We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Adrienne Leigh a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Adrienne, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I’m not going to lie, it has been a journey to get my confidence & self-esteem where they are today. The person I show up as today is unrecognizable compared to even just me one year ago.
For as long as I could remember, self-doubt ruled my life, I was constantly drowning in imposter syndrome & was letting my life pass me by. In April of 2023, I hired my first business coach & since then, I have grown & upleveled, not only in business but in my life. In October of 2023, I dared to bet on myself & with a little encouragement from my coach I joined a Mastermind, not to be mistaken for the cartoon Megamind! A Mastermind is a group of entrepreneurs who are dedicated to growing their businesses. Masterminding is a concept in which entrepreneurs share their current challenges or obstacles by talking through different solutions with the group. My confidence came when I had the courage to take chances on myself and maybe even fail or look like a fool. Each time I’ve done something uncomfortable, that’s when my confidence has grown!
Confidence doesn’t just appear before you start a new endeavor. It is earned through challenging yourself & getting to the other side of your goals. Confidence is earned through continuously challenging yourself.
Every morning I start small to try to grow my confidence. I told myself I was going to get up at a certain time & make my bed. On the other side of that task, I find confidence & trust in myself. I reach out to 10 podcasts to be featured & on the other side of that challenge, my confidence grows.
You’re not going to find one day that you wake up & are confident. You’re going to have to work at it each & every day. As your confidence grows, your trust in yourself will grow & your self-esteem will also grow.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a passionate entrepreneur who fell in love with the beauty industry, more specifically the waxing industry. I own a brick-and-mortar waxing studio called The Bush Waxing Boutique in Fort Worth, TX. The Bush is a warm & welcoming place for women to get luxury waxing services. We also host multiple networking events every month, because I believe success in entrepreneurship is found through connection. Make sure you’re following The Bush on Instagram to find out about our next networking event.
This spring I took a huge leap & started my coaching career as an Esthetics Business Coach. I have already helped numerous estheticians transition into “Estipreneurship” and helped them step into their CEO energy. I am extremely passionate about helping others, especially estheticians who have a bigger purpose & dream beyond working for someone else.
Entrepreneurship is scary, but having a coach who has been through what you’re going through makes it just a little bit easier. I truly believe that’s why I am where I am & why I have been through all of the challenges when it comes to entrepreneurship. You can’t teach what you don’t know, and honey, I know how hard it can get. Trust me!
If you’re a struggling entrepreneur reading this, I hope you can find the support you desire. Lean on people, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It takes courage, but just imagine what your life will be like on the other side of the leap of faith & how much confidence you will have in yourself!
Exciting future projects include hosting the retreat of my dreams with my business bestie! Next fall we will be hosting a magical retreat for women ready to step into the life of their dreams! We hope to cultivate an inspiring space for those who attend to feel safe to express their desires & feel open to receiving all of the blessings from the Universe. Follow me on Instagram & keep your eyes peeled for tickets, space is very limited, but I hope to see you there!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Be willing to bet on yourself. No one is going to be betting on you the way that you can bet on you. Sure your friends & family want to see you succeed, but at the end of the day, you need to be your biggest cheerleader. When you have a desire to do something, go for it! Let me paint you a picture, it’s spring of 2020, and my waxing business in Fort Collins, Colorado has been shut down for what seems like the 87th week & I got the urge to move across the country & start over. Crazy right? Yes, it was totally crazy! Just one year later I was living in Fort Worth, Texas, signing a lease to a brick-and-mortar space that I couldn’t afford, I had zero clients & even fewer connections. But, I bet on myself & 3 years later, The Bush is still standing! I now have 4 amazing team members & a second business that I am so passionate about all because I bet on myself.
2. Ask for help, hire a coach, join Masterminds, network, CONNECT!
One of the main reasons The Bush is still standing is because I got out there and started forming connections. I had nothing but time on my hands when I first opened my business because as I just explained, I had zero clients. I was attending every networking event I could find, I was asking for help, I was willing to invest in business coaching & even take a huge leap of faith to join a Mastermind.
The longer you are an entrepreneur, the more hurdles you will face. The more hurdles you face the more likely you are to fail. Facing those hurdles with someone who has mastered those hurdles a hundred times over will keep you in the game longer. The longer you are in the game of entrepreneurship, the more likely you are to succeed. Just ask for help on those hurdles already!
3. Be tenacious!
Being tenacious & continuing to show up day after day means that you are just that much closer to success! If I could chalk up this entire interview & my experience so far as an entrepreneur, I would say pick a dream, believe in yourself, ask for help when things get tough, focus back in on your dream & why you’re doing this in the first place, don’t give up & BE TENACIOUS!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
The best cure for overwhelm is action. Tackle one thing on your to-do list. Go make your bed, go send that email, go do your dishes, or walk your dog. Just get moving, once you’re in action, you will find it a lot easier to keep going.
Like I said earlier in this interview, taking action is the best way to gain confidence. So really, on the other side of overwhelm, after taking action, is confidence!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bushwaxing.com/ https://www.estipreneurship.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebushwaxingboutique/ https://www.instagram.com/the_estipreneur/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrienne.leigh.948
Image Credits
Photos by Jackie Marie Photography https://jackiestillsandfilms.com/
