How to Trust Yourself: Overcome Imposter Syndrome, Feel Confident, and Let Yourself Be Seen

In this rich, heartfelt episode, Anna is joined by Ashley Olson, Founder and Executive Chef of Southern with a French Twist. Ashley creates intimate culinary experiences across Austin and the Hill Country — from luxury dinner parties to private jet catering — with a philosophy that blends Southern warmth with French finesse.
But this episode isn’t just about food. It’s about returning to the parts of yourself you left behind. It’s about trusting the unknown. It’s about community, creativity, and the radical act of showing up authentically in a world that often feels isolating.
Ashley shares the winding path that took her from corporate tech burnout to culinary school to building a business centered on connection and hospitality. She talks about shame-free childhood creativity, the vulnerability of letting herself be seen, and the courage of choosing a life without knowing where it will lead.
She also shares her passion for reimagining the culinary workplace — creating environments where chefs are cared for, nourished, and supported rather than burnt out and broken down.
In this episode, we explore:
• Ashley’s early love of baking and the creative breadcrumbs that led her back to herself
• Leaving the corporate grind to follow an intuition she couldn’t explain yet
• The role of safe containers — in life, in community, and at the table
• How COVID changed gathering culture and sparked Ashley’s business growth
• Why authenticity is terrifying (and necessary) for building anything meaningful
• Coming home to your own creative identity — and the business that emerges when you stop shape-shifting
• What makes Southern with a French Twist different from traditional private chefing
• The importance of bringing hospitality to both clients and the chefs behind the scenes
• Ashley’s dreams for the future: a movement around gathering, and a radically healthy culinary workplace
• The practical, grounded conversation she has with fear every single day
• How to recognize the “heat map” of fear and follow it toward creativity
This episode is a warm meal for anyone longing for creativity, connection, or permission to return to the truest parts of themselves.

Connect with Ashley
• Website: https://www.southernwithafrenchtwist.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chef.ashley.olson/

Connect with Anna
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/
• Website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/
• Free workshop — Let Yourself Be Seen: https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

In this intimate and inspiring conversation, Anna talks with award-winning ceramic artist Hannie Goldgewicht, whose work blends wheel-thrown pottery with pine-needle basketry — a unique hybrid rooted in her Costa Rican upbringing, her travels throughout Latin America and beyond, and her lifelong devotion to handmade craft.
Hannie’s creative journey began in childhood, learning soldering and jewelry-making from her mother, experimenting with every medium imaginable, and eventually studying sculpture at the Universidad de Costa Rica with honors. She later traveled the world, apprenticed with master artists, and built a career that has earned her multiple Best in Show awards, features in American Craft Council Magazine, and an invitation to the prestigious Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Korea.
Alongside her husband and creative partner, artist and model-maker Leo Gotlibowski, Hannie has also created life-size sculptures for the Costa Rican Pre-Columbian Gold Museum — work that is now on permanent display.
In this episode, we explore:
• Hannie’s lifelong relationship with clay — and why ceramics remains her creative home
• The grounding, meditative, deeply human qualities of handmade craft
• How she balances being both an artist and a business owner
• The surprising ways creativity shows up in the business side of her work
• What it takes to stay committed through the “messy middle” — the long uncertain stretch all artists face
• How Hannie navigated doubts, pivots, and experimentation in her early career
• Her practices for returning to curiosity when inspiration feels far away
• The importance of patience, devotion, and staying close to the materials you love
This is a conversation about art, but it’s also a conversation about resilience, craft, and what it means to build a life anchored in creativity over the long term.

Connect with Hannie
• Website: https://www.hanniegold.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hanniegoldart

Connect with Anna
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/
• Website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/
• Free workshop — Let Yourself Be Seen: https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

What if the reason you don’t feel confident… isn’t because you’re unqualified?
In this solo episode, I share a simple but powerful shift that came out of a recent Seen & Safe group session—one that challenges the common belief that we need to become experts before we can show up fully.
We often tell ourselves:
“I need more training.”
“I need more experience.”
“I need to feel ready first.”
But what if confidence doesn’t come from mastery?
What if it comes from something much more accessible?
In this episode, I explore the idea that confidence is built through proximity over time—not perfection—and how our nervous system plays a central role in whether something feels safe or threatening.
And yes… there’s also a slightly chaotic (and slightly gross) story about my cats adjusting to a new litter robot that somehow brings this whole concept to life.
If you’ve been circling something—public speaking, sharing your work, making a move in your business, or even just expressing yourself more honestly—this episode will help you understand what’s actually getting in the way, and how to move forward in a way that feels grounded and doable.

