Developing Confidence at Work: Speak Up & Shine
Episode 27
Have you ever sat in a meeting with an idea on your mind—but held back from sharing it?
You’re not alone.
Many professionals struggle with developing confidence at work, even when they have valuable insights to contribute.
In episode 27 of The People Success Circle, I sit down with keynote speaker and “Excellence Engineer” Michelle Edelen to explore how to find your voice, speak up with confidence, and create a workplace culture where every voice is heard.
Tune in or keep reading for practical tips and inspiring stories to help you step into your own excellence.
In this inspiring episode of People Success Circle, keynote speaker and TEDx presenter Michelle Edelen, joins me to unpack what it really means to wake up your inner excellence.
The meaning of “awakening your inner excellence” and why it matters for leaders, employees, and business owners.
Practical ways to help employees speak up confidently at work and strengthen employee voice and engagement.
Michelle’s four-part framework—Faith, Leverage, Opportunity, and Wisdom—for building lasting confidence.
Why mentorship matters and how a mentor at the workplace can unlock hidden potential.
Strategies leaders can use to create a safe culture where everyone feels empowered to share their ideas.
🎧 Tune in to this episode of The People Success Circle for inspiration and actionable steps you can take to grow your own confidence and encourage it in others.
🔗 Helpful Links
🌐 Mindy’s website for business consulting: https://www.limerockcareerco.com
🎧 Listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Episode 27: Watch or Listen
Key Takeaways From Episode 27
Awaken Your Inner Excellence
I believe we all carry excellence inside of us—our skills, knowledge, and unique experiences. When life challenges or career setbacks knock us down, it’s easy to forget what we already bring to the table. This episode is a reminder to pause, reflect, and start developing confidence at work by drawing from your own lived experiences.
The Power of Speaking Up
Too many great ideas never leave the conference room because employees don’t feel safe or confident sharing their voice. As leaders, it’s our responsibility to create space for employee voice and engagement—so people feel encouraged to contribute in meetings, not just in the hallway afterward.
Mentorship as a Confidence Builder
Having a mentor at the workplace can change the trajectory of someone’s career. A good mentor helps people see their potential and step into bigger opportunities they may not recognize on their own. I encourage every leader to both seek mentorship and offer it.
Creating a Safe Culture for Growth
Confidence doesn’t grow in environments where people fear criticism or ridicule. HR leaders and managers can set the tone by practicing psychological safety—inviting questions, valuing diverse ideas, and rewarding risk-taking in communication. This is where true growth happens.
Faith, Leverage, Opportunity, and Wisdom
Michelle shared her four-part framework: have faith in yourself, leverage your strengths, seize opportunities, and use your wisdom from past experiences. Together, these steps provide a roadmap for building confidence and advancing in your career or business.
People First, Profits Follow
If you’re struggling to get leadership buy-in, here’s what I remind my clients: when the people side of the business isn’t working, everything suffers. Sales, service, retention, culture—it’s all connected. When you invest in your people, you build the foundation for long-term success. And it all starts with seeing what’s really going on behind the curtain.
🎧 Want the full story, examples, and action steps?
Listen to the full episode of The People Success Circle for more insights on building a thriving culture that drives results.
Read the full transcript
Mindy: Welcome back to The People Success Circle podcast. I am thrilled to have my friend and fellow keynote speaker, Michelle Edelen, with me today. Michelle is known as the Excellence Engineer. She is a TEDx and keynote speaker, and I’m so excited to welcome you, Michelle. Thank you so much for joining us.
Michelle: Thank you so much for having me, Mindy. I’m always glad to spend time with you, and I love your podcast and what you’re doing.
Mindy: Thank you. I think my listeners are really going to enjoy learning about your expertise when it comes to being confident, speaking up, and showing up authentically. Why don’t you start by telling us about your background and what led you to where you are today as a speaker.
Michelle: My career background is varied. I started in manufacturing leadership with a team of approximately 1,200 indirect and direct reports, across multiple shifts and manufacturing lines—fresh out of business school at 24 years old. I had to learn quickly, and there wasn’t much training available, so I had to figure it out.
I’ve always been intrigued by compliance, but I also found a real passion for leading teams and helping people build the careers they wanted. Some people were content to stay where they were and excel at that, while others wanted to grow and do more. I enjoyed working with both groups—helping them grow or helping them be the best right where they were.
Mindy: You talk a lot about waking up your inner excellence. Can you share a moment when that was true for you?
Michelle: I truly believe we all have excellence inside of us—our abilities, gifts, skills, talents, and knowledge. But sometimes life gets on top of it. For me, that moment came when I was laid off.
I thought I had done everything right: the degrees, the career path, the network, mentors, coaches, and sponsors. I had checked all the boxes. But I was laid off along with everyone else because it was just a numbers game. I had to figure out how to get back to the good stuff inside me and use it to grow again. That was pivotal, both in my career and in my life, because I realized how much of who I was was wrapped up in my job. That’s when I realized: you’re Michelle Edelen, the Excellence Engineer, no matter what.
Mindy: I can relate to that. As an HR leader, I usually knew who was going to be laid off, because I was often the one planning them. And then one day, I got the call. It shook me to my core, but it gave me a new perspective. What things did you do to help you get back on track and rediscover your inner excellence?
Michelle: I dug deep and did the inside work. That phrase gets used a lot, but it’s true. I had to realize that I’m a whole person—outside of my roles as a wife, mom, grandmother, or professional.
When we stop comparing ourselves to what we think we see in others, we finally realize, “I do have what I need. I just need to figure out how to put it together and use it.” In my keynote, Activate Your Inner Excellence, I talk about using the sum total of your life experiences—not mistakes or failures—to grow into who you want to be.
Mindy: I understand that more now in my 50s than I ever did before. I wish I had learned those lessons earlier.
Michelle: Exactly.
Mindy: Michelle, can you tell us about your passion for speaking and for helping others learn how to speak up with confidence? Where did that start?
Michelle: It started when I was about six or seven years old as a Brownie Scout. After our cookie drive, the older cadets got to go on a special trip. We Brownies thought we should go too. They voted me to speak to the leaders, and I did. That was the first time I remember advocating for myself and my friends—and realizing I had something to say.
I was always talkative, but fortunately, my parents helped me channel that. I spoke in church and in neighborhood groups, and that eventually grew into what I do now. The door to speaking never closed, and neither did the door to helping others speak.
Mindy: Always the coach. I can see how that shaped you into helping TEDx speakers and women find their voice.
Michelle: Yes, and I love it. It’s my happy place, seeing people grow into the speakers they want to be.
Mindy: In your experience helping others, what are the common reasons people are scared to speak up at work?
Michelle: The biggest deterrent is culture. If the culture isn’t open and welcoming, people won’t put themselves out there. Personalities like ours will speak up anyway, but not everyone is like that.
I’ve led teams where people wouldn’t speak during the meeting, but afterward in the hallway or restroom they’d share brilliant ideas. I’d think, “Why didn’t you say that in the meeting? We needed it there.” That taught me the importance of creating an environment where people feel safe sharing, with no ridicule or retribution.
I’ve also seen workplaces where speaking up came with punishment or criticism. Things have changed since I entered the workforce in the 80s, but there are still leaders who don’t set people up for success.
Mindy: That’s such a clue for us as leaders—when someone comes up after a meeting and says, “I was thinking this.” We should ask, “What kept you from saying it in the group setting?”
Michelle: Exactly. And in one-on-one meetings, I would role-play with my team to build their confidence. It took time, but it was worth it to see them grow, earn promotions, or move into new roles.
Mindy: You also talk about four key strategies: faith, leverage, opportunity, and wisdom. Can you walk us through that?
Michelle: Absolutely. Faith is confidence in yourself. Many people minimize themselves, but you don’t need to walk in with “beginner” stamped on your forehead. You already have abilities, skills, and knowledge—have faith in that.
Leverage is about using what you have. My abilities may be different from yours, but both are valuable. We also need to leverage opportunities—seize them when they come, instead of letting fear hold us back. My parents always told me, “Seize the good opportunities.”
Finally, wisdom comes from life experiences. When you put faith, leverage, opportunity, and wisdom together, you have a recipe for success. It’s about excellence, not perfection. Perfection is impossible because it changes all the time. Excellence is defined by you.
Mindy: That resonates. Part of networking is speaking up, and leveraging opportunities really matters. How can leaders and managers create environments where team members feel safe to share their thoughts?
Michelle: Remember what it felt like when you didn’t feel safe to speak up, and create the opposite. Even if no one says they feel unsafe, assume someone does. People fade into the background all the time. Leaders need to pull them back in and make sure they feel like equal, valued members of the team.
Mindy: What advice would you give to someone who wants to grow their career but is scared to speak up?
Michelle: Find a mentor. Mentors have helped me throughout my career, and they can help you navigate challenges and see potential in yourself that you don’t yet see. Everyone has something to contribute, no matter their level in the organization.
I once worked with a woman who wanted to be an executive assistant. But through coaching, it became clear she had the vision of a director of DEI. When she presented her ideas, leadership realized it too, and she now holds a senior role. Sometimes leadership doesn’t see your potential—and sometimes you don’t see it in yourself. A mentor can help with that.
Mindy: That’s so true. And I see the same thing in succession planning—people often have skills and aspirations no one knew about until they spoke up.
Michelle: Exactly. We all have excellence inside of us already. Stop chasing certifications and titles for the sake of it, and start using what you have. Implement it. That’s when you’ll see change.
Mindy: What advice do you have for listeners who might still doubt themselves?
Michelle: Take inventory of what you’ve done—your skills, knowledge, and accomplishments, both at work and in volunteer or family roles. Those experiences matter. Organizing a sports team or caring for a parent requires leadership, strategy, negotiation, and networking. Those are transferable skills.
Also, stop diminishing your achievements with phrases like “I only did this” or “I’m just trying.” Own what you’ve done. Confidence grows when you recognize your value and seize opportunities.
Mindy: This has been so helpful. I’ve loved your stories and the wisdom you bring. Thank you, Michelle, for joining us today.
Michelle: Thank you very much, Mindy.
Mindy: Thank you for listening to this week’s episode of The People Success Circle podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a five-star review so others know it’s worth listening to. Be sure to check the show notes for information on how to connect with Michelle and to join the waitlist for Networking School at the founding rate. Until next time, have a great week, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
