You ever look at those ultra-confident people, the ones who walk into a room like they own it—and think, What do they have that I don’t? Spoiler: Nothing. They’re not special. They didn’t get some magical confidence gene. They just learned how to stop doubting themselves, and you can too.

In this special episode of Career Clarity Unlocked, host Theresa White, Career Clarity Expert & 5x Certified Career Coach, sits down with two powerhouse experts, Sheena Yap Chan and Dr. Jasmine Escalera, to break down how to build unshakable confidence and finally silence imposter syndrome—especially if you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong in the room.

If you’ve been holding back, shrinking yourself, or waiting for permission to take up space, this is your wake-up call. Sheena and Jasmine share their raw experiences navigating male-dominated spaces, overcoming limiting beliefs, and owning their power. You’ll walk away with game-changing strategies to reframe negative self-talk, create your “I’m dope” list, and stop giving power to that voice in your head that says you’re not enough.

Confidence isn’t reserved for “those” people. It’s for YOU. Let’s build it together.

👉 Ready for career clarity in record time? Request a free consultation with Theresa at www.careerbloomcoaching.com/consultation.

What We Cover in This Episode:

(intro) 00:00 introduction to career clarity

(00:53) building unshakable confidence

(01:29) expert insights: Sheena Yap Chan and Dr. Jasmine Escalera

(03:22) personal journeys and overcoming doubt

(05:05) the power of environment and self-worth

(09:11) imposter syndrome and achievements

(11:10) healing and self-love

(18:14) embracing challenges and growth

(33:25) messages to our younger selves

(35:34) embracing life’s lessons

(37:56) building confidence in 2025

(39:30) healing from trauma

(42:41) the journey of confidence

(53:31) overcoming setbacks

(59:49) final thoughts and resources

Connect with Sheena Yap Chan:

• Website: SheenaYapChan.com
• Podcast: The Tao of Self Confidence
• Books: The Tao of Self Confidence | Bridging the Confidence Gap (Preorder)
• Instagram: Sheena Yap Chan
• LinkedIn: Sheena Yap Chan

Connect with Dr. Jasmine Escalera:

• LinkedIn: @DrJasmineEscalera
• The Courage Crew: Join the Squad
• Instagram: @jasmineescaleracoaching

Connect with Theresa White:

• LinkedIn: @Theresa A. White
• Facebook: Career Bloom Coaching
• Instagram: @theresa_careerbloom
• YouTube: careerbloom
• TikTok: @career.bloom
• Website: www.CareerBloomCoaching.com

Don’t miss out on future episodes! Follow Career Clarity Unlocked now to stay updated on new insights and strategies for finding a career that truly lights you up.

#CareerClarityUnlocked #WomenInLeadership #BuildYourConfidencen #ImposterSyndrome #CareerGrowthTips #WomenEmpoweringWomen #MindsetShift #ProfessionalDevelopmentPodcast #CareerSuccessStrategies #ConfidenceBuilding #SelfWorthJourney #WomenInBusiness #PersonalGrowthPodcast #OvercomingSelfDoubt #LeadershipMindset

Unlock. We're all about those light bulb moments. I'm talking to people who are still trying to figure out what they're meant to do, coaching them life to reach that magical, yes, this is it moment, and we'll also hear from those who've already found their dream careers and figure out exactly how they did it.

Whether you are looking for inspiration or actionable advice on finding a career you love, I've got you covered time to unlock some career clarity. Let's dive in.

And today we're diving into proven strategies to own your success. Silence all the self doubt and step into your true potential. Confidence isn't a mystery. It truly is a skill you can build. So stick around to hear from two incredible experts, Gina Jap Jan, Gina Jap Jan, and Dr. Jasmine Escalera, who've transformed lives by helping others unlock their worth.

With over 1 million downloads, her podcast ranks among the top 0. 5 percent most popular shows globally and features over 800 interviews, including conversations with celebrities and eight figure Dr. Jasmine Escalera is a certified career and life coach with a PhD in neuropharmacology. She spent over 10 years in non profit management and leadership before founding her first coaching business, helping women of color confidently navigate their careers.

Recently, she launched the Courage Crew, an online community dedicated to supporting women looking to reinvent their personal and professional lives. Jasmine provides tools, resources, and mentorship to empower women to prioritize their goals, build confidence, and transform their lives. Welcome Sheena.

