🎧 The Confident Leader: A Two-Part Conversation with Ana Larrea-Albert - Part 1

Part 1: From Self-Doubt to Confident Leadership – with Ana Larrea-Albert

In this special two-part episode, I sit down with Ana Larrea-Albert—leadership expert, professor, and author of The Confident Leader—to explore what it truly means to lead with clarity, authenticity, and confidence.

👉 Part 1 takes us through Ana’s personal leadership journey, the roots of self-doubt, and how values, mindset, and coaching can unlock lasting confidence.

👉 Part 2 dives into transformational mindset shifts like Fly Mode vs. Bee Mode, as well as her powerful frameworks LEAD and PRGA, designed to help leaders grow with purpose and emotional intelligence.

Whether you're a new leader or looking to reconnect with your purpose—this two-part conversation is filled with practical insight, honest stories, and wisdom you can apply right away.

Detailed description of Part 1:

In Part 1 of this empowering conversation, I’m joined by Ana Larrea-Albert, leadership and organizational development expert, professor, and author of "The Confident Leader: From Self-Doubt to Authentically You"

Ana shares her inspiring journey from being a "non-leader" to a confident voice in the leadership space. We talk about the power of self-awareness, the role of mindset, and how coaching and aha moments can radically transform how we lead ourselves and others.

Together, we explore:
    - Why self-doubt is common—even among high achievers
    - The building blocks of confidence: values, mindset, strengths
    - Why authenticity isn’t about perfection, but about self-compassion
    - How mentoring and serving others can shape your leadership journey
    - Real stories from coaching that brought transformation

If you're a rising leader, wrestling with imposter syndrome, or seeking to lead with more clarity and confidence—this episode will meet you where you are.

To learn more from Ana Larea-Albert, connect with her on social media:
    - You find her book at:  www.theconfidentleaderbook.com
    - You can learn more of her Confident Leader Lab at: https://paperbell.me/ana-larrea-albert 

If this episode spoke to you—or if you know someone who needs this message—share it forward. Whether it’s a teammate, employee, or friend, you can point them to:
🌐 https://lifeleadershipconnected.systeme.io/7bab630d

👣 And as always—We empower your journey.

