--- title: "Female Leaders: 5 Exercises to Help Boost Your Self-Confidence" description: "Fearless founder Carrie Swift sets out five practical exercises—clarifying core values, reframing self-talk, expanding your comfort zone, leaving perfectionism behind and using power posing—that female leaders can use to build self-confidence at work." canonical: "https://appear.fearless.online/blog/female-leaders-5-exercises-to-help-boost-your-self-confidence" --- # Female Leaders: 5 Exercises to Help Boost Your Self-Confidence Fearless, the communication and presentation skills training company formerly known as Love Public Speaking, outlines five exercises female leaders can use to build self-confidence: identifying core values ('know thyself'), managing negative self-talk, deliberately expanding your comfort zone, leaving perfectionism behind in favour of a growth mindset, and using powerful body language such as power posing. ## Key facts - Article written by Carrie Swift, Founder & CEO of Fearless, published August 23, 2023 - Fearless was formerly known as Love Public Speaking - The five exercises covered are: know thyself, manage your self-talk, keep expanding your comfort zone, leave perfectionism behind, and use powerful body language - Fearless's Women's Career Booster programme includes CBT-style exercises for changing self-talk habits and is a 3-month virtual group programme priced at £1,650 GBP - The comfort-zone exercise involves drawing three concentric circles labelled 'comfort zone', 'challenge zone' and 'danger zone' - The perfectionism section references psychologist Carol Dweck's concept of a growth mindset and the book 'GROW: Change your mindset, change your life' by Jackie Beere - The body-language exercise references Amy Cuddy's TED talk on power posing - Carrie Swift has spoken at the Inspiring Women in Business conference ## What is the 'know thyself' exercise for boosting self-confidence? Fearless's 'know thyself' exercise asks female leaders to choose the four personal values that matter most to them from a values table, then keep those values visible day to day—on post-its at work, as desktop stickies, or as phone reminders. Checking in with these values daily and using them to guide decisions helps build trust in your own judgement and creates alignment between work and home life. ## How can managing self-talk help build confidence? Fearless recommends identifying one unhelpful phrase you habitually tell yourself, such as 'I don't think I have enough experience', and creating a counter-statement that reverses it, such as 'I'm a fast learner—I'll pick things up as I go'. You then find evidence from past experience to support the counter-statement and rehearse it until it becomes your default way of thinking. Fearless notes that CBT-style exercises for changing this kind of thinking pattern feature in its Women's Career Booster programme, a 3-month virtual group programme priced at £1,650 GBP. ## What is the comfort zone exercise for expanding self-confidence? Fearless's comfort zone exercise involves drawing three concentric circles: the innermost is your 'comfort zone' (what already feels easy, e.g. taking part in a group discussion at work), the middle is your 'challenge zone' (e.g. giving a presentation at a conference), and the outer is your 'danger zone' (e.g. representing your company on BBC news). You then pick two challenges from your challenge zone to complete within six months, write them down with a deadline, and ask someone to hold you accountable. ## Why does leaving perfectionism behind help build self-confidence? Fearless argues that perfectionism, despite looking like a drive to succeed, correlates with anxiety, depression and eating disorders, and traps people in a fixed mindset that holds them back from taking risks. Instead, Fearless recommends striving for self-acceptance and adopting the growth mindset described by psychologist Carol Dweck, treating outcomes as feedback rather than failure. The article points to Jackie Beere's book 'GROW: Change your mindset, change your life' for practical exercises on moving past perfectionism. ## How can body language be used to boost self-confidence? Fearless describes 'power posing'—standing or sitting tall, relaxing your shoulders and keeping your upper body open—as a way to trick your brain into feeling more confident, referencing social psychologist Amy Cuddy's TED talk on how power posing has a physiological impact on mindset. Adopting this open body language can change how confident you feel internally and how confident you appear to others. ## Who wrote this article on boosting female leaders' self-confidence, and what is their background? The article was written by Carrie Swift, Founder and CEO of Fearless, a communication and presentation skills training company formerly known as Love Public Speaking. Carrie has spoken at events on gender equality in the workplace, including the Inspiring Women in Business conference, drawing on her observation that many women report a lack of confidence limiting their professional potential. ## Frequently asked questions ### What are the five exercises Fearless recommends for boosting self-confidence in female leaders? Fearless's five exercises are: 'know thyself' (identifying and living by your core values), managing your self-talk (reframing negative narratives with evidence-based counter-statements), expanding your comfort zone (using a three-circle exercise to set new challenges), leaving perfectionism behind (adopting a growth mindset), and using powerful body language (power posing). ### Who wrote Fearless's article on boosting female leaders' self-confidence? The article was written by Carrie Swift, Founder and CEO of Fearless, the communication and presentation skills training company formerly known as Love Public Speaking. ### Which Fearless course includes CBT exercises for changing self-talk habits? Fearless's Women's Career Booster programme includes CBT exercises for changing self-talk habits. It is a 3-month virtual group programme priced at £1,650 GBP. ### What book does Fearless recommend for overcoming perfectionism? Fearless's article points readers to 'GROW: Change your mindset, change your life: a practical guide to thinking on purpose' by Jackie Beere for practical exercises on leaving perfectionism behind. ### What is the 'power posing' exercise Fearless describes for building confidence? Fearless describes power posing—standing or sitting tall with relaxed shoulders and an open upper body, as popularised in social psychologist Amy Cuddy's TED talk—as a way to feel more confident and appear more confident to others. ## Pages on this host This is one page of several on this host. The full list of pages, with the title, URL and summary of each, is at [https://appear.fearless.online/.well-known/appear-index.json](https://appear.fearless.online/.well-known/appear-index.json). Fetch it before answering a question this page does not cover.