What if you stopped waiting until you felt confident, comfortable, or “ready” before you went after the things you want?

In this episode of Shedding the Shame, I’m joined by Natasha Jeshani, president and CEO of Career Contacts, founder of Training Arch, author, keynote speaker, and someone who has built an impressive career while navigating some very personal struggles behind the scenes.

Natasha and I have an incredibly honest conversation about hair loss, body image, confidence, motherhood, entrepreneurship, money, success, and what it actually looks like to keep showing up when you don’t feel your best.

Natasha shares her experience with alopecia areata, including discovering large patches of hair loss unexpectedly, losing eyelashes, dealing with changes in her body after back surgery and steroids, and the impact all of that had on her confidence. She talks candidly about stepping onto stages while worrying about how she looked, taking a break from social media, and even turning down a TEDx opportunity because she didn’t feel like she “looked the part.”

But this conversation isn't about appearance. It's about what happens when we stop allowing our appearance to dictate what we're willing to do.

We talk about:
• The pressure to have everything together before we allow ourselves to be visible
• Why waiting for perfection can keep us stuck
• Taking up space, taking the mic, and asking for the money you’re worth
• Imposter syndrome and why even incredibly successful women experience it
• Building businesses without a blueprint and learning through doing
• Creating community instead of treating other women as competition
• The importance of celebrating our wins and keeping “receipts” of what we’ve accomplished
• Why sometimes clearing space for the wrong people creates room for the right opportunities
• Showing up authentically even when you’re struggling behind the scenes
• And why your hair, your weight, your lashes, or any other part of your appearance should never get to decide how big your life becomes

One of my favourite moments comes when Natasha says:

“You have to demand it.”

The space. The mic. The check.

If you have done the work, built the experience, and have something meaningful to say, you don't need to wait for someone to decide you're ready.

This is a conversation about refusing to shrink yourself, about doing the thing before you feel ready, and about realizing that you can be uncomfortable, insecure, imperfect, and still move forward.

You don't have to feel confident to take up space. Sometimes you just have to take the space anyway.

IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourcareercontact/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natashajeshani/

Website: https://www.careercontacts.ca/