You can’t speak with confidence if you’ve ‘lost’ your professional confidence … and I’ve had too many conversations lately about ‘how to get your confidence back’ to ignore.

So in this episode I’m chatting about the times that I’ve lost my professional confidence, and some techniques I use to get it back.

Listen in to hear:

• What’s caused me to lose my confidence at different times of my professional life, both as a business owner as well as when I was working in local government

• My ‘talking to myself’ technique for countering negative internal dialogue

• An end-of-day ritual that can help reorient your mind from ‘what sucks’ to ‘what’s working’

• The importance of proactively interacting with others for validation and feedback

• A reminder that it’s perfectly human to lose confidence and it doesn’t mean you’re broken

Once you’ve listened, I’d love to know your thoughts. Let me know what this conversation sparked for you either right where you’re listening or over on instagram - @catmatson

Want my juicy new bundle of resources? Stop rambling and get my Clear Communication Playbook. Find out more here

Most people shy away from the thought of being noticed, let alone ‘famous’.

But if you want to make a difference, grow a business, make an impact or even just get promoted, a bit of ‘work fame’ might be just what you need.

Leanne Hughes has written the book she wishes she had 10 years ago, providing a real look at how everyday people become ‘work famous’ and in doing so, make a bigger impact in their world (without being a diva).

Listen in to our discussion to hear:

• Why ‘good work’ no longer speaks for itself and why you need to toot your own horn a bit more

• Why, while humility and fame seem to be mutually exclusive, humble leaders can become ‘work famous’

• Practical, easy to implement, tactics you can use today to build your profile

• Why AI is making it even more important for us to develop our professional reputation

• Why developing your ‘work fame’ is actually an act of service, not arrogance or selfishness

You can get a copy of Leanne’s book, Work Fame, here

Follow Leanne on Instagram here:

How do we find the courage, or the skill, to speak up for issues we feel strongly about when there is a real risk of consequences?

That’s exactly what I’m exploring in this episode.

I’ve recently decided to focus my ‘change the world’ energies into one cause - housing affordability - and in doing so I’ve had to confront my concerns about negative consequences.

Being seen as ‘political’.

Being seen as a left-wing hippie (proud to be one, if I’m honest).

Potentially losing work because of my views.

There can be real risks that need to be managed when we speak up, so I’m sharing the process, the thinking, that I’m using to feel ‘safe enough’ to speak up.

Listen in to hear:

• Why ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ is shitty advice

• How I’m both amplifying others’ voices as well as speaking up myself

• How I assess the risk of speaking up, and then manage those risks (not eliminate them)

• Why being mindful of, and speaking into, nuance and complexity is important

• How to NOT get caught up in well-meaning but not productive moral outrage and righteous indignation

• How I’m ‘practising’ in lower risk environments

• Why I’m choosing housing affordability out of all the other causes I care about

Other episodes mentioned:

174 - How Personal Is Too Personal

170 - How To Make A Difference Over The Long Term

171 - Managing Conflict & Disagreements -

You can follow and DM me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/catmatson/

And you can get into a deeper discussion on substack - https://catmatson.substack.com/