High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 719: Why Women Doubt Themselves

Episode Date: December 11, 2025

In this episode, we dive into one of the most important findings from the 2025 National Confidence Study: the unique confidence barriers women face at work. We break down the data on harsh self-talk, comparison, and feeling "not enough," and explore how these challenges are shaped by both internal patterns and cultural pressures. You'll hear why these confidence gaps matter, what leaders must understand, and the intentional steps women can take to quiet the inner critic and reclaim their strength. We end with one powerful reflection question and a confidence boosting power phrase you can use starting today. Quote of the Week: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt To download our full study report, visit: confidencestudy.com

Hi, Dr. Cinder Campoff here. Myself and my team just conducted this national research study on confidence that you have to check out. The report which you can download at Confidencestudy.com shows research-backed ways you can grow your confidence, what leaders do to both kill and grow confidence, and how confidence is not just a personal issue, but an organizational issue. I'm telling you, you've got to check this out. It's a game changer. You can find our full report at Confidencestudy.com. It's time to check in with Sandra Campoff and continuing kind of an interesting conversation about her national study, why women doubt themselves.

Sandra, start us off with a quote. I love this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, and she said, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. I love an Eleanor Roosevelt quote, yes. And today we're going to be diving into kind of one of the most important findings in your new national confidence research study. The confidence barriers between men and women and what women face every day when we go to work. Yes, Lisa, that's actually what we're going to be talking about. And what we uncovered is both powerful and deeply concerning because confidence is a major driver to success. Yet for so many women, it's being tipped away from the inside out. Now, according to the national study, you said nearly 70 percent of working Americans dwell on past mistakes and we wrestle with that harsh inner critic. We've talked about that inner critic on these episodes before that we do with you. You often describe this like trying to run a race with weights around your ankles. Exactly. When you think about negative self-talk and overthinking and just dwelling on past mistakes, it drags you down, it drains your energy, and it prevents you from just being fully present and performing at your best.

And it doesn't stop there. What else did you find out? Another finding from our national research study on confidence is we found 62% of workers regularly feel like they're not enough. And 63% compare themselves to others. And we know women, you know, this hits women especially hard. And what did you find that was specific to women? Well, when we dug into the gender differences, the gaps were really striking. So women reported these confidence barriers more than men across the board. And these numbers are actually really high, Lisa. But for four of these factors, we found women scored higher than men. For example, 59% of women struggle with a harsh inner critic compared to 65% of men.

65% of women struggle with a fear holding them back compared to 58. percent of men. 69% of women said that they have this consistent feeling of not being enough compared to 56% of men. And 68% of women compare themselves to others compared to 65% of men. All right. So, yeah, those numbers are strangely high for both, but really for women, too. Exactly. And I think, you know, the study really shows that women face confidence barriers and challenges

that are both internal and, like, deeply connected to bigger cultural and societal gender barriers. And so, you know, what's holding women back is really in recognizing that is the first step in breaking through. And that's that awareness and that awareness takes courage. It does. And when women understand these barriers, they can start, you know, using intentional tools, challenging their own inner limits and their own beliefs and quieting their inner critic, you know, reclaiming their inner strength. And I think what's the powerful part, Lisa, and then really the hopeful part, is that cultural change, you know, happens just one person at time. If it's one leader, one coach, you know, one organization choosing to build women up and seeing their full potential. And that brings us to the action question, one that we want every leader and team and organization to think about and reflect on today.

What's the action question? The action question is, what specific steps are you taking to address the internal barriers, you know, that women's faith related to their confidence, especially. negative self-talk or the comparison culture or imposter syndrome. Because when we strengthen the confidence of women around us, we don't just change their performance. We change workplaces, families, communities, and even generations. All right. Sandra, what is the power phrase that we can use to take us through our day here? Today, the power phrase is, I quiet, my inner critic, and fuse confidence today. All right. If people have questions about the study or they want more information about some of your teachings or your books, where do we need to go?

I would encourage people to go to our Confidence Study page. Go to Confidencestudy.com, and you can learn more about our study there. You can download the report, and you can request more information on our website, Confidence Study.com. Way to go for finishing another episode of the high-performance mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe, and you can head over to Dr. Cindra for show notes and enjoy my exclusive community for high performers, where you get access to videos about mindset each week. So again, you can add over to Dr. Cindra. That's D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. See you next week.