You’re Not Bragging. You’re Just Used to Playing Small.

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You know you're supposed to be building your brand, but every time you talk about yourself it feels a little off. You’re not trying to be flashy. You just want people to understand what you do. So why does promoting yourself feel more like bragging?

In this episode of Living the Whole Picture, I’m getting real about one of the most common mindset blocks I see in smart, capable women: the fear of sounding arrogant. I’ll walk you through why this shows up, how to reframe it, and what self-promotion can look like when it comes from a place of clarity and service.

If you've ever downplayed your work to avoid being “too much,” this one's for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why self-promotion feels uncomfortable for so many women
00:58 – Reframing the difference between bragging and informing
01:55 – Three practical ways to promote your work without sounding salesy
02:36 – A personal shift that helped me show up more confidently
03:03 – What holding back is really costing you
03:40 – A simple next step to start showing up with clarity

Key Takeaways:

• You’re not bragging when you speak clearly about your work. You’re building trust and helping people understand how you can serve them.
• Bragging is about inflating. Promotion is about informing. That distinction matters more than you think.
• Three ways to promote yourself without feeling gross:
  1. Share the transformation, not just the outcome
  2. Use your clients’ words to reflect your impact
  3. Educate while you promote — give value without overselling
• When you shrink, your impact shrinks with you. Confidence in your message is part of your leadership.

Free Resource Mentioned:

Want to start showing up online without overthinking every post?

Download my free Personal Brand Prompts: ✔️ 30 Days of Personal Brand Prompts. You’ll get 30 simple ideas for what to say online so you can promote your work with clarity, not cringe.

If This Episode Resonated:

Share it with a friend who's been holding back. Sometimes all it takes is a small shift in language to unlock a big wave of confidence.

Next episode drops soon. Until then, keep showing up—and keep living the whole picture.

https://www.jamapantel.com

Episode Transcript

Jama Pantel (00:00):
You know you're supposed to be building your
brand, but every time you talkabout yourself it feels a little
gross.
You're not trying to be flashy,you just want people to know
who you are and what you do, butinstead you hold back, you
downplay, you say less than youmean, just to avoid sounding
full of yourself.
If this sounds familiar,today's episode's for you.

(00:23):
Hey y'all, it's your podcast,bestie Jama again.
And today we're talking aboutone of the biggest mindset
blocks.
I see smart, capable women make.
You want to be visible, youwant to lead, but when it comes
time to promote yourself, youfreeze up.
Trust me, I've been there andI'm still there quite a bit.
Because somewhere along the wayyou were taught that confidence

(00:47):
sounds like arrogance, thatspeaking clearly about your wins
or your work would make youlook like you're too much.
So instead of taking up space,you shrink.
It's time we change that.
Why do we equate self-promotionwith bragging?
This didn't just come out ofnowhere.
Many of us were taught to stayhumble, keep our heads down and

(01:10):
let our work speak for itself.
But here's the truth.
Your work can't speak if no oneknows what you do when you're a
personal brand.
Staying silent isn't modesty,it's invisibility.
Bragging is about inflating.
Promotion is about informing,and that distinction really
matters.

(01:30):
Let's talk about whatself-promotion actually looks
like and let's reframe it.
Promoting yourself isn't aboutsaying look how amazing I am.
It's about saying here's how Ican help you.
That shift in tone changeseverything.
It becomes service oriented.
You're not just shouting intothe void.

(01:50):
You're showing up with value,clarity and a willingness to
lead.
Here's how to do that well.

Number one (01:57):
share the transformation, not just the
trophy.
People connect with the beforeand after, not just the polished
outcome.
Talk about how you got there,what you learned, who's it for?

Number two (02:10):
use your client's own words.
Let your audience reflect yourimpact.
A short story or quote fromsomeone you've helped is
powerful and organic.

And number three (02:21):
educate.
Don't exaggerate.
Give value while you promote.
For example, if you'relaunching a course, teach
something from it in a post.
That way, people get a taste ofyour work without feeling sold
to.
What helped me show updifferently?
I used to hesitate all the timetoo.

(02:41):
I'd post something, startinstantly wondering was that too
much?
Even though it was true, eventhough it was helpful, I was
afraid someone would think I wasshowing off or talking too much
about myself, but staying quietwasn't helping anyone either.
When I shifted my lens from howdo I look to who can this help?
Everything got easier.

(03:03):
So the bottom line is you're notbragging.
When you speak clearly aboutyour work, you're building trust
, you're letting people knowwhat's possible, you're giving
someone else permission to takeaction, and if you're holding
back out of fear of what someoneelse might think, you're also
withholding your impact.
If this episode felt like amirror, I want to help you take

(03:24):
one small step forward.
Download my free personal brandprompts at jamapantel.
com.
I'll link them in the shownotes below as well.
That'll give you 30 simpleideas for what you can say
online so you can promote yourwork with clarity, not cringe,
because confidence isn'tbragging, it's leadership.
That's all I've got for today.

(03:44):
So if you know someone who'sbeen holding back, share this
episode with them and rememberthe right people need to hear
what you have to say.
So stop playing small and startshowing up.
Until next time, keep livingthe whole picture.