Unshakable Confidence: Helping High-Achieving Women Lead with Calm, Clarity, and Confidence—at Work and in Life
Hosted by Coco Duan, a former Fortune 500 executive turned Life & Leadership Coach, the Unshakable Confidence podcast is your weekly guide to building the self-trust and resilience needed to thrive personally and professionally. Coco empowers high-achieving women who secretly struggle with self-doubt to cultivate unshakable confidence, enabling them to lead with calm, clarity and confidence. Each episode offers practical strategies and insightful guidance on topics such as: Rewiring limiting beliefs Regulating your nervous system Setting healthy boundaries Overcoming perfectionism and people-pleasing Aligning with your core values With over 20 years of corporate leadership experience and years of deep personal healing and transformation, Coco has helped numerous women worldwide transform their inner narratives and step into their full potential. Discover more about her "Becoming Unshakable" VIP Coaching Program at: https://www.cocoduancoaching.com/vip-coaching.
Episodes
If your to-do list never ends.
If slowing down makes you anxious.
If you feel guilty when you rest.
It’s not just ambition.
It’s a protector part trying to keep you safe.
At some point, your nervous system learned:
Rest equals danger
Doing equals love, praise, or escape
But now that pattern is draining your energy, clarity, and creativity.
And it’s keeping you stuck in survival mode.
What shifts when you stop run...
Why Beating Yourself Up Backfires
That harsh voice in your head?
It’s not keeping you sharp—it’s keeping you stuck.
Self-criticism activates your nervous system’s fight-or-flight mode. It drains your energy, hijacks your focus, and shuts down your learning.
But there’s another way.
You can turn your inner critic into an inner ally—with self-compassion.
It’s not fluff. It’s neuroscience.
What shifts when you speak to yourself...
This week, I’m sharing a powerful conversation I had on Lead with Dr. Ralph Hughes—and we went deep.
Dr. Ralph invited me to share my journey from being a senior executive to coaching, and the pivotal mindset shifts that changed everything—from burnout and people-pleasing to boundaries, purpose, and unshakable confidence.
In this episode, we unpack:
✅ My exit from 20+ years at Nike, Walmart, Chewy, and Coupang—and what...
Have you ever looked at your life and thought, “I’ve done everything right... so why don’t I feel fulfilled?”
In this heartfelt episode, I’m sharing the full masterclass “From Checking Boxes to Living Aligned”—a deeply personal, practical, and empowering guide to help you reconnect with your purpose and start living in alignment with your true self.
If you’ve hit all the milestones—climbed the ladder, earned the title, ...
Do you beat yourself up when you fall short—like you should’ve known better or done more?
That’s your inner critic trying to protect you.
However, self-criticism doesn’t make you better. It puts your nervous system into stress mode and shuts down your ability to think clearly, lead effectively, or grow sustainably.
You don’t need to shame your inner critic to quiet it.
You can acknowledge it, appreciate it, and ...
Do you ever snap at someone you love—or completely shut down—and wonder, What’s wrong with me?
Here’s the truth: There’s nothing wrong with you. That’s your protector part showing up.
It’s your nervous system trying to keep you safe the way it learned a long time ago.
These parts—like the people-pleaser, the overachiever, or the avoider—once protected you.
But today? They’re keeping you stuck in old stress patte...
Triggered? It’s not just about now.
It’s your younger, vulnerable self remembering a past pain.
You don’t need to fix her—just see her with compassion.
What’s one reaction you’ve had lately that felt bigger than the moment?
DM me if you want support learning how to navigate your triggers with more compassion, clarity, and confidence.
#InnerChildHealing #PartsWork #EmotionalMastery
- Coco Duan helps high-achieving women ex...
Ever feel like fear takes the wheel when stress hits?
That’s not weakness—it’s your protector and vulnerable parts trying to keep you safe.
But your calm, capable self is still there—and she knows how to lead.
What’s one moment from your past that proves you can handle uncertainty?
DM me if you need support to lead from your wise adult self—not fear.
#EmotionalResilience #PartsWork #LeadFromWithin
- Coco Duan helps high-a...
Ever feel like multiple voices are battling in your head when you’re stressed?
One part spirals into shame.
Another jumps to defend, fix, or shut down.
And sometimes, a calmer voice steps in with clarity.
