Meet Felicia Dahm

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Felicia Dahm a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Felicia, 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?

My childhood wasn’t the typical movie scene. My mom was a single mother for years before she met my stepdad, and for most of my early years, we lived with my grandmother. I remember moving around a lot, staying with different relatives, never quite feeling settled. When I was in first grade, my teacher suggested I be tested for ADHD. Instead of following through with the evaluation, my mom pulled me out of school and decided to homeschool us. In the ’90s, homeschooling wasn’t common, and we were teased constantly for being different.

When my stepdad got a trucking job that required travel, we packed up and went with him, living in a mobile trailer as we moved around Washington and Oregon. At one point, we lost access to the trailer, and for a while, we lived in a tent at a campground in Bandon, Oregon. At first, it felt like an adventure. But as time passed and I realized we had no home to go back to, the excitement faded. I remember plugging my nose and drinking from a hose because it was the only water we had. The campground owners took pity on us and let us stay in a damaged trailer on their property—half of it had been destroyed by a fallen tree, but it was still more shelter than we had before.

That instability shaped me, but not in the way people might assume. Instead of making me strong, it planted deep insecurities. I grew up feeling like I wasn’t smart enough, good enough, or thin enough. Those beliefs followed me into adulthood and led me into relationships where I was treated poorly—because when you don’t believe you’re worthy of love, you accept whatever love you think you can get. My brain was wired to look for proof that I wasn’t enough, and I found it everywhere.

By 2016, I hit a breaking point. My mind was consumed with negative thoughts, and I was desperate for a way out. I spent hours searching Pinterest for self-help books and podcasts, anything that might make me feel better. I remember thinking, I don’t want to feel like this anymore. Life felt meaningless, like I was just existing, not really living.

One day, I came across a post listing the top 10 self-growth podcasts, and one of them was The Life Coach School Podcast. That one decision—to press play—changed everything. I became obsessed, listening every single day, absorbing every word. I even called into the show once when they had listeners share how the podcast had changed their lives. The more I listened, the more my perspective shifted. I discovered other teachers like Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle, who introduced me to the idea that my thoughts created my experience. It was a revelation.

For the first time, I started questioning the story I had been telling myself. The belief that I wasn’t good enough? That wasn’t the truth—it was just something my mind had been repeating for years. And if I could change my thoughts, I could change my life.

I decided I didn’t want to stay in the same career I had been in since I was 18. I started going to school part-time, speaking up at work, and asking for more responsibility. Eventually, I became a manager. My confidence grew with every uncomfortable step I took. By the time I realized I wanted to become a life coach, I had worked my way up to Director, was making six figures, and, thanks to COVID, was working from home three days a week. From the outside, it looked like I had finally “made it.” But inside, I wasn’t satisfied.

There was something bigger calling me. I had a deep, unshakable pull to become the mentor I had always needed when I was younger. I wanted to help people experience the kind of transformation I had. I wanted them to know they weren’t stuck. They weren’t broken. That change was possible.

So, I did something terrifying—I quit my job.

At first, I worked for a friend while figuring out my next steps. It was during this time that I took my first Reiki class, and something inside me clicked. Reiki taught me trust. Trust in myself, in my intuition, in the process. I learned that confidence isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about being okay with uncertainty. When I became a certified coach, I went all in on my business. And that’s when the real development started.

Self-esteem and confidence aren’t things you wake up with one day. They are things you build by taking action, even when you feel unprepared. Every new challenge brings up old fears. The mind will always try to keep you comfortable because comfortable is safe. But comfort never leads to growth.

For years, I had looked at my past as proof of why I wasn’t good enough. But when I changed my story, everything changed. Instead of seeing my struggles as failures, I saw them as evidence of my resilience. I survived instability, financial hardship, toxic relationships, and workplace discrimination. I faced it all—and I chose to rise.

Now, when self-doubt creeps in, I don’t let it control me. Instead, I think about the person I am becoming—my future self. I ask myself, How does she walk? How does she speak? How does she handle fear? And then I embody that version of me. I don’t wait to feel confident—I act as if I already am.

