top of page

Home › Growth Hubs › Mindset › Self-Doubt

 

PAPER NAPKIN WISDOM GROWTH HUB

Self-Doubt

The best Paper Napkin Wisdom conversations on self-doubt, chosen and in order.

 

Self-doubt rarely announces itself. It sounds like high standards. Amy Bernstein, a writer and book coach, has lived with it her whole life. Her napkin says you can't conquer self-doubt. You can learn to manage it. Let it walk with you, and take the risk anyway. Stefanie Fox works with salon owners. Her rule is narrower. Wait out the doubt day before any big decision.

 

Comparison feeds it. Warren Rustand says success is relevant only to your own capacity. There is always someone with a bigger boat. Keith Strauss puts self-esteem first. The business, the car and the money follow. Fabiana Bacchini felt inadequate after moving from Brazil to Canada. She rebuilt by focusing on what was going right.

 

A few of these are my own Edge of the Napkin episodes. One looks at six years I have sometimes counted as missing. Another separates people who speak to your work from people who speak to your worth.

 

 

“Don't make decisions on the doubt days.”

Stefanie Fox, Episode 194

 

Start here: the top 10

 

1

How to Stop Being So Hard on Yourself as a Leader

Episode 380 · Edge of the Napkin

How to stop being so hard on yourself as a leader.

Read and listen ›

 

2

You Can't Conquer Self-Doubt, but You Can Manage It: Amy Bernstein

Episode 192 · Amy Bernstein

Amy Bernstein: self-doubt can't be conquered, only managed.

Read and listen ›

 

3

How to Stop Feeling Inadequate and Lead From Your Strength: Fabiana Bacchini

Episode 5 · Fabiana Bacchini

Fabiana Bacchini on feeling inadequate and leading from your strengths.

Read and listen ›

 

4

Do You Feel Like You're Not Enough as a Leader? A Lesson From John Candy

Episode 316 · Edge of the Napkin

Not enough as a leader? How insecurity makes founders overgive, overexplain and undercharge.

Read and listen ›

 

5

Why "I Should Be Further Ahead" Is a Comparison You Can't Win

Episode 392 · Edge of the Napkin

'I should be further ahead': the comparison you can't win.

Read and listen ›

 

6

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others: Warren Rustand on Self-Mastery

Episode 113 · Warren Rustand

Warren Rustand: stop comparing yourself to others; success is relative to your own capacity.

Read and listen ›

 

7

Don't Make Decisions on Doubt Days: Stefanie Fox on Leading

Episode 194 · Stefanie Fox

Stefanie Fox: don't make decisions on doubt days.

Read and listen ›

 

8

Tired of Proving Yourself? Why Leaders Need to Put Down the Stone

Episode 320 · Edge of the Napkin

Tired of proving yourself? Putting down the need to prove the doubters wrong.

Read and listen ›

 

9

Release the Outcome: Juan DeAngulo on Founder Anxiety and Self-Worth

Episode 298 · Juan DeAngulo

Juan DeAngulo on founder anxiety and untying self-worth from outcomes.

Read and listen ›

 

10

Self-Esteem Is the Key to Your Potential: Keith Strauss on Leading

Episode 30 · Keith Strauss

Keith Strauss: self-esteem is the key to unlocking your potential.

Read and listen ›

 

Build the Field

Doubt is easier to see when peers reflect it back, and Build the Field is a small cohort built for honesty, not performance.

Or get Wisdom Weekly, a short Sunday letter on leading what you have built.

Learn more:

  • White LinkedIn Icon
  • Youtube
  • White Instagram Icon
  • White Facebook Icon
  • White Twitter Icon
  • TikTok

©2011-2025 by Govindh Jayaraman

Can we help you win?

bottom of page