Welcome Jasmine

Jasmine: what is up, ladies? Wow. So exciting to see you

Jasmine: And we got a call coming up soon where I'm going to just hear, I want to hear it all.

All the things you're doing. It's

Theresa: amazing. Oh, my God. This is so incredible to have both of you here today. And I can't wait to get into all of it. And I want to kick it off with you, Jasmine, confidence often feels elusive, like, especially when we're doubting ourselves, it's like this elusive concept. Can you share a specific time when you were doubting yourself and a single decision or action that shifted your mindset in that moment?

And what's the in your ripple effect of that change?

Jasmine: Oh Lord. I doubt myself every day. Okay. And I think that that's the most important thing for us to understand when we're talking about confidence, we sometimes see these amazing confident women and men, and we think, Oh my gosh, like they're super powerful, you know?

Now, I would say that my confidence journey really started. Through toxic workplaces. So being a Latina in STEM, being the only woman of color, very often in male dominated white spaces, feeling as though I didn't have the capacity to speak up my voice. I didn't feel supported. I didn't think that the people around me understood my journey and my story.

But you can be practicing your confidence and growing that muscle. And if you are not in a supportive environment and space, if you're not around support, people, no matter what you do, that confidence will automatically feel diminished or you won't be able to show up in your truest, brightest, shiniest light.

And so for me, what being in toxic work environments helped me to do was definitely to not just build my confidence, but to understand my self worth and my value, which are components for sure of confidence. But it also taught me the most important thing that I have learned. through the course of my life, which is environment is an instrumental factor to not just building your confidence, but sustaining that confidence.

So starting out confidence does not mean you don't have doubt. It does not mean you don't have fear, but you learn to manage it. And if you are working on your confidence and you feel as though it's a little bit challenging, take a step back and ask yourself, am I in an environment and around people who can activate me and support me to being the best representation of me?

Sheena: Yeah, I mean, I grew up, I live in Toronto, I grew up in Toronto, and even though Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, I mean, I love that we can try different foods from like literally every country, but part of the reason why I do the work that I do is because I never saw any roll bottles in the media that look like me.

And so for me, I'm kind of different because I'm always out there. And it's not typical, right? Um, and if, of course it's uncomfortable when you're the only one, but at the same time, if you want things to change, especially when it comes to representation, you have to be the first one to put yourself out there to, uh, make that first step to pave the way for others so that we can create the change that we want to see.

Theresa: And you both are such wonderful role models for, um, being a representation for others and being that role model for others. And Sheena, I am so inspired by your podcast and you've uncovered over 800 journeys of confidence. And I'm sure you could talk about this all day, every day about all these incredible stories.

Sheena: Yeah, I mean, every story that I've interviewed on the podcast, you know, I, it does help me each and every day, little by little.

Right. But one that really stood out was actually interviewed a woman who was the first armless pilot. So yes, she flies a plane with her feet and, you know, uh, she, she talks about how the moment she was able to show up as herself was when she took off her prosthetic arms and walked into the bus being armless.

And that's huge, right? Because sometimes we feel like we have a limitation that stops us from moving forward, but here's a person who, who does have a limitation, right? Compared to us, but she's out there. Flying a plane, writing books, speaking on stages, surfing, has a black belt in karate, driving car. And so I realized, you know, what I can, like, when I, when I started to look at my limitations, it's actually not a limitation compared to this woman.

I don't know how. I don't know when, where, I'm going to figure it out.

Jasmine: Love it. Wow. What a beautiful story that is.

Theresa: Yeah. Wow. So inspiring. And it's absolutely true. If you can, there is someone who can figure out how to fly a plane with their feet. There is really nothing that can stop us to reach our goals.

And how did you overcome that? And is there anything we can learn from this?

Jasmine: Yeah, I think the biggest blessing of my life was becoming a coach and becoming a business owner. I did not realize how much healing I was going to have to do to become a successful business owner. And I think that the reason behind that is because when you step out of whatever your comfort zone is, right, for me, my comfort zone is safety, security, stability.

And we talk about being the first and how powerful and impactful. but also how scary it is to be the first. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't do it, but it is scary as well. And so for me, the biggest transformation that came from leaving a nine to five and stepping into being a business owner really was all about the healing.

