How authenticity and resilience build business confidence

Boxers & Briefs Podcast #37: Conquering self-doubt and building unshakeable confidence with Monique Bradley

In the world of business, confidence isn’t just about having the answers. It’s about knowing your value, owning your story, and having the resilience to keep moving forward when challenges arise. For speaker, MC, and confidence coach Monique Bradley, this lesson has been a lifelong journey—one that began in childhood and continues to shape how she helps business leaders find their authentic voice today.

Born into a household of words and creativity, Monique’s path seemed destined for the stage. Her father was a speaker, healer, naturopath, homoeopath, astrologer, painter, and musician—a man who embodied the concept of being multi-dimensional. Her mother, still teaching in Wellington, brought education and grounding to the family dynamic. Monique was the youngest of seven children, with her brother Butch becoming one of the first TV presenters on TV3. Media, radio, and performance were quite literally in her DNA.

But despite this vibrant, creative upbringing, Monique’s early years were marked by struggle. She faced significant bullying as a child, something that profoundly impacted her confidence and sense of self-worth. The experience taught her something crucial about business and life: other people’s opinions can become louder than our own voice, drowning out our authentic selves.

The power of finding your voice

For Monique, the turning point came through performing arts. Recognising their daughter’s natural gift for communication, her parents enrolled her in speech and drama at age eight. By ten, she was competing, and she later trained as an opera singer—a talent that surprises many who know her primarily as a speaker and MC.

“When your voice becomes louder, the bullies can’t touch you,” Monique explains. “You find your confidence in your voice because it’s where you get the confidence from—knowing who you are, knowing your value, not from other people.”

This philosophy now underpins all of Monique’s professional work. Whether she’s speaking on behalf of brands, coaching business leaders, or standing on stage as an MC, the core mission remains the same: helping people find and amplify their authentic voice. In business, this skill is invaluable. Leaders who can communicate confidently, authentically, and with purpose are better equipped to inspire teams, win clients, and navigate challenges.

Embracing rejection and building resilience

Like any creative professional, Monique has faced countless rejections throughout her career. There were auditions where she walked out feeling triumphant, only to be met with radio silence. Other times, she left convinced she’d failed spectacularly—like the audition where she had to run on a treadmill whilst holding up her falling pants—only to land the role in a commercial with rugby star Sonny Bill Williams.

These experiences taught her a crucial business lesson: self-judgement often prevents us from seeing the value in our efforts. The key is developing a growth mindset rather than a fixed one. When setbacks happen, successful people ask, “What was the learning from that and how will I grow?” rather than dwelling in negativity or giving up entirely.

“It’s okay to feel sorry for yourself,” Monique acknowledges, “but instead of letting that rock sit on top of you all the time, if you can come out and get to the point where you sit on top of the rock, you start to put that learning into perspective.”

This resilience becomes particularly important in today’s challenging business environment, where economic pressures, rapid change, and uncertainty are constant companions. The ability to bounce back from setbacks, learn from failures, and keep moving forward separates those who merely survive from those who thrive.

The professional whakapapa: your career as your strength

One of the most powerful concepts Monique shares is the idea of professional whakapapa—a Māori term traditionally referring to genealogy, but which she’s adapted to encompass one’s entire career journey and skill set. Through her Master’s research on Te Ao Māori principles and their application to speaking and connection, Monique explored how whakapapa creates what she calls “co-presence”—that magical moment when a speaker and audience become truly connected.

Her uncle explained whakapapa to her this way: when you recite your whakapapa, you’re saying “this is who I am, this is who I was, and this is who comes with me.” It’s a way of acknowledging not just yourself, but everyone who came before you and everyone you’re representing. In a speaking context, it also means acknowledging the audience—seeing who they are, who they were, and who comes with them.

For business leaders, this concept is profound. Your professional whakapapa isn’t just your CV—it’s the sum total of every experience, skill, setback, and achievement that has shaped you. Monique’s includes 25 years as an entrepreneur, a university degree, roles in international feature films including Avatar and The Water Horse, appearances in New Zealand features like Eagle vs Shark and Secondhand Wedding, numerous television commercials, and voicing 11 characters for the Xbox game Far Cry 3.

When she joined Business Network International (BNI) 18 months before this interview, she initially felt intimidated. Surrounded by quantity surveyors, website developers, and other professionals with what she perceived as “real jobs,” she questioned her own value. But by recognising her professional whakapapa—the decades of experience coaching presidents, CEOs, and business leaders to find their voice—she realised her work was just as valuable and necessary.

This shift from “fake it till you make it” to “I’ve done it” marks a crucial evolution in any professional’s journey. When you can authentically claim your experience and expertise, confidence stops being performative and becomes genuine.

Overcoming imposter syndrome in business

Imposter syndrome plagues business owners and leaders at every level. Even highly successful professionals question whether they belong in the room or deserve their achievements. Monique’s approach to combating this is refreshingly practical: shift your focus from “will I be okay?” to “how can I serve?”

When you concentrate on serving others using the skills and experience you’ve accumulated, self-doubt has less room to flourish. This service-oriented mindset doesn’t diminish your value—it amplifies it by connecting your expertise directly to the needs of others.

Monique notes that imposter syndrome is fundamentally about how we look at ourselves. By acknowledging both our traditional lineage and our professional whakapapa, we ground ourselves in reality rather than self-doubt. Every workshop facilitated, every client served, every challenge overcome becomes part of the foundation supporting our current work.