✅ These “voices” are different parts of you: vulnerable, protector, and wise adult.
✅ Under stress, the wrong part often takes the wheel—and drives your reaction
Leadership begins with self-leadership.
Your power lies in n...
Have you ever felt like you’re being pulled in a dozen different directions? One part of you wants to rest, another tells you you're lazy. One part wants to go out and connect, another begs you to stay home and hide. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone—and this episode is for you.
In today’s episode, I’m introducing you to one of the most powerful tools I use in my own healing and with my clients: Parts...
Are you pushing people to perform—or pulling them into their potential?
Most leaders were taught to lead by pressure:
Demand more. Set the bar. Get frustrated when others fall short.
That may get short-term results—but it drains energy and destroys trust.
✅ Push leadership activates fear and burnout
✅ Pull leadership inspires through presence, trust, and emotional safety
When you lead from a regulated, grounded state—people...
What if the key to leadership confidence wasn’t learning something new
But spending quality time with yourself?
We often say we want to know ourselves better.
But are we actually spending time with yourself—without distractions?
✅ Just 5 minutes a day of solitude (no phone, no noise) helps you:
- Tune into your body’s signals, emotions, and patterns
- Observe your thoughts instead of being ruled by them
- Build the ...
Think you’re “just not that kind of person”?
Think again. Your personality test might be showing you your adaptations—not your essence.
Personality tests like MBTI can be helpful snapshots, but they’re not the full story.
They often reflect your current coping strategies, not your true self.
✅ Here’s what I’ve learned from shifting from ISTJ-T to ENFJ-A:
- Many traits are adaptive, not fixed—social an...
Think your glass of wine, Netflix binge, or late-night scroll is helping you unwind?
It might be making things worse.
We often reach for comfort when we're stressed—but many common habits are actually numbing, not regulating.
✅ Unhealthy coping disconnects you from your body and buries unprocessed emotions
✅ It disrupts your stress cycle and builds dependency on external relief
If you don’t feel it, you can’t hea...
Ever feel like your body goes into full-on panic mode after one urgent email?
Even when your brain knows you're not in danger… your body doesn’t.
Picture this: You get a surprise email about a high-stakes meeting with the CEO in 48 hours.
Your heart races.
Your chest tightens.
Your mind goes blank.
You’re not just stressed—you’re hijacked by your nervous system.
✅ Your nervous system responds to perceived danger, not...
Have you ever held yourself back from speaking up, showing up, or just being you—because you were afraid of what others might think?
In this episode, I’m getting real about one of the most invisible, exhausting patterns I used to live with: the fear of judgment. From silencing myself in corporate meetings to hiding my coaching practice on social media, I share the personal stories and emotional costs of worrying about ...
If there’s no tiger chasing you…
why does your body still feel like you’re in danger?
That pit in your stomach.
That racing heart.
The urgency.
In today’s Daily Power Lesson, you’ll learn:
✅ Why your nervous system responds to perceived danger from the past—not just what’s happening now
✅ How unprocessed emotional wounds keep your body in fight-or-flight, even when...
You’ve worked on your presence. You’ve sharpened your skills.
But if your nervous system is hijacked—you still can’t lead with clarity, confidence, or calm.
In this 5-minute Daily Power Lesson, I reveal the #1 leadership skill no one ever taught me in my 20 years in corporate:
Nervous system regulation.
You’ll learn what your nervous system actually does, why it holds the key to your thoughts, emotions, and actions—and h...
What if the reason you doubt yourself, overgive, or stay silent…
started when you were just a toddler?
In this 5-minute Daily Power Lesson, I reveal the hidden conflict at the root of people-pleasing, perfectionism, and self-doubt:
💡 The need for attachment (to feel loved and accepted)
💡 The need for authenticity (to express your true self)
When these two needs clash, we choose attachment—every time.
That’s ho...
You can’t lead others powerfully if you’re disconnected from yourself.
In this 5-minute Daily Power Lesson, I walk you through the 3 essential pillars of inner leadership:
✨ Self-Awareness – Know yourself at the core: your strengths, your shadows, your patterns
✨ Self-Acceptance – Make peace with yourself—you can't shame yourself into growth
✨ Self-Trust – Stand by your truth, especially when things...
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