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Danielle Brown MBE has achieved a great many things in the world of sport and beyond and she knows a thing or two about what self confidence (or the opposite!) can do.

Over the years she has seen loads of young people moving away from sport and all it offers as they lack confidence to continue, her new book Shoot for the Stars (illustrated gloriously by Jayde Perkin and Filigrana de Ideas) takes readers through how they might get the very most from it.   Shoot for the Stars is full of tips, tricks and real life stories to help those interested in sport feel more prepared to have a go!  She has very kindly written for us about how confidence has played a part in some of her most famous sporting experiences and why she hopes this book will encourage young people into a sport that works for them…

If there’s one skill I’d encourage anyone to work on, it’s confidence.

It’s a game-changer. It influences how we show up, respond to challenges, and helps us build a stronger relationship with ourselves. Yet confidence is fragile, and it can soar or crash in an instant. In sport, one good match can make you feel unstoppable, and one mistake can make you question everything.

I experienced both in my archery career.

At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, I opened with a world record and made it through to the semi-finals. I was only two matches away from the gold medal I’d been working so hard for. The night before those matches, my confidence collapsed. It started with one small doubt: What if I can’t do it?

That thought grew into another, then another. What if I’m not good enough? What if I let everyone down? I fell into a spiral of self-doubt until I was convinced I was going to lose.

Luckily, I read a message from the technician who worked on my equipment. “You can shoot scores in your sleep that your competitors can only ever dream about.” The fact that somebody else believed in me gave me the boost I needed. The next day, I went out there and won both matches. I had done it; I was a Paralympic Champion.

This experience changed how I thought about confidence. Confidence is not never having doubts but instead recognising when doubts show up, challenging them, and finding a way to believe in yourself anyway.

When I got home from Beijing, I made confidence a priority. I started learning what it was, how it worked, and what I needed to do to get better at it. I noticed that the greater my confidence grew, the better my results got. Two years later, I became the first disabled athlete to represent England in a non-disabled category, winning a team gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The media kept asking me how I’d managed it, and my answer was the same each time: “I always believed I could.”

One of the core themes in Shoot for the Stars is confidence. I’ve seen lots of young people stepping away from sport not because they don’t enjoy it, but because they don’t feel confident enough to take part. Some feel uncomfortable in poorly designed sports kit, whilst others feel out of step with themselves as their bodies change during puberty. Many are afraid to try something new because they’re scared of failing, or simply don’t see the sports field as a place where they belong.

But, if we stick with it, sport is a fantastic place to build confidence. When sport is framed as a place for growth, rather than just performance, it becomes a space where young people can explore their potential. It teaches us that progress doesn’t have to be perfect and there is no right way to succeed.

The book is designed to help girls understand what confidence really is: it’s not about having all the answers, but showing up, getting out of your comfort zone and backing yourself enough to try, mess up, and learn. Each chapter includes short, practical activities that help readers reflect on their own experiences and build their self-belief.

Because once you learn to back yourself, even just a little, it changes what you think you are capable of.

1. Celebrate all achievements, especially the micro wins: Confidence grows when we notice progress, not just perfection. Success isn’t just the shiny gold medals, but showing up to practice when you’re nervous, trying again after you’ve failed, or getting a compliment from a teammate. When we learn to pay attention to the micro wins, we find confidence in the everyday moments, and this spills over into bigger things.

2. Positive affirmations: The way we speak to ourselves matters. Repeating encouraging phrases like “I’ve got this” or “I can handle this” builds a supportive inner voice that shows up when we need it most.

3. Face your fears: Confidence doesn’t mean you’re never nervous: it means you don’t let nerves hold you back. Breaking fears down, talking them through with someone you trust, and thinking about what you can do if things go wrong helps you feel more in control. It builds trust in your ability to handle tough moments and keep going.

Confidence doesn’t get built overnight, but rather grows with practice and encouragement. Shoot for the Stars was written with this in mind, helping girls build lasting confidence they can carry into every part of their lives.

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Many thanks to Danielle for sharing this insight into her new book Shoot for the Stars.  You can find more information about and order this book using the link below.