It’s okay to be scared, often that’s a sign that you are pushing yourself towards greatness. However, it’s equally important to build up your confidence and we hope the conversations presented below can help provide some food for thought around how you can level up your confidence and self-esteem.

Fiya Mayne

To be honest, developing my confidence and self-esteem came through a lot of self-awareness. There were many times in my life where I thought I wasn’t good enough for anything. I had to learn that life wasn’t easy and nothing happens overnight. I had to fail, time and time again, to find out how strong I truly was. There’s a difference between ego and confidence. Walking around with an inflated ego doesn’t help you in the long run.  Read more>>

Chichi Nwankwo Ezeike

I was not always confidence and did not have always have self-esteem. As a child, I was made fun of a lot for being skinny and for having big teeth. It made me became self-conscious of myself and who I was. I went from a child who was outspoken during elementary school to a child during middle and high school was very reserved. I didn’t talk much but I laughed at every joke because I felt that it will make me be accepted by others. I hid behind my Christian faith because that was all that comforted me. Read more>>

Destiny Whitehead

Being an entrepreneur can be really difficult and stressful at times. I developed my confidence and self-esteem by truly believing that this was my purpose and being exceptional at what I do. I feel like I’m more than just a bartender. Each cocktail I make is a work of art, but it wasn’t always like that. I had to work and practice a lot more than the average person to develop my skills at the level that I was comfortable with. Read more>>

Jonathan Marcantoni

I became aware early on that I was going to disappoint people. Not because I’m intrinsically bad or incapable, but rather because the things that matter to me, my worldview, my interests, did not align with my family. Whether it was something trivial like my taste in movies (which my relatives and siblings used to tag me as being a snob) or my politics (leftist in a conservative Puerto Rican family), it has always been clear that the things you have to do to fit in, were not my things. Read more>>

Pamela O’Leary

I am a recovering insecure overachiever. I am a recovering perfectionist. I was addicted to ambition. I still am. I am also a recovering alcoholic, so I do not use the word recovering lightly. While I do not have such a clear start date from when I took my last drink from the cup of ambition addiction, my journey really began when I hit rock bottom and was fired from my dream job. At that point, I had equated my self-worth to my job title. My identity was shattered when I lost the job. My self-esteem was tragically dependent on external validation. Read more>>

Twan McGary

As a black transman I had to surround myself with supportive friends , family and community who understands & empathize with my experiences . I educated myself about others that share and had similar experiences . I embrace and accepted my identity. I make sure that I prioritize self care and engage in activities that promote such . Im able to challenge and reframe from any negative thoughts or narratives that undermine my self -esteem.  Read more>>

Jeni Kemper

In the vibrant world of dance that shaped my upbringing, the development of my confidence and self-esteem unfolded like a captivating dance performance. This journey was a dynamic interplay of countless attempts, a rhythmic blend of both graceful successes and stumbling missteps. In the dance of life, each failure became an affecting note in the melody, a reason to dust off and stand tall once more. Read more>>

Lora Ebadian

Listen, anyone who dives right into film at almost 40 is someone who knows how to take rejection. At that time, I had already survived divorce, single parenthood, caring for a child with Epilepsy as a single parent, and quite a traumatic attack on my life. There’s not much that can happen now that will really bother me. Life’s taught me to just roll with the punches and keep getting back up. Read more>>

DeAstiney Barnes

I developed confidence and self esteem just by being me & staying positive. Once you realize in many aspects you have to be carefree it is a lot easier to have high self esteem and confidence. You have to literally eliminate the things people say or do towards you. Practicing self care, self affirmations, thinking highly of myself, and building positive relationships are a few steps I took to build confidence and self esteem. Having negative people in your space can drain your confidence. I walk and talk with confidence, so others have no choice but to feel that energy from me and know that I am confident. Read more>>

Melissa Cardoso

Throughout my life, I’ve often been told that I was attractive, but I never truly believed it. However, everything changed when I became pregnant. It was during this transformative period that I began to see myself in a new light. From that point on, I started experimenting with makeup, pushing myself to take on new challenges, and adopting a more self-compassionate attitude. I learned to celebrate my own victories, recognizing the incredible person I am capable of being. This journey has not only helped me grow as an individual but has also motivated me to become a better person for both myself and those around me. Read more>>

Karla Sandoval

Growing up in the competitive dance world self-esteem was something that took me a long time to develop and most times it wasn’t easy to just trust or believe in myself. I was young in a world that required lots of discipline and hard work all of this while trying to discover who I was as an individual. It took me a long time but I finally understood that confidence came from within me and not from the validation and opinion of others, at first I couldn’t accept that because I was so used to someone telling me if I was right or wrong.  Read more>>

