How I overcome self-doubt and impostor syndrome with my confidence portfolio

The room was a blur – the lights, the cacophonous chatter of the crowd – I could feel the tightness in my neck and my heart pounding in my chest. My hands were cold as ice like they usually get when I’m nervous. Thankfully, I had a few minutes to myself while the host was presenting the panelists. I knew what I had to do. I drew in some air, filling my lungs deeply, and exhaled slowly. Once. Twice. Three times. Meanwhile, I repeated to myself: I’ve done this before. I can do it again.

Public speaking was not new to me, and getting on that stage was just as nerve-wracking as the last time I did it, and the one before that. I knew it was going to be like that when I accepted the invitation to be a panelist in the Notion’s Women in Tech fireside chat a couple of months ago.

Through my experiences, I've come to realize that when faced with daunting tasks like public speaking, it's crucial for me to find a balance between calming my nerves and getting excited. Breathing exercises never fail to disappoint for calming down, whereas for psyching up, I always go back to using my own confidence-boosting secret: my confidence portfolio!