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.
Polina Galkina
From early on, I realized that my confidence comes from knowledge and lived experience — from actually doing things and learning through trial and error. One of the biggest contributors to that confidence has been solo travel. When you travel alone, you make every decision yourself. Read More>>
Lisa Duke
My mother was an English teacher and modeled being an avid reader. A passion for reading plus a creative mind made me a strong writer. Several of my teachers picked up on this ability and encouraged me, which shows the importance of mentoring and encouraging young people! Because of that early success, I believed in my ability to learn and to grow. Read More>>
Annie Mayfield Morlock
I truly believe that confidence comes from the Lord. I lived so much of my life trying to be confident in myself- my capabilities, my strengths, my routine, my ‘controlables’…it wasn’t until I was stripped over everything at the surface that would make one confident, I found true confidence. Read More>>
Simba Soto
I developed my confidence and self-esteem over time by getting comfortable with discomfort. Putting myself in situations where I wasn’t guaranteed approval.Stand up comedy forced me to separate my self-worth from other people’s reactions. I learned to listen to feedback without letting it define me, and to trust my own voice even when it wasn’t immediately rewarded. Confidence came with succeeding and surviving failures. Read More>>
Scott Griffin
Honestly, my confidence didn’t come from getting everything right, it came from surviving getting things wrong and realizing I was still standing. Over time, I learned to trust myself by showing up consistently, doing the work, and keeping my word to myself and others. Read More>>
Samantha Sheppard
My confidence and self-esteem were built over time through a combination of faith, family, and lived experience. My faith in Jesus is the foundation. Keeping my eyes on Him has taught me that my identity is secure — it’s not earned through performance, approval, or comparison. Read More>>
Salis Charmingv
My confidence didn’t come from feeling perfect—it came from giving myself permission to be seen. I developed my self-esteem by reconnecting with my body and learning to honor it instead of criticizing it. Dance, especially pole and floorwork, taught me that strength, sensuality, and softness can coexist. Read More>>
Lauren Case
My confidence grew through practice rather than perfection. I made a habit of trying new things and allowing myself to be a beginner, even when imposter syndrome showed up. Each experience reinforced that confidence isn’t something you wait for… it’s built through willingness, curiosity, and follow-through. I said yes to as many opportunities that came my way and learned as I went. Read More>>
Kaylee Stepkoski
Since I began writing, I feel, at a later age than most, and so suddenly, I realized I was late to the game. I didn’t have a favorite author that I was devoted to or even a favorite book that inspired me to get started. Read More>>
Abigail Carver
I’ve struggled with a low self esteem most of my life and only in the last few years through therapy have worked to build it. I still shocks me every time I notice I’ve done something, said something, let myself feel something that in the years past I would be so afraid, or wouldn’t think I’d deserve it. Read More>>
Haley Byfield
In elementary school, I was always making something; friendship bracelets, jewelry, duct-taped shoes, anything I could get my hands on, I was changing it from its original form to make something I could wear. I wasn’t particularly book-smart, so school didn’t always feel like the place where I shined. But when I made something, people noticed. Read More>>
Dylan Ashburn
People often comment on my charisma and self-esteem, and are surprised to learn that I haven’t always been so outwardly confident. Growing up in a class of the, now joked about, ‘high-achievers’, I was a rather reserved child. I had my loud moments, as any kid does, but I spent most of my time quietly observing rather than doing. Read More>>
Charlotte Laws
I was adopted at birth and had a tragic childhood. My adoptive mom committed suicide, my only brother was killed at age 16, and my adoptive father was verbally abusive. In addition, my values collided with almost everyone I knew. I was insecure and viewed myself stupid and unattractive. I lacked confidence and self-esteem. Read More>>
Michael Sponsel
Through family and friends. There are several times that I have felt that I was not good enough or that I was not able to make the right decision. I have leaned on my family and friends for reminders that I am good enough. Through their love and guidance, I have found great confidence and self-esteem in my personal and professional life. Read More>>
Bri Logue
When I first started my entrepreneurial journey, confidence wasn’t something I naturally had. I actually remember being at a conference early on and hearing Ed Mylett and Andy Frisella talk about confidence being the result of the promises you keep to yourself. That really stuck with me, and it still rings true today. For me, confidence was built through action. Read More>>
Richard Perkins
Confidence and self-esteem comes from you being a good person to the people and the people who follow you or enjoy the work you do. Always be an artist for the people and help grow a community but remember you have to do it for yourself as well no matter what. Read More>>
Todd Fox
My confidence as an artist has been shaped by belief, sustained effort, focus, and achievement. Early in my professional career, I relied on self-belief and perseverance to remain committed to my vision. As I grew personally, my work evolved accordingly, becoming increasingly informed by experience and reflection. Read More>>
Areiyami H
