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Premise:
Confidence doesn’t always come naturally, especially when you grow up rarely seeing people like you represented in leadership, media, or success stories. In a world where visibility often determines opportunity, learning how to show up fully becomes essential.
In this episode of my podcast, we host Sheena Yap Chan, a keynote speaker, leadership strategist, and author, who shares powerful insights on confidence, identity, and visibility, particularly for Asian women navigating personal and professional spaces.
Why Representation Matters More Than We Think?
Growing up in Canada, Sheena often felt the absence of representation. There were few role models in media or leadership positions who looked like her, and that lack quietly shaped what felt “possible.” Over time, she realised that confidence isn’t just an internal trait—it’s deeply influenced by what we see around us.
This realisation led her to create The Tao of Self Confidence podcast, where she has interviewed over 800 Asian women. By amplifying real stories, struggles, and successes, Sheena highlights how representation helps people believe that they, too, belong in spaces of leadership and influence.
Understanding the VISIBLE Framework
One of Sheena’s key contributions to leadership development is her VISIBLE Framework, a seven-pillar model designed to help individuals build confidence and presence.
Each pillar focuses on a different aspect of growth, including finding your voice, embracing your identity, stepping into the spotlight, working through inner beliefs by doing Inner work, believing in ourselves, leveraging support systems and helping others grow with us.
Rather than encouraging perfection, the framework focuses on authenticity, showing up as you are while continuing to grow. It also emphasises the importance of lifting others as you rise, creating a ripple effect of confidence and visibility within communities.
Breaking Cultural Barriers Around Confidence
Sheena openly discusses how cultural expectations can limit self-expression, especially in Asian households and more so for women than men, where humility and silence are often rewarded. While these values have meaning, they can sometimes discourage people from speaking up or taking risks.
Instead of waiting until everything feels “ready,” Sheena encourages a “ready, fire, aim” approach, taking action first and adjusting along the way. Confidence is built through experience, not perfection, and visibility grows when we allow ourselves to be seen before we feel completely prepared.
Key Takeaways
- Confidence and visibility are learnable skills, not personality traits
- Representation plays a critical role in shaping belief and ambition
- Action builds confidence faster than waiting for perfection
- Strong networks and community support accelerate growth
- We need to be our first champion, anyone else can come next
Conclusion
Sheena Yap Chan’s journey is a reminder that confidence doesn’t come from fitting in, it comes from owning who you are.
By challenging limiting beliefs, embracing visibility, and sharing stories that matter, individuals can create meaningful impact not only for themselves but for others who are still finding their voice.
Confidence, when practiced intentionally, becomes a powerful tool for leadership and change. The thing to remember is that while over-confidence is a bad thing and can lead to many errors in judgement, so is low self confidence.
One needs to own our space and accept who we are – including the good, the bad and the ugly parts of ourselves. Only with this level of self awareness, can good self-confidence arise, which can help us achieve our goals.
Leaders worth following not only build and continue to work on their own self confidence, they are also constantly helping the people they lead to build their confidence as well – by recognising the talent and the potential in them, sometimes way earlier than they themselves see it.
And more importantly by being self-confident and visible, they encourage their teams to be the same way as well.
PS: You can find more information about her and her book, check out her website – https://www.sheenayapchan.com.