In this episode, we explore:
• Why feeling “unskilled” is often a nervous system response, not a true lack of ability
• The difference between mastery vs. familiarity—and why we confuse the two
• How fear convinces you to delay action in the name of “preparation”
• What actually builds confidence (hint: it’s not more studying)
• How to use graded exposure, self-soothing, and co-regulation to take your next step
• Why safe, supportive spaces can accelerate your growth in ways you can’t do alone

If you’re ready to stop waiting until you feel “ready” and start gently stepping into what’s calling you, you’re in the right place.
And if you’re looking for a space to practice this in real time, Seen & Safe is my small group coaching space for sensitive creatives, entrepreneurs, and humans in transition who want to build visibility with nervous system support.
You can learn more or reach out here:
🌐 www.annaholtzman.com/seenandsafe
📧 [email protected]

In this illuminating and refreshingly honest conversation, Anna sits down with Richelle Fredson, Book Proposal Coach, publishing aficionado, and former Director of Publicity & Book Marketing at Hay House. With 20+ years of industry experience — including roles in acquisitions, author development, and major launches — Richelle has helped thousands of authors turn their ideas into compelling proposals and land publishing deals.
Richelle has worked with powerhouse authors like Farnoosh Torabi, Chrissy King, Jennifer Racioppi, Terri Cole, Jen Winston, and more. But what makes her so unique is her commitment to transparency. She lifts the veil on an industry that often feels opaque, intimidating, and gatekept — and replaces fear with clarity and empowerment.
This conversation goes far beyond book deals. It’s about visibility, identity, confidence, and what happens inside someone when they decide to put their voice into the world in print.
In this episode, we explore:
• Why Richelle believes we need more books — especially from mission-driven leaders, creatives, and underrepresented voices
• Why the idea that “there are already enough books” is a myth that keeps people silent
• The most common fears aspiring authors face (imposter syndrome, pressure to have a perfect platform, fear of rejection) and how she helps them move through it
• How the publishing industry actually works — and what most people misunderstand about it
• Why a strong book proposal is not just a business document, but a clarity document
• The deeper emotional and identity transformation authors experience during the proposal and writing process
• How visibility wounds show up when someone starts writing a book — and what it takes to move through them with compassion
• Why writing a book is as much about personal evolution as it is about craft, platform, or sales
Whether you’re already writing, secretly dreaming, or just curious about the world of publishing, this episode gives you both the strategy and the soul of what it takes to bring a book to life.

Connect with Richelle Fredson
• Website: https://richellefredson.com/
• The Book Proposal Assembly: https://richellefredson.com/assembly/
• Podcast: Bound and Determined
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richellefredson/

Connect with Anna
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anna_holtzman/
• Website: https://www.annaholtzman.com/
• Free workshop — Let Yourself Be Seen: https://www.annaholtzman.com/beseen

What if the thing holding you back isn’t what you’ve been through… but what you’ve had to hide?
In this solo episode, I explore the physiology of shame—how the parts of ourselves we keep hidden don’t just stay tucked away, but actually shape how we move through the world.
From the outside, it might look like you’re doing fine. But internally, there can be a quiet contraction: a subtle bracing in your body, a holding back in your voice, a hesitation to take up space or go after what you want.
In this episode, I share why nearly all of us carry some version of a “shame story”—whether it’s about something we’ve done, something we haven’t done, who we are, or where we come from—and how that hidden tension can ripple into our work, relationships, and sense of self.
I also talk about the double bind many of us find ourselves in: feeling like we either have to hide these parts of ourselves… or reveal everything in order to be free.
But what if healing doesn’t require you to share your most vulnerable stories with the whole world?
What I’ve seen again and again—in my own life and in my work with clients—is that transformation often begins much more quietly: in a moment of being truly met.
In this episode, we explore:
• What shame actually does in the body (and why it feels like contraction)
• How hiding parts of yourself impacts confidence, self-expression, and decision-making
• The subtle ways shame shows up in high-functioning, high-achieving people
• The “double bind” of shame: hiding vs. overexposing
• Why you don’t need to tell everyone your story to heal
• What begins to shift when you feel safe enough to be seen, even by one person
I also share real examples of the kinds of transformations I’ve witnessed when clients begin to soften their relationship with shame—from stepping into leadership roles, to leaving toxic environments, to creating meaningful work and relationships from a more grounded, self-trusting place.
If you’ve ever felt like there’s a part of you that isn’t fully shareable… this episode is for you.

A gentle invitation:
As you listen, notice if there’s something in your life you’ve quietly decided isn’t safe to share.
You don’t have to reveal it to the world.
But what might it be like to let it be seen—just a little—in a space that feels safe enough?

If this episode resonated, you’re always welcome to reach out.
You can email me at [email protected] and simply say, “this resonated.”
That alone can be a first step.

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