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Bridging the Confidence Gap: How Empowered Women Change the World by Sheena Yap Chan

June 12, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Sheena Yap Chan

Book Review

Celebrated executive, business leader, and author, Sheena Yap Chan’s book, Bridging the Confidence Gap: How Empowered Women Change the World, is a startlingly insightful and inspiring discussion of female leadership. Sheena delivers a transformative and fresh take on the challenges, pitfalls, and opportunities women face when they reach for the reins of leadership in business. She walks you through how to navigate those challenges and realize those opportunities with powerful observations drawn from a lifetime in business.


In Sheena Yap Chan’s book, Bridging the Confidence Gap: How Empowered Women Change the World, you'll learn to level-up your personal and entrepreneurial leadership journey as you discover how to increase your courage and promote yourself, just as you explore the benefits to you, your organization, and society that come from you taking on a leadership role. You'll also find:

  • A formula for women's leadership you can replicate in your own life and job

  • Strategies for celebrating your remarkable achievements and supporting others in their own journeys through leadership

  • Techniques for overcoming imposter syndrome and the double standards that women face in the workplace

Bridging the Confidence Gap is a roadmap to self-confidence for women in leadership roles, and for women business builders who want to boost their confidence levels to realize their big vision and goals. You’ll explore several key strategies that will transform the way you see yourself and your opportunities. You’ll discover the importance of self-promotion―and how it empowers women―and exactly why it’s so important to have women in places of power and leadership. You’ll learn about the benefits that you, your company, and society will enjoy when you take the opportunity to lead others.

Bridging the Confidence Gap demonstrates why you should take a chance on yourself and how you can become your own biggest cheerleader. It walks you through how to keep showing up, even when it seems like the entire world has turned against you. You’ll learn to recognize and celebrate yourself for your remarkable achievements and begin to cultivate a support system that coaches and lifts you up when times are at their hardest.

Author Quotes

To be fearless doesn't mean you have no fears. It's acknowledging your fears and doing it anyway.

Break out of your shell so you can live an authentic life and thrive.

Being visible helps us eliminate negative stereotypes and better represent our community and beyond.

About the author

Sheena Yap Chan is a Keynote Speaker, Consultant, and The Wall Street Journal bestselling author on building self-confidence. She is also the founder and host of the award-winning podcast called The Tao of Self-Confidence where she interviews women about their inner journey to self-confidence. After going from having low self esteem to being the confident woman that she is today, Sheena uses her experience to help women overcome their self-limiting beliefs to live a better life. Her podcast has achieved over one million downloads to date and has interviewed over 800 women on the topic of confidence. She has interviewed celebrities, 8 figure CEO’s, and more. Sheena is one of the TOP 10 Self Confidence/Self Love Coaches to Follow which was featured in Disrupt Magazine. She is also the co-author of the International bestselling books called Asian Women Who Boss Up and International Women of Color Who Boss Up. Her book, The Tao of Self-Confidence, is The Wall Street Journal Business Hardcover Book and Publishers Weekly Bestselling Nonfiction Hardcover Book.

https://www.sheenayapchan.com


Why LoA loves it…

In Bridging the Confidence Gap: How Empowered Women Change the World, celebrated executive and author Sheena Yap Chan delivers an inspiring and exciting new take on how to unlock your full potential, in business and in life. In the book, Yap Chan explains how to overcome the imposter syndromes, the double standards, and the confidence gender gap that condemns so many women to work in roles that don’t properly challenge or reward them. This is a great read for women entrepreneurs who have a big mission in life and business, but need to build their confidence levels to achieve their goals. Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa

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