428 | How to show up confident – even when the room feels challenging (feat. Danya Tesarski, Maya Phillips & Liz Everett)
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Why do uphill‑battle moments at work actually build lasting confidence?
The dream scenario at work is that you walk into your next meeting feeling ready, you have expertise in that topic, the conversation goes as planned, and you're able to speak up and express yourself confidently and clearly. And it's amazing when the stars align and that happens, but real life is often so much messier than that. So often you don't have time to prepare, or you're not an expert in the topic that's being discussed, or you're surrounded by leaders who are more experienced than you. All of these factors can make those work conversations feel like an uphill battle, and it can be difficult to express yourself and have a voice. The counterintuitive thing that I want to share with you is that those uphill battle moments at work are the most valuable thing that can happen in your professional life when you prove to yourself.
That you are able to navigate through those tough moments and speak up with confidence, even though the room felt hard. That is when you build that deep self-confidence that makes you feel unstoppable and unshakable. And that's what today's episode is all about. Today I'm chatting with three incredible. Women who I had the pleasure of working with inside of my group program, The Art of Speaking Up Academy. You're going to meet Maya, Dania, and Liz. All three of these women are corporate professionals who have gone on their own journey of building confidence so that they can bring out their full voice and full leadership in the room. Even during some of those difficult high pressure moments, Maya is a strategy growth and transformation consultant who specializes in technology implementations at hospitals.
Dania is an experienced energy industry leader whose career spans engineering, project development, and asset management, and Liz is a strategic healthcare leader who is passionate about developing talent, building meaningful partnerships, and creating innovative solutions that advance the future of pharmacy. In this interview, each of them shares their journey of building that inner confidence, finding their identity as a leader, and learning to push past the doubt so that they could bring their voice out in the room and have the full impact that they are capable of making. If you are wanting to stop second-guessing yourself and questioning yourself, and you want to develop that rock, Solid belief in your voice and your leadership so that you can become a powerful voice in the room.
I think that you're going to love this. Quick note: whenever you hear this music playing throughout this interview, that's how you know you're hearing me come in with extra commentary that I recorded after we finished this interview. Throughout the conversation, we use used certain words and phrases that are very specific to my program, The Art of Speaking Up Academy. And I didn't want you to feel confused by the meaning of these words and phrases. So occasionally you're going to hear me pop in and explain what certain things mean. And with that, let's get into the interview and I hope you enjoy. We'll start with Dania and we're gonna talk about the topic of identity and how our identity in the room impacts how we're showing up and how powerfully we're taking up space.
So, Dania, I would love to get your thoughts on how the idea of a leadership identity and seeing yourself as a leader. Changed how you showed up in the room. And maybe you can share a little bit about like your starting point with that and then what changed for you.
I feel like I've come so far with this. The biggest change for me was seeing myself as a leader has really calmed my nerves. Like I would walk into a room, I would be nervous, I was feeling like I was an imposter. And those nerves tended to freeze me up. Like I would do so much preparation for questions that I thought would be asked for the material that I was preparing. But then I would really struggle with ad hoc questions. I couldn't access the knowledge that I knew I had. And when I tell myself I'm a leader, I'm here for a reason.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why do uphill‑battle moments at work actually build lasting confidence?
0:00–7:14
2
How did Danya’s shift in leadership identity calm her nerves and silence her inner critic?
7:14–12:01
3
What mindset tools did Liz use to turn self‑doubt into unconditional self‑compassion?
12:01–17:53
4
How did Maya develop CEO‑energy and learn to speak with authority even when imperfect?
17:53–23:23
5
What practical ‘sell‑and‑tell’ framework helps leaders move from information‑sharing to influencing stakeholders?
23:23–29:01
6
Which limiting beliefs did each guest let go of, and how did that free their voice?
29:01–33:08
7
What final advice did the guests give to listeners who feel they can’t speak up?
33:08–38:39
8
How can listeners join the Art of Speaking Up Academy to keep building confidence?
38:39–45:49
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The Art of Speaking Up
429 | The subtle but critical reputational shifts that get you ahead in corporate
427 | 4 meeting habits that grow your reputation as a capable, strategic leader
426 | Why it’s hard to share your expertise in the room
425 | Will AI take your job? The 2 communication skills that make you AI-proof
424 | Stop overworking: 4 ways to decline extra work without hurting your reputation
423 | Why comparing yourself to coworkers who *seem* more confident stifles your true potential