It was about healing different components of myself so that I could show up again as the best version of me. I felt as though because I was coaching women, I was coaching women on confidence. I was coaching women on showing up. I was coaching on women on visibility. It was almost like I had to walk the walk if I was going to talk the talk and that really right there is.

So that has been the biggest transformation in this is being able to step outside of my comfort zone and, and then. Also being conscientious about doing that each and every day. How can I do something that makes me a little bit scared? How can I do something that stretches me a little bit more so that when I show up and I'm saying, this is the key to doing it.

And this is how you can get the life that you want. I truly mean that because I'm a life representative of that. How

Theresa: powerful Jasmine. Thank you for sharing that. It's about, and I love that you touched on that healing. It's something I relate to very deeply is. I believe that part of growing our confidence is also healing past wounds.

I'd be, I'd love to also hear Sheena's perspective on this.

Sheena: Yeah, if you can repeat the question, sorry.

And I wanted to see if that is something you were, you came across as well.

Sheena: Yeah, I mean, doing this podcast was very healing for me, you know, just being able to hear different women's stories, just knowing that. I wasn't the only one going through what I was going through, right? I always felt, um, I needed to, you know, have, I needed to follow everybody's opinions except for myself.

And this is why for me, representation is so important because we need more women sharing their stories. We need more women telling us, you know, like they've been through the lowest of their low, but they were able to pick themselves back up to move forward because they realized. They were more than enough to make it happen, even if they had no clue how it was going to happen, because, you know, as women, I think, um, we feel like we have to learn, learn everything first before we set foot, you don't, right?

Like just go for it. And we are more than capable to figure it out as we go, because that's what men do. Right. That's what men do all the time. And so imagine, just imagine how much impact, like positive impact we can create in this world when we have that same thought process.

Theresa: Love this, you know, yes. One of my clients, that memory just came to mind.

And that was such a lightbulb moment for her. She was like, okay, from now on, I'm just gonna chosh it all. I'm just gonna approach it like a man would. I'm just gonna put myself out there, and I'm just gonna do the thing no matter if I know. Have it all figured out or if I'm just taking it one step at a time and figuring it out as I go and that really stayed with me.

Jasmine: That's, that's, that's very funny. I do want to say for the men that are on the LinkedIn, if you are feeling like you are lacking confidence, we're not saying that. saying that you should just, you should just have it because I think one of the things is that confidence is something that really impacts everyone.

And I do think that that has a lot to do with conditioning.

Theresa: I'm so glad that you brought that up, Jasmine, and you're absolutely right. Um, it is. Confidence imposter syndrome is something we face across gender. It doesn't matter. I think everyone deals with it. And I think another aspect to it is men are more conditioned to hide it.

Jasmine: Yes, exactly. And that isn't that so unfortunate that we have men out here who are probably experiencing the very similar thing that we are maybe a little bit differently, and they can't express it in the same way that we are allowed to.

Theresa: Yeah, so I think it is might be both is maybe women, based on societal conditions, often have.

I kind of call it, and I learned this from somebody else. Like I call it a bad ass list so that when I'm feeling like I can't accomplish something, I look back to all the accomplishments that I have and made me realize I can make this happen. Like if I made this thing happen, I can make whatever I'm tackling happen.

Right. So like a huge example was, you know, writing my first book, the towel of self confidence. Um, I had major imposter syndrome, right? Can you imagine, um, a publisher like Wiley coming up to you asking to write a book? About leadership. And I'm like, I don't know if I'm the person to write about that. Like, I didn't know what leadership look like.

How many Asian women authors do you see that writes a business book? It's like next to none. So I realized I had to put myself out there. I had to make this happen, even if I had no clue what I was going to write about. Um, all I had was an outline. I didn't have a full manuscript because most people have a few, like a full manuscript and they shop it around.

Like I just had an outline and they gave me the green light. And I had a three month deadline to write this book. So, um, I made it happen, right? And I look back at everything that I was able to achieve, even if I had no clue how I started it, I made it happen. And I said, I can make this happen. I'll figure it out.

Right. There was many weekends at Starbucks writing this book. Um, but I, I achieved it right. And actually go more about imposter syndrome in my next book. So if I didn't write this first book, I wouldn't have my upcoming second book called bridging the confidence gap and imposter syndrome. There's a whole chapter on that.

