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.
Kimberly Burke
At 57, I’ve learned that confidence isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the decision to act despite it. My biggest regret isn’t the risks I took, but the time spent trying to fit in, fighting my nature as the ‘black sheep’ while searching for a balance between being loved and loving myself. Read More>>
Soon Hagerty
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by recognizing that you can’t just think positive thoughts, you have to become competent in order to feel confident. For example, after I started doing more thought leadership through writing, being interviewed and speaking to larger groups I realized the more I did public speaking the more confident I became that I could do well. Read More>>
Jamirae
I think confidence and self-esteem have always been a part of who I am. I started performing in front of audiences at 13, and being on stage just felt natural. I never really saw it as something to fear, it was exciting, and I thrived on the energy of connecting with people through music. A big part of that came from how I was raised. Read More>>
Helen Logan
I’d like to say I developed my confidence and self esteem from modeling and the way I treat others. While modeling, I found myself wearing clothes, jewelry, and wigs I’d never worn before. It was intoxicating. In the best way. Modeling is an art that creates endless opportunities. And as I modeled, I was not only recreating myself but I was able to find myself. Read More>>
Julia Brevetti
I found my confidence and self-esteem through trial and error. It came from experiencing failure, hearing “no” many times, and learning not to let those moments define me. Over time, I realized that you can’t allow other people’s opinions to determine your worth or your potential. I’ve learned that confidence starts internally — by believing in yourself, even before others do. Read More>>
Hayley Tharpe
There are two skills that I have exercised over the years which have really helped me build my confidence and self-esteem: preparation and purpose. Since childhood, I have always delved in a variety of activities that brought me to center stage such as talent shows, theatre, and competing for Miss California USA. I never relied on luck to ensure a successful performance. Read More>>
Jazmin Leslie
Confidence, for me, developed naturally from the way I was raised and the experiences that shaped me. I grew up in a family with big personalities where people were expressive, social, and comfortable being themselves. Walking into a room with openness and ease always felt normal, and that carried into adulthood. Read More>>
Gretchen Young
I do do think some of it is innate. But I would also give props to my dad. He was incredibly encouraging, inspiring and brilliant, He would motivate me wihout my even knowing it, and he showed tremendous enhusiasm for any interest I shared or goal I went after. Naturally, I wanted to make him proud because of his consistent pride in me. Read More>>
Ashley Holt
I didn’t develop confidence by trying to be more confident. I developed it by rebuilding my self-worth — and that distinction became the foundation of my work. Early on, my confidence was conditional and externally driven, shaped by performance, approval, and outcomes. As I began doing deeper inner work, I realized confidence without self-worth isn’t sustainable. Read More>>
Bianca Zalez
One of my dearest friends once told me that “you have to be in love with how multifaceted you are.” She told this to me as a very young adult still trying to come into my own. I’m so thankful she spoke these profound words to me. Read More>>
Dr. Marianne Olaniran
My confidence wasn’t something I built once — it’s something I’ve had to rebuild. And that distinction matters. Growing up bicultural — born in the U.S. and raised in Nigeria — I learned early how to navigate different worlds, which gave me a certain resilience. Academically, I was always driven. Read More>>
Katie King
Confidence and self-esteem didn’t arrive as a sudden trait for me — they were built through love, reframing, and repeated proof. I’m 59 now, but the foundations were laid early. I grew up as an only child with parents who didn’t have privilege, but gave me something just as powerful: belief. My mum Kath and dad Stan were working class and incredibly supportive. Read More>>
Tara Desouza
I developed my confidence by learning that if I step into a new situation and I don’t know how it will unfold, I will figure it out because I have myself. See, I used to think I was confident. I could make friends easily, keep a conversation going, even charm a room. Read More>>
Judy Wnuk
Growing up in lower-middle-class America, I was never one of the most well-liked kids in school. My clothes were often handmade or hand-me-downs, and I was tall and gangly long before that was considered an advantage. Living outside of town meant I rarely attended school functions or spent time with peers. Popular and trendy were not words I used to describe myself. Read More>>
Anthony Obas
Confidence and self-esteem began to develop when I conquered my fear of satisfaction. Fear paralyzes people from pushing past their limits, and for me, the fear of satisfaction came from the fear of settling into a lifestyle I never wanted. You see it everywhere—online, in conversations—people saying they’re “okay” with where they are. Read More>>
Hannah Brusven
Some people work to find confidence in power poses and platitudinal mantras, and others search for it in what they’ve been told about personal branding. I’ve grown to recognize that neither of those things ultimately last. I used to believe that confidence and self-esteem could be found by going on enough wellness trips and eat-pray-love adventures. But in fact, the opposite became true. Read More>>
Caroline Sims
I developed my confidence by learning to follow my own path instead of comparing myself to everyone else’s. Growing up, I was actually very insecure. I was surrounded by incredibly smart friends who were passionate about academics, AP classes, and getting into top schools. Read More>>
