In this episode, Yaya breaks down how your past quietly hijacks your confidence, decisions, and identity and how to take your power back.

You’ll learn:

• why old versions of you still run your life

• how past pain shapes present decisions

• the 3-step framework for releasing your past

• how to build confidence rooted in who you’re becoming

• how to stop shrinking, second-guessing, and repeating old patterns

This is your reminder:

You’re allowed to grow beyond the woman you used to be.

Ready to step your confidence up another level? Apply for Journey to Confidence, Yaya’s 1:1 coaching program.

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Foreign.

Hey, girl.

Hey.

Welcome back to Notes to Her, the daily pep talk.

I'm Yaya, your confidence and mindset coach who's here to remind you that your past may have shaped you, but it does not get to run your life.

Now, if you've been following the last couple notes, then you know we've been doing some deep excavating.

In note 20, we unpacked why you don't feel enough and how that belief is built, not born.

And in note 21, we talked about how fear can sometimes trick you into talking yourself out of opportunities that were meant for you.

And today, today we're talking about something even sneakier.

The way your past self keeps trying to run the show, even though she no longer fits the life that you're building.

Now.

Let me ask you something.

Have you ever caught yourself reacting to a situation like the old you showed up, even though you've grown past her?

Maybe someone questions you and suddenly you feel 14 again, insecure, unsure.

Maybe someone dismisses you and suddenly you feel quiet again, even though you're a whole grown woman with receipts and results.

Maybe you want to try something new.

But the old version of you, the one who didn't trust herself, shows up and whispers, be careful, stay small.

Don't embarrass yourself.

That's what today is about.

The past version of you that keeps jumping in the driver's seat every time you try to level up, but she cannot drive for your future.

Now, let me tell you about something that happened to me a few years ago, and you'll understand exactly why this fits.

So, a few years ago, I was in a meeting with leadership.

The kind of room where every word feels like it matters.

I was prepared.

I had data.

I had a solution that I knew was solid.

So I spoke up.

And before I could even finish my sentence, someone cut me off and dismissed it like it was irrelevant, just brushed it aside and listen.

I was angry.

I was embarrassed.

I felt like the heat rising in my face.

I wanted to disappear and throw a chair at the same time.

But that moment wasn't the real problem.

The problem was what happened after.

Because once the meeting ended, the old version of me, the quiet girl, the unsure girl, the don't rock the boat girl, she woke up loud, saying, see, this is why you shouldn't talk.

Next time, just keep your eye deal to yourself.

Don't embarrass yourself again.

And for weeks, I hesitated every time a meeting came around.

I overthought everything I wanted to say.

I rehearsed sentences 10 times before unmuting myself, I waited for the perfect moment, which never came.

That's what your past self does.

She tries to protect you with outdated fears.

But here's the twist.

My teammates, my manager, the people that actually mattered, they told me that my idea was strong.

They supported me, and they encouraged me to speak up again.

And I realized something powerful.

I wasn't scared because I was unqualified.

I was scared because an old version of me was still trying to speak for the woman I've outgrown.

That's the day that I decided she doesn't get to run the show anymore.

I do.

And that's exactly what today's note is about.

Your past self served a purpose.

She kept you safe when you didn't feel safe.

She protected you when you didn't have the confidence that you're building now.

But she can't run your future.

She makes decisions based on fear, on embarrassment, on survival.

And you.

You are not in survival mode anymore.

You are in becoming mode.

So here's how you stop letting a girl you used to be run the woman that you are now.

First thing you want to do is to notice when she shows up, when you hesitate, when you shrink in a room, when you second guess something you know is right, pause and say, that's the old me talking, not the woman that I am now naming.

It helps to break that pattern and then ask, what would the current me do?

Not the fearful you.

Not the insecure you.

Not the keep everybody comfortable you.

What would the woman you're becoming do?

Would she speak up?

Would she send the email?

Would she stop apologizing?

Would you?

Will she claim the opportunity?

Follow her lead, not your path.

And then build evidence that you can trust yourself.

Every time you choose courage over comfort, every time you act instead of overthink, you're creating that proof.

I can handle this now.

And that proof is slowly rewiring your identity.

Now here's the truth.

Your past self is tired.

She has carried you long enough.

She's fought battles that you outgrew.

She protected you when you didn't know how.

But you don't need her armor anymore.

You're stepping into a new season, a new identity, a level of confidence.

And she can't lead you there.

So it's time to thank her and release her.

So here's your reminder today.

Stop letting old fear make new decisions.

Stop letting outdated stories define a future they were never meant to touch.

You are not that girl anymore.

And that's a good thing.

And if today's note hits you on the head.

If you felt that pull in your trust because you know you've been letting the old you run the show, then this is exactly the work that we do inside Journey to Confidence.

One on one, together, we rebuild your identity from the inside out.

Inside the program, you will break habits that your old self created.

Learn how to truly trust her voice again.

Build confidence that doesn't crack the moment somebody dismisses you.

And step into the version of you who leads the rooms, not shrinks in them.

And this isn't that surface level.

Think positive energy.

This is deep rewiring, the kind that changes how you walk into the room, how you speak up, how you make decisions, and how you see yourself.

So if you are ready for that level of transformation, if you are tired of letting the old you make choices for the woman that you are becoming, then apply for Journey to Confidence.

The link is in the show notes.

You are not her anymore, and it's time to let your life reflect that.

I'll see you in the next note.