Confidence can open doors and is at the heart of so many amazing success stories across industries and disciplines and so we’ve always been interested in learning how we can help our readers and community members increase their confidence and self-esteem. Below, you’ll find highlights of some of the great conversations we’ve had on this topic.
Jax Porter
For me, confidence never shows up first. A challenge does. Most of the moments that built my confidence didn’t start with me feeling ready. They started with me trying something, not doing it perfectly, but still getting to the other side of it. Then realizing nothing fell apart, the world didn’t end, and I was actually more capable than I gave myself credit for. Read More>>
Victoria Reyna
For a long time, I called myself a chameleon. I could walk into any room and blend in, picking up on the energy, the expectations, the unspoken rules. I thought it was a strength. Other people saw me as outgoing and adaptable. What none of us noticed was the cost. Every time I adjusted, I gave up a little bit of myself. Read More>>
Jordon Cavallo
Trial and error. I’ve gone through so many different phases of my life chasing what I thought other people wanted me to be. It wasn’t until I met Joe that I was given a space to really find my true, authentic self — and be encouraged to let go of the versions of me I had created for everyone else. Read More>>
Shanna J
Honestly, my confidence came from getting tired of second guessing myself. There was a point where I realized I could either keep overthinking, comparing, and holding back… or I could just show up as I am and deal with it as I go. And I chose the second one. I also had to stop waiting to feel ready, because that moment does not really come. Read More>>
Monique Lore` Stinson
I built my confidence by pushing beyond my comfort zone and learning from mistakes. Being an athlete reinforced that—teaching me the value of repetition, consistency, and seeing results over time. That naturally strengthened my self-esteem. At the same time, I was surrounded by strong, beautiful role models—my grandmother and aunts—who grounded that confidence and showed me what it looks like in real life. Read More>>
Jelena Ostrovska
When I started in the entrepreneurial world, I had no confidence. I was 19 years old, just graduated from high school, and English wasn’t my first language either. So there was a lot to overcome to actually start moving the business forward. First of all, I had to get crystal clear on my motivation and why the business was important to me. Read More>>
Kelsey Flanagan
I developed my confidence and self-esteem in the studio by learning to follow my gut instincts and speak up about them. Read More>>
Andrea Dunham
This is good psychoanalysis, which makes this a useful question. I was an awkward, pretty anxious kid with an undiagnosed math learning disorder who compensated with a rich interior life and favored building fairy homes, dressing up and watercoloring to sports, academics and being in any way remotely cool, though I longed to be. Read More>>
Kim
I developed my confidence by finding out who I truly was through doing my own personal work and understanding who I was in Christ. Read More>>
Deonta Pace
God Gives Me Strength To Carry On, No The Road Hasn’t Been Easy A Made Man Has A Lot Of Flaws First Before He Becomes That Man Every Mistake, Every Set Back, Makes Him Great. Read More>>
Osharr McMullen
One of the odd things about starting a business is you don’t necessarily start with confidence. You don’t necessarily have ambition or even high self esteem. You normally have a need to fill and you’re a creative person. Read More>>
Desiree’ Barrow
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by learning to trust myself. I truly believe I can do anything I put my mind to. It may take a second, but I know I can and will get it done. I stopped letting negativity around me, and even the negative voice in my own head, define what I was capable of. Read More>>
Merad Safaeian
Self-confidence, to me, comes in two forms: false confidence and real confidence. False confidence can sometimes help, but it can also hurt you because it has no real foundation, no facts, skills, knowledge, or experience behind it. Real confidence is different. It comes from truth, experience, learning, hard work, and proven ability. Read More>>
Corry Michaels
Like most things in life, my confidence and self-esteem have been built—and are still being built—through life experiences. It’s something I’ve developed through practice, hard work, and intentional acts of self-love. I’ve worked with a dance coach, a vocal teacher, and earned a degree in recording arts and technology. Read More>>
Anirvin Chigurala
I developed my confidence early on because my parents trusted me to make my own decisions and take the lead in my own life. This independence taught me to rely on my own judgment instead of looking to others for validation. However, I believe that true self esteem must be grounded in character. Read More>>
Gabriela Miller
Confidence wasn’t something that happened immediately for me. It’s grown slowly, just like my starter. Honestly, in the very beginning, I questioned if I was “good enough” to sell my bread much less guide someone else on how to craft it, but I realized that care and consistency matter just as much as experience. Read More>>
Adriana Cordero
I developed my confidence and self-esteem little by little through experience, hard work, and stepping outside my comfort zone. Teaching, performing music, and studying at the graduate level challenged me constantly, but each achievement reminded me that I was capable of more than I thought. Read More>>
OLATUNJI GBOLAHAN
My confidence and self-esteem didn’t just appear overnight. it was built through a mix of experience, belief, and pressure. Read More>>
Eda Akman
I think I’ve always been a confident person, but recently I realized that my confidence wasn’t as strong as I thought. It could still be affected by people, by circumstances, and by the way I was treated. After going through a difficult period both emotionally and financially, I understood something very simple: at the end of the day, I have myself. Read More>>
sharlene shah
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by becoming more aware of who I truly am. There came a point in my life, after going through some difficulties and challenges, where I was really forced to look within and see myself more honestly. That experience helped me connect with my true self, and from there, my confidence began to grow. Read More>>
Dr. Michelynn Moss
I truly believe my confidence and self-esteem were forged when I began training in martial arts at the age of ten. It was more than physical discipline—it was a foundation for life. Through it, I gained wisdom, knowledge, loyalty, and a deep sense of camaraderie. I learned to observe not only my surroundings, but also the rhythm of nature and the energy of people. Read More>>
