Your Confident Self

Several months back, I was checking my analytics for my podcast, and I noticed that I had passed the 100,000 download mark, and I put a note in my planner to put together some sort of celebration to thank all of my listeners for helping me reach this milestone. And then I blinked and six months had passed.

Why am I telling you this? Because there are two phases to my celebration, and both of them will benefit you, my awesome listen...

In this week's episode of the Your Confident Self podcast, Allegra Sinclair interviews Trynette Lariba, the Curvy Fit RN. Trynette's programs challenge women to love their bodies unconditionally and accept who they are to help them fulfill their purpose. Trynette shared her experience going against what society portrays as normal and how she encourages women to stand out. Her purpose is to help women accept their body shapes to bui...

If you're a member of Gen X and tired of feeling unfulfilled by your career, this episode is for you. Kay Kirkman stops by the podcast to help you get unstuck and move toward the work you really want to do.

We discussed:

• An explanation of who Gen X is
• What makes Gen X unique from Baby Boomers or Millennials
• How Gen X can learn to communicate their value at work
• Why learning to pivot is a critical skill for this group
• Steps to buildin...

While you may not realize it, the way you communicate affects every area of your life. From your job and your career to your personal relationships and friendships, you're constantly communicating. If you're not a skilled communicator that is an awful lot of opportunities for things to go wrong for you.

Many people aren’t good at communicating. That’s because they’re using bad communication skills without even realizing it. 

Th...

Everyone expresses themselves differently. Your communication style can define you – it’s how you make yourself heard and your thoughts remembered. It’s the key to making meaningful connections that can influence every aspect of your life.

The way you communicate reflects your inner thoughts and feelings. Your signature communication style is a combination of the various elements that make up who you are – your values, beliefs, kno...

If you want to become a great listener, you can. It just takes some practice and understanding of how people communicate. Being a great listener will help you develop your communication skills and ensure you have an easier time understanding what someone is saying directly and indirectly. Here are some top tips to help you take your listening skills to an even higher level. 

Secrets of great listeners:

• They stay present in...

Of all the great communication skills, listening may be the most important. We often think speaking is the most valuable part of communication when in fact, listening is. Being an effective listener means more than taking in information in order to respond--much more! 

Listening to understand instead of listening to respond is powerful. What does listening to understand mean? Listening to understand means being fully present...

Gary Chapman is the creator of the Five Love Languages concept. This concept ranks the ways we give and receive love into five categories:

• Words of affirmation
• Quality time
• Physical touch
• Acts of service
• Receiving gifts 

This episode may seem misplaced in a podcast series on confident communication but your love language is a form of communication. How you give and receive love is communicating to other people that you...

The most important thing effective leaders have in common is their communication skills.

Being a leader requires a lot of skill sets. Being able to communicate well is at the top of the list. If you're in leadership and you can't convey a message, bring people together, or help resolve complex problems you may not be in leadership very long. If you want to be a better leader you must improve your communication skills. It's importan...

Nonverbal communication makes up the majority of what is being shared between two people. Great communication includes speaking and listening, but what you're saying is emphasized by nonverbal gestures. As we communicate, our senses take in much more than what is being said audibly. We are paying close attention to other things too.

Nonverbal communication includes things like:

• Body language
• Proximity
• Gestures
• Facial expr...

Dealing with difficult people can be exhausting. Even the most confident communicator takes a deep breath before engaging with someone who is difficult. Whether it's a difficult co-worker, client or family member, there are certain communication strategies you can use to diffuse the situation and keep your peace.

It can be hard to know what to do when dealing with difficult people but silence is a valid choice.

Many people are uncom...

Sometimes there are demands on your life that make self-care nearly impossible. As a result, self-care gets shoved way down the list of things you’d like to do but can’t or don’t. Sometimes this is temporary or situational and other times it becomes chronic. Even in the most difficult times, it is still possible to make self-care a priority.

In this episode we look at:

• What self-care has to do with communication
• What happens...

Confident communicators are influenced by other confident people. No one knows how to do life completely on their own. There's no instruction manual handed out when we are born. We learn about life and all there is to know through things that are taught and caught. Role models play a big part in how we develop. The stronger the role model, the stronger their influence. 

Role models are everywhere. You don't need to know someone...

In episode 85 I shared how your childhood can impact your communication style. Maybe your communication skills need some work and you have bad habits that should be broken. That's ok! You can always develop better communication skills. 

The first step in dropping a bad communication habit is recognizing it and owning it. You may be unaware that you've got some poor communication habits. You can't change something you're not awa...

There's nothing like communicating with a confident woman who is secure in herself. Confident women communicate with ease and leave people feeling better after spending time with them. Wouldn't it be nice to feel your best every time you communicate? You can, by focusing on your confidence! 

Women who communicate confidently share some key characteristics. They:

1. Tend to be more positive than negative
2. Are comfortable with them...

Your parents didn't do this on purpose but they may have sabotaged your communication style. If you find that you have difficulty communicating or often find yourself at odds with other people, it could be that your childhood sabotaged your communication style. We learn what we live and if you lived in a home with chaos or unhealthy forms of communication, it's likely you adopted those traits and you're still using that framework a...

Most people are terrible communicators. This can lead to miscommunication, misunderstandings, and conflict. Confident communication is the key to effetive relationships.

Building relationships is important to everyone. No one wants to be in conflict with people and feel disconnected. Most of us are searching to build meaningful relationships at home and at work. One of the easiest ways to have meaningful relationships is to be a mor...

We've all been there. You put in long hours, do your best work, and contribute to the team - but when it comes time for recognition or a raise, you're ignored.

It's hard not to feel devalued when you're constantly putting in effort but don't see the results. You start to doubt yourself and wonder what's wrong with you.

The good news is that you're not alone. In this episode of Your Confident Self, I'll help you understand how to rec...

Anna Oakes is a consultant coach and caretaker of humanity. She combines her love for humanity with her 20 plus years of corporate experience. Now the magic, the intersection of her love for humanity and her love and understanding of corporate is what she's going to share with us today. She's not talking about something that she's read about, or something that she saw on TV, or an article that she read in an airplane magazine while...