A 3-step guide to believing in yourself | Sheryl Lee Ralph (re-release)
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What struggles did Sheryl Lee Ralph face on her journey to success?
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You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Happy New Year. We are continuing to share a handful of talks, conversations, and podcast episodes from the TED Archive to inspire you for 2026. Over the past week, we have explored themes of introspection, curiosity, regret, and more. Today, it's fitting to explore how to love and believe in ourselves. We couldn't think of a better talk to share than this one from Emmy Award-winning actor Cheryl Lee Ralph. Cheryl is a force, delivering iconic performances on stage and screen. But she didn't always know if she'd make it big. In a lively talk sparkling with actionable advice and Cheryl's unmatched charisma, she shares how her struggles taught her what it takes to believe in herself and how we can all find...
the self-confidence to keep moving forward.
I am an endangered species, but I sing no Victim song I am a woman I am an artist And I know Where my voice Belongs
Now, you might have heard me sing that song. It was September 12th, 2022, right after Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers said, and the winner is Cheryl Lee Ralph! I had just won the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy for my role as Mrs. Barbara Howard on your favorite TV show, Abbott Elementary. Oh, yes. And I was shocked, as the children would say, shooketh, into disbelief. Oh my goodness, it was my first time at the Emmys, and I won! Yes! And I've got to tell you, in that moment, I was so stunned into disbelief that I don't know how I got up on the stage. There I was, just listening to that roar of applause, and my whole career flashed right there in front of me, starting with 19-year-old Cheryl Lee in her first movie being directed by the great Sidney Poitier.
Oh yeah, you can clap that. Followed by 10 years of no after no after no. before the next film role came about. But I filled in that time with TV and more no's and more rejection, until I made it big on Broadway in what has become the iconic musical of the 80s, because I say so. Dreamgirls. And boy, did I learn a lot of life lessons there. And I mean, after so many moments of doubt, disbelief, there I was. on that Emmy stage, with this huge sign in front of me, flashing, stop now, stop now, stop now. And I started to think, my God, what if I had stopped after all of those no's? What if I had stopped after all of those moments of feeling defeated? What if I had stopped? I wouldn't be standing there for that golden moment.
But right now, many of us, we are feeling deeply challenged, trying to hold on and believe in ourselves, and I do not mean in a toxic way. I am talking about a way that comes from confidence, the kind of confidence that can keep us moving forward when we are feeling like we are carrying the weight of the pandemic, trying to figure out all of this political division, fighting all of the mental, physical, social violence in our homes, in our communities, to climate change, social media. It's a lot. Making it hard to believe in the goodness in the world and harder still to believe in the goodness of ourselves. This is a rough time, people, and our mental health is suffering. We all need a checkup from the neck up.
And I don't mean just medicine. I actually mean reframing our thinking of our ability to believe in ourselves. Now, I know, you see me on TV, in magazines, on movie screens, and you might be thinking to yourself, what does she know about struggling to believe in herself? Well, let me tell you something.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What struggles did Sheryl Lee Ralph face on her journey to success?
0:00–7:50
2
How did winning an Emmy impact Sheryl Lee Ralph's self-belief?
7:50–14:26
3
What are the three essential steps to believing in yourself?
14:26–15:35
4
How can seeing ourselves clearly help in building self-confidence?
15:35–18:02
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from TED Talks Daily
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