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.

Kayla Nicole Armstrong

Growing up as a dancer and performer, confidence was a necessity. I had a natural ability to carry that confidence off the dance floor and into real-life situations. The stage taught me to keep moving no matter what—to never let my face show when something was wrong and to keep my head up even through mess-ups.

As I got older and experienced major life changes, my confidence was stripped away—especially after having my first child. That’s when I had to rebuild my confidence and self-esteem from the ground up. Read More>> 

Stephanie Andrews

Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a journey I have been on since I was young, and truth be told I’m still navigating it as I get older but it is there. I remember back when I was in middle school is where I noticed I didn’t have much confidence in myself or great self-esteem. I know you’re probably saying to yourself ” no one had confidence that young and all of us went through an awkward phase”. Yes, that is true but for me it hit harder. Read More>> 

Mary McElree

Honestly, it’s still a work in progress. Confidence and self-esteem didn’t arrive all at once for me, they were built slowly, show by show, moment by moment. Growing up in theater helped. There’s something about standing in the wings, heart pounding, and stepping into a spotlight that teaches you to trust your preparation, your voice, and your ability to connect. Read More>> 

James Austin Kerr

That’s a tough one. I was fairly reserved growing up and afraid to be “seen”. My first experience with performing was being a drummer in several bands. That then led to me feeling more confident to put my self out there and take risks. In my opinion, risk taking is fundamental for growth and only improves one’s strength as an artist and finding identity. I also do all sorts of wild hobbies that the majority of people are often fearful of – I’ve never been afraid to jump out of a plane or dive into the depths of the ocean. I learned to enjoy the feeling of the unknown… instead of an experience being scary, I try to view it as something exciting! Read More>> 

Ashley Herrera

One thing I’ve always done is go after what I want.

I don’t always know how it will happen but I do know what I want and I’ve learned that if I stay focused, put in the work, and keep showing up, things always begin to move. Doors open. Opportunities align, and most importantly, I grow into the woman who’s ready for it. Read More>> 

Kari Dowiak

I’ve been lucky to grow up with a solid support system, especially my mom, who always said I could do anything I set my mind to… she still says it, honestly. It was also a happy coincidence that I got into activities where women dominate, like gymnastics and fashion. I was in environments where I was always seeing women at the top, and it always felt like if I worked hard enough and if it was what I truly wanted, I could get there, too. Read More>> 

Arushi Sharma

For me, confidence wasn’t something I woke up with one day — it was built, brushstroke by brushstroke, project by project. I still remember my first role as a print designer, spending entire days hand-painting — sometimes eight hours straight — while learning how to transform those paintings into designs ready for commercial production. That discipline taught me more than just technique; it taught me resilience and pride in my craft. Later, as a textile designer, I expanded beyond prints into embroidery and woven textiles for a variety of soft home product categories. Read More>> 

Nancy Travieso

I developed my confidence by realizing that no one is more worthy or powerful than anyone else.

I believe we’re all human and we all have access to the same inner greatness. The individuals we look up to or admire as great aren’t above us. Instead, I see them as people who’ve allowed themselves to fully step into their power. That reminds me I can do the same. Read More>> 

Pastor James (Santiago) Dunham

A: Thank you! Confifdent in the Lord and his people, I’m Pastor James (Santiago) Dunham, First Lutheran Church of Miami, Florida.

I have been teaching classes in fourteen (14) different languages for 20+ years.
We celebrate diversity here in our music, teaching, and worship programs, and offer music
from our musicians to the Miami community. Read More>> 

Meshana

I remember being 16 in high school and being very, very involved in the Arts during the rise of social media. I was a pro at navigating and expressing myself to more than just a local audience of family and friends, you know? Being able to develop a creative space for myself and seeing kids who were out of the ordinary—expressing themselves and being truly authentic, I knew I was a misfit early on. I wanted to change my image and sort of just magnify the “weird girl” persona I had growing up, dressing differently than my peers and doing the crazy things my friends wouldn’t do! Tumblr was my tool to self-confidence, collecting and curating an array of photos to create mood boards and express what I liked wearing. It all helped shape me into who I am today. Read More>> 

Greg Smith

To develop confidence and self-esteem, I had to come to accept two things. First, that I’m not enough—and that’s beyond okay. I’m a follower of Christ, and despite what’s often written and said on the internet, Christianity isn’t so much about religion as it is about relationship. And in that relationship, we begin to see just how extremely flawed we are—personally, emotionally, mentally, and even creatively. Read More>>

Dan Mohr

Confidence and self-esteem are also creative projects that harness vision, courage, talent, disillusion & adaptiblity.

All of my peers were taught that we’d be the next Quentin Tarantino while being schooled in all the exalted traditions of Hollywood that QTs success explicitly circumvented.

So I got out of school with a lot of story to tell and no way to come to grips w how such stories are told. Read More>> 

Chelsea Leigh

While my parents always believed in me and encouraged me to pursue what lit me up, I’d be lying if I said I always knew what “that thing” was. My real confidence didn’t fully come alive until after college, when I finally started stepping into who I was meant to be. I never really saw myself as a leader growing up. I changed my major a few times, felt unsure of my path, and like so many others, went through a season of feeling lost. Read More>> 

Magen Wright

Definitely practicing and implementing self love as a part of my daily routine. My favorite thing to do is mirror work, if you aren’t doing that at least once a day, you’re really missing out! It can be challenging at first, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. All you have to do is look at yourself in the mirror and talk to yourself. Really boost yourself up, tell yourself how beautiful you are, how powerful you are and how unique you are. BECAUSE YOU ARE!! Look into your own eyes and say “I love you,” say it over and over again until you start believing it, because it’s true!! It’s such an amazing tool to help us find that confidence and self worth within ourselves. Read More>> 

Edward Gibbons-Brown

I think there’s a perception that confidence is something you either have or don’t have—that some people are born with it, or they cracked the code at some point, and the rest of us are just faking it.