And then also going back to that list, you've achieved at least one thing in your life, at least one. I know there's more, but there's at least one, right? Whether it's figuring out how to create a. How to fix your virtual background on Zoom to like, you know, running a marathon. I mean, those are all achievements.

And the more we can list those, the more we can realize like, yeah, I did make this happen. And I didn't even know what I did to begin with, but I made it happen. So, um, and sometimes we have to look at imposter syndrome as a good thing. Right. Um, like you mentioned, we're evolving, we're growing, where, you know, it's helping us take us to the next level.

Theresa: You wrote this book in three months. That is incredible.

And that's right. That's amazing.

Jasmine: Amazing.

Theresa: Thank you. It's a labor of love. And what an inspiration for anyone listening to hear that you almost wouldn't have wrote it. That imposter syndrome would have almost stopped you from writing it. And that even someone who is very successful as you are, had those moments of doubt in their journey.

Love the idea of a badass list. I would love to ask him, is that something you use as well?

Jasmine: Yes, but mine is called the I'm dope list. Yeah, I love it. I mean, obviously, you know, it's, it is one of those things that when you are feeling those moments of doubt, you can tap back into it and you can say, I did it.

And I love, I love it because. If you know how to do it once, you can do it again. You have the brain pathway for it, you have the ability for it, and you have the belief for it. And if you can put those three things together, you're unstoppable.

Theresa: I love it. And I want everyone listening in today to either start a badass list or a dope list and track all their accomplishments.

Jasmine: Yeah, yeah. So that's, you know, oftentimes external validation or external achievements are the sole thing that we are looking for and we are seeking in order to feel validated or good about ourselves. I don't want to say that having external praise or external pat on the back is not a good thing because we all know in this room, I'm sure we've gotten some external praise that made us feel great and kept that momentum and motivation going.

It is a belief that I have the capacity to overcome the fear and the doubt that will, always come up. Fear is a biological mechanism. It is something that comes from like back all in the caveman eras when we were not looking as fine as we were looking today. And it is just something that is drilled within us.

So the majority of our fear fears and doubt actually do not make sense. And one of the things that I do very often and that I encourage my clients to do is to question the fear and the doubt that's coming up. Because very often the fear and the doubt that's coming up internally makes no sense. And when you start to question it, you start to realize that.

If it's not telling you anything that's helpful or worth it, and potentially lying to you, discredit it and then take action. But part of building confidence is also like the I'm dope list, the bad ass list, the accomplishments list. We just told you to have an accomplishments list to feel more confident.

So it isn't that those things are bad. They're actually a part of the building of confidence. It is when you rely on external validation and external accomplishments Solely for the building of confidence. That's when it becomes an issue.

Theresa: That's huge. Sheena, what is your take on that external validation and how that impacts our confidence?

Sheena: Oh my gosh, I come from a culture where we always need to seek validation from our parents, our elders, from everybody. And it's exhausting. Like, I mean, I had to learn to let go of, uh, seeking validation from my parents, especially in Asian culture. You know, we always want to make sure that, You know, our parents gave us life and all they asked for is everything they tell us to do.

It was just all in my head, but you know, this is common, right? Like this, especially in Asian culture, it's very common. Um, and so the, the moment I let go of that, that's validation at just, I just, I was just free to do whatever, right? Like just free to forge my own path, share my mission, do what I needed to do.

There's different ways to live life. Um, and you know, it took a while for them to realize that. In fact, like when my book came out, I think that's when they started realizing, Oh, this is actually, they can actually do something about this. Right. Because if you do something that's like outside the norm, like you're not a doctor, a lawyer, accountant, they're like, how are you going to put money on the table?

How are you going to put food on the table? Right. Like if I told my mom, I want to be an artist, she would be like, How are you going to make money off of that? Because it's just, that's just how they've been programmed from like generation to generation to generation. And so I did let learn to let go of that because if I didn't learn to let go of it, it would literally control my life.

And I would just be in this downward spiral of thinking I needed to seek approval from them to do anything, to even take that first step. And yeah,

And through all of the conversations that you had with so many of women, I wonder if there's any specific fears or limiting beliefs that you see very commonly. And do you have any strategies for someone to dismantle those beliefs? That you can share from your journey or from

Sheena: podcasting. Yeah, for sure. I think one of the biggest things that we deal with is self love and self care.

