How to Trust Yourself: Overcome Imposter Syndrome, Feel Confident, and Let Yourself Be Seen

In this gentle, honest, deeply encouraging conversation, Anna talks with Ilona Glastonbury, Instagram strategist, chronic illness survivor, and founder of the Quiet Creatives Academy — a space for sensitive and introverted creatives who want to grow on Instagram without burning out or becoming someone they’re not.Ilona’s journey from potter to disabled creative to Instagram coach is rooted in lived experience: learning how to find visibility that honors her health, her energy, and her nervous system. Now she helps other Quiet Creatives do the same — creating simple, sustainable strategies for showing up online with integrity and ease.In this episode, we explore:What a “Quiet Creative” actually isThe unique challenges Quiet Creatives face on Instagram (and why typical marketing advice doesn’t work for them)Ilona’s personal experience with fear of visibility — and the practices that help her move through itWhy authenticity performs better than performative contentWhy quiet voices are needed more than ever in online spacesHow Ilona helps clients grow their reach and sell their work without betraying who they areWhat lights her up most when supporting her clients and groupsHow to build a relationship with Instagram that’s sustainable for sensitive, introverted, or chronically ill creativesThis episode is like a cup of tea and a permission slip — especially if you’ve ever wondered whether you can grow online without losing yourself. Connect with IlonaInstagram: @quietcreativesacademy / @ottimadeFree resources for Anna’s audience: https://www.thequietcreativesacademy.com/annah Connect with AnnaSeen & SafeA supportive, intimate group for sensitive creatives, practitioners, and entrepreneurs who want to reconnect with themselves, work with fear instead of against it, and return to flow again and again.Enrollment open now through January 26👉 https://www.annaholtzman.com/seenandsafeFree Workshop — Let Yourself Be SeenCurious about the work before committing? Join Anna for a replay of her free workshop where you’ll get a taste of the tools shared in Seen & Safe, including a gentle introduction to the Melt-Through Method.👉 https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseenQuestions?Sent me an email [email protected]

In this episode, Anna sits down with Chantelle Adams — professional speaker, story strategist, and “courage igniter” — to explore what it really takes to share your story out loud, even when fear is loud in your body.Chantelle has delivered over 1,000 talks, built a six-figure speaking business, and helped countless women craft and share talks that feel like a homecoming to who they really are. But this work was born from loss, grief, and a wake-up call: realizing she was alive but not truly living — and that fear had been quietly running the show.Now she helps other “rebels with a cause” get their brave on, find the message inside their lived experience, and turn that message into a movement.In this episode, we explore:Why speaking your truth matters in a world where everyone technically “has a voice”How Chantelle went from living in quiet fear to writing her Fear List and crossing items off, one brave act at a timeThe deeper fears underneath “fear of public speaking” (it’s not just about the stage)The patterns Anna saw in herself while working with Chantelle — and why this work was so transformative for herHow to move through fears like:“I’m not good enough”“Who am I to say this?”“What if I fail… or succeed?”“What will people think of me?”What Chantelle means by “channeling” when she speaks and does story work with clients (and how that’s different from memorizing a script)Simple ways you can begin to tap into your own channel — even if that word feels woo-woo or unfamiliarWhy your story is not just content, but the spark for a revolution in how you and your people live, work, and leadYou’ll walk away with a more compassionate understanding of your fear, a clearer sense of how powerful your story already is, and some very grounded next steps for bringing your voice into the world. Connect with ChantelleWebsite: https://chantelleadams.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/chantellespeaks/Speaker Amplifier: https://speak.chantelleadams.com/the-speaking-amplifierConnect with AnnaSeen & SafeA supportive, intimate group for sensitive creatives, practitioners, and entrepreneurs who want to reconnect with themselves, work with fear instead of against it, and return to flow again and again.Enrollment open now through January 26👉 https://www.annaholtzman.com/seenandsafeFree Live Workshop — Let Yourself Be SeenCurious about the work before committing? Join Anna for a live, free workshop where you’ll get a taste of the tools shared in Seen & Safe, including a gentle introduction to the Melt-Through Method.Tuesday, January 20Live + replay availableRegister here:👉 https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseenLIVEQuestions? Send me an email [email protected]

