From Setback to Success: How Women in STEM Can Reclaim Their Confidence

Overcoming Career Challenges in STEM and Building Confidence

We, as women in STEM, know how to dream big. We carry the desire to leave a legacy, the encouragement that we can make a difference in the world. But what often isn’t shared is the reality behind those success stories — the nagging thoughts about how we’re going to make it happen, and whether we are good enough.

Silencing Doubts: How Fear Can Hold Back Career Growth

These are the thoughts that, more often than not, silence our voices and our actions, and ultimately, silence our stories. If you find yourself stifled in your ambitions for career growth, the book You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero is for you.

One theme in this book I found extremely helpful is overcoming fears as a vital part of professional growth. Jen Sincero emphasizes the importance of identifying and naming specific fears, recognizing them as natural emotions that everyone experiences. By reframing fear as a sign of growth and an opportunity for expansion, she encourages us to confront them through practical techniques.

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My Personal Journey: Overcoming Workplace Challenges as a Woman in STEM

This is my personal story.

The frustration of having an unsupportive boss can be overwhelming. For me, it suppressed my ability to be the professional I had worked so hard to become. I knew what I was capable of and where I wanted to go, but the constant lack of affirmation from a direct authority hit my confidence hard.

The challenge for me was to not let it destroy everything I had built so far. You might ask, “Why didn’t you just quit immediately?” It’s because, on one hand, I knew I had a lot to offer, and on the other, I wasn’t sure where to go next. Questions like, Could I make as much money elsewhere? or Should I really quit because of one person? made me hesitate. When things don’t go according to plan, we not only begin to question the plan but ourselves.

From Frustration to Action: How I Transformed My Career with a Plan

With almost no other women to turn to for guidance, I searched for solutions in a book. You Are A Badass was the roadmap I needed to not only survive that situation but lay the foundation for a better future than I could have imagined for myself.

• Goal Setting for Career Success: I identified a personal or professional goal. Then, following a strategy from the book, I recognized the limiting belief holding me back—in this case, the frustration of being stagnant in my ambitions.
• Self-Care Practices: I implemented at least one self-care practice recommended in the book, such as journaling or meditation, and tracked its impact on my mindset and productivity.
• Building Confidence: For the first time in my life, my confidence was truly shaken, and I didn’t know how to regain the lost ground. So, I implemented practices from the book specifically around building confidence, like keeping track of my accomplishments.

The 30-Day Badass Challenge: A Career Growth Plan for Women in STEM

Jen advocates for taking small, manageable steps, seeking support from friends and mentors, and celebrating progress to build confidence. Over time, these Badass routines evolved and continue to serve me as a high-achieving woman today.

If you are facing challenges in your work-life balance, impostor syndrome, or lack of representation, or if you want to build resilience when challenges arise, you can follow these steps:

30-Day Badass Challenge:

1. Get the book, read for 5-10 minutes/day.
2. Each week, pick a new confidence or self-care routine to implement.

By the end, you will have built a strong habit of reading and begun to explore which practices work best for you.

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From Setback to Success: How I Moved from a Toxic Workplace to a Global Role

I wish my story ended with a triumph over that supervisor, but ultimately, I decided to leave. The self-care practices, along with mentorship and love from my family, gave me the courage and a plan to not only step away but step into my next level.

My next role was a global engineering specialist in capital projects, which was the exact role I had been blocked from becoming.

Reclaiming Joy and Excitement in STEM Careers: Practical Tools for Growth

We, as women in STEM, know the excitement of achieving what we’ve worked so hard for and the joy of sharing the little details of the journey. To be a Badass!

If you have lost touch with the joys and excitement of growth in your career, I want to encourage you to reclaim what you have worked so hard for. If I can do it, you can too!

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