ALYSSA NOGASKI
In 2009, my boyfriend broke up with me and I was heartbroken! I felt like a shell of a person and didn’t like who I had become. Despite fear, I decided to book a one-way ticket to Argentina and see if I could find a job and work there. Read More>>
Christopher Summers
A lot of it came from experience, responsibility, and learning the hard way. I built confidence by putting myself in situations where I had no choice but to perform. DJing weddings taught me that fast. When you’re responsible for one of the biggest days of someone’s life, there’s no room to hide behind insecurity—you either show up prepared or you don’t. Read More>>
Robert Diaz
Confidence and self-esteem did not come overnight for me. They were built through struggle, responsibility, faith, and experience. Early on, I think a lot of my confidence was tied to proving myself through success, achievement, and hard work. Read More>>
Francine Juhlin
One of the biggest ways I developed my confidence and self-esteem was through learning how to adapt to change and keep showing up, even when things felt uncomfortable. My experience as a retired military aircraft electrician taught me discipline, responsibility, and resilience, but my confidence grew even more when I stepped into leadership, public speaking, coaching, and becoming a children’s author. Read More>>
Bev Goldi
Confidence comes from preparation, resolve and good old- fashioned hard work. I found out early in my school years that practicing, experimenting and taking chances paid off in whatever I wanted to accomplish. Whether it was learning how to whistle, how to balance on the balance beam, or how to sell Girl Scout Cookies, it took all of that to succeed. Read More>>
Andrew Busch
For me, confidence as an artist didn’t come from a sudden shift in mindset or people liking my paintings; it was built through all the hours that just started adding up at the easel and in the landscape. I developed self-esteem by proving to myself, over and over, that I could handle the medium. Read More>>
Alishia Nastas
I think my confidence and self-esteem developed through allowing myself to explore and try new things without expecting perfection right away. For instance, when I first started learning calligraphy with a traditional dip pen, I knew it wasn’t going to look amazing overnight, and I gave myself permission to enjoy the process instead of obsessing over it being perfect. Read More>>
Elias Gallegos
For years, people thought my confidence came from fighting, leadership, or some kind of natural self-belief. They saw strength on the outside, but they never saw the little boy inside still battling fear, trauma, insecurity, and pain. The truth is, I spent years pretending. Read More>>
Jodi Rosen
I don’t think confidence is something you either naturally have or don’t have. For me, it was something I really had to work on and developed over time. There was definitely a period in my life where I struggled with self-esteem and how I saw myself, and I realized I couldn’t keep waiting to magically feel confident one day. Read More>>
Chloe Forestier
When I first moved to Philadelphia, I didn’t know anyone-I didn’t even really know myself or what I wanted to do with my life yet. I think that pushing the boundaries of my comfort zones and putting myself in new environments helped me give myself room to grow, more particularly room to make mistakes along the way. Read More>>
Jayden Aubryn
I chose to be the person that I wanted to be. There were many times in my life when I didn’t like who I was, so I decided to change. The first time was in middle school. Puberty made me mean! And I didn’t like that about myself. So when I went to high school, I decided to be a nice person. And I was! Read More>>
Jake Robbins
I don’t want this to come off in a ‘victim’ tone, but my confidence and self-esteem have been built from being bullied since a young age. Obviously, going through these kinds of situations is painful, but I never let it define who I am. Read More>>
Jax Diener
I truly believe playing sports gave me confidence when I was growing up. I’d challenge myself to strive for more, to be better, to not give up…then I’d go out and prove to myself that I could achieve that goal, so I’d create another goal. That athlete mentality made me who I am and got me to today. Read More>>
Abolaji collins
My confidence didn’t start as confidence it started as necessity. As an artist, especially early on, there are long periods where nobody is validating what you’re doing. No audience, no traction, sometimes not even understanding from the people around you. So I had to learn how to believe in something before there was proof. I built my confidence through repetition and evidence. Read More>>
Leyla Mesic
I don’t always feel confident or fully believe in myself, even though I know I have reasons to. It’s something I have to consciously come back to and practice, again and again. Especially in new or challenging situations, I can feel that discomfort or doubt around my worth. Read More>>
Helen Spaw
From practice and experience, and an inner understanding of myself. Read More>>
Elizabeth Cline
I didn’t always have self confidence. When I was a young, My dad would say I was like a noodle…I couldn’t stand up straight, I was nervous to talk to anyone. He encouraged me to have a strong handshake and look people in the eye and speak up. It was when I first remember being taught the importance of self confidence. Read More>>
Pasadena Marie
Confidence is a practice for me. Like any other competency, it is a strategic skill that is built with consistency and discipline. I am unshakably confident because I trust myself. My friends and family have always described me as an ambitious go-getter, someone who leaves no gap between inspiration and execution. Read More>>
Francisco Leon Luy
With an extensive background in Sales, I learnt to mix the resielience and confidence acquired into my performing career. Confidence comes from trusting that, no matter what, things will turn out great. The mentality that if you are putting in the efforts, the sacrifices, and the work, you will get it. Read More>>
Selma Horn
Confidence is something deeply personal, so much of it comes with within, and at the end of the day it’s the one thing only you can control. For me it’s been built quietly, through trusting my craft and just continuing to show up for my own vision and intention. And then there is the magic of having people around you who truly believe in you. Read More>>
Manuela Villegas
I practice jiu-jitsu and train at a high-performance level. I’m extremely disciplined, and I translate that discipline and athletic mindset directly into how I make decisions for my company. Read More>>
