Unlocking Potential have been a great source of support in my journey to growing my own confidence and helping others.
Five years ago, I joined their Stand Out from the Crowd course to support me in making a career change -it was here I met two of my incredible team members, Michele and Gemma- and since then I’ve been supported in finding and developing in a graduate job and, more recently, starting up Quiet Connections.
It was here, on their Breakthrough course, that I first received any business support. My seed of an idea began to grow as I, again, stepped outside of my comfort zone and expanded my vision.
You can watch my Breakthrough story below, or read it here.
Hi, I’m Hayley - the original quieteer. I, too, identify as a quiet person. I’m naturally a highly sensitive introvert and I love and appreciate my quiet strengths now, but I spent much of my life not feeling good enough and experiencing social anxiety. I missed so many opportunities because I was afraid of being judged harshly, criticised and rejected – and because I doubted that I had the ‘right’ personality to succeed. Quiet Connections exists in part because I had a fantastic coach who helped me to work through old patterns of keeping myself small and hidden so that I could show up and be seen to play my part in creating the more connected, curious and compassionate world that I dream of. Now, I’m passionate about helping quiet people discover their unique qualities, gifts, passions and experiences and explore how best to use these to express themselves more authentically and contribute to the world in a way that works with their quieter or more sensitive nature. Get to know me here.
Take a look at the other side of confident comedian, Rhod Gilbert, in his documentary “Stand Up to Shyness” and see how stand up boosts the confidence of his three volunteers. Stand-up comedian Rhod Gilbert is painfully shy. Yes, he can stand up in front of 20,000 people and make them laugh but he finds it…
Qualifications are armour that I wear to hide my self-doubt In my career I’ve never felt like I’m good enough, like I know enough or I’m competent enough. I imagine that I’ll feel competent and knowledgeable when I learn this or practise that; when I get the next advanced certification or when so and so says…
Change is something that I find incredibly daunting, and is often the root of anxiety for me. I find myself feeling very safe in normality and routines, and so big changes are often something that I struggle with a little. Something that I have noticed, however, is the importance of celebrating positive change. An example…
Quiet Connections CIC is looking for Volunteer Directors to join our Board and help us grow our impact. We’re a Cornwall-based community fostering connection and belonging, celebrating quietness, and creating warm, inclusive spaces for quieter individuals—those who are introverted, highly sensitive, shy, or experiencing social anxiety—and moving into more focused narrative change initiatives, to gently…
What’s behind your confident smile? Feeling anxious and self-doubting is a normal part of the human experience, right? Then why is it something we so rarely talk about? It’s true that, as a culture, we are far more inclined to hide those feelings from others as we put on our confident mask and get on…
Job interviews can feel daunting, especially if you naturally prefer to listen rather than speak, or if being in the spotlight makes you uneasy. It’s normal to feel tension build before an interview, wondering how you’ll come across and whether you’ll find the right words in the moment. In this video, Amy Cuddy, a social…
