Building confidence in your career can be difficult, especially when you’re bringing your own unique culture, background, and perspective to the workplace. Green 2.0 asked environmental leaders of color to tell us how they gained confidence in themselves in their environmental careers, and what advice they have for others like them.
Maliyah Womack, Community Manager, Climate Advocacy Lab
Trust your Lived Experience
Confidence doesn’t always come naturally, especially when you’re navigating spaces that weren’t built to naturally trust your perspective and vision. I’ve learned that confidence is something you build over time by trusting your lived experience and recognizing that it holds real value in this work. Advocate for yourself by naming what you need and calling out injustices, even when it feels uncomfortable. Your perspective is not a limitation, it’s an asset. You belong in these spaces, not because you’ve proven yourself enough times, but because you are already enough.
Ki’Ana Speights, Climate, Health and Equity Program Associate, American Public Health Association
Create Your Own Room
Believe in your words. There will always be external voices that will create more hurdles for you. But you’ve prepared yourself for the moment that you are in. Don’t forget if they are not creating rooms for you, create your own!
Lisette Perez, Program Associate, Restore America’s Estuaries
Remain Unapologetically Authentic
As a Latina environmentalist, my academic and professional journey hasn’t been easy to navigate. Luckily, I was able to build my confidence by finding mentors who saw something in me that I didn’t see yet in myself. I stayed true to who I am and remained unapologetically authentic. I also reminded myself that I have a strong set of skills, and that I’ll continue gaining more along the way. No one is perfect; we’re all growing. Failure is a form of success because it’s through failing and learning that we evolve.