But for me, confidence and self-esteem aren’t fixed traits. They’re practices. They’re choices I have to keep making every day, and some days I don’t make them very well. I’ve never really felt like a confident person—not consistently. What I’ve learned is how to act like someone who is, even when I don’t feel it. Read More>> 

Cora Salvino

Even though I have been doing glass art for almost 50 years, I only developed the confidence to call myself an artist about 5 years ago. I never went to art school or even had any real art classes other than minor 1 day classes for specific glass working techniques. I felt that I couldn’t call myself an artist as a result. However, about 5 years ago, I started trying to sell my art and found that people liked it and were willing to pay for it, I finally found the confidence to claim the title “artist”. Read More>> 

Adrienne Falcone Godsell

I believe the development of confidence and self-esteem is a lifelong journey.

Growing up in the 1970s, I was the “fat kid”, then the one who didn’t fit any one category — called names, excluded from the cool crowd in middle and high school, and often on the receiving end of what we now openly call bullying. My parents taught us to rise above hurtful comments, to focus on the people who stick by you through both good and bad times — those are your true family. Read More>> 

Rashad Eagleton

My confidence comes from knowing I grew up surrounded by a loving and hardworking family. That is something most people will never know. So when i enter the room, realistically speaking I’m two steps ahead of everyone else. Read More>>

Leonard Shen

Although I probably always had a little core of confidence, coming from an immigrant Chinese family with high expectations from parents and siblings, there was always a lot of pressure to do well. Those pressures were exacerbated by growing up younger, shorter and less “white” than the norm in a suburban 1960s/70s town. Read More>> 

Aisha Suramayeva

I developed my confidence and self-esteem through preparation, continuous learning, and real-life experience. In the beginning, I focused on building my skills so I could rely on my expertise in any situation. I also started reading books and listening to podcasts about confidence, psychology, and self-worth. I truly believe that if you want others to value you, you must first value yourself. Read More>> 

Kuri

Confidence was definitely not something I always had. When I was younger I was in a constant environment of comparison and judgement, but once I got older I knew how to separate others’ opinions from my truth. Learning that being myself and being unique is one of the biggest blessings one can have. Read More>> 

Tatiana

I was the shy, nerdy kid who never fit in, bullied for my short hair & androgyny. I often felt like an outsider at school. I sat alone almost every day at lunch, but I wasn’t the only one who was bullied for being “different”. One day in 6th grade, the kid in front of me was getting harassed in class, it made me angry. I stood up in front of my entire class, looked a bully in the eye, and said, “This is not okay, stop.” Then I marched straight to the principal and asked if I could start an anti-bullying club. Read More>> 

Leanna Payne

I developed my confidence, and self- esteem through the things, and people I love. My confidence is why I am so passionate about what I do today. The confidence that people have had in me before I had it in myself made a big impact.

Here is a guide of 3 steps I took to gain confidence in myself, and my work:

1: Understand that this is your life that you are living, and nobody’s life is exactly like yours – Take accountability and understand your upbringing, and tradition. Read More>> 

Brittany Praver

I was lucky to grow up with deeply supportive, loving parents and a younger brother whose bold, outspoken nature could fill any room. In contrast, I was shy, anxious, and easily overwhelmed, especially in large groups. One of my earliest memories of grade school is standing in a sea of new faces, frozen with fear, unsure how to act or who to befriend. Read More>> 

Shardae Yancey

I developed my confidence and self esteem by finding techniques to encourage myself. I have dealt with low self esteem my entire life and I just never felt like I was good enough, pretty enough, smart enough. I started surrounding myself around positive people that would encourage me and also relying on God to help me overcome this challenge. My prayer life increased DAILY! I began to write little notes to attach to my mirror so that I could look at every morning and help build myself up. It starts within and you have to really begin to love yourself in order to overcome. Read More>> 

Sheryl Tullis

Confidence and self-esteem go hand in hand with challenges and problem solving. In my experience, nothing breeds confidence like overcoming obstacles, pressing through predicaments, and forging a path forward. The <b>antidote </b>to <i><b>fear</b> </i>is <b><i>action</i></b>.

I was raised as a fairly free-range Gen Xer, so I learned early to be self-sufficient, to navigate by bike or public transportation, and to keep myself entertained.  Read More>> 

Kimberly Hill

As a child my parents always encouraged me to do my best. My father was big on teaching history. He often would paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and say to me “Kim, whatever you do set out to be the best. If you are going to be a street sweeper, make sure you have the cleanest streets in town.. ” My mom was a stickler for things being neat. I can remember her checking my homework. if my penmanship was less than perfect, or you had a smudge on the page, she would literally make you start over. As a child I thought that was a bit much, but as an adult I realized that she instilled in me early to fully commit to a task, no matter how large or small. Read More>> 

Jaimie Schnacky

Confidence has always been one of my strengths, which I am so grateful for! I give my parents credit, as they instilled in me that I am so capable, at a very young age. That belief bred a deep, secure confidence in me. I have been raised to KNOW my worth, &amp; that knowing has allowed me to stand tall throughout my life. Whenever I run into any of life’s many hurdles.. I am able to lean in to this specific strength, &amp; move forward with resilience. My confidence truly cannot be shaken! Read More>>