For a long time, I thought confidence meant always being “on”— always producing, proving, or performing. But my confidence didn’t come from becoming louder or more polished. It came from becoming more honest with myself. I’ve always known my worth intellectually, but I didn’t always trust myself enough to really stand in it. I was used to earning love, earning rest, earning validation. Read More>>
Sara Entzel
For me, confidence came from a hard but powerful realization: nobody was coming to save me. After a few really tough years in both business and life, I understood that it was up to me—and only me—to define my happiness and take responsibility for my mental state. I learned that confidence isn’t something you’re born with. Read More>>
Amanda Litzinger
Developing my confidence and self esteem is an ongoing dance I do with myself. For me, it’s about showing up, honoring my word and keeping promises I’ve made to myself. One practice I discovered recently that reached down deep into my self-esteem was allowing myself to be imperfect. Read More>>
Kensley Keys
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by continuing to work on and sharpen my craft. I blocked out all criticism if it wasn’t constructive, or to help me get better I also studied new tactics and styles to find which best suited me. Once I discovered my niches, I continued in those lanes to get better, which led to my boost in confidence and self-esteem. Read More>>
Robert Cunningham
I’ve always been a big believer in following my heart and understanding that, as long as I do, I’ll never fail. And this is for every part of my life, from test-taking to photography to love. Our heart will always know what it wants, and following it always led me in the right direction more times than not. Read More>>
Nic L. Kelly
Confidence, for me, has always been something in development rather than something I consciously pursued. From an early age, I had a strong belief in myself—sometimes before I had the skills to fully support it. That belief was noticed by teachers and family long before I understood it myself. Growing up in urban environments teaches you quickly that nothing is handed to you. Read More>>
Chinmaya Misra
I did not begin my architectural training with confidence; I developed it over time. Initially shy and more inclined to observe than to speak, I found in architecture a discipline where self-esteem could be cultivated through rigor rather than performance. In those early years, competence preceded confidence. Read More>>
Crystal Hejazi
I would say going to the gym and lifting weights developed my confidence and self esteem. I didn’t start picking up weights until 2014 when I hired a personal trainer. Before that I’d only go on cardio machines and do some group fitness classes. My trainer then taught me that weights weren’t only for men and that women should also be lifting weights. Read More>>
Octavia Elizabeth
Developing my confidence and self esteem was not a single moment. It was a journey shaped by navigating a mainstream world as someone who is deaf or hard of hearing. Early on, I learned that the world often underestimates what it does not fully understand. I also learned something far more powerful. My ability was never defined by my hearing status. Read More>>
jared Moossy
My self-confidence comes from taking risks and learning through experience that my visual voice is strong—that I trust my instincts and point my camera in the right direction. My self-esteem was shaped through years of traveling the world, living out of a backpack for over fifteen years. Read More>>
Reesie Franklin
I developed a strong sense of self-esteem at a young age, influenced by a lineage rooted in beauty and self-assurance. As I grew older, that self-esteem evolved into true confidence. I learned that confidence comes from being intentional and certain in what you do, which is why I approach everything with purpose. Some might call it perfectionism. I see it as pride in excellence. Read More>>
Bianca Martin
My confidence and self esteem was extremely poor growing up. But once I met Jesus, and discovered that I was a child of the God that created the universe and that I was deeply loved. I realized no human or experience could hold me back from the life he’s prepared for me (Romans 8:31). Read More>>
Leah LaPinta
From a young age, I was told that as a girl there were things I couldn’t do. That was all the motivation I needed to prove I could do everything. It started when I moved away from home for the first time. No one believed me until I showed up with a U-Haul one morning and left. Read More>>
M’ikeiah Jordan
When my clients first get on set, most of them are excited to work with me. They’ve heard great things about my energy, my work ethic, and my photos. But I can always tell — deep down, they’re nervous. Not about me, but about themselves. Read More>>
Ensley Smith
People think confidence comes naturally, but honestly, it’s something you have to choose and work on every single day. Read More>>
Erdem Ülker
It took a great deal of honesty and self-reflection. I have spent the last couple of years being as transparent with myself as I can possibly be, which required me to bring forward my strengths and especially my weaknesses. Read More>>
Savannah Garth
For me, confidence wasn’t something I was born with, it was something I had to build piece by piece while growing a business, raising babies, and figuring out who I was outside of everyone else’s expectations. Read More>>
Shawn Jones
In the Army, during training events our leaders would “kill” the next leader in line and force the next man up to take over and lead the rest. We practiced this every training event, every field problem. Our philosophy is to learn the skills of those one level up and two levels down. Read More>>
Manda Stack
For a long time, I made decisions the way so many women do, by overthinking every possible outcome and trying to make the “most responsible” choice. As a former pastor, I was used to helping everyone else find clarity, but when it came to my own life, I second-guessed myself constantly. Especially when the stakes felt high. Read More>>
