Most people assume confidence comes from competence. If you’re good at something, prepared, and capable, you should naturally feel confident. But what if that’s not actually where confidence comes from?

In this episode of No More Illusions, Joe Kwon, The Connection Counselor explores the illusion that confidence flows from ability and offers a different way to think about confidence, vulnerability, and performance.

Inspired in part by The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, Joe explores their definition of confidence and explains why ability can help create confidence—but isn’t necessarily the source of it.

You’ll learn:

• Why competence and confidence aren’t the same thing
• Why highly capable people can still lack confidence
• Why confidence doesn’t require knowing you’ll succeed

Joe also shares why ichi, the Japanese word for “one,” provides an additional reminder.

Book mentioned in this episode:The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
https://amzn.to/3SBCHB4

Affiliate disclosure: The link above may be an affiliate link, which means No More Illusions may receive a small commission if you purchase through it, at no additional cost to you.

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Explore More from No More Illusions

Find books, audiobooks, courses, and free resources on the No More Illusions website: ⁠https://nomoreillusions.lovable.app/⁠

📚 Books & AudiobooksExplore Joe Kwon’s books and audiobooks, including:

• Unlock Your Executive Presence: Feel Like a Boss
• Unlock Your Charisma: Feel Like a Star
• The Credibility Gap

🎓 Courses & Learning

• Try Module 1 of the Path2Promotion self-guided course FREE
• Explore additional courses and resources designed to help you build credibility, confidence, influence, and career momentum

🎁 Free Resources

Download free, hand-picked resources, including:

• The No More Illusions Workbook
• Curated Reading List for Job Seekers
• Credibility Audit Assessment

🛠️ Build Your Own AI-Enhanced Website

Want to create your own website with AI? Try Lovable for FREE using my affiliate link: ⁠⁠https://lovable.dev/invite/2JVZD5M⁠⁠

Topics: Executive presence, promotion, charisma, influence, communication, leadership, and career advancement

Most people think hard work naturally creates opportunity. But creating value and being exposed to opportunities are two different things.

In the third episode of the Ethical Career Hacking series, Joe Kwon, The Connection Counselor explores the idea of increasing your professional “surface area”—creating more opportunities for the right people to encounter, understand, and remember your work.

You’ll learn:

• Why staying in your lane can unintentionally limit your career
• Why having only one person who knows your work makes your career more fragile
• How teaching, mentoring, writing, presenting, and cross-functional work can expand your professional reach
• Why visibility isn’t about ego or self-promotion

The goal isn’t to become the loudest person in the room. It’s to create more opportunities for your work to intersect with the people and situations where it can make a difference.

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Explore More from No More Illusions

Find books, audiobooks, courses, and free resources on the No More Illusions website: https://nomoreillusions.lovable.app/

📚 Books & AudiobooksExplore Joe Kwon’s books and audiobooks, including:

• Unlock Your Executive Presence: Feel Like a Boss
• Unlock Your Charisma: Feel Like a Star
• The Credibility Gap

🎓 Courses & Learning

• Try Module 1 of the Path2Promotion self-guided course FREE
• Explore additional courses and resources designed to help you build credibility, confidence, influence, and career momentum

🎁 Free Resources
Download free, hand-picked resources, including:

• The No More Illusions Workbook
• Curated Reading List for Job Seekers
• Credibility Audit Assessment

🛠️ Build Your Own AI-Enhanced Website

Want to create your own website with AI? Try Lovable for FREE using my affiliate link: ⁠https://lovable.dev/invite/2JVZD5M⁠

Topics: Executive presence, promotion, charisma, influence, communication, leadership, and career advancement

Most people assume that when it comes to promotions, their work speaks for itself. But what if the people making decisions simply don’t have enough information to recognize the value you’re creating?

In this second episode of the Ethical Career Hacking series, Joe Kwon, The Connection Counselor explores the illusion that decision-makers know as much about your work as you do. He explains why leaders often have to fill in the blanks, how those assumptions can work against you, and how you can ethically reduce the uncertainty surrounding your contributions.

You’ll learn:

• Why “my work speaks for itself” is rarely enough
• How information gaps can influence promotion and career decisions
• Why leaders rely on assumptions when they don’t have enough evidence
• Why communicating results is not bragging—it’s reducing uncertainty

The goal isn’t to manufacture a reputation you haven’t earned. It’s to make the value you have already created clear enough that decision-makers don’t have to guess.

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Find more resources on the No More Illusions website at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://nomoreillusions.lovable.app/⁠⁠⁠⁠

-Try module 1 of the Path2Promotion self-guided course for FREE

-Check out my audiobooks including:

• Unlock Your Executive Presence: Feel Like a Boss

• Unlock Your Charisma: Feel Like a Star

• The Credibility Gap

-Download FREE hand-picked takeaways, such as:

• The No More Illusions workbook

• Curated Reading List for Job Seekers

• Credibility Audit Assessment

-Use my affiliate link to test out the Lovable website builder and create you own AI-enhanced website for FREE: https://lovable.dev/invite/2JVZD5M

Topics include: Executive presence, promotion, charisma, influence, communication, leadership, and career advancement