So, you know, as a woman over 40, You know, we're seen as expired. You know, we're, we're seen as like, that's the end of our life. When really it's the total opposite. Like your life can begin at any given moment. Um, you know, I'm going to have gray hair coming out. You know, it's not as easy to lose weight as you used to, you know, I put on my pants and like the, the, the love handle start to show, but that's all part of self love.

It's like loving yourself. Unconditionally, right? And you know, the women that I've interviewed, I realized that there's like these commonalities, like people pleasing, feeling like we're not good enough, showing up as a perfect like person, which, which is unattainable because there's no such thing as perfection.

It's a huge roller coaster and we're all just figuring things out as we go in this Big game of life.

Jasmine: Yeah.

Sheena: Can I just say,

And that's it.

Jasmine: That's amazing. Let me tell you, it is dope. The fourth floor is dope. I'm expecting the fifth floor is going to be even doper.

I don't know what the sixth floor is going to be like. It might be, it might hurt a little bit,

Theresa: but I can't wait to join you on the fourth floor. It's got, it is going to be dope. It is. Yes, 100%. And Jasmine, we're going to be moving into Q and A in a little bit. So for anyone in the audience who has questions, this is your time to ask them.

Drop them in the chat. Don't be shy. All questions are welcome. But Jasmine, I really want to go back to a younger version of yourself who might not have had the confidence that you have today and might have not been sure about the path she's taking. Is there anything you wish you could say to her today and what do you think she would say back?

And if I could look back at younger Jasmine, little Jasmine, I would tell her that everything that's happening to her. Is happening for her. And I think that that's really important for us to understand is that everything that happens to us is happening for us. We oftentimes get into that mindset of why, why is this happening to me?

for the next challenge and the challenge after that and who comes after that. So if I could say anything to my little self, you know, all the challenges, all the things that hurt, they are all happening in service of you because you will be the most amazing version of you because of them.

Theresa: What a beautiful message, Jasmine.

Oh, this was so, that was such a beautiful answer. Gina, I want to give you the opportunity to, is there any message that you would love to share with the younger version of yourself?

Sheena: I

Theresa: think,

Sheena: you know, like Jasmine said, I don't think I would change anything. You know, everything happens for a reason, the good, bad and the ugly, you know, now when situations happen, Instead of like thinking, why did this happen to me?

You figure, you're like, now I know why I had to go what I go through, right? And we all go through struggle. All, all of us, even myself. And I think it's okay to go through that struggle because that's how we're able to Solve big world problems. That's how we are able to build our strength and confidence and courage to keep moving forward.

So, I mean, I don't think I would have told my younger self anything. I think the string of events that I've gone through had to happen for a reason. Um, and, and I'm grateful for it because I wouldn't be here today talking about it.

Theresa: 100%. Yeah. And. It's so it's such a beautiful reframe to look at challenges and the hard time as what did I learn?

Jasmine: Yeah, you may not see it in that moment. There were many times where I did not see any lessons, but I did see them after. So I just want to preface that by saying you might be going through something and you're like, these ladies talking about, there's a lesson.

I don't see Jack, it will come.

Sheena: Yes, we'll see. Yeah.

Theresa: And also that being said, it's okay to also have hard times and not be a hundred percent every day. There's going to be hard times and challenging paths in our lives. That we all have to go through and it's okay to feel all of this and to have days where you doubt yourself and aren't your best self because we can't always be perfect or we can never be perfect.

Sheena: Yeah, I mean, that's a great question. I think for me, when it comes to building self confidence, um, you know, I think the first thing, and it's the reason why I wrote my first book, the top self confidence is really figure out, you know, You know, is there any unresolved drama that's stopping us from moving forward?

Is there something in my life that's, that's stopping me? And sometimes we're not aware that the trauma is stopping us. Right. Um, Some people don't even realize we're not only carrying our own traumas, but we're carrying the traumas of our parents, grandparents, and so on. Right. They say it goes intergenerational, intergenerational trauma goes like four generations deep.

But I don't know, coming from an Asian background, I feel like it's way longer. So I mean, we really have to figure out these traumas because if not, then we're going to be in the same cycle all over again. So I think that's really the most important is getting to the root cause as to why You know, you, you perceive yourself as a certain way, why you resist taking action.

