How to build your confidence -- and spark it in others | Brittany Packnett Cunningham

Brittany’s coins the beginning of her career as a child as follows; “when I was a child, there was a book placed on the coffee table in our living room, just a few steps away from our front door. The living room, being the first space visitors see, was important. It featured white carpeting and a curio cabinet displaying my mother's most cherished collectibles. This room symbolized the struggles of past generations, who, due to poverty or certain policies, couldn't even dream of having a collection of valuables, let alone a middle-class home to showcase them in. Maintaining the perfection of that room was crucial. However, I was willing to risk disrupting its pristine appearance every day just to spend time with that book.”

This book, as Brittany maintains featured a woman named Septima Clark on the cover. In her perfect profile, face raised to the sky, with salt-and-pepper cornrows framing her head, she exuded pride and wisdom through her dark skin. Septima Clark, an activist and educator, eventually became the role model for Brittany’s career. Beyond her spoken words, that single portrait defined confidence for Brittany, even before she could fully grasped the concept.

Confidence, is often underestimated, and yet so crucial. We tend to prioritize knowledge and resources over what we perceive as the soft skill of confidence. Yet, despite having more knowledge and resources than ever before, injustices persist. If knowledge and resources were the sole solution, we wouldn't still be grappling with these challenges. Brittany challenges her audience strongly to believe that confidence is a significant missing element in the equation. Het fascination with confidence has been a central journey in her life, one that she continues to navigate.

Confidence serves as the essential spark preceding all subsequent actions. It makes the difference between being inspired and actually taking steps, between attempting and persisting until completion. Confidence becomes our anchor when faced with failures. The book on the coffee table, inspired Brittany’s vision for a world where revolutionary confidence helps turn our most ambitious dreams into reality.

This vision extended into her classroom when she was also a teacher, where she aimed to create a scholarly version of Willy Wonka's world of pure imagination. All of Brittany’s students, predominantly black or brown and from low-income backgrounds, faced societal barriers to confidence. So her goal became to provide a space for them to cultivate the muscle of confidence, enabling them to approach each day with the assurance needed to reshape the world according to their dreams.

An example she often shares of her students is that of two students, Jamal and Regina. She shares; “Jamal, brilliant but unfocused, struggled with writing. Through negotiation and creative solutions, he began to thrive, surprising the class with his brilliance during a mock presidential election. On the other hand, Regina, equally brilliant but active, posed a challenge. Unfortunately, I made a regrettable choice one day, choosing control over understanding. This incident highlighted the profound impact a lack of confidence can have on a student's spirit. A scarcity of confidence, whether from the bottom or the top, hinders progress, trapping us in a cycle of "can'ts," "won'ts," and "impossibles." Without confidence, we get stuck, unable to initiate change. Confidence, as a revolutionary choice for some of us, should not be underestimated, as it propels our best ideas and dreams into reality.”

Moreover, Brittany often exudes that cracking the code on confidence involves three elements: permission, community, and curiosity. Permission gives birth to confidence, community nurtures it, and curiosity affirms it. In my own journey, witnessing my mother confidently navigate car purchases gave me the permission to defy expectations. Community, as exemplified by the Maasai women in Kenya, provides a safe space to try on confidence, reinforcing the idea that we are better together. Curiosity allows individuals to be in charge of their own learning, turning mistakes into opportunities for growth.

As we strive to solve our greatest challenges and build the world of our dreams, we must cultivate the confidence required for such endeavours. A world where inequity ends, justice prevails, and freedom exists inside and out, embracing confidence regardless of its form. Brittany’s path encourages us that we, as a collective, have the power to unlock the future we desire.