👋 Hi my name is Roslyn, I’m a founder and executive coach. I help purpose-led founders scale their impact without burning out. Learn about working 1:1 here.

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Hi there,

Happy Tuesday!

I’m feeling excited and hopeful this week because I've been getting some creative downloads around the direction of my business: who I want to narrow in my focus on serving, how to serve them, ways to evolve my offerings. 

I’m going to keep them to myself for now while they’re in this kind of vulnerable incubation stage… but I’ll be excited to get your thoughts soon enough!

This had me thinking about the importance of just starting. I wouldn’t have gotten clarity on some of these ideas if I hadn’t followed my intuition to pursue coaching, launch my business, start this newsletter (even though it all felt kind of vulnerable and scary in the moment).

The clarity has come with the action. And that required trust. Trust that taking the next step that feels authentic, aligned and energizing, would set me in the right direction. Even though it’s uncomfortable not to have a clear roadmap or certainty that it will all work out (spoiler alert: we never actually have certainty about much anyways).

So if you’re hesitating on something, worried that you’ll get it wrong or that you don’t have enough clarity yet, I say just start. As long as it feels aligned you can’t go wrong. You’ll either succeed or learn something, which are both wins.

Alright, today I’m talking about something I wish I’d known how to do better as founder: cultivating belief in myself and my company. 

This is sooo important for many aspects of business building, and especially for fundraising. So today we’ll cover:

• Why we tend to err on the side of negativity

• The importance of showing ourselves the evidence to the contrary

• Practices to shift our mindset from the inner critic to the inner visionary

Let’s dive in.

Where we go deep on the outer work or the inner work of building a startup.

How to Build Your Belief in Yourself & Your Company

If I’m being honest, one of the qualities I wish I’d cultivated more as a founder is belief—in myself and in my company.

When you’re building a big vision, it helps to be slightly delusional. Sure, there are moments when realism is necessary—when you need to weigh risks and plan accordingly. But most of the time, to create something that doesn’t exist yet, to rally investors, customers, and teammates around your idea, you need strong conviction. You need belief, even when the odds are stacked against you.

I didn’t always have that. My self-doubt often bled into doubt about our company. I’d let my negativity bias (that hardwired tendency to focus on what’s wrong) take over. I’d spiral about all the ways we weren’t enough—weren’t growing fast enough, serving well enough, operating efficiently enough. And that lens clouded my view of our company.

Not exactly the energy you want to bring into a pitch, a team meeting, or the world.

Because people pick up on your energy. When you believe you’re building something world-changing, people feel it. When you believe your company isn’t good enough, they feel that too—and treat you accordingly. It affects everything: fundraising, sales, hiring, leadership.

So how do we shift the narrative? How do we move through the negativity bias and cultivate belief?

By showing ourselves the evidence that supports the story we want to believe.

INNER CRITIC VS. INNER VISIONARY

Imagine you’re a judge hearing two sides of a case being argued. 

One side is represented by your inner critic, and they’re making the case that your company is not good enough and will likely fail.

The other side is represented by your inner visionary, making the case that your company is already successful and on track to change the world.

As the judge you could see the possibility of either case being true. And so you need both sides to present their evidence.

Both sides actually have the same evidence, but they choose to highlight different pieces of evidence and tell stories about what their evidence means.

The inner critic easily pulls up examples of you not hitting your growth targets, a customer complaint, and an investor who said the target market wasn’t big enough. “Clearly we’re destined to fail and have so much work to do to change that!”, the inner critic deduces.

The inner visionary pulls up a list of positive testimonials, a trend of profitability and a strategic plan for growing 10X. “The majority of our customers love what we’re doing, we’re already profitable and we have a path to exponential growth and impact”, says the inner visionary.

Either of them could be right. And choosing which one you believe has the ability to influence whether you succeed or not.

Believing the inner critic has you showing up in scarcity mentality, feeling overwhelmed and closed off to opportunities. 

Believing the inner visionary has you magnetizing investors, great teammates and opportunities to your company. 

The thing is, you have both the inner critic and the inner visionary within you at all times, and you get to decide as the judge who you want to listen to.

Our reptilian brains have a negativity bias because, from an evolutionary perspective, survival depended more on noticing danger than appreciating the positives.

That means your inner critic usually has the floor. But you can intentionally rewire your brain to start to notice the positive evidence and believe in the visionary’s story instead.

So, if you notice your inner judge starting to side with the inner critic…

1. Genuinely thank your inner critic for trying to keep you safe. Close your eyes, put your hand on your heart, connect with your body and say something like “Hi inner critic, I can see that you’re just trying to keep me safe and I really appreciate how hard you’re working. Thank you so much.”

2. And then, present the evidence to your inner judge that will help you embody the belief that your company is incredible. Here’s now.

HOW TO SHOW YOURSELF THE EVIDENCE

1. DAILY COMPANY & SELF-GRATITUDE

PURPOSE:

To train your brain to recognize progress, rewire your narrative around success, and build resilience by anchoring into what’s working—even on hard days.

DAILY PROMPTS:

Every day, take 5–10 minutes to answer:

1. What are 3 things that went well in your company today (big or small)?

Then: Write what it means. What is the deeper evidence or truth it reflects?

2. What are 3 things you did well today (big or small)?

Again: What does this reflect about who you're becoming or what you're capable of?

EXAMPLE JOURNAL ENTRIES:

COMPANY WINS

• We received a thoughtful piece of feedback from a user.

  • What it means: This is evidence that people care deeply about our product and want to help us improve. We’re building something worth engaging with.

• We hit a small internal milestone ahead of schedule.

  • What it means: Our systems are working. My team is aligned and executing well. We can trust our rhythm.