Transcript

0:05

From being uh a performer, right? An individual performer to all of a sudden my performance needing to be around, how do I empower my team? So that was an important jump. Thanks to that question, I'm doing a little bit of these moments, leapfrog moments in my career. Really the main difference between the non-leader to the leader role has been that shift of focus from it's about me and my performance and my numbers and me fulfilling quotas and me turning in assignments on time to how do I make sure that I create the space, the psychological safety, the challenge, right? Because we want to challenge our team to grow and develop and become their best selves. So it's no longer about me, it's about them."Your Mess is your Message , your Test is your Testament". So what was my mess? Finding confidence in, for instance, what I mentioned before, stepping into that executive role. was terrifying. I did not know. I'd never been an executive before. I didn't know what to do, but had I had some of the tools in my book, which by the way, are the ones that I've. used throughout writing the book, because I have found myself in a lot of self-doubt as I'm writing the book and I've used these tools, but I wish I would have had these tools already in those really difficult moments in my career. So it's my gift. I like to think of it as my love letter to fellow high performers who are sometimes feeling these moments of I'm not sure what to do. Am I enough? it was part of my program to have executive coaching done to me. It was so transformational, David, looking at all the assessments, personality assessments, strengths assessments, communication style. Everything that I do now with my students, with my coachees, my mentees, and seeing on paper all of the things that made me me, that for whatever reason I didn't have so clearly in front of me. Maybe they were there, I was maybe assuming I could do something well or not, but having that clarity of these are my strengths and this is, what I bring to every situation, regardless of the situation, this is in me. Also understanding what those gaps were, what that, that those areas of development, instead of considering, considering them weaknesses, because again, it's very negatively loaded. These are great opportunities for growth. So understanding that my landscape of strengths and areas of development, It gave me purpose to make a difference. So I had been for a really long time, very focused on myself. So I wanted to be the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company, especially as a Latina here in the US, that was my goal back then. And it motivated me to a point. However, I realized in that process of learning about myself that I had, I was focusing on me and it was all about me and my growth and I need to be this and I want that title. And part of that exercise around my strengths was understanding that I had a lot of potential to help others. It's not that I wasn't helping people already, but I realized that I could become even more fulfilled if I turn that spotlight from me onto others. there's also a message in there somewhere to listen to your intuition, to surrender to a greater calling when it feels so strongly. To trust that you are aligned, that you are on a wavelength that will eventually bring you where you need to go. Hello and warm welcome to the Life and Leadership Connected podcast. I am David Dahlén D'Cruz and I'm so excited you're here today. In this podcast we dive into what really matters. Finding a life's purpose. Discovering a why. and learning how to connect life and leadership in a healthy and sustainable way. What fuels your energy and passion? How do we grow and stay as leaders who make a real difference? inspiration to live with greater purpose and lead with heart. Want to learn more? Visit lifeleadershipconnected.com. I'm your guide and coach, David Dahlén D'Cruz. Let's get started. Hello and welcome to a new episode of the podcast, Life Leadership Connected Podcast. And today I have the whose name is Ana Larea-Albert. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you, David. Well done with that last name, the double R's. Nailed it. Thank you, thank you. As I usually do, I will give a short presentation of who Ana is. a leadership and organizational development expert who is committed to helping leaders to elevate their life and businesses. She's a bilingual leader with a heart with 20 plus years of international business experiences. And she is an executive turned university professor. So she was an executive, but now turned to be a professor who helps people bridge the gap between who they are now and what they would like to be. She has a focus on the power of self-awareness and perspective. And she excels at guiding her audience through the complexities of leadership and cultural development. She helps enhance self and team performance and navigate leadership challenges multicultural environments and also foster effective workplace cultures. She has worked with prestigious organizations like Microsoft, Altria Group, PayPal, NASA, and among many others. And she has an ability to engage with and influence top tier professionals at global companies and Fortune 500 companies. She's born in Quito, Ecuador and has a degree from Harvard University. And there she has a degree of Master of Public Administration and also from Florida Atlantic University where she did Master of Business Administration degree. She has written three books. two children books and one non-fiction book that speaks leaders and established executives who are looking for transforming self-doubt into leadership strength and authentic leadership development. And it's a quite recent book it has the title "Beyond Enough, the high performance path to confident leadership". And Ana is also the founder of the Institute of Leadership & Culture and is an adjunct professor. of leadership and organizations for the MBA program FAU, that is Florida Atlantic University. Her teaching, workshops, keynotes and coaching have empowered thousands of students and leaders at all levels and equipping them with skills to lead themselves and their teams with confidence. And she lives Wellington in Florida in the United States of America. Did I miss anything, Ana? No, David, that was very thorough. And one thing that actually has been part of this journey of writing the book was that I originally started with the title that you mentioned. And I chose to change it into this now "The Confident Leader"; "-from self doubt to authentically you". And it is Quite the experience for somebody who has been, I don't know, I grew up by both in school and at work trying to be a perfectionist and trying to have everything perfect. And then having had that original title and having to say, you know what, I did a lot of work on that title, but I think this one's better. Oof, that was a big one. So thank you for bringing that up and actually creating a little moment for me to remember that. uh that transformation and growth even in this