
What if the biggest thing standing between you and the career, confidence, or life you want isn't a lack of ability—but the beliefs you've developed about what you can and cannot do?
In this episode of the Real English Conversations Podcast, Curtis Davies sits down with Chonsten Jennings, speaker, entrepreneur, and co-founder of The Purpose Engine, for a powerful conversation about confidence, personal growth, purpose, and overcoming the mental barriers that hold us back.
After years of coaching basketball players from college to the NBA, Chonsten walked away from a successful career when he realized it no longer fulfilled him. He faced significant personal and professional challenges before beginning a journey of rediscovering his identity, strengthening his faith, and finding a new direction through entrepreneurship, coaching, and helping others.
Today, he helps coaches and consultants build businesses that allow them to focus on the work they do best. His message is especially relevant to anyone who feels stuck, questions their abilities, or knows they have more potential than they're currently expressing.
For international professionals and English learners, this conversation also explores how confidence, authenticity, and the way we speak to ourselves can influence our communication, professional opportunities, and willingness to step outside our comfort zones.
💪 How to build confidence and overcome limiting beliefs that make you doubt your abilities or hold back from opportunities.
🧠 How to stop letting the fear of judgment control your decisions and focus on what you believe about yourself instead.
🎯 How to recognize your purpose and why it may be closer than you think.
🔄 Why a successful career can still leave you feeling unfulfilled and how to recognize when it's time for a change.
🌱 How difficult experiences can become valuable lessons that help you grow, develop resilience, and help others.
🗣️ How to use positive self-talk to challenge negative thinking and begin changing the way you approach your goals.
🤝 How to connect with people more naturally by finding common ground, being authentic, and focusing on what you share rather than what separates you.
💼 How to build a career or business around your strengths and values instead of pursuing success that doesn't feel meaningful.
⏳ How to approach personal growth over 90 days by breaking old habits, developing new ones, and working toward making those habits second nature.
🌎 How to build confidence in English communication and stop allowing fear of mistakes or other people's opinions to prevent you from speaking up.
🙏 How faith and perspective can help you navigate difficult seasons when you cannot yet see what comes next.
💪 Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and the Fear of Being JudgedHave you ever wanted to speak up in a meeting, apply for a better job, share an idea, or start something new—but stopped yourself because you worried about what other people might think?
You're not alone.
Curtis and Chonsten discuss how easily our own thoughts can become obstacles. We may tell ourselves that we're not good enough, that we'll make mistakes, or that other people will judge us.
But what if we challenged those beliefs instead of automatically accepting them as facts?
Chonsten encourages listeners to imagine what they could achieve if they stopped making excuses, gave themselves permission to try, and began speaking to themselves in a more constructive way.
One of the most powerful reminders from the conversation