We recently connected with Heather Hansen and have shared our conversation below.
Heather, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
For me, belief in myself is all about evidence. For 20 years it was my job to build beliefs in the courtroom, and I did it with evidence. Then I realized I could build MY belief in MYSELF the same way. So I have collected and created the evidence that allows me to believe in myself.
I collect it by looking at things I”ve done in the past that support that belief. I lost 100 pounds decades ago, and I’ve maintained that weight loss. It is evidence that I can do hard things, and keep commitments to myself. I also collect evidence about others who have done extraordinary things. That helps me believe that I, too, can do extraordinary things.
Creating evidence is a little riskier. It means I have to go out and do something on purpose to create evidence of what I want to prove. If I want to prove I can impact 100 people in my Belief Building Membership, I start by creating evidence that I can impact one person, then two. With each piece of evidence, my belief grows.
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 give people the tools to overcome doubts, build beliefs, and advocate to win. I was a trial attorney for over 20 years, where I learned to use energy, evidence, and empathy to build beliefs and turn adversaries into advocates. Now I combine that experience with her psychology degree, dispute resolution training, and my TV experience to create tools anyone can use to advocate for their ideas, products, and services, and collect their wins.
I’m a host at the Law and Crime Network and have appeared on
The Today Show, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and CBS. I’ve worked with Harvard Business School, Stanford MedX, Google, LVMH, Sav A Tree, Bimbo Bakery, and the American Medical Association among others.
My first book, “The Elegant Warrior: How to Win Life’s Trials Without Losing Yourself” was a best seller and I’m the host of The Elegant Warrior podcast. My latest book is Advocate to Win-10 Tools to Ask for What You Want and Get It.
I spend most of my days teaching leaders how to advocate for their ideas, and I have a membership for individuals to learn how to advocate for and build belief in themselves. It’s called the Belief Builder’s Academy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1-Perspective. One of the things I honed in law school and has been the key to my success is the ability to see things from many different perspectives. You can’t win until you know the ways you could lose, and that takes the ability to see things from other perspectives and truly understand them. This is a the cognitive form of empathy and I believe it is the difference between those who win and those who don’t.
2-Self-love. This doesn’t always come easy, but I tell young women to love themselves so well that others don’t have to. The surprise is that when you do, others are far more likely to fall in love with you and all you have to give. When you aren’t graspy or desperate because your cup is full, others can’t help but add to the cup until it runs over.
3-Delight. I describe advocating as knowing what you want, asking for it out loud and with delight, and mastering the art of the ask. I think we often ask with confusion, resentment or frustration. Delight is much more effective so work to find delight–even in your asks!
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is to make the leap from full time partner at the law firm where I’d worked for 25 years and start my own business teaching people how to advocate. It is also the thing I’m most proud of, but the challenges are extraordinary. I had to give up an identity that I was very attached to and invested in for decades. I had to learn to sell myself and my offer. I had to wrestle with the uncertainty of entrepreneurship and the doubts that come no matter how much self work we do. I am 51 years old, and starting from scratch is hard. But I’m doing it with delight and knowing that no matter what, I have my own back. That makes it easier…..a little easier anyway!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://advocatetowin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anelegantwarrior/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-hansen-84243512/
Image Credits
Bethany Michaela
