Level 5 is all about Expression - showing our leadership of ourselves and others, deepening into our creativity and communication, and expressing ourselves unapologetically.
Anxiety is the uncertainty of whether we can handle a future situation.
Confidence is the a sense of being ‘good enough’ that allows us to act.
Low Self-Esteem is made up by the feelings caused by holding on to a negative self-image.
As I took myself through it, I found myself reflecting on how these three emotional states can quietly shape the way we show up in the world.
Anxiety often has us looking ahead and questioning whether we'll be able to cope with what's coming. Yet when I explored this emotion more deeply, I felt a more powerful knowing around my ability to handle whatever is on the horizon. Life has given me plenty of evidence of that. What emerged instead was a greater sense of ease and calm. A reminder that we don't need to brace for the future. We can move more freely, limit ourselves less, and trust our ability to navigate whatever comes next.
There was also something really powerful in exploring confidence. What became available wasn't a loud or inflated version of confidence. It felt much quieter than that. It felt like an obvious knowing... A sense that I can simply take the next step, then the next one after that. That I can trust myself to get the job done without second-guessing every decision along the way. Less overthinking, more action, and more enjoyment of the process.
The work around low self-esteem was equally interesting. This is something that I started working on over a decade ago, and I'm in a very different place now in relation to my beliefs around my worth. So what emerged for me wasn't a picture of becoming someone different - it was actually a deeper connection to who I already am.
I saw myself grounded, present and fully expressed - clear about the mindset and life coaching work I do, clear about who I want to work with, and able to communicate my modalities, my value and my boundaries with confidence and ease. There was a sense of spaciousness in that vision. Less proving and convincing, and more trust.
What I loved about this level is that expression isn't really about speaking louder or taking up more space (although that's completely allowed - we're absolutely allowed to take up space, be ourselves and speak!). It's about removing the things that stop us from expressing who we truly are.
For me, this level felt like a deepening trust in my own voice, a willingness to communicate more clearly, lead more authentically, and continue building the coaching practice I'm creating from a place of certainty rather than self-doubt.