Momming Adult Kids: Denise Drinkwalter
Midlife women often minimize their achievements, but these confidence tips for women over 50 will help you own your success without apology.
Confidence Tips for Women Over 50: How to Stop Downplaying Your Success:
Do you brush off compliments with, “Oh, it was nothing”? Do you minimize big wins as “just lucky timing”? You’re not alone. Women over 50 are pros at working hard—but terrible at owning their success. That has to change.
Why We Struggle With Confidence After 50:
For decades, women have been conditioned to stay small. Celebrating a win? Too boastful. Owning your brilliance? Too arrogant. Meanwhile, men pop champagne over achievements half as meaningful.
The result? By midlife, too many women carry an ingrained habit of shrinking—even when we’ve earned the right to shine. Confidence tips for women over 50 start here: stop apologizing for your success.
4 Confidence Tips for Women Over 50:
1. Brag Without Apology
Women over 50 often hesitate to brag because we’ve been taught humility equals likability. But let’s be clear: bragging doesn’t mean arrogance. It means narrating your truth. When you’ve led a successful project, raised resilient kids, started a new business, or reinvented yourself after divorce—you’ve earned the right to say it out loud.
Here’s how to do it without cringing:
- Replace “I got lucky” with “I worked hard and prepared for this moment.”
- Share your wins in professional networking groups and social media the way men do, with pride.
- Practice saying “thank you” when complimented, without deflection.
Remember, bragging with honesty models confidence for younger women watching you. If you won’t own your wins, why should they?
2. Practice Gratitude, Then Go Bigger
Gratitude journals are powerful, but most of us stop at listing blessings: “I’m grateful for my health, my friends, my job.” Good start, but go deeper. Add the role you played in those blessings.
Try this shift:
- Instead of “I’m grateful for my promotion,” write “I’m grateful for the creativity, persistence, and courage that led to my promotion.”
- Instead of “I’m grateful for my strong friendships,” write “I’m grateful for the trust and generosity I bring that sustains my friendships.”
Gratitude becomes a confidence builder when you tie outcomes to your effort. You’re not just lucky; you’re powerful. That distinction matters.
3. Find Your Hype Squad:
Confidence grows in community. Having a group of women who cheer you on—whether in person or online—is a game changer. Your hype squad reminds you that celebrating yourself isn’t selfish; it’s necessary.
Ways to build your hype circle:
- Share your goals and wins with a small group of trusted friends or mentors. Ask them to reflect back what they see in you.
- Create a ritual of celebration together. Maybe it’s Friday night dinner where everyone names one win of the week–big or small.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for support. A quick text saying, “I need a pep talk” can reset your mindset faster than any self-help book.
And here’s the thing: your hype squad benefits too. Every time you allow others to celebrate you, you give them permission to do the same.
4. Rewrite the Modesty Myth
The idea that women must be humble at all costs is outdated,and frankly, harmful. Being humble often translates into minimizing ourselves so others feel comfortable. That’s not humility; that’s erasure.
Start rewriting the modesty myth by practicing unapologetic ownership:
- At work: Speak up about your contributions instead of waiting to be noticed.
- In relationships: Acknowledge the emotional labor you carry instead of pretending it’s invisible.
- With yourself: Stand in the mirror and state three things you’ve accomplished this week without hedging.
Confidence tips for women over 50 aren’t about becoming someone new—they’re about reclaiming the power you’ve always had. Modesty has its place, but so does pride. Every time you celebrate your success, you break a generational cycle of women being told to shrink.
The Bottom Line On Confidence:
Confidence after 50 is not about faking it until you make it. It’s about unlearning decades of conditioning that told you to stay small. These confidence tips for women over 50; bragging without apology, practicing deeper gratitude, building a hype squad, and rewriting the modesty myth, are tools to help you finally own your brilliance.
Every achievement you acknowledge lights the path for the women coming behind you. So, are you going to keep brushing off your success? Or are you finally ready to celebrate the extraordinary woman you already are?
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About the Author:
Denise Drinkwalter is an Empowerment Life Coach, is renowned for her extraordinary work with midlife women, guiding them to clarity, perspective, and inner strength. Specializing in supporting those navigating Empty Nester Syndrome, Denise is praised for her unique gift, genuine kindness, and transformative ability to help release long-held burdens and beliefs.
As a thought leader in the Kuel Life Community, Denise’s expertise extends across various platforms, including her signature course “Cut the Cord-Not the Ties” and coaching roles in prominent academies and hubs. Discover more about her empowering journey at www.denisedrinkwalter.com.