# Episode 372: Underestimation, Overestimation, and Grounded Confidence

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/acting-business-boot-camp-2637711/episode-372-underestimation-overestimation-and-grounded-confidence
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/acting-business-boot-camp-2637711/episode-372-underestimation-overestimation-and-grounded-confidence.md
Podcast: [Acting Business Boot Camp](https://stenobird.com/podcast/acting-business-boot-camp-2637711)
Published: 2026-01-14T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://actingbusinessbootcamp.libsyn.com/episode-372-underestimation-overestimation-and-grounded-confidence
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/actingbusinessbootcamp/Podcast_Ep_271_-_Underestimation_Overestimation_and_Grounded_Confidence.mp3?dest-id=2480465
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/acting-business-boot-camp-2637711/episodes/episode-372-underestimation-overestimation-and-grounded-confidence
Duration seconds: 549

## Resource

Self-Perception and Where We Decide We Belong I want to talk about something we reference a lot in acting, but usually only vaguely. Self-perception. It sits at the center of almost every actor's journey. It shapes how you talk about yourself, who you reach out to, what rooms you think you belong in, and how far you let yourself go. Most of the time, we don't even notice it happening. Why This Matters So Much I was thinking about 10 Things I Hate About You and that line about being overwhelmed and underwhelmed, and asking if you can ever just be whelmed. It made me think about actors. We know we can underestimate ourselves. We know we can overestimate ourselves. Both are a problem. But what about just estimating ourselves accurately? Because everything depends on how we see ourselves. How Underestimating Yourself Shows Up This is one of the most common patterns I see. It sounds like: I'll wait until I'm better I just need one more class I'll reach out when I've booked something bigger Agents like that would never sign someone like me I recently spoke with an actor who told me they wouldn't reach out to a top agent because they didn't think someone "like them" could ever be with an agent like that. That belief is a cage. When you underestimate yourself, you pre-reject yourself. You become your own no. Your own locked door. You cannot build a career while actively shrinking inside of it. Agents don't sign the perfectly ready actor. They sign the clear actor. The specific actor who understands what they bring to the table and how they fit a roster. Most of the time, the only person who believes you don't belong is you. The Other Extreme The pendulum can swing the other way. Overestimation sounds like: I don't need more training My demo is fine I'll just wing it I already…

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## Transcript

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