And so, um, if it wasn't for the personal development work that I did and really figure out, you know, what's really stopping me, um, that, that moment, you know, led up to my adult life because I felt like everything I touched, I was just an instant failure. And I couldn't understand why and I realized it was because of that moment and because I've learned to work on myself I realized I wasn't a failure.

Someone just said I was a failure. That's just one person But I wasn't a failure, you know, um, now we're doing the personal development work. I saw that as I was always meant to do something different. I was always meant to color outside the lines. And so because I was able to work through that, it helped me move forward in my own journey.

Jasmine: I love that. Wow, what a, I mean, first off, I'm just so inspired by that story, so inspired by that story. And before you even said it, I was thinking in my mind, okay, so Sheena was always meant to draw outside the lines. It's just, it really, I know that that was a traumatic experience for you, but it goes back to what we were talking about, where that shaped you.

And so these events that we have shape us in miraculous ways where we can have a traumatic event that actually creates the power within us to be the person we really are. And so I, that's just such a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing that.

Theresa: Well, thank you. I appreciate it. 100 percent yes.

This was a really beautiful story. And thank you for being so vulnerable and sharing this, this, the audience. And yeah, exactly what Jasmine said, it is, those are very traumatic memories. And what I see a lot is people saying like, oh, that was just something that happened when I was 5 years old. And this Dismiss it and don't see the impact it has on us till this very day because it is it's something right.

Our body stores those traumas. Our brain stores it and unless we work through it, we carry it with us.

Jasmine: Yeah. How beautiful.

Jasmine: Yeah, you know, I was listening so much to Sheena's story and it activated something or it kind of touched something within me. I didn't realize that what I was going through was something that so many women, so many people were going through in terms of being in very toxic work environments that were frankly inducing trauma.

And you're like, Oh my God, that person has so much confidence. You might look at all three of these women on the screen right now and say, Oh, but y'all got so much confidence, but you need to hear the stories of story of how we were created and what we deal with on a day to day basis. Even still, and what we're struggling to accomplish.

Even still, we are not super humans. And none of these 800 people that got interviewed are super humans. We're just humans, just like everybody else on this LinkedIn live. And so the number one thing that I would say. say is don't shut yourself down. If you want to build confidence and you want to step out there and you want to own your power and you want to own your voice and you want to own your story, listen to the stories of the people who have done it and are doing it.

Not just the three of us ladies here. Everybody on the LinkedIn feed and everybody in the world, you're not alone. And so my biggest piece of advice is listen, seek out the support, talk to people because you're going to start to realize that your story connects to everyone's story and everyone's journey.

And if they can do it, there is no reason you can't.

Theresa: What a beautiful way. To leave our audience with so much inspiration for the new year. And you're absolutely right. It is, it is a process. There will never be a day where any of us are like, I've reached the ultimate level of confidence and I've made it.

No, it's a process, right? We go through, I hope I get there. Wait a second. Hold on.

but no, I love that reminder that it is a, it is an ongoing journey. It really is a journey and no one is perfect. And we're all going through this journey. And I love the S listen to 800 stories of women. Going through this journey.

Jasmine: Absolutely. Absolutely. That's, that's it. That would be a beautiful way to start January 1st when we all have our hangovers.

Pop on over, get yourself your iTunes, put your podcast on and just go for it. Yes. Yes,

Theresa: and knowing that even when you look at people who seem to have it all, that they might not have it all. We don't know their stories that are behind the scenes and also the journeys that they went to went through to get where they are.

Sheena: Mm

Theresa: hmm. Mm hmm. Now, we've gotten beautiful questions here from the audience. Let's start with this one here.

Um, and I believe this one is for Jasmine. But, oh, Sheena, maybe for both of you. When you made your professional transition, because you both made really big professional Did you jump right in or take baby steps on to what extent do you think your confidence preceded that change versus for an outcome of the success?

Jasmine: Yeah. Um,

Sheena: this is a really great question. Go ahead, Sheena. You take it. Yeah. Um, so I'm, I was a little bit different. I did just take, I just did jump right into it. You know, I kind of just like said, I'm going to quit my job and just, Go like, I didn't have a plan B and I don't think I wouldn't advise that for every single person, right?

