Simone Knego shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Simone, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
Many people are quietly struggling with confidence. They doubt themselves, minimize their value, and assume everyone else has it figured out, even when they don’t.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Simone Knego, an international speaker, award winning author, and confidence coach. I help women who look capable on the outside but quietly struggle with self doubt learn how to trust themselves, own their value, and lead with clarity and purpose.
My work blends personal storytelling with practical tools, including my signature REAL Method™, a simple framework for building confidence from the inside out. I’m also the author of The Extraordinary UnOrdinary You and cohost of the globally ranked podcast Her Unshakeable Confidence, where I explore the conversations many women are having internally but rarely say out loud.
What makes my work unique is that I focus on everyday leadership, what I call Kitchen Table Leadership. It’s the belief that leadership is not about titles or stages, but about how we show up in our homes, workplaces, and communities through everyday choices. Right now, I’m preparing for the release of my upcoming book, REAL Confidence: A Simple Guide to Go From Unsure to Unshakeable, which comes out in February and gives women practical tools to stop second guessing themselves and start living with confidence they can actually sustain.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro fundamentally changed how I see the world and myself.
Not because of the summit photo, but because of what happened along the way. There were moments when my body was exhausted, my confidence was shaken, and every doubt I’d carried for years showed up loudly. I couldn’t muscle my way through it or pretend I was fine. I had to slow down, listen to myself, and trust that taking the next small step was enough.
That climb taught me that confidence isn’t about pushing harder or proving anything. It’s about self respect. Knowing when to keep going, when to pause, and believing you’re capable even when the voice in your head says otherwise. I came home seeing the world differently, and more importantly, seeing myself differently. That shift still shapes how I live, lead, and help other women trust themselves today.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me how to listen to myself in a way success never required.
Success rewarded performance. It praised endurance, productivity, and pushing through. Suffering stripped all of that away. It forced me to slow down, get honest about what I was carrying, and recognize where I was abandoning myself to meet expectations.
Through suffering, I learned that self respect matters more than approval, that boundaries are a form of strength, and that confidence isn’t built by proving your worth. It’s built by believing it, even when no one is watching or applauding.
That lesson changed how I lead, how I love, and how I show up in the world.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Honestly? It is now. For a long time, no.
I performed confidence because it felt safer than admitting I was struggling. I knew how to look strong, capable, and put together, even when I was carrying a lot privately. That version helped me survive, but it wasn’t fully me.
The real shift came when I stopped trying to manage how I was perceived and started honoring what I was actually feeling. Now, the public version of me matches the private one. Not because life is easy, but because I’m no longer hiding.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
That I raised amazing humans. I have six kids.
Not perfect ones. Kind ones. Self aware ones. Humans who know their worth, respect others, and aren’t afraid to live honestly. If the legacy I leave behind is that my children learned how to trust themselves, love well, and show up with integrity, that’s more than enough for me.
Everything else is secondary.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://simoneknego.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simoneknego/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simoneknego
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpeakerSimoneKnego
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@her_unshakeable_confidence
- Other:
https://realconfidencebook.com/
