Indeed, only personal experience can pave the way towards true self-confidence.
Meet Sheena Yap Chan, a Filipino who is now based in Canada, an author, speaker and a self-confidence consultant whose sole purpose and passion is to help women build their self-confidence from the ground up. Sheena inspires women everyday through her podcast, “The Tao of Self-Confidence” where she interviews various Asian women about their inner journey towards self-confidence.
Who is Sheena Yap Chan? What is she passionate about and what problems of today would she like to solve?
Sheena Yap Chan is the host and founder of “The Tao of Self Confidence”, a podcast that interviews Asian women about their journey to self-confidence. Her mission is to help Asian women boost their confidence to live their authentic self and create a stronger representation for Asian women.
Sheena is also passionate about fighting against human trafficking, having equality for women and helping women create a voice in the world.
What was your journey like to get where you are? Did you have any mentors? Who were they?
Starting the podcast was not an easy journey. I delayed launching the podcast many times, second guess myself and worried that it would turn out to be a failure. It wasn’t until one of my mentors named Mark Anthony Bates told me to just put it out and if it sucks, then it sucks but it could also be great. That advice gave me the push to launch my podcast regardless of the outcome.
Tell us more about The Tao of Self Confidence. Describe that a-ha moment when you knew it might actually become a success.
I started the podcast because I wanted a platform that could support Asian women from around the world. Growing up as an Asian woman in the Philippines and Canada, it was not only easy. You are always told to live one way of life and not everyone takes us seriously.
I have always wanted a platform that I can turn to when I had moments of low self esteem and self doubt and since there was nothing out there, I decided to start one. I knew that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way and that so many other women out there are hurting and once they hear these stories, they would know that they are not alone. Sometimes knowing that we are not the only ones who struggle with confidence gives us a sigh of relief and realise that we are all in this together.
Another reason why I started the podcast was because I was also sick and tired of society viewing Asian women as “quiet and submissive.” Society never takes us seriously because they think that we should just be told what to do and I wanted to showcase a strong representation of Asian women. Asian women who are willing to create a disruption, speak up and go after their dream life.
I think the AHA moment for me was when women started sending me messages about how the podcast has helped them tremendously. One woman was able to overcome her fear of public speaking and earned a badge from Toastmasters. I knew from that moment on that if I can help just one person to become better, then my purpose was a success.
What was the best advice that you received in terms of career and business?
The best advice I received was that the most successful people in the world had no clue when they first started out but they figured it out along the way. This was huge for me because I always thought I had to figure everything out before I started something which paralysed me from starting new projects.
The best you can do is just start and know that you have what it takes to figure it out along the way. Learn and earn as you go.
Now, what advice can you give to those who are just starting out?
Just start! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, be the go getter of your life. If you want things to change it has to start with YOU! And yes, you will end up taking the wrong actions but sometimes the wrong actions will lead us to the right actions and opportunities.
I think the hardest part of our journey is to start because we have so many things that go through our head; we are so worried about what other people might think of us and along with it think what if this fails.
Those are going to happen anyway. You might fall down 3 times, 4 times or even 10,000 times but it’s getting back up and moving forward that counts the most. Learn from your mistakes and failures so that you can correct your course along the way.
When it’s all over, how would you like to be remembered?
When it’s all over, I just want to be remembered as someone who wanted to create a positive impact in the world.
