The Confidence Myth

January 6, 2026

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The Confidence Myth

It was the 2nd of January 2019 when I officially registered my business as a limited company. I remember the moment vividly; heart fluttering with excitement… and just a hint of freak out. And I think it’s important to highlight the freak out part.

Because we often believe that confidence is a prerequisite for big leaps. I used to think I needed more confidence to be able to [insert any big scary thing here]. But over the past 7 years, I’ve realised something:

You don’t need more confidence. You need enough courage to take action. Confidence is the by-product.

Here’s what I believe the equation really looks like:

Courage + Action → Outcome + Confidence

But there’s one part that’s often left out… the how. The Catalyst that governs this equation is Support. (Oh, how the chemist in me loves this!)

What Really Happens When We Stretch Ourselves

When we move beyond our current safety zone, fear always shows up. You plan to speak up in the meeting, go for the promotion, finally do the thing. But instead of taking action we: hesitate, procrastinate, avoid, or do the thing, but feel so awful and anxious that it destabilises rather than builds your confidence. That final one is particularly ouchy!

Fear → Avoidance – Confidence

Changing the Fear Equation

Support isn’t a pep talk or vague encouragement. Real support helps you understand why fear shows up, what to do when it does and equips you with the knowledge, skillset, and toolkit to respond differently.

That’s exactly what I’ll be teaching in a brand-new (and free) workshop:

Inside this session, I’ll share 3 powerful tools I use with my 1-2-1 clients to get the outcomes you are looking for with a by-product of 40% (or more) confidence.

Here’s how:

  • Heightened Awareness Techniques Understand the specific moments when your responses are being hijacked, and how to change the pattern.
  • The Selves Model Uncover the subconscious ‘selves’ (like the Inner Critic, the Perfectionist, the Pleaser, the Pusher…) that quietly run the show. Learn how to separate from their outdated rules and regain choice.
  • Breaking the Rumination Loop A practical tool to stop the cycle of overthinking, worrying and ruminating before it spirals.

🔗 Register for free → https://scorecard.intentional-careers.com/selves

☕ Reflective Journal Prompts

  • Where in my life am I waiting for more confidence?
  • In what scenarios am I letting the fear equation win?
  • What becomes possible with 40% more confidence?

The courage is already in you. You don’t have to “feel ready”, you just have to feel supported to take the action.

As always, I’m just an email away. The courage is already in you. You don’t have to “feel ready”, you just have to feel supported to take the action.

Keep opening up,

Hannah

P.S. Don’t let fear keep you small. Join my brand-new workshop, The Psychology of Selves, completely free: → Register here

Here’s how I can support you:

PPS. Now booking 2026 keynotes, workshops, and events (online and in-person). Find out more

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