book journey. Great. us a little bit about yourself, Ana, so we can get to know you and tell us a bit about your story where you started like, you know, maybe as a non-leader and became a leader, the leader you are today. Absolutely. I can even go back to school now, now that you're the way you framed it from a non-leader to leader. I think I was already in embodying somehow that space of leadership in my school. I was very, again, maybe going back to the perfectionist, I was very good at grades. I was elected multiple times, you know, the best student in the class, even. uh in Ecuador, em but, top student in Ecuador. But it really was a different experience when I entered the world of work here in the United States. So moved here when I was 20, some 22, I believe. And it became this, I was lost, let's call it like that. I did not find that same immediate feedback, immediate validation from my grade. Right. And now that I'm a uh professor that I coach, I see a lot of very ambitious people, professionals who have had that loss of identity or loss of even confidence going from, I, somebody used to tell me that I was doing a great job, every single assignment, every little quiz to trying to figure it out on my own. Right. So that was an, an, an important transition, really an important period of growth. that led me through multiple jobs and roles. And I eventually landed on the VP of Marketing and Customer Experience at a Finnish shipbuilding company, where I was for about 10 years. And it was uh an immense jump From being uh a performer, right? An individual performer to all of a sudden my performance needing to be around, how do I empower my team? So that was an important jump. Thanks to that question, I'm doing a little bit of these moments, leapfrog moments in my career. Really the main difference between the non-leader to the leader role has been that shift of focus from it's about me and my performance and my numbers and me fulfilling quotas and me turning in assignments on time to how do I make sure that I create the space, the psychological safety, the challenge, right? Because we want to challenge our team to grow and develop and become their best selves. So it's no longer about me, it's about them. Thank you. Thank you. will continue a bit later about your leadership experience and so on. But first, tell me about what gives you life within the area of focus that you've chosen to spend most of your time in your life. you keep your energy at high level there by day in what you're doing? Yes. So the first part, what gives me life? The aha -moment, the face, the light in uh the person I'm having a conversation with, when I see that something I said or some question I prompted created a moment of, oh I hadn't thought about it like that, or I hadn't even thought about that. That aha -moment, I like to call my currency aha -moments. This is what I live for, just being able to guide conversations or guide thought processes to the point where there's a moment of realization of that self-awareness that you mentioned it very focused on, that brings me life. And to the next question, How do I keep the energy? That's a tricky one because I pour myself into those aha -moments. So I am invested in that process of trying to figure out and guiding through that. So when I coach, when I teach, em I teach at Florida Atlantic University, Leadership & Organizations and it's three hours at night from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. So it takes a lot out of me. And I have managed now to understand my body and how it fluctuates with energy. So I know I am investing a lot of that energy into these moments. So I have, let's say catered or curated my life and what I do, my work around these moments and the moments of rest, the moments of recovery. So I know that coming on this podcast with you, David, I was, I'm excited. I I'm bringing everything that I can into it because It's not only you and I that are meeting, but also me reaching your followers and the people that trust you with their time. So I am putting into this moment as much as I can, but I know later on in the day, I need to manage how much of this intensity, this brightness that I'm burning with, I can incorporate. It's really, that's the bit of self-awareness as well that I'm a big fan of and I try to make both younger professionals and executives, because this is a struggle across the career, be more aware of, be more conscious of their doing this energy audits, right? Being aware of where they bring more, where they don't have to and manage it so there's no burnout. Because I did have a moment of burnout, David, several years ago. where it was hard. It really took me out. I know better now. Unfortunately, I had to go through that, but I know much better now. Wow, good. We'll come back to that work balance later on. First, I understand that you have very strong passion to help people increase their self-confidence. Thereof the book, of course, with that title. increase their self-awareness and find their true strengths. Where does this passion come from? And can you perhaps give some example from your own life where you struggled with this yourself? David, that is exactly where this book is coming from, from my own struggle. So I study confidence. teach, actually, I like to think about all of the work that I do for my coaching in the Confident Leader Lab, the work that I'm doing with research with the Institute of Leadership & Culture, this book, my teaching, all of it is really happens between self-doubt and action. So it's that moment chronological, uh mental, emotional, physical gap between the doubt, the inner doubt and that inspired action. So one thing you will notice in my book is I dislike the term Imposter Syndrome because it's negatively loaded and it brings with it, first of all, some sort of condition like we're sick or ill with this. right? Imposter syndrome. And the other thing is that immediately we're calling ourselves imposter, whether we're feeling these emotions or not, we're already assigning them a very negative thing. How different would my book be instead of the confident leader, the imposter syndrome professional or fighting imposter syndrome, just brings it down. So I'm a big believer in reframing things. And in my journey of finding that confidence, even though I have looking back at my resume, you can see a variety of accomplishments, things that in paper sound great, but I still found myself in deep trouts, deep chasms of self-doubt. And I see that across the board from students all the way to executives, despite a lot of accomplishments having those moments. So I went through that. And I truly think that when you write a book, you're writing it to you five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago. And that's really what inspired the book plus my students, because I could see myself in my students. I did my MBA at FAU, Florida Atlantic University. I teach hundreds of MBA students and I see the same narratives playing over and over. So I chose that.

