The Unexpected Confidence Boost that Changes How You Show Up At Work

Sponsored by IT Cosmetics.

Confidence is a big deal for founders. A lack of it can hold back a business from ever getting off the ground, let alone growing beyond the founder’s imagination. But a confidence boost? Whether it comes from landing a big client or crushing that speaking opportunity you weren’t quite sure you were ready for, that kind of confidence can live in your bones and fuel wins you never saw coming.

But there’s another kind that tends to fly under the radar, quietly building before you even open your laptop or send that first pitch letter. It lives deep in your skin, and it can impact a founder more than most of us would probably like to admit.

IT Cosmetics was built around the importance of calling out this kind of confidence. They want all women to feel empowered with skin-first beauty solutions like CC+ Cream SPF 50+ and Confidence in a Cream to build their confidence at work. Feeling beautiful is your right. (Go ahead and reread that last sentence if you need to.)

For the women building businesses every day, that philosophy might hit a little differently. When you’re the face of your brand, product, or pitch, what you see in the mirror before you walk out the door becomes part of how you carry yourself in every aspect of your life.

Building Confidence Like a Muscle

Katie Love, founder of Love Social Media, leads an all-remote team of more than 20 women. For her, confidence is something she actively builds. “I noticed my confidence shift the more I got in the reps of pitching who I am, what my team offers and the magic we recreate,” Katie says. “The repetition builds a kind of muscle memory that shows up in every room, every stage, and every Zoom.”

That muscle memory becomes especially important when so much of your business lives on video. “I built an all-remote team of 20+ women, which means I’ve had to completely rethink how I show up, not in an office, but on camera,” Katie says. “Confidence on Zoom is its own skill, and I’ve learned to bring the same energy whether I’m leading a team standup or pitching a celebrity client.”

That kind of preparation is rarely baked into your average business school class or training seminar. Getting into your own body before you have to show up for anyone else requires a morning ritual that understands what you’re trying to accomplish and supports you from the outside in. Just as repeated practice for presentations builds your confidence, being consistent with your morning skincare ritual is key to maximizing the benefits of glowing, both inside and out.

The Science Behind the Feeling

For Katie, having the right tools to support her makes all the difference. IT Cosmetics’ Confidence in a Cream was developed with clinical insights and dermatologists’ expertise, resulting in a one-step moisturizer that addresses the top 10 signs of aging while repairing the skin barrier over time. Clinically proven to smooth, firm, and plump, it delivers all-day hydration whether worn on its own or layered under makeup.

The premise is deceptively simple: When your skin is working, everything else follows. It’s not about overcompensating or correcting what you see in the mirror. Instead, it helps women look like themselves,rested and ready for whatever the day might bring.

That might sound like marketing, but ask any founder who has had to pitch back-to-back on three hours of sleep, and she will tell you that feeling like yourself is not a small thing.

And for days when you want more coverage alongside that skincare foundation, the CC+ Cream builds on the same philosophy. The #1 SPF Foundation in America, it’s a 7-in-1 product that delivers full coverage, anti-aging serum, SPF 50+, color correction, moisture, concealer, and primer in a formula that’s 90% skincare. And for every woman who’s struggled with finding a foundation that works with maturing skin, that’s a really, really big deal.

It’s the kind of product that makes getting camera-ready feel like a decision you can accomplish, not a chore.

Owning Your Story, Owning the Room

Brielle Cotterman, founder of Influential Leader Agency, knows what it costs to hide parts of yourself. For years, she kept her story as a domestic violence (DV) survivor out of her professional identity, worried it would overshadow her expertise.

“I spent years worrying about being labeled as a DV survivor if I were to tell my story,” she says. “I played small in my business and shrunk who I really was so I didn’t draw too much attention to myself. I wanted to be known for my expertise, my success and my accomplishments, and I was afraid that if I shared the truth about my life experiences that I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a professional.”

Hiding such a big part of herself made it impossible to connect on a meaningful level, creating a growing discomfort that sabotaged her growth. When she finally gained the confidence to tell her real story, the world leaned in. By shifting her willingness to be seen fully, Brielle changed not only her life but also the reach of her business.

“When I show up with confidence and own all of who I am, I give others permission to own their story; I give them hope of what is possible; and I help them to see that they are not alone,” Brielle says. “My confidence enables my impact on a worldwide level.”

This is the part that IT Cosmetics has always known: women don’t want a transformation that makes them someone else. They want to feel like the best version of themselves. They don’t want to cover up; they want to feel so comfortable in their own skin that they stop shrinking. That’s why every dermatologist-tested formula is designed to deliver confidence through real results, helping women look in the mirror and see themselves at their best.

The Ritual that Shows Up in the Work

Both founders have experienced that what happens before the work begins shapes what comes next.

Brielle keeps her routine stripped down and intentional. “Most recently, I have started using IT’s Do It All Radiant Concealer, and it has changed my life!” she says. “I only wear Confidence in a Cream moisturizer and this product with my mascara, and I feel great, look great, and it takes no time at all.”

Katie echoes the results from her own angle: “The Do It All Radiant Concealer is a daily non-negotiable for me to help me feel like my most confident self running my social media agency.”

Because when you build something that works for you, and it becomes part of how you show up, it stops being just a product and becomes part of the foundation you operate from.

IT Cosmetics was created to help women feel comfortable in their own skin. Because when you feel confident in who you are, you show up differently. And for a woman building a business, that confidence is everything.

The truth is, you already have everything you need to be taken seriously and succeed. Glowing with confidence starts from within, and one of the easiest ways to nurture that confidence is to level up your beauty ritual with skin-first solutions that care for your skin just as much as you do.