Trust Yourself. Period.
Kimberly Davis, Ed.D.
Empowerment Coach & Consultant | Executive Leader | Arts Advocate & Mentor | Leadership Scholar | Movement Practitioner
Personal empowerment isn’t just about confidence—it’s about self-trust. It’s about standing firm in what you know to be true, even when the world tries to convince you otherwise. It’s about not shrinking, not second-guessing, not waiting for permission to take up space.
And yet, so many of us—especially Black women and those of us who exist at the intersections of multiple identities—have been conditioned to doubt ourselves. To check, double-check, and triple-check before speaking up. To second-guess our instincts. To prove ourselves over and over again before we feel worthy of claiming our place.
But here’s the truth: You do not need permission to trust yourself.
You do not have to wait for external validation before stepping fully into your power. You already know. You already are.
This week, let’s talk about what it means to be unshakable. To stand rooted in your wisdom, your experiences, and your intuition. To move through this world with the kind of confidence that cannot be stolen, no matter how hard they try.
The World Will Try to Shake You—Stand Anyway
Let’s not sugarcoat it—we live in a world that was not built to make us feel certain of ourselves.
When we are too sure, we are called arrogant.
When we are too outspoken, we are labeled difficult.
When we take up too much space, they try to shrink us.
Black women, in particular, are expected to carry the weight of the world while constantly being questioned about our competence. We see this in workplaces where we’re overlooked for promotions, only to watch someone less qualified be rewarded. We see it in boardrooms where our ideas are ignored until they’re repeated by someone else. We see it in daily interactions where we are talked over, underestimated, and dismissed.
And let’s be real: This isn’t just happening in our professional lives. It happens in relationships where we’re expected to carry the emotional labor. It happens in society when our pain is ignored, our voices drowned out, and our needs pushed aside. It happens every time we’re gaslit into believing that what we know to be true isn’t.
Knowing your worth is not arrogance—it’s survival.
As Zora Neale Hurston once said: “If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.”
The world will try to shake you. Stand anyway.
Self-Doubt, Imposter Syndrome, and the Lies We’ve Been Told
Self-doubt doesn’t come out of nowhere. It is planted. It is cultivated. It is reinforced.
And for Black women, for women of color, for those from strategically excluded communities—we were never meant to feel certain of ourselves. That’s not an accident. That’s a design.
We’ve been conditioned to believe that we must work twice as hard, be twice as good, and still be grateful for scraps. We have been made to feel like guests in rooms we built.
Enter imposter syndrome.
The feeling that you don’t belong. That you haven’t earned your place. That you are one mistake away from being “found out.” But let me tell you this:
Imposter syndrome is not a personal failure—it is a byproduct of systemic exclusion.
Because when you’ve been gaslit by a world that tells you that your skills, your intelligence, your leadership, and your very presence are “too much” or “not enough” at the same time, of course you begin to question yourself. Of course you wonder if you belong.
But the truth?
?? The system is the fraud. Not you.
Self-Trust Is the Foundation of Empowerment
The thing about trusting yourself is that no one can do it for you. You have to decide—every single day—that you are your own authority.
Self-trust is not about knowing all the answers. It’s about knowing that even if you don’t, you will figure it out. It’s about recognizing that you have the wisdom, the experience, and the capability to navigate whatever is ahead.
So ask yourself:
Because here’s the thing: Self-doubt will always be there, whispering that you aren’t ready, that you need more time, more approval, more proof. But self-trust? That’s the voice that says: Move anyway.
You do not need to ask for permission to believe in yourself.
Your lived experience is expertise. Your gut instinct is wisdom. Your ability to lead is already within you.
How to Build Unshakable Self-Trust
Self-trust is built in the small moments. It’s not something you wake up with one day—it’s something you cultivate by choosing, again and again, to believe in yourself even when the world doesn’t.
?? Stop Over-Explaining Yourself
When you know, you know. You do not owe everyone an essay on why you made a decision. Speak with clarity, then let it stand.
?? Release the Need for External Validation
If you’re waiting for the world to validate your brilliance, you’ll be waiting forever. Decide that you are enough, even without the applause.
?? Trust Your “No” as Much as Your “Yes”
Your boundaries are valid. Your intuition is valid. You do not have to justify why something does not feel right for you.
?? Surround Yourself with People Who Reflect Your Power Back to You
The right people will remind you of who you are when the world tries to make you forget. Keep them close.
?? Walk Like You Belong—Because You Do
The next time you step into a room, carry yourself like you were meant to be there. Because you are.
The Power of Being Unshakable
When you trust yourself, you move differently. You stop asking for permission. You stop letting doubt make decisions for you. You stop making yourself small for the comfort of others.
And when you do that? Everything shifts.
The world may not always affirm your power, but that is not a reason to deny it.
So this is your reminder: Be unshakable. Trust yourself. Move boldly. You already have everything you need.
?? What’s one way you’re choosing to trust yourself this week? Drop a comment, and let’s hold each other accountable.
And if this spoke to you, subscribe to Empowered Voices—because we are not doing this work alone.
With certainty and power,
Dr. Kim Davis
Founder & President, Five/6teen Consulting
Empowered Voices Bookshop is Here!
Exciting news! Empowered Voices Bookshop is now live—a virtual bookshop connected to Five/6teen Consulting. Through our affiliation with Bookshop.org, we’re curating a selection of books focused on empowerment, rest, leadership, and personal growth—while supporting authors and independent bookstores.
Our first collection, Nourish & Rise: Books for Empowerment, Rest, and Personal Growth, includes:
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