From Self-Doubt To Self-Confidence – Exclusive Interview With Treva Graves
- Oct 11, 2023
- 7 min read
Treva Graves is a global personal brand expert, best-selling author, confidence coach, and keynote speaker. With expertise in building authentic personal & digital brands, monetizing businesses, and cultivating self-confidence for life, she inspires individuals and organizations to reach their full leadership potential. Treva’s strategic guidance, transformative coaching, and multifaceted certifications make her a sought-after expert in building memorable reputations for success.
As a speaker and corporate trainer, she helps business professionals overcome self-limiting beliefs to “nuke” imposter syndrome for good. She shares her wisdom, personal stories, and facilitates profound transformations, helping individuals unlock their true potential. Treva’s impact extends globally, leaving an indelible mark on the world of women’s empowerment and personal development.
Treva is the CEO and founder of Bloom Personal Branding & Impression Management where she works with clients to leverage quick wins with the long game in mind. To buy Treva’s best-selling book, Self-Doubt Detox, visit her website.
Treva Graves, CEO & Founder – Bloom Personal Branding
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
Hello! My name is Treva Graves and I am married and mother to our daughter who is a freshman in college at the University of South Dakota. I live in Iowa where we have hot summers and bitterly cold winters, but we get through it! We are now “empty nesters” which has been quite a change in our household, but I’m getting used to it.
I started out my career in the banking and insurance industry, then pivoted to healthcare first earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, then a master’s degree in Communication Disorders eventually spending 25 years as a speech pathologist working with people with normal and disordered communication skills. It was a rewarding career, but I knew from an early age that I wanted to be in business for myself someday. I just didn’t know what that was at the time.
In my 30s and early 40s, I really started thinking about becoming an entrepreneur and spent time figuring out what my passions, interests and greatest strengths were, and of course, how I could get paid doing what I love. But then, I realized I was already doing it! Alongside my earlier careers, I always had a “secondary” one helping people with their image and “coaching up” their confidence. I was offering my advice many times for free. I primarily worked with women, but eventually men asked for my help and guidance as well. Then, I thought, I could get paid for this. And the rest is history!
I hung up my “shingle” and started out very part time offering image and interview coaching services which then led to speaking opportunities in various organizations and expanding my services to include business etiquette, communication skills and finally personal brand coaching. This is where I found my niche audience and I truly love helping people become more self-aware of who they are by building their brand message, defining their audience and eventually monetizing it. It’s about building their reputation. I’ve served everyone from authors and speakers to CEO’s and real estate agents. I also found that women suffered from low self-esteem and imposter syndrome, so confidence coaching became my other area of expertise.
In my spare time, I love to travel with my husband, go to plays with my daughter and drink good wine with friends on a Friday night! I enjoy supporting and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes.
What is your business name and how do you help your clients?
I named my business Bloom Personal Branding because that’s really how I help entrepreneurs and business professionals in their careers to build their brand, confidence and reputation. I help them bloom into their best selves. To me, bloom means growing, thriving and achieving. After working with hundreds of clients, that’s what it’s all about. Everyone wants to grow in their professional careers and in their lives. Being stagnant, is not an option. I coach people how to build confidence by overcoming their “bullies” or imposter syndrome to start businesses, rise into leadership, be a better employee and have better relationships in their lives. Over the years, the number one obstacle my clients have told me is that they don’t have self-confidence to put themselves out there. They are not believing in themselves. Fear and limiting beliefs hold them back from being successful. Without confidence and believing in yourself, how can you be successful at anything? I believe confidence is the foundation for your success and that’s where we begin.
Other than coaching, I have other ways I serve my clients. I am a public speaker and offer corporate workshops on personal branding, building confidence and business etiquette all over the United States. I’m one of those people who enjoy being on stage sharing my message!
I became a published author, which was something I never thought I would do. My book, Self-Doubt Detox – 5 Steps to Beat Your Bully and Bloom Confidence became a best seller on Amazon in May, 2023 and I couldn’t be more excited. I also wrote The Style File – A Woman’s Guide to Dress for Success. Both books are available on Amazon. My e-book, Get Noticed – A 30 Day Plan to Bloom Your Brand is available on my website, www.bloompersonalbranding.com. All of my books are full of tips, strategies, stories and frameworks to help you be the amazing person you are meant to be.
