to add beauty in one way or another, we don’t all choose to tap into that opportunity, but we are all given the chance to. Whether that is your smile, your art, your songwriting, your handshake, your generosity, your genius, and it just goes on and on. I believe that how I see the world is how I add to the beauty. I believe my ability to capture this world with my camera is how I add to the beauty. Read More>>
Alexander Frank
Well, I certainly did not wake up confident I’ll tell you that much. For me it’s been a byproduct of doing hard things over and over again until I could no longer deny the proof. I think confidence is the reputation that you have with yourself. I’ve built mine by stacking evidence—every workout logged, every client coached, every presentation delivered under pressure; this stack of undeniable proof that you are who you say you are. Read More>>
Katie Kage
I wish I could say I’ve always been confident, but that hasn’t been my story. For a long time, I tied my worth to how much I achieved, how I looked, or how much I could do for everyone else. No matter how hard I worked, it never felt like enough.
When I became a mom, that struggle only got louder. I poured everything into my family and career, but I was running on empty and constantly questioning if I was failing at both. My confidence was at an all-time low because I’d lost sight of who I was underneath the roles and expectations. Read More>>
Anahid Kaloyan
At 13, I was bullied for experimenting with makeup on myself. People tried to make me feel small for doing something I loved. At that age every comment felt heavy, and I questioned whether I should stop expressing myself.
But makeup, for me, wasn’t just about “looking good.” It’s always been about creativity, Even when others doubted me . Slowly, I started to see progress, growth takes time and that their opinions didn’t define me. Read More>>
Julia Livingston
People often think I’ve always been confident, and I understand why—it looks that way from the outside, and truthfully, until recently, I was. I’ve never watered myself down to fit in, I’ve always spoken my mind, and Clovis has reflected that since day one. For the first five and a half years, I designed every piece myself. I didn’t chase trends or try to fit into the fashion industry’s mold. I built a functional brand that carried my personality, my humor, my love for clothing in every stitch. Read More>>
Nolia Joy
Confidence is a funny thing. For me, it hasn’t been something steady or linear. As a young woman in my 20s, there are days when I feel like I am on top the world, and others when I want to disappear under the covers. Being in college and pursuing music has been exciting and fulfilling, but also exhausting and full of self-doubt. I often caught myself replaying interactions in my head, wondering if I came across strong enough, or worrying too much about how others perceived me.
As a musician, I am constantly meeting new people and other artists. Read More>>
Melyna Blanco
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by loving myself unconditionally. By putting yourself first, you train your mind to prioritize YOU. In the process you learn to trust, encourage, and forgive which in turn fuels development of these traits. Trusting oneself helps you lean into your intuition allowing you to make easier choices. Confidence is competence. The more you understand, the more you will feel empowered. Read More>>
Kaitlyn Johnston
As an artist it’s important to realize the mistakes you’ve made and correct them. Being able to do so really helped me build my confidence in my work. What’s really helped my self-esteem would be my mentor kika and my fellow artist that I work with. My family and Fiance have done nothing but support me and have given me the push I needed to challenge me self with my work. Read More>>
Bianca Pitman
I’ve learned that building confidence and self-esteem is a journey, and I’m still actively working on it. I think once my perspective on confidence changed it’s become easier to embody confidence. Mel Robbin’s said it best — “Confidence has less to do with “feeling” confident and more to do with being willing to try new things even when I feel uncertain. She says that Imposter syndrome often comes up when we’re stepping into something new, and I’ve learned to see that as a sign of growth rather than a weakness. Read More>>
Jazz Egger
Growing up, I never had many friends. I was bullied at every school I went to. With time, I learned that not fitting in wasn’t my weakness; it was my power. You’ll never make it if you’re like everyone else. So I learned to embrace my quirks and everything that I was once bullied for. I stopped trying to hide and started being okay with being perceived by thousands of people, no matter what they think. So be raw. Be honest. Be okay with screaming your biggest insecurities and flaws as loud as you can. Because there will always be somewhere who will relate. Read More>>
Kearra Porter
My confidence was born in the bounce era — a season of rebuilding, rediscovering, and rebranding myself as both a woman and a visionary. After setbacks in business, motherhood, and personal identity, I had to bounce back — not with perfection, but with purpose.
Confidence didn’t come from always having it together. It came from showing up anyway — with a bonnet on, baby on my hip, and dreams still burning. I became my first client, styling my own crown until I could teach others how to wear theirs. I studied myself in the mirror until I stopped seeing flaws and started seeing fuel. Read More>>
Mindy Gurley
“Be the love you never received.” — Rune Lazuli
I never felt like I fit into the mold of a “typical girl.” Growing up, I was a tomboy — more comfortable with a wrench in my hand than a hairbrush. I helped my dad with vehicle maintenance and spent most of my time outdoors helping my grandparents on the farm. I hated staying inside. But when I was 13, my world shifted. My parents divorced, and the emotional fallout hit me in ways I didn’t expect — or fully understand at the time. Read More>>