Cuzo Key

Trial and error. I’m naturally a shy person so it takes time for me to gain confidence and build self esteem. I had to start believing in myself and my abilities. I was soo used to folks telling me what I could and couldn’t do, telling me about myself without really understanding who I really am. It was like I was letting folks dictate how my life path was going to be.  Read more>>

Jessica Sessions

Discovering that consciously making and honoring commitments to yourself boosts self-esteem has been a valuable realization for me as a small business owner. I’m learning the significance of self-love and treating yourself as a cherished friend. Whether it’s as simple as tidying up in the morning or dedicating time to yoga, each fulfilled commitment, no matter how small, contributes to a growing sense of confidence.  Read more>>

Anni Xo

I don’t know if I every felt truly confident in myself until this last summer. My whole life, I was very shy, quiet, and did my best to “fit in” with my peers. I always had a lot of friends and was well-liked, but it was only for the persona I would put on at school or work. At home, I was always the most talkative, the leader, the one with the most ideas, but I could never let that side of myself shine outside the walls of my house. Read more>>

Just Raymona

My self confidence and self esteem was started when I was a child. Fortunately for me, I’m that generation before social media. My parents and my family were the nucleus of my life! My granddaddy coming from the Deep South was a very proud man. He established that I was smart and could be anything that I wanted to be in this world. I just had to work for it and know within myself. Read more>>

Tiffany Asamoah

Hello, beautiful souls! This is Tiffany Asamoah, founder, designer, and CEO of BOLD Swim, coming to you with the story of how I cultivated a habit and discipline of confidence and self-esteem in my work. Let me take you on a journey through my experiences in the vibrant world of fashion. Read more>>

J Quay

Growing up as an only child, I spent countless hours alone, entertaining myself with a TV, radio, and my imagination. This solitude fostered a creative spirit within me, allowing me to explore my passions for singing, dancing, writing, and acting without the constraints of self-consciousness or external judgment. Read more>>

Kenzie Wynne

Here’s the thing about confidence and self-esteem: when it comes to these things, we are all in a consistent state of becoming. It’s not a destination we one day “make it” to. It’s many steps along the way. A constant leveling up. As we get to know all the parts of ourselves, and learn to hold every part with love and tenderness, our confidence and self-esteem will continue to grow. Everyone’s journey is different. Read more>>

Danna Lee

I used a few steps: 1. Building positive relationships, both professional and personal. 2. Building my mindset to focus on the positives of any situation versus looking at the negative. 3. Challenge yourself. Setting goals that require me to step outside of my comfort zone. 4. Start the day with self-affirmations. Read more>>

Elio Borjas

All Started With Discovering my talent, which over time I have been improving based on a lot of Study, Constant practice and passion for what I like. Read more>>

Chasline Fontenot

I believe many of us can relate to the journey of self-discovery and building confidence. For me, confidence has been a lifelong pursuit. I’ve faced challenges with self-esteem from a young age, feeling like I didn’t fit in due to my differences. Specifically, as the only African American cheerleader and having a different body shape, I often felt physically inadequate. This feeling stayed with me for years, leading me to try various diets in search of acceptance. Read more>>

Kiley Rhoades

The past 12 years of life, including marriage and motherhood have taught be so much about confidence and what our culture esteems. There have been many years I was looking at the world around me with a scarcity mindset. Once I took the leap back into creating and not letting comparison or other obstacles keep me from trying, things really changed. The biggest change however was my perspective. Read more>>

Jeroslyn JoVonn

Confidence and self-esteem are cultivated through various sources but mostly they derive from beliefs and experience with past successes and failures. I developed a belief in myself early on by knowing I had to apply myself to advance and ignore the critics and naysayers because they’ll always be there. I would say I experienced my first big letdown or “failure” in elementary school when I had to repeat the 2nd grade.  Read more>>

Marky Mark

I believe confidence and self-esteem are qualities that can be developed over time through various experiences and self-reflection. One way I have developed my confidence is by setting small, achievable goals for myself and celebrating each milestone I reach. Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been an ongoing journey. Read more>>

Vincent Nappi

Great parents, loving family & having a strong sense of purpose. Read more>>

Jaymes Bullet

The entertainment industry is a tricky place for a girl. For anyone, to be fair, but uniquely for us. Especially the music end of things. To be an artist with a vision you’re devoted to takes an unyielding amount of work, and at least an equal measure of confidence. Before you’ve put in your time and proven yourself, EVERYONE will question you. Your abilities, your appearance, your worth, your decisions…you name it. Even for established talent, it never really stops. Read more>>

E WANG

I guess it has a lot to do with trusting my own taste and knowing that no one is looking even if it feels like everyone is watching. Read more>>

Jami McCoy-Lankford

I developed my confidence and self-esteem by realizing that I have to be my biggest fan. We spend so much time trying to get others to see what we need to see in ourselves. Self love and self motivation is an important step to success and growth. Read more>>