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from India about self-work, success, and managing setbacks---honest, grounded, transformative.

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What Being Married at Sixteen Taught Me About Self-Efficacy


In this week’s episode, I share my experience of being married at sixteen and how it shaped my self-efficacy. If you’re not familiar with the term, my hope is that this episode introduces you to it and shows how I used it to develop an unshakable mindset — one I credit for my success as a businesswoman.


While other teens worried about prom or college, I was running a household — managing bills, meals, and responsibilities I wasn’t prepared for. Handling my personal business.

At first, I felt powerless. But over time, I decided I wouldn’t be a victim of circumstance — that wouldn’t be my story. I realized that if I wanted a different life, I had to create it. I had to believe that my choices and actions mattered.


Self-efficacy is the belief that you’re capable of achieving a goal, even when you feel uncertain or scared. It’s what helped me navigate my teen marriage, my divorce, and every challenge that followed.


Self-efficacy grows from:

  • Mastery experiences — proving to yourself you can handle challenges

  • Seeing others succeed — knowing if they can, you can too

  • Support and encouragement — having people believe in you

  • Your mindset and energy — how you feel affects what you believe you can do


My first “win” was small — paying the bills on time. But each small success built my confidence to tackle the next challenge… and the next. Step by step, I learned I could shape my own life.


Question for you: What do you do if you believe you can do it but still freeze when it’s time to act? Reply to this email or leave a comment — I’d love to hear your thoughts and keep this conversation going.



Resources I Used This Week



Kendra Cherry, MSEd in Verywellmind.




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