LOW CONFIDENCE & SELF-ESTEEM Why your brain keeps telling you you’re not enough

Why do some people constantly feel not good enough.Even when they’re capable, successful, and doing everything they can to hold things together?In this episode of Moving Minds Forward, Gary Johannes explores the psychology and neuroscience behind low confidence and self-esteem. From self-doubt and overthinking to comparison, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the inner critic that never seems to switch off This episode looks at what’s really going on beneath the surface.Gary explains how confidence is shaped by past experiences, stress, relationships, and the brain’s threat system and why low self-esteem is not a personality flaw or weakness, but a learned pattern that can change.You’ll learn: why confidence disappears  what keeps self-doubt going  how the brain reinforces negative beliefs  why avoidance and comparison make things worse  what actually helps rebuild genuine confidence Grounded in neuroscience, therapy experience, and real human understanding, this is a calm, practical, emotionally honest conversation about rebuilding self-worth from the inside out.Because confidence isn’t something you’re born with.It’s something the brain can relearn.Hosted by Gary Johannes, solution-focused hypnotherapist, founder of Inspired To Change, and senior lecturer with CPHT.Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts.Episode Timeline00:00 — Introduction 02:10 — What low self-esteem actually is 06:45 — Why confidence disappears 11:20 — The role of the brain and threat response 16:10 — Self-criticism and the inner voice 21:40 — Comparison, perfectionism, and people-pleasing 27:15 — Why avoidance keeps confidence low 31:50 — The neuroscience of rebuilding confidence 37:05 — What actually helps 42:20 — One practical step you can take today 45:10 — Final thoughts and encouragement