From Shy Girl to Confidence Coach: How Hannah Plourde Rebuilt Her Business From the Inside Out
Some people are born loud. Hannah Plourde was not one of them. She was the straight-A, rule-following, perfectionist type. She was the kid who was thrilled to eat lunch in a tiny National Honor Society room with five other students instead of facing a cafeteria full of eyes.
Today, Hannah is a marketing strategist who radiates confidence, both on camera and in her business. If there’s anything she wants you to get out of this episode, it's this: confidence wasn't something she was handed. It's something she built, lost, and rebuilt again.
The Quiet Kid Who Couldn't Raise Her Hand
Hannah describes herself as the quintessential Hermione Granger type growing up. She was an excellent student, a standout on her swim team, and utterly terrified of being seen. She wouldn't raise her hand even when she knew the answer. When it was her turn to give a presentation, she totally dissociated.
"I would literally black out and give the presentation but not remember anything I'd say. I'd get a good grade, but I would literally black out."
By college, she recognized how exhausting it was to live that way and made a conscious decision to become more confident. It worked for a little while, but it’s easy to regress back into who you've been for years. The real turning point wouldn't come until she started her own business.
The 2020 Boom, the Ego Boost, and the Crash
Like so many people, Hannah lost her job in 2020. At that point, she decided to turn her side hustle into a full-time business. She booked out her social media management services in six months, made more money than she'd ever imagined, and rode that wave into launching a coaching program.
Then the sales slowed down — and so did her confidence.
"I started to doubt my abilities even though I have pages and pages of results I could read through, and I'd be like, I don't know, maybe I'm just not good at this."
She fell into the comparison trap that catches nearly every entrepreneur: looking at other people's content, their delivery, their look, and wondering what she was doing wrong.
She invested in coaches who told her to post three times a day on TikTok. She did that for about a year, and when it didn't bring her sales back, she tried going live daily on Instagram instead. Neither worked, and each time, the advice-givers had the same response: it worked for them, so if it wasn't working for her, she must be the problem.
"Comparison at an all-time high, self-doubt at an all-time high, trust in myself at an all-time low."
Deleting the Apps and Rebuilding From Zero
By the summer of 2023, Hannah had had enough. She deleted every social media app off her phone and didn't post for an entire summer.
Instead of looking outward for the next hack or trend, she turned inward. She reread her own client results, reconnected with why people should invest in her specifically, and chose the stories she had lived that would speak directly to her ideal client.
When she came back to social media, she treated it almost like a journal. She didn’t stress over hooks, trending sounds, or scripts pulled from some other coach’s framework. She posted honest reflections on what happened to her that day or what her clients were working through.
"I kid you not, within a two-week period, I had signed $7,000 worth of clients. Cash. Not future contracts. Cash. And I was like, whoa, I'm onto something here."
That shift became the foundation of Hannah's entire philosophy today: there are no universal rules in marketing. What matters is knowing exactly why you, why your specific audience, and having real stories that bridge the two.
You Don't Need a Screenshot-Worthy Story
One of the biggest myths Hannah works to dismantle with her clients is the idea that you need a dramatic transformation or a client who made a million dollars to have compelling content. In reality, some of the most effective stories come from the most routine moments. She’s talking about a regular Tuesday client call, a DM conversation, or a comment on a post.
"Half of the stories that I use, and that I help my clients use, are from that routine client call where nothing really was to celebrate, but you helped that person through something so natural for you that it's easy. Even though for most people, it's not easy at all."
Instead of focusing on manufacturing impressiveness, Hannah directs her clients to notice what they're already doing well. In Hannah’s experience, confidence doesn't come from designer clothes, rented sports cars for a content shoot, or flying first class. It comes from being able to talk about your work without reading off someone else's script. Looking at the things you’ve made happen and thinking … damn. I did that … can boost your confidence more than any handbag could.
Ripping Off the Band-Aid on Camera
Getting comfortable on video wasn’t immediately easy for Hannah either. She started small, with simple B-roll like sipping coffee or opening her laptop.
Eventually, someone challenged her to just talk into the camera the way she naturally talked on sales calls. She moved from a rigid script to a loose outline to, eventually, full improvisation.
Her advice for anyone terrified of turning the camera on: think of one story about your work, or one strong opinion you genuinely hold, and start there. Multiple takes are fine. You can always edit later. She also points to the rise of what she calls "ugly content" — unfiltered, double-chin, phone-held-too-low videos — as proof that audiences crave authenticity over polish.
"That's so human, and people love it because they want to feel like they're on a FaceTime with you. They want to feel like you're speaking directly to them."
Marketing to One Person at a Time
Perhaps the most practical shift Hannah made was in how she approached sales conversations altogether. Rather than fixating on the hundred people she hoped would eventually buy, she focused on one person at a time. She has the conversation, gets an answer, and moves to the next.
"My goal is just to get an answer, whether that's a yes or a no. I would much rather get a no than silence."
That mindset takes the emotional weight off any single lead or follower and replaces it with steady, sustainable momentum. You just need to have one honest conversation after another.
Answering the Chaotic Questions
At the end of every episode, I ask each guest the same three questions. Here’s how Hannah responded:
If you could go back and talk to your 2005 self, what would you say?
Confidence is a choice. She was holding so much fear inside, and I wish she would have just talked to more people and not been afraid of judgment.
A woman comes to you for advice. What's the first thing you tell her?
Focus on one day at a time and make it the best day. What's the one thing you can do today that's going to make you laugh or feel good? It compounds.
What do you hope people remember about you from this time in your life?
That you can make a choice right here, right now to break the cycle and be whoever you want to be. Be confident. Put yourself out there.
Where to Find Hannah
You can find Hannah Plourde on Instagram and Threads. You can also learn more about her business and her offerings on her website. She also hosts her own podcast, Filthy Rich with Story, and offers content audits for anyone feeling stuck in their current strategy.
Want to Hear More Stories Like This?
If you're feeling stuck trying to fit into someone else's mold, I hope you take Hannah’s story as permission to try something that actually feels like you. I know I did.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who could use a little more confidence in her life. And remember to subscribe to The Chaotic Middle Podcast so you never miss another story of a strong, successful woman who is doing things her own way.
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