The commonly held belief is that confidence is something that can be gained or lost, built or crushed – more often than not, by circumstances ‘out there’. A boss at work who continually puts you down, the fact that you haven’t worked for 5 years, a role that doesn’t play to your strengths. The list goes on.

Today I did a talk on “How to reignite your confidence after a career break” for the Really Helpful Club. One of the points of discussion was the inner critic – the voice in our head that stops us from taking risks, putting ourselves forward or moving out of our comfort zone.