“. . . the gap between how little women think of themselves compared to how highly men do, grows in the more developed, egalitarian countries – the very ones one might expect it to be the least.”  ~ Wiebke Bleidorn, Ph.D.

Hi Friend,

I always get asked the question, “what is a ‘confidence coach’?” and my answer each time is a very simple one:

“I help people identify and solve the Achilles Heel that is holding them back from moving their professional and personal life forward, and I do this by utilizing an 11-step system within 4 pillars, that incorporate knowledge, action steps, and accountability support to move them forward.”

Here’s the breakdown . . .

DETOX PHASE

• Clearing Blocks & Resolution (making peace with the past)  
• Mindset & Clarity (paying homage to the present)
• Goals, Milestones, And Tasks (cultivating the future)

BRANDING PHASE:

• Identity & Story-telling (who are you & what’s your magic?) 
• Branding & Image (aligning your story with a brand strategy & image)
• Media & Presentation Skills (stepping into your power so that you are a walking billboard for your brand) 

AUTHORITY PHASE:

• Communications Strategy (commanding an audience in a deep dive or sound bites)
• Marketing Strategy (legitimizing your worth & value proposition to the public)
• Networking Skills (building the right network) 

MOGUL PHASE:

• Holistic Leadership (incorporating all of the above to inspire & motivate consistent alignment with everyone in your ecosystem) 
• Creating Community & Advocacy (amplifying your reach through others people’s support)

For those clients who don’t need the full menu, I create an à la carte menu for them to pick and choose from, to focus on, predicated on their weakest link to success.

In case you’re wondering why I couldn’t just call myself a media, branding, communications, marketing, or leadership coach, it’s because any one of those titles wouldn’t fully verse what I bring to the table. Additionally, I wanted my title to focus on what my clients get from working with me, rather than spew my accolades, so I decided to call myself a ‘confidence coach’, because the utopian goal and mission I have set for myself when working with clients, is to utilize my portfolio to provide the things that will empower them to walk confidently into their next crucial stage of professional and/or personal growth. In short, it’s about my clients for me, not my ego (I’ve had 30 years to stroke that).  

If you would like to find out more on how I may be a good fit to assist you on what’s holding you back from moving forward, learning the skills you need to succeed, or what you want to specifically dial into, then email me for a free, no-obligation discovery call at [email protected]. You can also book the discovery call simply by clicking HERE.

OK, on with today’s missive. I want to touch upon a common challenge that my female clients deal with at some point in their professional journey and that’s ‘the confidence gap.’ For those of you not familiar with this term, in a nutshell: 

“In industrialized Western countries like the U.S. and Australia, the gap is more pronounced than in non-Western, developing countries. That is, the gap between how little women think of themselves compared to how highly men do, grows in the more developed, egalitarian countries – the very ones one might expect it to be the least.” 

This is an excerpt from an article at Forbes.com, written by Dr. Margie Warrell, called: “For Women To Rise We Must Close ‘The Confidence Gap.'” Here, Warrell talks about a recent study done by Dr. Wiebke Bleidorn, where she states in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, that there is a universal disparity in belief of self-worth between women and men in the workforce. 

When looking at the average gender gap pertaining to pay, where women are paid 2/3 (depending on the country you live in) of their male counterpart, it begs the question if the confidence gap is the reason for this or if the gender gap is creating the confidence gap. This is a very complex discussion that requires a great deal more research, but either way, neither gap should exist in today’s day and age, because there’s no logic to it. Compensation should only be based on proven competency and nothing else, and there is no justification for it to be any other way. The problem lies in the fact that the current infrastructure still follows the formula that was created historically, where men worked while women stayed at home. This male narrative doesn’t speak to the needs of today’s women (or men), which is why the confidence and gender gaps continue to prevail respectively and in spite of each other.

The task at hand here is to revisit the entire structure of the work environment that doesn’t speak to DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) mandates. Until we all have a seat at the table that speaks to the needs of men, women, non-binary, ethnic, social (and more) narratives and identities, our work environments won’t align with the expectations of today’s society, which demands to be seen, heard, and valued. They can’t, and that’s what these gaps speak to that we must address by re-imagining a collaborative (bottom up) work environment that listens to its workforce rather than archaic and impractical beliefs that are widening the gap of inefficiency (by not compensating for competency), which in turn is increasing the cost of operations (takes longer to get to the end goal).

If this is something that you’re looking to resolve, I can help you get on the right side of history, having spent the past 20 years doing just that at Anokhi Life (formally known as Anokhi Media), where DEI has been at the centre core of our mission.   

Contact me to book a free, no-obligation discovery call: [email protected] and let’s see how I can help you implement an inclusive structure that may require a look at your brand vision, mission, and values. 

Before I let you go, here’s this week’s takeaway summarized:

“Until we all have a seat at the table that speaks to the needs of men, women, non-binary, ethnic, social (and more) narratives and identities, our work environments won’t align with the expectations of today’s society, which demands to be seen, heard, and valued.” 
~ Raj Girn, Founder, The Open Chest^® Confidence Academy

See you next week!