Cindy Esliger explores the necessity of emotional intelligence in leadership, delving into why responding to challenges with calm and kindness promotes a healthy work environment. It also paves the way for both leader and team to achieve more sustainable success and growth. But how do we learn to avoid volatility in the face of struggle and what strategies promote quiet strength? 

Working our way up the corporate ladder isn’t just a series of milestones but a transformative experience that shapes us both professionally and personally. With that growth, it’s inevitable to experience both trepidation and excitement as horizons broaden. Uncertainty and self-doubt can take hold. It’s in learning to battle this imposter syndrome and seek assistance that we discover how to treat ourselves with grace and extend calm and kindness outward. How to lead not with emotional turmoil but a steady hand.  

Cindy discusses all the ways in which grappling with ourselves is necessary in order to advance and also lead effectively. She notes that we aren’t born being strong, calm and kind but that we learn through experience and practice how to cultivate those traits. She lays out six strategies for harnessing inner strength: 1. Confront imposter syndrome, 2. Cultivate inner confidence, 3. Manage emotions, 4. Let go of baggage, 5. Take responsibility, and 6. Replace fear with learning. As she unpacks each step, she imparts a clear path forward through emotional resilience instead of volatility. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Being Strong, Calm and Kind
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Cindy Esliger talks about the art of communication in today’s episode. If people aren’t listening when we speak, it’s time for a self-assessment. How are we presenting ourselves? Speaking isn’t just saying something, it’s about presenting a message in a manner that engages the audience. So if we aren’t being listened to, are we the problem? And if so, how do we become a compelling speaker?

The first step in getting others to listen to us is believing what we’re saying. If we don’t believe our own message, how can we expect others to? People are drawn to confidence and clarity, both of which are signs that the speaker knows what they’re offering. Having confidence in our message is vital so Cindy offers four tips for helping us communicate confidently: 1. Know the topic, 2. Practice, 3. Anticipate questions, and 4. Visualize success.

The art of effective communication requires preparation, identifying a main message to build supporting points around, and then understanding how to present it engagingly. The tone of voice, body language, and clear speech, all of these factors combine to help draw audiences into what is being said. Cindy notes that “effective communication is not just about what you say, but how you say it” but acknowledges that it takes practice. She shares five tips for conveying confidence through body language and solid advice on how to demonstrate authenticity, connect with an audience, and prepare the message being conveyed.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Improving Your Communication Style
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Cindy Esliger examines how the scarcity mindset, which seems prudent to adopt in today’s competitive market, can negatively impact our worldview. Adopting a mindset of generosity instead paves the way for more fulfilling relationships and potentially a more successful career trajectory. But sincere generosity is different from the self-serving kind that seeks to manipulate with kind gestures. How are they different? How can we shift our thinking to generosity while avoiding manipulation? 

The scarcity mindset operates from a place of believing there isn’t enough to go around and sparks fear of losing what we have. It can lead to excessive caution and to a competitive environment where our success must be at the expense of others. Generosity, however, doesn’t simply mean financial giving but encompasses sharing knowledge, time, and expertise. It views resources as expansive, rather than finite. Manipulation lies in bending this generosity into one defined by its intent, such as exploiting another’s weakness.  

How can we integrate encouragement, a type of generosity, into our everyday lives? Cindy has three ways: 1. Be specific, 2. Recognize effort, not just achievement, and 3. Encourage peer recognition. Celebrating the success of others can not only enhance a career but enrich emotional well-being. Cindy explains the many ways generosity can be expressed without manipulation or self-interest and breaks down why generosity is so important in succeeding both personally and professionally.   

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Unlocking Your Potential
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Cindy Esliger talks about the detrimental effect of rising stress levels and changing workplace priorities on our interactions with others. In these days where stress is an inevitable part of our daily lives, it’s more important than ever to maintain positive relationships with colleagues. Our stress affects our patience, making us assume the worst of those we work with when we need to learn how to assume the best. 