What if your discomfort with leadership isn’t a confidence issue — but an old nervous-system story that’s never been updated?In this solo episode, Anna explores the concept of a leadership wound: early experiences that quietly shape how safe (or unsafe) it feels to step into leadership later in life.Drawing from a personal story from fourth grade — when stepping into a natural leadership role suddenly became fraught — Anna unpacks how childhood interpretations can linger beneath the surface, influencing our relationship with visibility, authority, and being seen.You’ll hear:Why leadership can trigger fear even when it feels alignedHow childhood experiences shape our nervous system’s response to leadershipThe difference between a visibility wound and a leadership woundHow old stories can run quietly in the background until we name themGentle ways to begin updating these stories with adult awareness and compassionAnna also invites listeners to reflect on their own relationship with leadership — and offers journaling prompts to help process early experiences that may still be shaping how you show up today.If you’re a sensitive creative, entrepreneur, or leader who feels a pull toward leadership and a simultaneous urge to shrink back, this episode offers a compassionate lens for understanding why — and a softer way forward.Work With AnnaIf you want to explore visibility, leadership, and nervous-system safety in community, Anna’s membership Seen & Safe is currently open for enrollment.Seen & Safe is a twice-monthly group for sensitive creatives, entrepreneurs, and leaders who want to practice being seen without overriding their nervous system.Learn more or join here:👉 www.annaholtzman.com/seenandsafe Anna is also hosting a free live workshop, Let Yourself Be Seen, for those who want a taste of this work before committing: www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

In this inspiring conversation, Anna is joined by Stacey Brass-Russell—performer, yoga teacher, studio owner, master-level coach, and creator of the E.V.O.L.V.E. change system—to explore what it truly takes to reinvent yourself at any age.Stacey shares her extraordinary path from Broadway to wellness to coaching, and how she learned to turn fear, uncertainty, and life upheaval into fuel for the next iteration of her purpose. Together, we examine how sensitive creatives can move through overwhelm, trust their desires, and build businesses that feel both aligned and abundant.In this episode, we explore:How to get out of overwhelm and into clear, grounded, doable actionWhy so many people stay stuck in a chapter that no longer fits—and what it takes to choose evolutionHow Stacey helps clients shift limiting beliefs about money, self-worth, and the ethics of abundanceThe emotional and identity challenges of making a midlife career pivotWhy reinvention is less about starting over and more about remembering who you’ve always beenHow to build a values-driven coaching or service-based business using clarity, alignment, and service instead of hustleConnect with StaceyWebsite: https://www.staceybrassrussell.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceybrassrussell/Free resource: 7 actionable steps to shift your mindset, get in gear, and start making money right now www.staceybrassrussell.com/money-mindset-anna-podcastConnect with AnnaWebsite: https://www.annaholtzman.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/

In this short solo episode, Anna explores a gentle, nervous-system–informed approach to getting back into flow when things feel hard.Instead of treating frustration, fear, or burnout as problems to fix, Anna offers a different framework: these states are signals of inner conflict — moments when parts of us want different things at the same time. And it’s that internal tug-of-war, not the emotions themselves, that drains our energy and pulls us out of flow.In this episode, you’ll learn how to stop fighting yourself and start bringing your energy back onto one team.In this episode, we cover:Why frustration, fear, and burnout aren’t the problem — and what actually isHow inner conflict drains your energy (and how to gently resolve it)A simple practice for working with frustration instead of spiraling against itHow to meet fear with care, curiosity, and reassurance — rather than self-criticismWhy burnout is often a signal to rest intentionally, not push harderHow choosing rest can actually bring creativity, motivation, and clarity back onlineWhy practicing these tools in community can create an upward spiral of support and flowAnna also shares how these practices are used inside Seen & Safe, her twice-monthly group for sensitive creatives, practitioners, and entrepreneurs who want to move forward without overriding their nervous system. Work With AnnaSeen & SafeA supportive, intimate group for sensitive creatives, practitioners, and entrepreneurs who want to reconnect with themselves, work with fear instead of against it, and return to flow again and again.Enrollment reopens January 14Join the waitlist for early access:👉 https://www.annaholtzman.com/seenandsafeFree Live Workshop — Let Yourself Be SeenCurious about the work before committing? Join Anna for a live, free workshop where you’ll get a taste of the tools shared in Seen & Safe, including a gentle introduction to the Melt-Through Method.Tuesday, January 20Live + replay availableRegister here:👉 https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseenLIVEQuestions?Sent me an email [email protected]