uh, to fulfill this message that I've heard or this, um, principle: 18:50

"Your Mess is your Message , your Test is your Testament". So what was my mess? Finding confidence in, for instance, what I mentioned before, stepping into that executive role. was terrifying. I did not know. I'd never been an executive before. I didn't know what to do, but had I had some of the tools in my book, which by the way, are the ones that I've. used throughout writing the book, because I have found myself in a lot of self-doubt as I'm writing the book and I've used these tools, but I wish I would have had these tools already in those really difficult moments in my career. So it's my gift. I like to think of it as my love letter to fellow high performers who are sometimes feeling these moments of I'm not sure what to do. Am I enough? So in that sense, uh the book was built and born from that space. Everything that I do is based on that, on that journey of exploration, because leadership or actually confidence across the board, not only in leadership, but across the board, is not about knowing all the answers. It's really about trusting yourself and having that self-awareness that you have a set of strengths that you have the right mindsets that you have a strong purpose and values that allow you to make those really difficult decisions and moves. I really like what you said there that you came from a Mess and that became a Message and you have Tests and that become a Testimony. It's so powerful. I will speak to you, listeners and viewers. This is very, very important. So remember this. There's lot of power this and lot of wisdom also. Okay. wonder what were some factors in your life that helped you break free from this lack of self-confidence and discover your own abilities and gain confidence. Thinking back to the first time that I received coaching, I was in my, I was doing my MBA. is 2010, 2010. And it was part of my program to have executive coaching done to me. It was so transformational, David, looking at all the assessments, personality assessments, strengths assessments, communication style. Everything that I do now with my students, with my coachees, my mentees, and seeing on paper all of the things that made me me, that for whatever reason I didn't have so clearly in front of me. Maybe they were there, I was maybe assuming I could do something well or not, but having that clarity of these are my strengths and this is, what I bring to every situation, regardless of the situation, this is in me. Also understanding what those gaps were, what that, that those areas of development, instead of considering, considering them weaknesses, because again, it's very negatively loaded. These are great opportunities for growth. So understanding that my landscape of strengths and areas of development, It gave me purpose to make a difference. So I had been for a really long time, very focused on myself. So I wanted to be the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company, especially as a Latina here in the US, that was my goal back then. And it motivated me to a point. However, I realized in that process of learning about myself that I had, I was focusing on me and it was all about me and my growth and I need to be this and I want that title. And part of that exercise around my strengths was understanding that I had a lot of potential to help others. It's not that I wasn't helping people already, but I realized that I could become even more fulfilled if I turn that spotlight from me onto others. And I started mentoring. I decided I'm going to go to my university, local university, offer my time. I don't know, mentor Latina students. Let's see where that goes. And I started and I created this, uh, this program with the university and I loved it. It, was something I hadn't felt before. It was a fulfillment. was a warmth inside well beyond any accolade award performance review, right? It just filled me in ways that I hadn't felt like before and I just went into it, David. And I started really, decided I wanted to coach and I became a certified executive coach. Okay. I started coaching pro bono, trying to get, get good at it, get a feel for it. See, see if it really makes sense. And eventually it took so much. like to think of it as real state. In my heart and in my mind that I chose to quit my executive level job that was sending me around the world. And it was, I worked with incredible people. It was challenging. It was exciting work, but it wasn't. It was around marketing, right? And it couldn't marry my corporate career with this passion, this calling that was just too strong. So then I decided to quit my job and go to Harvard to study under Ronald Heifetz. He is a leader in the Adaptive Leadership movement. And I got to study with him and work with him and just be part of that and learn so much more about that. Again, it just, didn't know what I was going to do at the end of it on the other side of that degree, but it was a calling. I was fulfilled. It was taking me somewhere and I surrendered to it. So David, there's also a message in there somewhere to listen to your intuition, to surrender to a greater calling when it feels so strongly. To trust that you are aligned, that you are on a wavelength that will eventually bring you where you need