Juggling multiple tasks, looming deadlines, and the demand for high-performance standards all increase our stress levels while simultaneously wearing our patience thin and causing us to misinterpret simple things like a missed email or misunderstood directive. We assume that the other person is ignoring us, or worse, attacking us in some way. We never stop to consider that they may simply be as stressed and busy as we are and that the missed email was a simple mistake. Assuming the worst leads us to say things we regret and erodes the important trust we need to maintain with our colleagues.

How can we break the cycle of negativity? We need to strive to assume the best of each other. Cindy shares five practical steps designed to aid us in assuming positive intent: 1) Pause and reflect, 2) Communicate openly instead of jumping to conclusions, 3) Practice empathy, 4) Focus on solutions, not blame, and 5) Celebrate contributions. In this episode, Cindy breaks down the steps in detail and instructs us on how to handle difficult managers and personalities, control our emotions, and look at things objectively. Her advice paves the way for assuming the best, not the worst, from those we work with. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Assuming the Best
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Cindy Esliger addresses the phenomenon known as expectation escalation in today’s episode. Expectation escalation is the subtle challenge of incrementally increased demands and responsibilities placed on employees. It expands our work exponentially without associated time or monetary increase to accommodate the new work. What does it look like? How can we identify it? And better yet, how can we politely and professionally turn down these escalated expectations? Cindy unpacks these questions with salient answers. 

The escalation starts innocently, with an additional responsibility here and there added to your workload as a testament to your capabilities. And certainly, professionals thrive on challenges. A certain amount of natural job expansion is to be expected. But the problem with expansion expectations is the lack of stability, resources, or systems in place to manage the new challenges effectively. The first consequences are usually emotional ones, as we feel overburdened and undervalued. Cindy walks us through how the expectations affect us and how we can rebalance our workload.

If rebalancing the workload isn’t available or the expectations have risen to a degree that no amount of balance will alleviate how over capacity we are, Cindy explores how we can say no without jeopardizing our careers and current job status. She offers examples of pocket phrases to prepare in advance so we can easily sidestep requests to take on more and counsels on the mindset shift necessary to perfect the art of saying no. Her guidance directs us to evaluate our feelings and capacity, how to have difficult conversations with supervisors, and ultimately why unaddressed expectation escalation can damage our well-being.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Keeping Things Manageable
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

Cindy Esliger talks about the art of negotiation and how frequently we approach it with uncertainty despite how much negotiation infiltrates our daily lives. To assist in feeling confident in a negotiation, Cindy discusses how to establish a walkaway point as a strategy for reaching an outcome we can live with. She guides us through making a negotiation plan that will empower us. 

One of the reasons we tend to fear negotiation is the fear of confrontation and not achieving an ideal outcome. This is increased by the common misconception that negotiation is only for executives closing multi-million dollar deals. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Negotiation is a fundamental life skill encompassing everything from sharing household chores to getting a child to eat their vegetables. And like children, who are innately brilliant negotiators, we should approach negotiation with the same tenacity. 

Cindy shares some of the psychology behind negotiation and how to use that to improve the quality of our interactions. Knowing when to push and when to walk away is a key strategy in negotiating. Creating a plan beforehand is vital, as setting realistic expectations and a minimum baseline are what imbue us with confidence. Cindy describes the process of making such a plan, how to determine strategic concessions, and how to create a plan B. Hearing Cindy’s advice and putting it into action for our next negotiation will give us a sense of power and transform how we approach the discussion.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Approaching a Negotiation
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

In today's episode, Cindy Esliger examines our careers and career satisfaction. Are we simply adhering to the conventional benchmarks that society labels as success? Or are we pursuing personal fulfillment and doing what genuinely motivates us? To reevaluate how we define success, Cindy dives into our inspirations, where we find courage, and how to assess our emotions. We might be ready for a shift that takes us away from the corporate ladder but closer to our personal satisfaction.

