If you’re navigating the corporate world, trying to grow your confidence, step into leadership, or figure out how to take up more space in your career — sometimes the right voices online can shift everything. These are three women whose content consistently helps shape how we think about work, mindset, and growth.
Founder of Women Diaries, Boitumelo Mmakau, asked them key questions about career development and leadership — and their answers are simple, honest, and powerful.
Jeanelle Teves
What mindset shift helped you step into leadership while still excelling where you were?
“Why not me!”
Sometimes leadership starts with one decision: to stop waiting for permission and start believing you belong in the room already.
Jeanelle Teves is a Filipina-American business executive, speaker, and content creator known for blending corporate leadership with advocacy for working parents.
Follow here: https://www.instagram.com/jeanelleteves/
Sisipo Mbandlase
What advice would you give to a woman who knows she needs to stretch beyond her comfort zone but is scared of getting it wrong?
“Being scared doesn’t mean you’re not ready — it usually means the step actually matters to you. Confidence doesn’t come before the move; it comes because of the move.
Nobody feels ready the first time they speak up, apply, or set boundaries. You’re not afraid of falling — you’re afraid of being seen while falling. Let that go. Tiny brave decisions set you apart.”
She also shares that her confidence is deeply rooted in faith and prayer, which sustains her through uncertainty.
Follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/sisipo_m/
Taiwo Ade
What’s one daily practice that helps you lead with confidence without feeling like an imposter?
“I start my mornings with God — anchoring my identity in who I am, not just what I do. My confidence comes from knowing my purpose is bigger than any job title.”
Outside of corporate work, Ade creates educational and reflective content for an audience of over 150,000 followers across platforms. Her videos and essays explore career mobility, self-learning, and identity, offering frameworks for thriving in spaces historically underrepresented by women and people of colour.
Follow her here: https://www.instagram.com/taiwo.ade/