to go. And I'm still on it. I'm on a journey, David. I have no idea what's happening on the other side, even of this conversation, right? But it's okay because I'm coming in with a strong purpose. And to your question, that is what grounds me. The minute I realized through all of those assessments and all the work that I've been doing for, it's got 25 years, I have grounded myself in a very strong purpose right now. I want to build more confident, more effective, more purposeful and intentional leaders. So that guides all of my actions. What I do here, coming to this conversation with you, uh accepting the role of Action Professor at the university. I had never thought about it necessarily as a career, but there it is. And it's incredibly rewarding. coaching and mentoring and public speaking and writing the book and all of these things are just vehicles to manifest that why, to bring that very strong purpose into life. So what I hear you saying, you looked inward and learned about yourself, your strengths and who you are. And then instead of just remaining there and focusing on yourself, you use that strength to serve others. Is that what you're saying in a nutshell? Absolutely, David. Perfectly put. Yeah, And in your book, The Confident Leader, write about three building blocks, build confidence. And those are Values/ Purpose. second Mindset, and the third Strengths. And can you explain a little bit more about this? Absolutely. You can see it's a pyramid, right? I like that to create that idea that at the bottom, the bigger, the chunkier block is going to be your purpose and your values. That is truly what grounds you. And I just mentioned before my example, that is what grounds me in everything that I do, every decision that I make. When I'm aligned with that purpose, and it doesn't have to be the purpose of you saving the world. It can be the purpose of that moment, that exchange with that person, that project that you're uh leading, even a meeting at work. What is the purpose? And what in terms of values, what are your negotiables and your non-negotiables? What are the things that you stand strong behind? And the other things that you need to compromise in order to move forward, let's say the project. So that, that is the base. for me to build confidence. Then the next block of mindsets, it really comes to that awareness of what filters, what worldviews do I have and are they serving me? How am I interpreting life? How am I interpreting this conversation? How am I interpreting this difficult, this challenging situation at work? What narratives, what stories am I telling myself? Are they serving me? For instance, one of the exercises that I do and I'm a huge supporter of is the concept of reframing. And that goes back to even the source of the book of reframing these self-doubts and these really cruel questions that we ask ourselves sometimes, like who am I to write a book, for instance, which did pop up in my head. And reframing, instead of pushing it down and saying, I'm a bad person for thinking that, You know, I have zero confidence. It's rather a very helpful question. If you reframe it, if you, if, if instead of saying it, who are you or who am I to write this book? It can be, Oh, okay. Let me see. What is it that I can bring to the reader that is of value? That goes to the, to the exact same information, but coming from a completely different place, from a place of growth and opportunity and exploration. So that is uh the reframing part is very important and a very important tool in that mindset, understanding that mindset. Plus not all of your filters are wrong. So which ones are serving you, which ones are moving the project, the conversation, your life forward and which ones are not. And how do you switch, right? How do you make them serve you? And then the last piece of its Strengths and that's action. That's when you know your set of strengths. I like to teach my students or help my students find that those top five strengths. You know that no matter what situation you're bringing that to the table, you know that that you can count on that to move you forward. So that's where that movement happens. And it's very important because you start. Remember the pyramid at the bottom, you start with the heart, you're connected to that bigger self, that bigger calling. Then you go into the brain, your mindset's, how are things working? What lines of code do you have? What kind of programming operating system are you working from? Does it need an upgrade? And then your strengths, are undeniable that you can bring to every situation. that understanding that and those being aligned, that's what pushes you over to creating that moment, that action, making that decision, that inspired moment. Great, thank you. Thank you so much for listening to part one of my conversation with Anna-Laria Albert. I hope this has sparked some reflection and inspiration for your own leadership journey. But we're not done yet. There's even more in part two. That's where we dive into powerful mindset shifts like fly mode versus B mode, and Anna shares her LEAD and PRGA frameworks, tools that can really help you grow with more purpose, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence. So don't miss it. Just hit play on part 2. I'll see you there.