Sarah Jakes Roberts

Maya Angelou said, “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” And Beyoncé said, “Power is not given to you. You have to take it.”

We all live in an imperfect world, and many times there are failures we do not expect to happen. Some of the events may be beyond our control, but we have the power of choice to either evolve or settle down in despair.

My guest today, Sarah Jakes Roberts, has an inspiring story to tell about struggle, toxic relationships, and depression. But despite the challenges, she did not allow her story to end in failure — all because of a choice she made to evolve and move forward instead of settling down in self-pity and hopelessness.

In this episode, she will talk about how to heal your past and be kinder to yourself, how to develop self-confidence even when you feel like the world is against you, and the three most important qualities of a strong relationship. There are so many valuable lessons to unpack in this session, so let’s get started with our class today.

Who Is Sarah Jakes Roberts?

Sarah Jakes Roberts is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, author, podcaster, and co-pastor, whose messages defy religious, socio-economic, gender, and cultural boundaries. She is on a philanthropic mission, helping women evolve into the best version of themselves. Sarah founded Woman Evolve, a digital multimedia platform that provides inspiration, tools, and resources for women to assist them in their journey towards self-discovery of their purpose in life. Since its inception in 2017, Women Evolve has already helped thousands of women find love, healing, and awakening to their true selves.

Sarah Jakes Roberts is a New York Times bestselling author of the book, Woman Evolve: Break Up with Your Fears and Revolutionize Your Life, which talks about how disappointments and past mistakes can help you become a woman God intended. She penned her first book in 2014 — Lost and Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life — which is a memoir of her inspiring story of survival and triumph. She has been featured in several media outlets, such as The Associated Press, Essence, Dr. Phil, The Today Show, and The 700 Club. 

Throughout her career, Sarah Jakes Roberts has received many awards for her charitable works. She was celebrated as a National Overcomer by Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities, along with Robin Roberts, the co-host of Good Morning America.

The all-around girl next door is a mother of six beautiful children and a loving wife to a businessman and author, Tourè Roberts. Both Sarah and Tourè work together in properly balancing career and family time, ensuring the family bond remains strong while working on their missions to help others and nurturing their careers. Sarah believes that a strong family relationship is critical to personal growth and the development of self-confidence.

How to Develop Self-Confidence Even When You Feel Like the World Is Against You

Have you felt like the world is against you? 

It can be hard to maintain your composure and self-confidence during times when it seems like the whole world is against you. But some people still have that strong confidence from within in any situation. It’s because self-confidence is something you create, and not something you have. It may be nothing more than just a belief in yourself, and yet the impact can be devastating if you fail to accomplish anything due to a lack of self-confidence. So, how do you develop self-confidence to stay on top of the game?

First, you need a positive mindset. This may involve a change in focus because energy flows where the focus goes. So, instead of thinking about what could go wrong, focus on the things that could go right.

Secondly, accept and dissect failure. You have to know that failure is always a part of any undertaking. You cannot do away with it, but you can overcome failure by dissecting it in order to extract the lessons from the experience.

“We have to come to a place where we realize that not everything you do is going to win. It’s like, you’re gonna suck sometimes. … When your goal is mastery, you recognize that failure is going to be a part of the process. But because you want to be a master, you dissect that failure, extract the wisdom from it, and apply it to the next try. Because at the end of the day, I’m going for mastery.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

Lastly, don’t shut off but bounce back with more wisdom from the lessons of the experience. When things are not going well, or if you feel like the world is against you, don’t settle down and linger in a world of self-pity. Instead, evolve from the experience and move forward, this time with better strategies to achieve success.

“If you have a podcast and the numbers don’t go well, we don’t turn the cameras off and walk out of the building. … We’re coming back. … We’re going to do whatever’s necessary, … [such as] ask better questions,  … [and] do more research next time. Because failure is not where I’m going to allow the story to end.” – Sarah Jakes Roberts

Sometimes you may think that failure is unavoidable, when in fact, failure is a choice. What you perceive as failure could be just one of many setbacks. You only fail when you give up. As long as you keep on trying, you cannot fail until you succeed. It’s important to have this mindset in order to foster stronger self-confidence. 

The above ways to develop self-confidence may look easy but they can be hard in reality, especially when your morale is running low. But if your relationship with the people around you is strong enough to give you the support you need, you can easily get back up and build the confidence from within necessary for growth. So, what are the qualities of a strong relationship? Sarah Jakes Roberts has three qualities to share.