Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joley Paige. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Joley, 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 confidence and self-esteem have been built out of many different types of blocks.
To begin, I’ve always had friends and family who believed in me. They are who should get credit for the foundation of my self-esteem and confidence.
Confidence is a muscle that has taken me many years to develop. I feel like my best “training” came from reading the quote: “Be so much yourself, no one is afraid to be themselves.” I wanted to provide that safe space for people, therefore I had to believe in my own self or at least appear like I did.
My other confidence tool was realizing that I am my own worst critic. While it was easy to tell myself negative things about myself, I wanted to live a life where I told myself more positive affirmations than negative ones. It was a slow process to begin, and I still have days where I’m my biggest hater. However, the positive affirmations have helped me believe in myself in a deeper way.
It also doesn’t hurt to remember that everyone else is so worried about themselves, they usually aren’t going to notice anything embarrassing that you do. No one is taking notes on everything you do. Learning that gave me room to breathe and start believing in myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I spend a lot of time deciding what kinds of different “hats” I would wear in this life. By day, I work as a supply chain professional. By night, I am a comedian and a podcast host.
My podcast began after a failed attempt to recall Arizona Governor Doug Ducey. I learned a lot by being a co-founder of the recall organization Accountable Arizona. When the recall failed, I didn’t just want to stop there. I wanted to take what I had learned and make the political process more accessible to Arizonans.
The first season of the podcast focused on the 2022 Midterm Election. I interviewed people on and off the ballot to produce local election information that was digestible to the average Arizonan. In the second season, I interviewed two different local LGBGTQ+ leaders that I admire.
My stand up comedy is always in development. I am just finishing up my second year and am still considered a fetus by stand up comedy standards. There is still so much for me to learn.
I have also really enjoyed with connecting with audience members who see themselves in my material. Stand up has forced me to be creative in the ways that I tell stories that are important to me. The challenge is really exciting.
Readers can check out my podcast Accountable Arizona wherever they listen to podcasts. I have shows coming up at Roses by the Stairs on 12/21/23 at 7:30 PM, Tucson Improv Movement on 12/29/23 at 9 PM, and at Endgame Bar in Mesa on 1/27/24.
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?
The three qualities that have gotten me this far are resilience, bravery, and kindness.
Each of these requires tiny actions in your day to day life in order to build each of them as muscles.
Resilience usually has to start by being able to show up for yourself first. If you aren’t taking care or listening to yourself; it will be really hard to be either brave or kind. When I’m faced with something that requires my resilience, I have to remind myself that “the only way out, is through.”
Anyone can be brave and a lot of people are brave in ways they don’t even realize. I think when you’re trying to become more brave, you have to remember that it is going to be uncomfortable. No one usually has fun being brave…more so afterwards when they’re proud of themselves for gritting their teeth and doing something they didn’t know they could.
Kindness is one of my core values. I would not be where I am today if I was not kind and if others had not been kind to me. Therefore, I am a big believer in the golden rule. We live in some dark times, and creating light for each other is a must.
Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
If I could make everyone read one book it would be “Holding the Line: Women in the Great Arizona Mine Strike of 1983” by Barbara Kingsolver.
It is a book about the copper strike that took place in my hometown of Morenci, Arizona. It tells stories of resilient women who fought hard to not only make their workplace a safe and equitable place to work; but also their town.
It really helped me fall back in love with where I came from. I have a love/hate relationship with where I grew up. There are a lot of disadvantages that come with growing up in a town that is owned by a corporation. However, when I read about the spirit of the women involved in the strike, I am reminded just how strong the women who came before me are. It inspires and gives me hope.
I believe that the most valuable lesson that the book teaches is the power of community and mutual aid.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.accountablearizona.org/
- Instagram: @joleythestrange
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/joleyhamilton
Image Credits
Brandi Bigley
