Welcome to The Truth about Confidence, a brand new podcast for women who want to learn the science and art of confidence. 

This show will explore common challenges women face (known as the confidence gender gap), and share stories that inform and inspire. The world needs more confident women, and this podcast is intended to help you believe in yourself more so you can show up, speak up, and lead with more confidence and less self-doubt.

Before we go further, you should know something about me. I've wanted to host a podcast for the past 10 years, but I wasn't sure where or how to start, and I didn't think I was ready -- until an hour ago, when I finally realized on a walk with the dog that I've got to "just do it" (to borrow from Nike). 

As a leader, coach and mentor to women, I know and teach that "not ready yet" is a lie we tell ourselves to avoid scary things. And the truth (as I talk more about in this trailer episode) is that action is the ultimate antidote to our limiting beliefs and fears. So this podcast is a living example of killing fear through action.

I'm Heather Pownall, founder and CEO of The Confidence Labs, which offers classes and coaching to help women learn about confidence, identify the ways they hold back (and why), and learn to consistently take action over fear. 

I can promise you this episode and all of the ones that follow will NOT BE PERFECT. (That's in all caps as a reminder to myself, mostly.) I'll make mistakes as I learn and iterate. I may fail to reach anyone with this, and may only have one listener (shout out to my little sister, Danielle - thanks, sis!). Who knows...

What I do know is that being willing to show up and be seen, and share our authentic-yet-imperfect selves is something we all -- especially as women -- must be willing to do more of in order to grow and lead more powerfully. The world needs our voices, our leadership. If you're striving or waiting for "perfect" you'll never say or do the hard or scary things. The world will never know and benefit from your full gifts and potential.

Shrinking into the shadows, hiding from being called on, not raising your hand, not speaking up when you've got important things to say, rationalizing and settling instead of stretching outside your comfort zone, internalizing other people's feedback instead of trusting your own, and putting off saying and doing what you know you want to say and do -- those are learned habits and they're based in fear. 

If any of those sound familiar, you're not alone. Up to 70% of women struggle with self-doubt -- especially in their careers, in business, in politics --  despite having competence and a track record of success. The good news is that we can unlearn limiting thoughts and bad habits and replace them with better ones that open up new possibilities and growth. 

That's the work happening at The Confidence Labs, and it's the stuff I'll be digging into and talking about here on this show. I'll be sharing what I've learned, what I'm still learning, and ahas from my own experiences. I'll also be bringing on guests to share their stories. The purpose of this show is to teach and inspire. If that sounds like something you want more of, check out this trailer episode and like, subscribe and stay tuned for more episodes coming soon. 

For now, it’s so nice to meet you and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this trailer and ideas for future episodes. What questions do you have about confidence? What’s your biggest challenge or struggle? Is there a specific skill, practice or approach you've learned that has helped you show up and lead with more authentic confidence? If so, please share it with me at hello@theconfidencelabs.com. You can also leave a comment on the podcast page.