• We had a quiet week, but didn’t lose any clients.

  • What it means: Stability is a form of success too. We’re building something sustainable, not just flashy.

PERSONAL WINS

• I sent a follow-up email I’d been avoiding.

  • What it means: I’m facing resistance head-on and following through even when it’s uncomfortable. I’m growing in courage.

• I ate lunch away from my laptop.

  • What it means: I value my well-being and energy. I’m not sacrificing myself to build this.

• I helped my co-founder reframe a tough situation instead of reacting.

  • What it means: I’m becoming a more grounded leader. I can hold tension without being consumed by it.

Why It Works:

• Your brain has a negativity bias — this retrains it to see and feel the wins.

• You start to build an inner narrative rooted in evidence of progress, not self-doubt.

• You create an archive of proof to draw on when you need a confidence boost or perspective shift.

2. LIST OF PRAISE & SUCCESS 

PURPOSE:

To collect external validation and success markers so that you’re not relying on your memory in moments of doubt. You’ll have receipts — real words from real people reminding you what’s working and why you’re amazing.

HOW TO SET IT UP:

Create a running Google Doc, Notion page, or folder in your email or notes app.

Title it something fun like:

• “Wins & Praise”

• “Proof I’m Crushing It”

• “Hype file”

WHAT TO ADD:

Any of the following:

• Kind or grateful emails from customers or partners

• Testimonials, reviews, or DMs

• Employee or co-founder feedback

• A compliment or encouragement from a friend or mentor

• Screenshots from Slack or text threads

• Your own reflections from journal entries!

EXAMPLE ENTRIES:

• “I’m so glad you started this company. I don’t think I would’ve kept going with my idea if I hadn’t heard you speak about your experience.” (from a follower)

• “You’re one of the most emotionally intelligent founders I’ve ever worked with. Keep trusting your instincts.” (from a VC)

• “This product is a game-changer. I’ve told 5 of my friends about it already.” (customer email)

• “Your leadership has made this the healthiest startup culture I’ve been a part of.” (team member feedback)

HOW TO USE IT:

• Revisit it before investor meetings, pitch calls, hard conversations, or launches.

• Read a few entries when you feel imposter syndrome or discouragement creeping in.

• Use it to inform testimonials, marketing copy, or when writing about your founder journey.

3. LOVE NOTES TO SELF

PURPOSE:

To develop a more loving, supportive, and compassionate inner voice—especially in the absence of external validation. This practice rewires how you relate to yourself, strengthens emotional resilience, and meets shame with self-compassion.

HOW TO DO IT:

Each day, write a short love note to yourself.

This can be a few lines or several paragraphs—whatever feels honest in the moment.

If it feels awkward or unnatural (very common at first!), try imagining you’re writing to a dear friend, your younger self, or a child version of you. Use terms of endearment like “sweetheart,” “darling,” “love” to soften your tone. Even if it feels cheesy, it works.

You can write in a journal, a doc, or a running note in your phone—whatever keeps it accessible.

EXAMPLE ENTRIES:

• Sweetheart, I know today felt overwhelming. But you showed up with so much heart. You don’t have to prove your worth by how much you accomplish. You are enough exactly as you are.

• Darling, I saw the way you held yourself in that hard moment today. You didn’t spiral. You breathed. You stayed kind. That’s huge. I’m so proud of you.

• Hey love, I know you're tired and unsure right now. But you’ve come so far. You’ve built something beautiful with care and integrity. Rest is not a step back—it's an act of trust.

WHY IT WORKS:

• Creates a direct internal source of love, support, and safety

• Reduces dependence on external validation for motivation and worth

• Builds emotional self-sufficiency and gentleness—key for sustainable leadership

I used this practice consistently when I was recovering from burnout and it was genuinely incredibly healing for me, as it can be especially for those that have historically felt pressure to perform to feel lovable or valuable. 

Over time, you start to believe your own words—and that is incredibly powerful.

A FINAL NOTE:

If you’re finding yourself often getting caught up in the negativity bias and your body is going into a fight, flight, freeze or fawn response as a result, consider complementing this mindset work with nervous system work. I shared more about this two weeks ago and you can read that newsletter here. 

1. Is it my default to think more positively or negatively about myself and my company?

2. What evidence do I have that my company is crushing it?

3. What evidence do I have that I’m a great founder or leader?

4. What’s a moment I recently experienced self-doubt or shame? How would it sound for me to offer myself self-compassion or encouragement instead?

ON DAILY SELF-GRATITUDE JOURNALING

• I learned about the daily journaling practice from The Karma of Success by Liz Tran.

  • I highly recommend her book and podcast to founders as they are both uplifting and practical.

ON LOVE NOTES TO SELF

• I got the love notes idea from Piera Geraldi on Active Ingredient podcast.

  • Then I learned about Elizabeth Gilbert’s practice of speaking to herself from love in Eat Pray Love.

  • She now has a whole newsletter called Letters from Love which she describes on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast. 

ON MEETING SHAME WITH COMPASSION

• If you want to learn more about how self-compassion can help you counter guilt, shame and an endless inner critic, Kristin Neff is the OG in this area with her books Self-Compassion and Fierce Self-Compassion. 

  • I also loved Amanda Baudier’s recent substack on shame.

• 1:1 Coaching: If you’d like support building a company you’ll be excited to work in for years, let’s chat.
  

• If you want to see more of the BTS of building Within as well as learn more about these concepts, let’s be friends on Instagram and LinkedIn.

• Finally, tell me how you liked this newsletter. I read every piece of feedback.

Thank you so much being here, it truly means the world to me.

With love,
Roslyn 💚