The journey from six-year-old dreams to adult reality

Perhaps the most touching aspect of Monique’s story is her memory of her six-year-old self, standing in her family’s kitchen making cheese scones and looking at her reflection in the window at night. In that darkened glass, she saw her television screen. She practised hosting, mimicking the famous cooking show presenter Alison Holst, completely certain of who she was and what she wanted to do.

“The brain changes around the age of six or seven,” Monique explains. “When we are that young, we really, actually implicitly know who we are. But it’s all these other things—we allow other people’s voices to get in the way and shape, based on their opinions, who we should be.”

Today, Monique and that six-year-old making cheese scones are essentially the same person. She’s simply had more runs on the board. The path wasn’t straight—it was full of squiggles—but those squiggles filled her portfolio with stories, expertise, and valuable learnings that now give her the resilience to deal with challenging times.

Practical wisdom for business owners

For entrepreneurs and business leaders facing their own challenges, Monique’s advice is elegantly simple: keep going. Not because success is guaranteed or the path is clear, but because staying true to your authentic self—that person who knew exactly who they were before the world’s opinions clouded the picture—is the only sustainable way forward.

You don’t need all the answers. You don’t need to see the entire journey. You just need to know where you want to go and be willing to take the next right step for you, right now. Building a business, developing leadership skills, or growing professional confidence isn’t about reaching some final destination where doubt disappears and everything becomes easy. It’s about accumulating experiences, learning from setbacks, and continuously reconnecting with your authentic voice.

In today’s business environment, where entrepreneurs face unprecedented challenges and pressures, the combination of authenticity, resilience, and clear communication becomes increasingly vital. Monique’s work helping business leaders develop these skills addresses a fundamental need: in a world full of noise, those who can communicate their genuine value with confidence will always stand out.

The value of storytelling in business

Throughout her career, Monique has discovered that stories are her greatest asset. Whether she’s speaking at corporate events, coaching executives, or presenting on stage, the ability to connect through authentic storytelling creates impact that facts and figures alone cannot achieve. For business owners, this lesson is particularly relevant. Your business story—the why behind what you do, the challenges you’ve overcome, the clients you’ve helped—is often more compelling than your product specifications or service features.

The stories we share, the lessons we’ve learned, and our willingness to show up authentically even when it’s uncomfortable are what build genuine connections with clients, teams, and stakeholders. In an era where consumers and business partners increasingly value authenticity and purpose, those who can articulate their story effectively have a significant competitive advantage.

Building confidence through experience

Real confidence, as Monique demonstrates, isn’t about never experiencing doubt or fear. It’s about having a foundation of genuine experience to draw upon when those feelings arise. Every challenging client conversation, every presentation that doesn’t go perfectly, every business setback overcome becomes part of your professional whakapapa—proof that you’ve navigated difficulties before and can do so again.

For business owners just starting out or facing new challenges, this perspective offers hope. The uncomfortable feelings, the moments of doubt, the experiences of rejection—these aren’t signs of failure or evidence that you don’t belong. They’re the raw materials being transformed into resilience, wisdom, and authentic confidence. The key is to keep going, keep learning, and trust that your unique combination of experiences is building something valuable.

Finding connection in leadership

Monique’s research into co-presence—that moment when speaker and audience become truly connected—has profound implications for business leadership. The best leaders don’t just talk at their teams; they create genuine connection, making people feel seen, heard, and valued. This requires presence, authenticity, and the confidence to be vulnerable about one’s own journey.

When leaders can share not just their successes but also their struggles and learnings, they create permission for others to do the same. This psychological safety within organisations enables innovation, honest communication, and stronger team performance. In Monique’s terms, it’s about acknowledging “I see who you are, I see who you were, and I see who comes with you”—recognising the full humanity and complete experience each person brings.

Conclusion: Your voice matters

Monique Bradley’s journey from bullied child to confidence coach and sought-after speaker illustrates a fundamental truth: your voice matters, your story has value, and authentic confidence comes from knowing and owning your complete professional journey. Whether you’re standing in front of an audience, pitching to potential clients, leading a team, or simply trying to build a sustainable business in challenging times, the principles remain the same.

Know your value. Acknowledge your professional whakapapa—every experience, skill, and lesson learned. Shift your focus from self-doubt to service. Connect authentically with others by being willing to share your real story, squiggles and all. And most importantly, keep going. You may not have all the answers, but you can take the next right step.

In Monique’s world, confidence isn’t about perfection or having it all figured out. It’s about the courage to show up authentically, the resilience to keep moving forwards, and the wisdom to recognise that the six-year-old who knew exactly who they were had it right all along. The rest is just learning, growing, and accumulating the stories that prove you can handle whatever comes next.

For business owners seeking to develop their leadership presence, improve their communication skills, or simply find the confidence to show up more authentically in their professional lives, Monique’s message is clear: the voice you’re searching for is already there. It’s simply about removing the layers of other people’s opinions, self-doubt, and fear that have covered it up. Your authentic voice, backed by your genuine experience and unique perspective, is your greatest business asset. Use it.

To connect with Monique Bradley and learn more about her work helping business leaders find their authentic voice, visit https://moniquebradley.tv/ or connect with her on LinkedIn.

This article and podcast is proudly brought to you by Gilligan Sheppard, the problem solvers in business who believe in thinking differently.