Because here’s the truth: Confidence is created, not given. It comes from taking action before you feel ready. It comes from rewriting your story. It comes from embracing discomfort and trusting that you are capable.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that waiting to feel ready is an illusion. The only way to become confident is to start—right now, exactly as you are.

To break that down to action steps :
*Take action before regardless of how you feel
*Embody your future self
*Rewrite your story
*Embrace discomfort with open arms
*Trust in yourself

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I help women who feel overwhelmed and stuck in their weight loss journey by teaching them how to elevate their self-concept and embrace self-acceptance, while building sustainable practices through education and reconnecting with their bodies using holistic approaches. Together, we create lasting transformation rooted in love, empowerment, and alignment.

The best part of my job is to see the growth my clients go through, hear the excitement in their voice when they hit new goals and see their mindset shifts when they uncover old beliefs that they want to change. I am truly blessed & honored to be guiding people on their journeys.

I have many workshops in-person and online at my events page. https://www.unleashedaligned.org/Events

I also have a facebook group and youtube channel where you can access my free content weekly.

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1A9A9P3uUE/

www.youtube.com/@alignwithFlo

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One quality I am most proud of is my ability to help people learn without judgment. I remember being in the corporate world and feeling like asking questions was annoying to others, as if my curiosity or desire to learn was an inconvenience. I never wanted to be that kind of teacher. People always came to me with questions because I took the time to truly help them understand, meeting them where they were rather than where I thought they “should” be. I understand what it’s like to be new at something—to feel unsure, to learn at a different pace, or to process information differently than others. That’s why I believe patience is so important. The way one person understands something may not be the way someone else does, so I’ve learned to explain things in multiple ways, ensuring that the message actually lands. You never know how someone else’s brain is processing information, and meeting them with patience and adaptability can make all the difference.

Another skill I developed—though I never really noticed it until I was older—is my ability to connect with anyone, regardless of background, age, or status. My friends often pointed it out to me, mentioning how I could walk into a room and effortlessly talk to anyone—whether they were young, old, wealthy, struggling, or in leadership positions. One friend even told me, “You’re never intimidated by authority.” I think this comes from my ability to match energy and adapt to different situations. I see people as just that—people. No one is a “better” human than anyone else. Sure, we all have different skills, strengths, and weaknesses, but on a fundamental level, we are all the same. We are interconnected, and deep down, I believe we all crave genuine connection. When we strip away the labels and categories that society uses to box people in and instead see them on a soul level, it becomes easier to forgive, love, accept, and truly understand one another.

The last skill—one I’ve developed most recently—is how I handle criticism, failures, or any perceived mistakes. I’ve learned to separate my emotions from the situation and see failure as an event, not a personal identity. Instead of thinking, I failed, I ask myself, What went well? What could I improve? I break it down objectively, considering different perspectives—maybe someone else’s point of view, maybe how this experience can help me connect more deeply with my audience. I actually welcome feedback now because I see it as an opportunity for growth rather than a reason to feel inadequate. If I ever find my emotions creeping in, I remind myself: The only meaning anything has is the meaning I attach to it. And if I still struggle to detach emotionally, I try to look at the situation as if it were happening to a friend. What advice would I give them? How would I help them find the lesson in it? That simple shift in perspective makes all the difference.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

There are so many amazing books that have helped me but the one that probably shifted my mindset the most was ” Dr Joe Dispenza , Becoming Supernatural” . I think he does such a wonderful job of helping people understand the metaphysical with neuroscience.

Neurons that fire together wire together – The more you repeat a thought or memory the more your brains neurons will connect and have a long term relationship together. This means the more we are repeating an event that made us feel unworthy, stupid or shameful the more we are enhancing that connection.

The only way we can change our lives is to change our energy – This goes back to why I envision my future self and what they think and do. We cannot change our lives if we are thinking the same thoughts and feeling the same feelings day in and day out. We have to stop, acknowledge what we are thinking and start making an effort to redirect and change these thoughts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.unleashedaligned.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/women_unleashed_coaching/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61553140757380
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coach-felicia-10b7a22b7/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alignwithFlo

Image Credits

Stephanie Neville