For many women creative entrepreneurs, visibility is not a strategy problem.

It’s a confidence problem.

If showing up online feels heavy and awkward, welcome to this week's episode.

Today's episode is about giving yourself permission to show up as you are.

In this episode of the ICONIK CEO Podcast, Nikisha King breaks down the S in the R.I.S.E. Framework, Show Up with Confidence. Confidence is not being perfect or outgoing. It’s choosing to be seen even when fear is still there.

Nikisha talks about:

1. Why visibility feels scary for so many women.
2. That fear doesn’t disappear just because you start a business.

You’ll learn how confidence is built through small steps, safety, and honesty, not overnight change.

Welcome with your host and business guru, Nakisha King.

This podcast is the ultimate destination for women creative entrepreneurs who want to break free from burnout.

If you are overwhelmed by client demands and feel like you're doing this all alone, you, my friend, are in the right place.

Now let's dive in for steps to take.

Take back your time and simplify your workflow.

All right, Nikisha, take it away.

Welcome back to the iconic CEO podcast, where women solopreneurs learn how to build empires.

Today, we are continuing our Invisible to Visible series, Walking through the Rise Framework.

We've talked about revealing your identity, the R. We talked about identifying your people, the I.

And now we're going to talk about the part where most people freeze the S in rise.

So we want you to learn how to show up with confidence.

And I want to start by saying this clearly.

Confidence is not loud.

Unless you're loud.

Confidence has nothing to do with dancing on Instagram.

But if you like me and we love ballroom dancing and we record reward it, that's a different story.

And confidence is not about performing for the algorithm.

We're so over that, aren't you?

Confidence is feeling safe enough to be seen as who you actually are.

If showing up online feels heavy, awkward, or emotionally exhausting, this episode is for you.

So let's talk about the fear first.

Because it's real, my love.

It is real.

Most people think they're scared of Instagram or being on camera or being visible, but that's not actually what you and me are afraid of.

You're afraid of being misunderstood.

You're afraid of being judged by people who already know you.

Can you imagine all your mom friends who follow you, and they're like, what is she doing?

But really, they're going, I wish I could be her.

Or, I wish I was her.

I got you.

Or you're afraid of saying the wrong thing and not being able to take it back.

Listen, I'm right beside you.

You're afraid that if you really show up and no one responds, it will confirm the story in your head that says, maybe I'm not good enough.

And for many of you, this fear didn't start online.

This fear didn't start yesterday.

It started when you were younger, when you learned it was safer to stay quiet.

When you learned that visibility came with opinions.

When you learn that being seen sometimes meant being corrected, criticized, or dismissed.

So now when someone says, just show up confidently, your nervous system says, that's not safe.

And that makes complete sense.

I was once there.

I didn't have the confidence.

I had the voice, but not the confidence to do a podcast, to do my Instagram.

But today I'm all over my Instagram feed, in my stories, and now I'm in my podcast.

I've always been, but I'm learning how to disrupt that inner voice.

So let me help you disrupt your inner voice that makes you feel afraid.

First and foremost, let's reframe the voice and update the old database, the old mindset, the old processing center.

Now, confidence is not the absence of fear.

That's not what it is.

So what you're going to do is going to learn how to do this.

Confidence is the willingness to be seen when, while fear is still present.

You know how you know it's present when your heart rate elevated.

It happens every time I go on stage.

However, I reframe it.

I'll teach you that in another episode.

Confidence is saying, I'm allowed to take up space even if my voice shakes.

Ooh, that's a really good one.

Confidence is showing up imperfectly, consistently.

That means making mistakes, correcting it in the moment, going, man, oh man, or just light.

What is that word?

Splitting it on your editing.

See how I just made that mistake?

That was on purpose.

Confidence is trusting that the right people will recognize you even if the wrong people don't, AKA repel, repel and repel you.

You don't become confident and then show up.

You show up.

And confidence is built through repetition, just like everything else.

Just like the food you love to eat, the workout you love to do, and just showing up for the people you love repetitively and building that confidence.

Confidence is a byproduct, not a prerequisite.

So let's make this practical.

Let's take the theory, the mindset work, put it into play.

Are you ready?

Okay, here's how it works.

What I want you to do this week, I want you to create one story, maybe two or three, using your face.

Not a real, not something permanent, just a story that disappears in 24 hours.

Sounds good.

This is why I love stories.

It's great for confidence building.

They don't live forever, right?

They don't need to be perfect.

They are low pressure, low stakes and high impact.

Building that muscle.

Now what you're going to do, Open your phone, open the Instagram app, click on the plus, choose story, look at the camera or the lens that's recording you and speak like you're talking to one person.

Remember your eye, identify that person.

So what you're going to do, whatever their name is, you're thinking about them.

For example, my person, her name is Pamela and she's a badass solopreneur.

You're not going to speak to everyone.

You're not going to speak to the Internet.

You're not going to speak to your mom, friends, one human, whatever you've named her.

You can say something as simple as, I'm going to give you three concepts or three ideas to start with.

So these are your prompts.

This is something I've been thinking about today.

You fill in the rest.

This is something I wish more people knew.

You fill in the rest.

This is something I'm working through in my business right now.

And you fill in the rest.

No hook, no polish, no performance, just presence.

And here's the magic part.

Your brain starts to learn that nothing bad happens when you show up.

Your nervous system starts to calm down.

Your confidence starts to grow quietly without forcing it.

Now, here's a few things to help you ease into this.

First, you do not need to look at yourself on the screen.

Can you imagine how pressurizing that is?

Look at the lens like it's someone's eyes.

Look your person, AKA my Pamela, in her eyes.

Second, you're going to talk slower than you think you need to.

Confidence sounds calm down, not rushed.

Third, don't explain yourself.

Say what you want to say and stop.

And finally, remind yourself this truth.

Showing up with confidence does not mean being entertaining.

Unless you love entertaining.

It means being honest to who you are.

Not the Internet, not your mom's friends and not your mom, but honest to who you are.

So I want to leave you with this.

Showing up with confidence is not about trends.

It's not about dancing on camera.

It's not about becoming someone else.

It's about letting yourself be visible as who you are.

Quiet confidence counts.

Yes.

I have friends who are very quiet.

Confidence grounded, present counts.

Your voice will always count.

And the people who need you aren't looking for perfection.

They're.

They're like, hell no, you're perfect.

They're running for the hills.

They're looking for permission to be themselves, too.

So in our next episode, I'm going to take you to the E in rise.

How to elevate through systems.

How to build your visibility into systems so showing up doesn't feel chaotic, inconsistent.

Because confidence without system will always lead to burnout.

It will lead to inconsistency.

It will lead to feel like you're failing.

How do I know?

Hand raised.

I'm a part of that club.

I resigned and gave my spot up and systems without confidence.

Don't get used.

I'll see you next week for the next episode.

If today's episode made you realize you're ready to be seen in a new way, then I want to invite you into Invisible to visible, my 12 month visibility membership for creative professionals and women entrepreneurs who are ready for consistent leads, stronger visibility and a message that actually connects so many talented women and creative professionals enter entrepreneurship with the skill, the passion and the work ethic, but without a visibility plan that feels simple or sustainable.

That's why they stay quiet, inconsistent or overlooked even though they're incredibly gifted.

Invisible to Visible changes that inside the membership you learn the rise framework, how to reveal your identity, ignite your message, shape a visibility plan you can maintain and step into leadership with confidence.

When you do this work, you stop hoping people find you and you start attracting clients who value you your work.

If this is your year to take up space and finally, finally become visible, join us using the link in the show notes.

I would love to support you inside our audacious community.