***WINNER getAbstract International Book Award 2024 – Business Impact, Readers’ Choice***

**WINNER Business Self Development Book of the Year – Business Book Awards 2025**

**The People’s Book Prize Longlisted Title 2024/25**

“I devoured every page of this wonderfully written book.” – Sergio Ezama, Chief Talent Officer, Netflix

Want to be more confident at work? You’re not alone.

So many of us grapple with self-doubt.

Perhaps you’re an exhausted achiever? You’re delivering results and progressing in your career, but you feel utterly worn out. You’re compensating for a lack of confidence with excessive effort and punishingly high standards.

Or perhaps you’re feeling frustrated and unfulfilled? Self-doubt is making you hold yourself back, you’re avoiding challenges that could demonstrate how good you really are.

This book can help. Distilling over a decade of real-life research into clear insights, practical tools and impactful activities, Julie Smith shows you how to Coach Yourself Confident.

A useful resource to keep close to hand to refer back to, as our confidence levels ebb and flow depending upon the slings and arrows that life throws at us. Read with an open mind in a spirit of curiosity, it offers best practice to recognise bad habits or ingrained self-doubt. ‘Coach Yourself Confident’ can set you on the road to freeing yourself from your inner critic and unlocking your hidden potential. – Entertainment Focus

Cards on the table, I know the author. But all that means is I can validate the content even more. The concepts are brilliant and put together in practical and easy ways with tips to help you land them yourself. As a read its so easy to step in an out of, but I reckon once you have started it you won’t put it down. – LinkedIn

An absolute standout book for anyone looking to boost their self-confidence. – Amazon 5*

Julie Smith has an incredible way of writing that feels as though I am in a physical coaching space with her! From start to finish, Coach Yourself Confident is packed full of practical (highly accessible) exercises, meaningful story telling and such a sense of honesty. – Amazon 5*

Once in a while a self help book comes along that you want to pop in your bag, either to share with a client or to enjoy again…Julie Smith’s new book…is such a book – it offers an enjoyable first read, but potential multiple reuses with exercises, insights and ideas to add to your own coaching practice, or to share with others for their own journeys. – Jonathan Passmore, LinkedIn

This is not just a book—it’s a transformative experience waiting to be embraced. I encourage you to seize the opportunity to acquire this gem; its ease of comprehension belies its profound impact, making it a valuable addition to any library! – Sally Brys, LinkedIn

I devoured every page of this wonderfully written book. Whether you have been in front of the mirror for a long time or you are at the start of your journey, you will find a remarkable guide to navigate the land of your own confidence. Having personally gone through many comings and goings, I can attest that this is a worthwhile investment. As Julie intelligently puts it: ‘While confidence does not guarantee success, it does stack the odds in your favour.’ – Sergio Ezama, Chief Talent Officer, Netflix

Utterly brilliant. This is a book that is easy to read, incisive and thought provoking. The exercises do a great job of encouraging you to slow down, reflect and apply. As someone that has spent much of my career dealing with confidence peaks and troughs, Julie’s book is the perfect tonic! A must read for so many of us! – Francesca Theokli, Marketing Director and Executive Leadership Team, Weetabix Food Company

This book is written in such an accessible voice. As I read Julie’s words, I felt like I was in the room with my own personal coach. The activities made me really stop, think and reflect. The references to external experts and ‘real-life’ experiences frequently prompted a smile of recognition. Being a high performer means also being kind to yourself. This book leads you through that journey. If only my less experienced self could have read this all those years ago. – Rachel King, Group People Director, Spire Healthcare

I’m quoted in the book, so I’m probably supposed to have it all together in terms of confidence. But confidence is not a box to be ticked. It’s more like a muscle: if you stop working it, it shrinks. I’ve been exploring new opportunities since retiring from professional sport, and while it has been fun, it’s hard to move from an environment in which you are one of the best to environments where you are a beginner. I know it takes time to learn and gain experience, but I certainly don’t want to prolong that with a self-imposed ‘self-doubt tax’. I really appreciate the way Julie has opened my eyes to habits and behaviours that are getting in my way. I suspect this is a book I will come back to regularly for a confidence workout! – Stef Reid MBE, Paralympian, Keynote Speaker and Broadcaster

I loved Coach Yourself Confident and found myself making a mental note as I read of the people who I want to send copies to. It’s readable, accessible and encouraging, and the content really resonated – there were numerous ‘aha’ moments for me. – Jane Burkitt, Vice President EMEA Supply Chain Operations, The LEGO Group

In Coach Yourself Confident, Julie Smith draws from the deep well of her corporate coaching experience to share powerful and practical ways for us to build our own confidence. Her experience, insight and humanity permeates every page, and offers encouragement and practical ways for people who are looking to build inner belief and resilience. A great read, packed full of warmth and wisdom. – Becky Hall, Coach and Author of The Art of Enough

I love this book! It’s a very practical guide, crammed full of real client stories, personal experiences and practical exercises. Probably the closest you can get to being coached without the coach – it feels as though Julie is right by your side every step of the way. I’m already recommending it to others! – Emma Smythe, Executive Coach and Director of Leadership Development in Big 4 Consulting firm

Coach Yourself Confident is based on detailed research and contains thoughtful analysis of what confidence is, where it comes from, how to build it and hold onto it. This is combined with practical exercises and advice, which stops you from simply admiring Julie’s diagnosis of the issues around confidence and makes you apply her lessons to your own real-life experiences. Highly recommended. – Karen Betts OBE, Chief Executive, Food and Drink Federation

