During a recent interview with Cosmopolitan Middle East, Stephanie McMahon commented on her issues with insecurity and second-guessing herself, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On her own self-doubt: “The shocking thing about self-esteem is that we are not born that way. I have three little girls and through them, I have understood that most of us are born full of ourselves. We are born with big, loud personalities but as we start to get older, there is a shift in our personality where we second guess ourselves. I can be terribly insecure and second-guess everything to a point where it is detrimental. But I realized that it’s not the best way for me.”
On if she’s ever felt her voice was of lesser importance than male counterparts, and how she makes herself heard: “Definitely. I have been the only woman in very large groups of male dominated meetings. Growing up in this business, I have the advantage of being the boss’s daughter but there have certainly been times where I have felt like my voice didn’t matter as much. And in those situations, you just have to speak louder. You have to grab the moment because you cannot let it intimidate you. If you have a point that you want to make, make it. Call it out when you’re not being listened to. I have a colleague in a media industry board. She was the only woman in the board. And they were all having conversations about what to do about gender inequality and not one of them asked her. She sat back and let it happen for 10 minutes and finally raised her hand and asked, ‘Hey guys, don’t you think it is a problem that we’re having a conversation about gender inequality and you’re not talking to me?’ And they were all shocked. They weren’t even aware that they were doing this. It is a tough spot, but you need to have the confidence to use your voice and call it out.”
On her struggle with self-love: “I have struggled with my self-love and it came to my attention a few years ago. A coach told me that I needed to work on loving myself and I said, ‘Of course I love myself. I have no problem with that.’ And then as I started doing the deep work, I realized that loving myself should not be this hard. The first step to me is being proud of myself and my achievements. Instead of always thinking about what more I could do, I give myself credit for how far I have come. One of the things I do daily is working out. If I can get some type of physical exercise every day, that is a form of self-love for me.”
