You can be experienced, prepared, and highly capable—and still find yourself second-guessing your decisions, replaying conversations, or looking to others for validation. In this episode, we unpack what self-trust really is, why so many accomplished leaders struggle with it, and how it directly impacts your executive presence and influence. You’ll learn practical shifts to strengthen self-trust so you show up with calm certainty, clear thinking, and authority.
1. Make Decisions Without Over-Collecting Opinions
2. Stop Replaying Conversations After They’re Over
3. Speak Before You Feel 100% Ready
4. Separate Outcomes from Self-Worth
5. Use Language That Reinforces Self-Trust
When self-trust increases:
Because people don’t just respond to your expertise. They respond to your certainty about yourself.
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Some resources for you:
Get 3 Strategies to Speak Up in Meetings here.
Project more confidence and credibility with my free tips: 9 Words to Avoid & What to Say Instead: Words to Avoid | Karen Laos
My book “Trust Your Own Voice”: https://karenlaos.com/book/
Connect with me:
Website: https://www.karenlaos.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial
Episodes also available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos
About me:
Many years ago I found myself tongue-tied in a boardroom, my colleagues and executives staring at me. My stomach in my throat, I was unable to get the words out (in spite of being in a senior leadership role).
Then, I heard my boss shut down the meeting. My heart sank. I was mortified. She pulled me aside and said, "You didn't trust your gut. You could've tabled the meeting like I did."
Why didn’t that option occur to me in the moment? Why did I feel like I needed permission?
That was the day I set out to change. I began a journey of personal growth to discover the root of the problem. Once I did, I wanted every woman to experience that same freedom.
I’m now on a mission to silence self-doubt in 10 million women in 10 years by giving them simple strategies to speak up and ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond, resulting in more clients, job promotions, and negotiation wins.
Companies like NASA, Netflix, Google, and Sephora have been propelled toward more effective communication skills through my signature framework, The Confidence Cocktail™.
This is your invitation to step into your most confident self so you can catapult your career!
Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, leverages 25 years in the boardroom and speaking on the world’s most coveted stages such as Google and NASA to transform missed opportunities into wins. She is fiercely committed to her mission of eradicating self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them practical strategies to ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond. She guides corporations and individuals with her tested communication model to generate consistent results through her Powerful Presence Keynote: How to Be an Influential Communicator.
Get my free tips: 9 Words to Avoid & What to Say Instead: Words to Avoid | Karen Laos
Connect with me:
Website: https://www.karenlaos.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlaosofficial
Facebook: Ignite Your Confidence with Karen Laos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/karenlaosconsulting
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlaos/
Episodes also available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEwQoTGdJX5eME0ccBKiKng/videos
My book “Trust Your Own Voice”:
