131. Confidence Was Never the Problem with Jess Weiner

About this episode

This episode explores how women's confidence is often disrupted by social conditioning and the systems that teach them to hesitate.

What if confidence was never something women lacked; but something that was interrupted? In this conversation, I sit down with Jess Weiner - cultural expert, author of A Very Hungry Girl , and longtime advisor to brands like Dove and Barbie - to unpack the deeper story behind how women learn to see themselves, lead, and show up in the world. We go beyond surface-level “confidence” talk and get into the real work: - how social conditioning shapes women’s relationship to authority - why self-monitoring becomes second nature - and what it actually costs women—especially in leadership and high-stakes environments. This episode explores: The early conditioning that teaches girls to prioritize likability over self-trust The hidden toll of constant self-editing and performance Why confidence isn’t missing—it’s been disrupted How body image, identity, and leadership are more connected than we admit What it really looks like to unlearn these patterns as an adult This isn’t about fixing women. It’s about questioning the systems that taught them to hesitate in the first place. If you’ve ever found yourself second-guessing what you already know, softening your voice in the moment it matters…

People in this episode

Host: Dina Scippa

Guest: Jess Weiner

Topics covered

• women's confidence
• social conditioning
• leadership
• self-trust
• body image
• identity

Keywords

• confidence
• self-monitoring
• likability
• self-editing
• leadership
• social conditioning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Dove, Barbie

Books & works: A Very Hungry Girl

More episodes of Embracing Enough

• 133. Lonely AF: The Hidden Loneliness Behind Success, Confidence, and Having It All Together | with Dr. Sylvia Kalicinski · June 4, 2026 · 50 min
• 132. The Permission You're Waiting For Isn't Coming · May 5, 2026 · 23 min
• 130. Manageable ≠ Leadership: The Trap High-Performing Women Fall Into · April 5, 2026 · 24 min
• 129. High-Functioning. Self-Aware. Still Exhausted with Paul Lubicz · March 29, 2026 · 43 min
• 128. Hypervigilance in Heels: The Confidence They See vs. The Doubt You Live With · March 22, 2026 · 27 min
• 127. Exhausted from Doing Everything Right with Sophia Mikelionis · March 15, 2026 · 46 min