Tara Scott
For me, I had the benefit of having a father who was in sales. He encouraged me to participate in both Speech and Debate in high school along with my love for singing and theatre, which really helped me get used to the sound of my voice. Starting my own business, however, meant I needed to develop a new confidence. Read More>>
Moe’najah Spencer
I grew up in tough and violent circumstances. I was homeless a lot of my childhood, and my mama died when I was 9 years old. Instead of crumbling into a ball I learned to be strong. I learned that being too quick to trust will get you hurt and that I had only myself to truly rely on. Read More>>
Robert Williams
My confidence developed through repetition. The more I shot, the more I learned to trust my eye. Every session even the ones that didn’t go perfectly taught me something. Over time, I realized confidence isn’t about being perfect; it’s about being prepared and adaptable.” Read More>>
Rachel Hickman
I think a lot of us struggle with confidence and self-esteem, especially when it feels like we’re the ‘newbies’ in a setting. Becoming a dietitian certainly was no different for me, and I found it hard to find my place. Read More>>
Alexis Haselberger
Well, several years ago, when googling my mom, as one does, I found out that in the 90s, she was teaching a workshop called ‘How to Raise Confident Daughters’. No idea what she was teaching, but apparently it was effective because I’ve always felt like a confident, capable person. Read More>>
Rose Groves
For me, confidence came from doing hard or scary things before I felt ready. I was not born as one of those humans who can just walk into a room and demand attention – so it was something that has taken time and trial and error to possess. I moved countries. I pivoted careers. I raised my prices when I was scared. Read More>>
Leilah Loca
Honestly, I’ve really been confident my whole life. That doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous, because I definitely do. But I’ve never let nerves interfere with my confidence. Being nervous just means I care. It has never meant I doubted myself. Growing up, I was always involved in something. Dance, singing lessons, acting, cheer. I was constantly performing, putting myself out there and being seen. Read More>>
Raj Gujral
I moved to the US when I was 10 and I think being in a new country making new friends, I was always a bit shy. I remember my first year in college I took a public speaking class and I was a nervous wreck. Read More>>
Lulu Love
Well, my confidence didn’t come from fitting into what others thought of me or conforming to societal norms. Over the years, I have found affirmations, journaling, and vision boards useful. However, my confidence ultimately came from being dismantled and having to rebuild my core self. It took years working piece by piece and practice by practice. Read More>>
Carl Verheyen
In my teenage years I was just so excited to be making a living as a guitar player, that I probably didn’t know I sucked! I played five nights a week on Lake Street in Pasadena at a place called the Sawmill, and it was a great beginning to a career in music. But the more I learned, the more I found I didn’t know. Read More>>
Norah Kerrigan
my name is Norah I am 20 years old and I am the Founder of Wild and Worthy. I started this sanctuary because i have special needs and I wanted to help animals with special needs. it all started with winter the dolphin who lost her tail in a crabs net. Read More>>
Marley Jayy
This one was truly a long journey indeed. I wasn’t always this confident neither did I think highly of myself. I think the development came with the different intricate chapters of my life. I no longer did things for the approval of other people, but for myself… Read More>>
Kristy Johnson
Confidence and self-esteem were not always a strength of mine, and there are definitely times that I still have to work at it. As a vocalist and performer, I’m in front of audiences of all sizes – sometimes as large as 30-50K people. Read More>>
Nakiya Douglas
As a creator, both for myself and behind the scenes helping others build behind their brands, confidence is something I practice daily. But it wasn’t something I naturally had. It was built over time. I grew up in an environment where there wasn’t always stability or affection. There was a lot of moving and adjusting. Read More>>
Lea Cakic
When I was in pre-K through high school, I was extremely shy and introverted. I tried to fit in with the wrong crowds, I became a people-pleaser and my self-esteem dropped to a very low point. Looking back, I feel a sense of nostalgic sadness. Despite that, there was always a glimpse of “Leo” inside me, waiting to shine. Read More>>
Arik Sparano
I build my skills and self-confidence by engaging with diverse audiences and exploring new techniques, taking on various photography assignments. From the moment I started my photography journey, I’ve been learning something new every day while working with different audiences and categories of photos. Read More>>
Anthony T. Head, Sr.
My confidence didn’t come from early wins—it came from endurance. For a long time, I didn’t feel confident at all. What I did have was responsibility: to my family, to my craft, and to the people who believed in me. Showing up consistently—especially when things weren’t going well—slowly built trust with myself. That trust became confidence. Read More>>
Dame Marie Brown
I’m in a great place right now but developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a big part of my human journey. I would say this journey began with my family structure during my early developmental stage in life. From a strict, conventional, overly religious family dynamic, in which children were only meant to be seen and not heard, I understood that in life, you are to do as you were told. Read More>>