Um, I don't regret it. Part of the reasons why I made that transition was because, um, about 13 years ago. My aunt passed away from a horrific accident. It was really bad, you know, and it made me realize that do I want to keep doing what I'm doing now and regret everything that I've ever wanted to do or do something different.

And that's what really pushed me to forge my own path. Right. And I can honestly, like, I can honestly say if I die tomorrow, I literally have no regrets. And I think that's very rare for a person to say. And sometimes that's a bad thing because then you're not motivated to do anything because you're like, I've done it all.

I don't know what else. I can achieve in life and I know there's, I, of course I know I can achieve more, right? But I, I can honestly say I have no regrets, right? I think there was only like one thing that I was missing and it was like traveling to Europe and I did that at 40. I finally went to Paris for the first time.

So yes, what I did is a little bit different. I just jumped in. I had no plan B, but I would not advise that for other people. Like, yeah, you know, I could have done things a little bit differently and could have done it better where, um, I would have had a little bit better of a situation, but it's okay. I don't regret it.

Everything happens for a reason. And like I mentioned, like everything happens when we look back, everything will make sense. But yeah, I would take baby steps for all those out there listening.

I was just like, we're just running and leaping. Um, and I would not recommend that for everybody either. I think. think it's really a personal decision as to how you want to move through your trajectory of building your confidence and what you have the capacity to take on at this moment, what you have the capacity to change.

It's very individual. I do want to mention the second part of the question, which is really interesting and I'm loving. I think it's from Jamie. I'm loving how Jamie's brain is operating right now because essentially she's saying like Did you, did you change and then the, you know, confidence came or was it, was it because of the successes that you had?

And I think the answer is yes, because I don't think confidence is a linear process. So it's not that you do something and then you're confident, right? Like confidence actually continues to grow and develop. So for me, confidence is having. A belief in self that's just a bit higher than the doubt and the fear so that you can take a step, right?

So your belief systems start to creep up higher. Then you take more bigger actions. So maybe you're not taking baby steps anymore. Maybe you're taking a little bit more like toddler steps. And then that feeds more success and more evidence, which goes back to feeding your belief. Now your belief is bigger and you're taking quantum leaps.

So this isn't a linear process. It's actually a process that feeds into each other. So your belief system feeds into the actions that you take, which feeds into the evidence that you create, which feeds back into your belief. So I hope Jamie, that that answers the question of what comes first, the chicken or the egg.

Theresa: Love that. That was such a beautiful answer. Jasmine off really that chicken or the egg on, okay, let's take a teeny tiny egg and then grow it from there. And it doesn't happen overnight. And for me, you don't have to be like me

Jasmine: and Gina and be like, I'm going to go.

I don't, I also, Gina, you know, I'm so excited to hear your story when we chat, but I, I did the exact same thing as you and I, I fell flat on my face. Many, many times. And when I, when I advise people, it's always like, do what you think is best for you and the people around you. Right? Because like you, Sheena, I have my dog.

Theresa: 100%. And also if for myself, if anyone would have told me five years ago that today I'm running a successful coaching business, I'm hosting this 12 days of career goal online conference, I would have been like, Yeah, you're crazy. You're absolutely crazy. There's no way. But at that time, I was like, Okay, I just gonna start a coaching business and have two clients.

That's a great goal that seemed achievable at that time. And then everything just unfolds after there. So not setting yourself this huge goal of, okay, I need to have it all. Um, but at first, what's that first milestone I want to get to? And then once you're there, what's that next milestone I want to get to?

I love that.

Jasmine: I love that.

Or with realistic goals, apologies.

Jasmine: Yeah. Yeah. Oh boy. This is a good one.

Sheena: Yeah. It's a tough question. Um, I know, I know social media, social media is great and social media is not great. Right. Uh, we see a lot of overnight success on, on social media or just in general, and people don't realize the story behind that overnight success.

I mean, yes, there's like that rare person that does actually have overnight success, but most people that. You think have it have been grinding putting in the work day in and day out to get to where they are today and you know personal development is important and I know sometimes we work on ourselves to on ourselves to the point where it's just crickets like we don't hear anything and we think nothing is happening.

Right. Imagine if he stopped at like the 5, 000 try or the 99, the 9, 999th try. Like, then we wouldn't have a light bulb. Right. Or you look at like JK Rowling. I think she got rejected by like 50 publishers before, um, Harry Potter was picked up and like, look where Harry Potter is today. Right. Like it's not just a movie, it's a whole empire.

