In the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom Ripley, played by Matt Damon, says that,  “I always thought it would be better, to be a fake somebody... than a real nobody.” 

This insecurity, this lack of confidence in who we are, is such a critical part of  life, that it has been immortalized repeatedly in movies and literature.

But, beyond that, it has real life consequences that go beyond art and definitions in the DMS.  For women in particular, this lack of confidence and yes, even our confidence genes, drive relationships, families and the workplace in ways that create a kind of confidence feedback loop. In this loop, lack of confined produces a fear, that in turn produces further lack of confidence. And while the issues is a particularly important one for woman, we all are part of that loop.

This is where my guest Katty Kay and Claire Shipman begin The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance---What Women Should Know.

My conversation with Claire Shipman and Katty Kay: