EPISODE 115: Overcoming insecurities as an online course creator

In this episode of Digitally She Does It, I’m diving into a challenge so many online course creators face - self-doubt!

If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re good enough, worried about what others might think, or felt like an imposter in your own space, you’re not alone. I know firsthand how these insecurities can hold you back from sharing your knowledge and stepping into the expert role you already deserve.

That’s why today, I’m breaking down the real reasons behind these fears and, more importantly, how you can move past them. I’ll talk about how to reframe your mindset, silence that inner critic, and take action even when self-doubt creeps in. I’ll also share practical strategies to help you build confidence, trust in your abilities, and focus on the incredible impact your course can have on others.

Your perspective is unique, and your knowledge is valuable - there are people out there who need what you have to offer! So, if you’re ready to push past fear and start showing up with confidence, this episode is for you. Let’s tackle those doubts together and take the next step toward creating and launching your online course with belief in yourself and your brilliance!

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Transcript

Karen Davies [00:00:00]:
Hello and welcome to the digitally she does it show. This is episode one one five. And in today's episode, I'm going to be talking about overcoming insecurities as an online course creator. So let's jump right in and let's get started. Welcome to the Digitally. She does it show. I'm your host Karen and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business. If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you.

Karen Davies [00:00:39]:
With my award winning approach to marketing, an expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and ready to bring those big dreams to life. Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know how, along with actionable step by step strategies to help you accelerate your businesses grow. So let's dive in, and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes which drop every Wednesday. Hello, and welcome. Thank you for joining me today. I am your host, Karen, and I really do appreciate you hitting that play button to listen to today's episode. 

Today, I am talking about overcoming insecurities as an online course creator. But before I do, I just wanna dive into the Digital Creators Hub.

Karen Davies [00:01:31]:
This is your one stop shop for getting started online. And so if you're not in the hub, go and get free access over at www.karendavies.com/hub. It's completely free. And inside the hub, you will find lots of resources designed to help you get started online. So head on over to the hub and join free access today so that you can get started with your online business. Okay. So let's dive into today's episode. Now if you have ever found yourself thinking, I'm not expert enough, What if no one buys my course? Or what if people judge me or say that I'm not qualified enough to deliver this course? Then you are most likely dealing with insecurities.

Karen Davies [00:02:24]:
But you are, of course, not alone because this is so common amongst online course creators. Now, so many course creators feel this way even if they've been doing this for years. And I think the truth is insecurity, especially in the online world, is perfectly normal, but of course it doesn't have to stop you from creating your course or even selling it online. 

So today's episode, I'm diving into how to overcome self doubt so that you can start showing up with confidence as a course creator because your knowledge is so incredibly valuable and somebody out there needs what it is you have to offer. So you don't want to let those insecurities get in the way. Okay. So before I dive into some tips that I'm gonna share with you today, I just want to talk about where insecurity comes from. Now insecurity is often born out of that feeling of not being sure.

Karen Davies [00:03:34]:
Not being sure if what you're doing is right, not being sure if you are qualified, as I said earlier, to be a course creator or just fear of being in maybe a new space or even that fear of being visible. So insecurity can actually stem from quite a few places. When you step into something new, like creating an online course, it's absolutely normal to feel uncertain because your brain sees the unknown and immediately starts throwing doubts at you. And this is because it wants to ultimately keep you safe. Your brain is just trying to protect you from failure or embarrassment or even rejection. So it's perfectly normal to have doubts, to feel insecure and uncertain about what it is that you're actually doing. But here's the thing, everything amazing that you want is going to be on the other side of that fear. And so you need to step into that fear and break through it so you can actually get to the other side.

Karen Davies [00:04:50]:
So I want to just break down the most common insecurities that tend to come up for course creators. Now the first one is, of course, I'm not expert enough. And if you find yourself thinking this, it's perfectly normal and natural to have doubts about if you can do what you're trying to do. It's perfectly normal because I hear this all of the time. People tend to think that they need a PhD or at least twenty years of experience before they can actually teach something, but it's not true. You do not need to be the best in the world at what you do. You just have to be a few steps ahead of the people that you're looking to teach. So think about it, if you've learned how to do something because maybe you've had experience with finding out, you can teach somebody else who is just starting.

Karen Davies [00:05:52]:
And that knowledge that you have because of your own experiences and what you've gone through will enrich what you're then going to teach other people because you also experience your struggles and of course the way you explain things are what will make your online course really valuable. Now the second thing that I hear a lot is what if no one buys my online course? Of course this comes up, especially if you spent days, weeks, months, even years creating something, then that fear is going to be there about potentially not being able to sell it. But what I would encourage you to do instead of thinking what if no one buys, flip the script and ask what if my course actually helps someone and changes their life? Because even if one person buys your online course and gets the results that you're promising, it is really worth all that work. And if one person buys your course, then there's no reason why 10 people won't buy your course or a hundred or a thousand. It's all about perspective. So instead of going to that place of fear and questioning whether what you have is good enough, think about the results it's going to deliver for your ideal person and the impact that's going to have on their life. And use that as motivation when it comes to selling your online course. The third thing that I tend to hear is what will people think of me? Now the thing about selling an online course especially if you're selling it online is that it's going to force you to be visible.

Karen Davies [00:07:51]:
Not everybody is comfortable with the idea of being visible especially if you've got family and friends that are online and they're going to see what it is that you're going to be doing. And I think sometimes that fear of judgement can keep so many people stuck. But here's what I encourage you to remember. The people who judge you are usually the people that are stuck themselves and they are not doing the work. Maybe they lack ambition. Maybe they lack desire. Maybe they're not bothered about creating a better life for themselves. But here's the thing, you are.

Karen Davies [00:08:32]:
That's why you're doing what you're doing. So don't let other people's thoughts and judgments stop you from creating the life that you want to create for yourself and of course for your family. Also, remember the people that matter, the ones who need your help are looking for solutions not perfection. They are stuck. They need something that's going to help them move forward and the thing that you have created is the thing that's going to help them. So I encourage you to think about them because all the while you're thinking about their needs, you're not worrying about the people that may be sitting there judging. And the truth is most people are too busy thinking about themselves to be thinking about you because people are very much caught up in their own worlds. They're trying to spin all the plates, do all the things and even though you may feel like what you put out there is being consumed or even being looked at, it may be that other people are just busy and they're caught up with their own insecurities.

Karen Davies [00:09:45]:
So don't let the fear of judgement stop you from doing what it is you need to do. Your impact is far more important than somebody else's opinion. What I would encourage you to do is reframe your mindset around the insecurities that you're feeling. It starts with a mindset shift. One of the biggest shifts that I had to make in my own journey when I first started out as an online course creator was to think that it's actually not about me, it's about the people that I'm helping. And I think when I stopped focusing on my own fears and I started to focus on how my own online course was going to help others, that's when I started to push past that fear. So what I would encourage you to ask yourself is what's one thing that I've learned that I could use to make somebody else's journey so much easier? And also think about what advice do people already come to me for as well. So what is it that you help people with and what does that look like in their lives? When we think about the impact that we're creating it completely affects our perspective because suddenly we recognize the impact that we're having and that is motivation enough to push past those insecurities.

Karen Davies [00:11:15]:
Because the truth is somebody out there is struggling with something that you have already figured out. You know the solution and what they need to do. And they are, of course, looking for guidance. And why not it be your guidance? Why can't it be you that helps that person to move forward? So I want you to focus on that. I want you to focus on the impact that you can create in somebody else's life and reframe your mindset so that you're thinking about your ideal person that you can help rather than getting caught up in the fear of judgement and those insecurities that creep up. Now you might be sitting there thinking, okay, I get it. I get the fact that it's about other people and I shouldn't be thinking about myself but how do I actually push past this fear that I'm feeling and get started? Because the fear itself can be quite crippling. And I get it.

Karen Davies [00:12:16]:
I've been there. In fact, sometimes I actually find myself feeling that fear when I try and do something new for the very first time. So I 100% understand those insecurities and how they can play out. But I think the secret is knowing that confidence doesn't come first, action does. And whenever I've taken action, whenever I've said to myself, right, okay, let's just make a start, what I find is that as I take those small steps forward I build my confidence because as I'm moving forward I can see that action's being taken, things are happening and it's starting to build that confidence within that actually I may know more than what I actually realise. So what I would encourage you to do is if you are feeling that fear and you're finding that insecurities are creeping in just take one step forward. Identify what that step is. What is the one thing that you can do today to move forward and take that action? That will really help you to start pushing past that fear because as I said earlier in the episode, what you want is going to be on the other side of that fear.

Karen Davies [00:13:44]:
So here's how you can start taking action today. Firstly, I encourage you to write down your course idea. So what is it that you wanna teach somebody? So if you don't have a course already created, then maybe you're thinking about creating a course. What is your course idea? Just brainstorm ways in which you can help somebody with a solution. Step two is share your knowledge in a very small way. For example, post a tip on social media or record a very quick video or even talk about your topic to a friend. Start being visible. Start taking very small steps to being present in this and start putting yourself out there so you become visible.

Karen Davies [00:14:42]:
The more visible you are the more confident you're going to be with becoming visible. And then step three, I want you to test the waters. And what I mean by that is start by teaching a free workshop. If you can do this and you can test your topic, that's going to allow you to gather feedback from your audience. So if you are stuck, you want to create a course, maybe you have an idea already but you don't know what those first steps look like, then write down your course idea, share your knowledge in a really small way and test the waters by running some kind of workshop because each small step that you take is going to prove to yourself that you can do this. You just need to take action. Now, you have probably scrolled through Instagram or YouTube and and probably thought to yourself that there are so many people teaching what it is that you want to teach. So why would anybody listen to you? Listen I've been there.

Karen Davies [00:15:56]:
I've felt exactly that way. But what I want to share with you is that comparing yourself to others is a confidence killer and we should not be doing it. And also you cannot compare apples to oranges. You don't know what it's taken for that person who is delivering that content or teaching that course to get to where they are. They may have been absolutely crippled with insecurities and it may have taken them a long time to get to that place of being able to do what it is they're doing. So you should never compare yourself to other people. You are unique. You are individual.

Karen Davies [00:16:40]:
You should only really be focusing on your own journey because nobody else has your unique perspective. No one else has your exact experience and no one else can teach the way you can teach. They don't have your voice and they don't have your style. So if you are looking at somebody and you're thinking that what's the point of me creating a course, teaching a course because somebody else is doing it? I want you to stop and I want you to reframe your thinking and recognise that what it is that you have to offer is going to be unique to your audience. The world needs your version of the topic that you ultimately want to teach. So stop comparing and start creating. So I just want to share some practical strategies that's gonna help you to overcome self doubt and to get you pushing past this fear. Now firstly, I encourage you to start journaling and writing down affirmations that you can lean into.

Karen Davies [00:17:50]:
Sentences that kind of reinforce what it is that you can do like, I am an expert in my experience. I can help people by sharing what I know. I am capable of creating an online course. I can do this. So spend some time writing these down and really really sort of believe what what it is that you're writing because you have what it takes to do this. The second thing that I encourage you to do is to surround yourself with people that support you, like minded people that actually get what it is that you are trying to do. Join a community of like minded people that really kind of want to champion your success. They really want to support you and see you win.

Karen Davies [00:18:39]:
And stay away from people that just wanna pull you down. People that are stuck in their own lives, they're not achieving stuff and therefore they don't want you to achieve. If you can recognise those people then make sure that what you do is you remove yourself because you need to be around people that you find inspiring. People that are going to motivate you and lift you up on those days where maybe you don't feel like you can do this. And then I thirdly, I would encourage you to celebrate the small wins as well because every step that you take is a victory. So keep track of your progress and identify those wins whether it be on a daily, a weekly, a monthly basis. Identify what they look like and celebrate them. Take some time out and recognize the good work that you're doing.

Karen Davies [00:19:33]:
And then finally, I would encourage you to detach yourself from perfectionism. Perfectionism doesn't exist and it's definitely the surefire way to not completing your course. Your course doesn't have to be perfect. It's to help somebody to achieve a result and you can do that. So stay away from trying to make everything perfect and start taking action and getting your online course created. So I want you to do two things. Firstly, if you're not doing this already, then follow me on Instagram at karen underscore digital coach and share with me what one insecurity that you have that you are working to overcome because I want to chat about this and I think the best way to really help others is to get it out in the open and just to chat. Secondly, join the Digital Creators Hub.

Karen Davies [00:20:39]:
I've got lots of free valuable resources in there that are designed to help you get started online. So head on over to www.karendavies.com/hub. Go and get free access and go and get in there to download these resources that I have available. Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope you found this episode of value and of course, please do feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to today's episode. 

Now, if today's discussion has sparked some inspiration and you are eager to dive into creating your digital masterclass or your online course and you need some help and guidance to do this, then I want you to head on over to my website www.karen-Davies.com/membership. I will be back next week with another episode but until then have a great week. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the digitally she does it show.

Karen Davies [00:21:46]:
Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode. New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday. So why not rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode? Thank you for tuning in today, and I will see you next time.