And so just because we think nothing is happening. Something is happening. We just can't see it yet. And we live in this world of instant gratification. And I know it's exhausting, right? Because you're like, I've been doing this for so long, like, why isn't anything happening? I, and I get it, because I've been through that too, right?

There's no magical number But if we keep push going at it You know, we'll get there. Um, and I think some people just give up too easily, right? Um, they're, they're, they're like three feet from gold and that's when they stop. So I hope this helps you, uh, Stephanie. I know, I know it may be right at this moment.

You think like, I feel like nothing's happening. Something is happening. You just can't see it as yet. And, uh, you know, if you read people like success, people's real stories, like they went through so many failures, they went through the same situation. To get to the moment that they're in today.

Jasmine: Yeah, I love that.

You got this. But when we suppress those emotions and we don't allow ourselves to feel the disappointment to feel the pain to feel the anger, sometimes all we're doing is suppressing it and suppressing it and suppressing it when we allow the energy, the emotions to move through, we are more capable of then saying, okay, I can do this.

I got this. So what I would say to you, Stephanie, is if you're waiting for your blessing, cry about waiting for your blessing, cry about not having it yet. Let let yourself feel those emotions. And then when you feel those emotions and let those emotions out, remind yourself of who you are. Don't ever forget that.

Remind yourself of who you are and why you are doing this amazing work. And that I'm sure we'll get you back into your energy, but please, please, please feel the feelings. A hundred

It's comes. Yes. Over time it grows like you can't see the grass growing right but it's growing over the years and it's these little things that we don't see when we're looking at it every day but then you look back at it a year or two or three years later and then you see the growth. And a lot of times I see people like, and this is specifically for our clients I work with who are going through a career change and the job search is really hard and they often hit this really low of like, I'm doing all the things and nothing's working.

And that's usually right before the breakthrough happens.

Jasmine: Oh, absolutely. Yes.

And if you just be kind to yourself, feel the feelings. But then pick yourself up and keep going. You're going to reach your goals.

Jasmine: Yeah, absolutely.

Theresa: This was absolutely incredible. I could going in this could keep, could keep going on this conversation forever, but unfortunately our time is coming to an end before we leave off.

Where can our listeners connect with you and learn more about you and follow you? Let's start with Sheena. Where can people find you?

Sheena: Yeah, for sure. Um, You know, you can check out my website, ShinaYapChan. com. I also have a free self confidence personality quiz that you can take. Um, also there's a link there, ShinaYapChan.

So you can pre order your copy today, uh, at Amazon and Barnes and Nobles and every other book retailer globally. And honestly, if you forget my name, anything I mentioned, you just Google my name, Sheena Yabchan. I'm the only Sheena Yabchan on the internet.

Jasmine: Oh, Hey, I like that.

Sheena: Yeah.

Jasmine: The one and only.

Theresa: And I can't wait to listen to all 800 episodes.

That is, that's going to be my binge. I love it. Thank you, Sheena. Jasmine, where can our listeners find you and connect with you and follow your work?

Jasmine: Man, I be on these LinkedIn streets all the time, y'all. So you can hit me up on LinkedIn, follow me on LinkedIn. You can DM me. I love having chats in the DM.

The information is also on my LinkedIn profile as well. And again, hit me up, DM me, let me know what you took away from today's session, because there were so many gems dropped

Theresa: 100%. So many gems dropped. Absolutely. Thank you both so much for being here. I appreciate your wisdom inside guidance for our audience so very much.

And it was such a beautiful conversation and I highly recommend for everyone listening, follow Jasmine and follow Sheena. They share absolutely incredible inspiration inside every single day. And as two individuals, you absolutely have to keep following and learning from. Thank you both for being here with me today.

Jasmine: Bye everybody. Thank you.

Practice and confidence building exercises or tackling and limiting belief. Make it clear and actionable once you write it down, you're going to be so much more likely to follow through.

And that's a wrap for today's episode of Career Clarity Unlocked, if you feeling stuck in that. What's next? Spiral and are ready to finally break free. Let's chat. You can book your free career clarity call where we'll uncover what's really important to you. Tackle any obstacles holding you back and map out your best next step.

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