Cindy asks if our careers should focus on crafting an impressive resume, following a linear and logical career path, or if we should examine what truly energizes us when decision-making. It is possible to hold a senior position or be at a high level in a career yet feel stagnated. So how do we define career success? Is it time to reevaluate those metrics with Cindy’s help? 

Conforming to a traditional career path for the sake of external rewards can be exhausting if our emotional well-being isn’t satisfied by our work. We need to move away from the approval of others and nurture a sense of personal fulfillment. Cindy pulls on her own experience with a major career shift to illustrate how sometimes the dictated path isn’t the one that breeds satisfaction. She offers insight on how to reflect on our journey, how to make decisions that steer in the right direction, and why aligning work with inner self is such an important thing to do.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Assessing Your Next Move
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

In today's episode, Cindy Esliger unpacks the adage “How you do anything is how you do everything”. How we approach all tasks, big or small, demonstrates our consistency and our broader values. We can be in charge of how we are viewed by consciously deciding what we want to be known for and how we want to show up in the workplace. Cindy guides us through how to approach making that decision. 

The first step is to identify our professional identity. Cindy says whether it’s our leadership or reliability, whatever it is, make sure it aligns with our values and goals. When unplanned things happen, as they always do, how we respond should be intentional and align with what we’ve chosen as our professional identity. Cindy discusses practical tips for determining our professional identity based on five key characteristics of successful people.  

Cindy examines and connects the areas of effective communication, active listening, continuous learning, seeking feedback, integrity, adaptability, and more to building our professional identity. She also guides us through developing productive work habits. What do we procrastinate on? How do we approach meetings? There are many ways we can improve our work patterns through small changes and overall transform our professional reputation to align with our goals.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Being More Intentional in the Workplace
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

In today's episode, Cindy Esliger examines the differences between boldness and bravery. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they are different and understanding the distinction between them is important for navigating workplace culture. Cindy defines each and offers insight on how to foster what is needed for career success. 

Boldness and bravery appear the same at a surface glance. However, as Cindy explains, boldness pushes boundaries and often leads to the pursuit of visionary ideas. However, it can also mask vulnerabilities and is more reactive than reflective. Whereas bravery is marked by a deep engagement with reality, including acknowledgement of fears and limitations. It involves risk assessment and the willingness to make hard choices.  

How do the differences between boldness and bravery play out in a workplace setting? That’s what Cindy explores, unpacking how the use of each results in a different impact on self and others. Learning to identify boldness in others allows us to understand when the limitations of boldness arise and gives us insight into how to foster bravery instead when needed. Cindy offers guidance and practical advice on five ways to use both boldness and bravery to our advantage at work. 

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Being Bold and Brave
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective
• “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change” by Stephen R Covey

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email

In today's episode, Cindy Esliger challenges the myth that all successful people have everything figured out. The belief that at some point in our career, we will cease to struggle and achieve clarity on every front is a narrative that distorts our perception of success. Cindy debunks the notion of a one-size-fits-all path to professional success and explores how continuing experiences contribute to wisdom. 

Believing in a secret blueprint, precise formula, or hidden manual for success creates unnecessary pressure and unrealistic expectations for us. Instead, what truly matters is our own journey and the adaptation and self-discovery we navigate along the way. Cindy discusses the relationship between experience and wisdom, promoting the necessity of striving and lifelong learning to attain career success. 

Cindy believes we must challenge ourselves at every stage of our careers and embrace the complexity of what achievement requires. She explains why the journey outside our comfort zone opens us to opportunities and knowledge. How do we embrace this uncertainty and retain optimism? She outlines three practical steps: 1. Set achievable goals, 2. Develop a flexible mindset, and 3. Visualize success and plan for challenges. This episode will challenge our ideas of unlocking a secret formula to success that negates challenges and shows why the continuing journey is so vital.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Guide to Figuring It Out
• Astronomic Audio
• Confidence Collective

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Contact Cindy Esliger 

Career Confidence Coaching: website | instagram | facebook | linkedin | email