Julie has managed to decode and make practical a way to unlock one of the biggest assets to success – yourself! Taming the inner critic, even training it to be a constructive force is, in my experience, the single biggest shift someone can make as they strive for self-fulfilment. You won’t know how tall you are until you get up off your knees. Coach Yourself Confident will help you do that! – David Murray, Managing Director UK & Ireland, pladis Global

Coach Yourself Confident is highly relatable – I found myself smiling in recognition many times. It’s pragmatic, providing sensible steps to growing confidence and bringing out your best self. The book gives permission to make mistakes, to be humble and to unlock your potential, rather than trying to be something you are not. It’s rich with coaching techniques and stories to bring the topic to life, and Julie’s tone is encouraging and supportive. – Lucinda Scott, Customer Service Director, first direct

I was pulled in from page one with the way that Julie appears to tread lightly on some powerful insights, whilst actually guiding you through transformational thinking. The concept of a humble leader, knowing what they are good at, whilst positively reflecting on how they could become even better, really resonated. I learned so much and cannot wait to get it on the reading list of friends and colleagues. – Paul Campbell, Senior Vice President Supply Chain, PepsiCo Europe

This book was a truly brilliant read and has made a lasting change to my mindset about my own confidence, self-doubt and overall mental well-being. The reframe of confidence as ‘trust in self’ has been a true unlock for me and the experience of reading this book felt like having a personal coach right by my side supporting and encouraging me to learn and grow. – Michelle Parczuk, Chief People Officer, Avon Cosmetics

Julie Smith gives readers the tools to build self-belief from within. Coach Yourself Confident is practical, accessible, and full of exercises that make confidence feel achievable rather than abstract. The judges praised its uplifting tone and relatable advice, making it an empowering guide for anyone who wants to grow personally and professionally. A positive, practical book that will resonate widely.

Judges’ comments from the Business Book Awards 2025

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of activities
• Introduction: How to coach yourself confident
  • Mapping out the territory
  • Why ‘coach yourself confident’?
  • Doing the work
• 1 Fuel for life
  • What does confidence give us?
    • Better odds
    • A willingness to say YES
    • The trust of others
    • A collective power
    • The difference for you
  • How do we grow confidence?
    • The momentum of confidence
    • Feeling the fear and doing it anyway
• 2 The self-doubt tax
  • How self-doubt shows up
    • The inner critic
    • Words that sow the seeds of doubt
    • Nerves and butterflies
  • Counting the cost
  • Paying the self-doubt tax in missed opportunities
    • Holding back
    • Staying small
    • Slowing the pace
    • Leaving potential unfulfilled
  • Paying the self-doubt tax in overwork
    • Achievement addiction
    • Hero complex
    • Over preparation
    • Emotional exhaustion
  • Show yourself some compassion
• 3 The humble confidence benefit
  • Painting a picture
  • The humble confidence mantra
  • Right-sized self-doubt
  • Getting too big for your boots
  • Uniquely you
  • A paradox
• 4 Faulty calibration
  • A hall of mirrors
  • An uncertain grasp
  • Owning your strengths
  • Feedback through a filter
  • The highest of bars
  • The longest of lists
• 5 Confidence saboteurs
  • The inner critic
  • Comparisonitis
  • FOPO
  • Mindreading
  • Overthinking
  • Perfectionism
  • Fear of failure
  • Tiredness
  • Underminers
• 6 Comings and goings
  • A wobbly line
  • That so this
  • Steep drops
  • Bumps and knocks
  • Job changes
  • Free range confidence
• 7 Homegrown confidence
  • Confidence by proxy
  • Over-reliance on others
    • Borrowing confidence
    • People pleasing
    • Leaving ourselves vulnerable
  • Confidence in community
    • From borrowed to owned
    • Just enough support
  • Keeping up with yourself
  • Permission to be you
• A few final words of encouragement
• Acknowledgements
• About the author
• Bibliography
• Index

FORMAT / ISBN / PUBLICATION DATE / RRP

Audiobook / 9781805760092 / March 26, 2026 / £14.99

Paperback / 9781788605175 / February 20, 2024 / £14.99

Hardback / 9781788605564 / February 20, 2024 / £24.99

Ebook / 9781788605199 / February 19, 2024 / £7.99

Paperback and eBook Bundle / £16.99

Julie Smith

Julie Smith is an experienced executive coach and the founder of boutique leadership consultancy Talent Sprout. Julie’s mission is to encourage and enable leaders to stretch themselves, to deepen their awareness and to grow their impact.

Julie has coached hundreds of executives and leadership teams both in the UK and internationally, working with well-known organizations across sectors ranging from packaged consumer goods to technology, insurance to luxury goods and banking to hospitality. Her corporate clients choose to work with her again and again – testament to her skill as a coach and her commitment to partnership.

Described by her clients as insightful, collaborative and ‘one of the best in her field’, Julie has designed development programmes that participants find ‘life changing’ and delivered keynote talks praised as ‘perspective-shifting, thought-provoking and action-inspiring.’

Julie’s first book, Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch the Self-doubt Tax, Unlock Humble Confidence is a multiple award winner, including Best Business Self Development Book of 2025 at the Business Book Awards.