Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Michaela, clinical psychologist and founder of My Easy Therapy. 

As part of the Go Humans Academy, we're exploring how self-esteem can boost fearless authenticity. 

We're committed to supercharging your mental well-being, emotional intelligence and empowering you to unleash your full potential. We believe that with the right tools, you'll be equipped to handle anything that life presents. To delve deeper into self-esteem, we've invited the world champion women's rugby team, the  New Zealand Black Ferns, to discuss their careers and self-esteem. Good self-esteem isn't about never feeling fear, but building the courage to confront and overcome our fears.

My superpower is who I am and who I am is Māori.

The most inspiring and heartwarming for me is that people who look like me, brown skin, wide noses, can look at a team like the Black Ferns and see someone who's exactly like them.

Being able to perform the haka and express my culture gives me massive self-esteem. 

It's a really big privilege to be able to wear that jersey. I just try to make the most of that opportunity.

When I look at their image right now, I just see someone who's really strong and powerful

and really good at what they do.  One defining moment, a turning point where I really started to believe that was knowing that one person's opinion doesn't mean everything, really helped me become a whole person and a whole athlete. 

I'm more comfortable at being me and being okay, that might be different to someone else. 

I know that looking at this image, I'm surrounded by kids, but I've also heard so many stories of our team inspiring women. None of us ever expected to be role models not only for young girls and future Black Ferns but also young boys or aspiring to be, All Blacks were aspiring to fulfil their dreams and whatever their dreams are. 

It makes my heart really warm to know that we've accomplished something like that. 

So to be able to inspire the next generation of New Zealanders is a huge honor. 

We've had the privilege of hearing from these outstanding rugby players who've shared remarkable career highs and lows. They've shown us how successful teams are composed of resilient people, undeterred by failure. People who regroup and return stronger.

Personal development is fueled by challenge and solidified by overcoming it.

The negativity from past experiences, critical voices in our lives or instances of bullying have no bearing on your worth today.

The evidence shows that you are at this point because you are good enough. 

Remember, difficult feelings are not facts and they can never get bigger than you. 

And we often underestimate our ability to cope with whatever comes from being vulnerable. 

Remember that being vulnerable isn't a formula and looks different to different people. 

Without vulnerability, we're not being authentic, we're not being genuine. 

Rather than focusing on the negative thoughts, focus on the things that make you feel good. 

Be aware of the voice in your head and try to keep it kind and motivating. 

You may have heard of the idea of imposter syndrome, the idea that we're not really good enough and we're a fraud or pretending to get through a situation. 

But the reality is, we all pretend in life in tough situations, it's what gets us over the threshold in challenging experiences.

Nobody has it all together 100% of the time and everybody is experiencing some kind of challenge. 

You're exactly where you should be because you're good enough. 

So stop comparing and start doing.

And within a safe team environment, we should be able to accept feedback without taking it as criticism. 

Sometimes we can over function, take on too many things or work too hard in order to avoid negative judgment from others or overcome our feelings of being an imposter. 

But over-functioning is damaging to our mental well-being. 

We can rise to the challenge and base our achievements with positive mental reinforcement, not a fear of failure or judgment.

Developing positive self-esteem means taking ownership of our mistakes and using them as feel to push us forward. 

Long-lasting self-esteem fuses vulnerability with confidence. 

Lastly, remember that the path to positive self-esteem isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. 

Being fearless isn't because we don't feel fear, but our ability to be able to perform in spite of it. 

With every challenge faced, we're crafting a stronger, more resilient version of ourselves. 

Most importantly, remember to seek professional help if you need it. 

If you're struggling, don't hesitate to reach out to a mental health professional. 

They can provide immediate support to help you navigate your feelings and develop a stronger sense of self.

And don't forget to continue our sessions in the link below or join the conversation using #GoHumansAcademy and head to ineoshygienics.com for more information and mental health resources.