Confidence Is Calm

Episode 44: Confidence Is Calm In this episode, Ashlee challenges the way we typically think about confidence. After a mentor told her that confidence is calm, she began questioning whether moving fast, overexplaining, overperforming, and always having the answer are actually signs of confidence — or sometimes signs that we are still trying to prove ourselves. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN * Why confidence is not about constantly proving that you belong in the room * How insecurity can show up as overexplaining, overperforming, defensiveness, and always needing an answer * Why your urgency as a leader quickly becomes your team's urgency * How learning to pause can strengthen your communication and executive presence * Why the deepest form of confidence may be trusting yourself to handle whatever happens next Confidence does not mean knowing every decision you make will be the right one. It means trusting yourself enough to know you can handle the outcome — even when someone disagrees with you, you make a mistake, you change your mind, or you do not know what happens next. In this episode, Ashlee explores the connection between confidence, calm, and self-trust and shares the leadership behaviors she is actively working on herself. KEY MOMENTS * (02:00) Why being fast, decisive, and highly productive is not always the same thing as being confident * (04:00) The subtle difference between proving your value and actually knowing your value * (06:00) How insecurity can show up differently in high performers * (09:00) Why your urgency, anxiety, and defensiveness affect the people you lead * (12:20) Why confidence is not knowing it will work — it is trusting yourself to handle what happens next CALL TO ACTION If this episode made you think differently about confidence, share it with a woman in leadership who needs the reminder that she does not have to constantly prove herself. ABOUT ASHLEE Ashlee Klevens Hayes is a leadership strategist, executive advisor, and workshop facilitator who helps experienced women and leadership teams strengthen how they communicate, make decisions, and lead under pressure. Her work focuses on the behavioral and communication skills that build clarity, trust, accountability, and stronger performance. Connect with Ashlee * Follow Ashlee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleeklevenshayes/ * Follow Ashlee on IG: https://www.instagram.com/rxashleehayes/ * Learn more about Ashlee: https://www.rxashlee.com/ KEYWORDS confidence in leadership, self-trust, women in leadership, executive presence, leadership communication, imposter syndrome, confident leadership, leadership under pressure