To me, being a coach is about serving my clients. If I can help them understand and realize that the world needs to see them, know them and hear them, we craft and create their brand message together that says, “Hey, here I am and here’s how I can best serve you.” If I can help serve my clients in the best way I know how to, then they, in turn, can do the same in their career.
What kind of audience do you target your business towards?
My audience is primarily women, but that doesn’t mean I don’t help and serve men too. I mostly work with women entrepreneurs, women in leadership or who aspire to be, and help them build confidence to realize their self-worth. We then work on developing their brand message and write their personal brand statement so they can use this to create visibility, credibility and authority. Their brand “story” is how they connect with their audience. Stories create human connection and that’s how consumers decide on whether or not they like, follow, trust or buy from you. That goes for leadership too. Knowing your strengths, values, passion and purpose, you become more self-aware and in turn, serve others with your uniqueness. Your personal brand will shine and will help you become a better leader. When a woman has a “win”, it’s a win for us all.
What are your current goals for your business?
My goals are to push my coaching and speaking business to new heights with new opportunities to work with me. My goal is to book 30 speaking engagements each year. I’m also very excited about 2 new events that I’ve created. I am hosting my first ever FLOURISH Women’s Confidence Retreat at Riverbend Retreat which is just outside of Tampa, Florida. It’s a retreat packed with 5 powerful confidence building sessions along with a host of self-care activities designed to boost your inner and outer confidence. For more information, here is the link! I’d love to have you join me.
The other event that I have founded is Women Rising – a one day women’s empowerment conference to help women rise in their confidence, their wellbeing, and their financial health and in leadership. I’m really excited about these two events coming together as I’ve thought about doing them for quite some time. I guess the stars aligned for me, finally!
What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?
I am a solo – entrepreneur and literally started my company with little money from scratch a few years ago. Getting through the pandemic was hard, but I have rebounded well with a lot of grit and determination! It’s tough being on your own. I have great mentors and family that support me. My goal is to be a one million dollar company by 2027. It’s a lofty goal, but it’s something to strive for. I believe in dreaming BIG! It’s also the year my daughter graduates from college, so I’m hoping for a successful year and a big celebration.
Who or what is your work inspired by?
I grew up in a household where I was taught that a powerful image was necessary for success. My mother taught me everything I know about beauty and style and how to present yourself and command a room. She was before her time. Learning from her, I know how important your image is and how you are perceived by the people around you. Personal branding is much the same. It’s about creating an energy or a “vibe” that appeals to people, specifically your target audience. However, I didn’t always have confidence. I suffered from severe self-doubt and other confidence bullies in my childhood and into my young adult life that kept me from being the person I now have become. I did the hard work to get to the “confident” side. Swimming in self-doubt took away from living up to my future. I lived in fear and it drained me. I know what that’s like and I think that’s why I can relate to my clients so well. I help them build an image and reputation that’s relatable, powerful and memorable. It’s why I wrote my book to share my experiences, both good and bad, of how I defeated my “bullies” and became the confident woman I am today.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.
Getting my master’s degree was pretty exciting as it was some of the hardest work I’ve ever done. But, writing my book, Self-Doubt Detox, was a pivotal moment as it became a best seller. I then wrote a keynote sharing the BLOOM methodology of how I overcame self-doubt. I was very nervous to expose myself in such a vulnerable way, but it was necessary to share those stories and experiences to create human connection and be relatable. If I can overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome, then you can too. That’s the message and I share how I did it.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.
If you are wondering what my brand message is, it’s believe in yourself. My pivotal moment came when I finally had the courage and made the choice to believe in myself. I lived in self-doubt and fear far too long and after a very traumatizing bullying incident, I decided that enough was enough. Once I truly stood in my power and believed in myself, loved myself for who I am, learned through the power of observation, took advantage of opportunities and turned to mentors to help me, I overcame it. That’s where true self-worth comes from. And that’s where I am today! I value myself and what I offer the world. I serve others with my unique value. It’s what makes feel successful and brings me happiness. Oh, and a good Starbucks latte too.
To schedule a free strategy call with me, sign up for Flourish Retreat or buy my book, visit here.
