The first time I recorded a video for my coaching business, I watched it back and wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. I looked nervous. I sounded like I was reading from a script. I \'ums\' and \'ahs\' through the whole thing.
I almost deleted it and quit.
Instead, I watched it two more times. First time: cringe. Second time: I noticed what the person I was watching was doing — the way she held her energy, the pauses she used, the confidence in her voice even when she was nervous. Third time: I watched it with the sound off and studied her body language.
That video wasn\'t great. But analyzing that video made every video after it better.
That\'s what persona really is. Not a mask. Not a character you\'re playing. A refined, intentional version of you — built by studying what works, practicing until it feels natural, and showing up consistently until confidence replaces the nerves.
Borrowing Energy From Others Without Losing Yourself
Let me be clear about something: I am not telling you to copy someone else. I am telling you to study them.
There is a massive difference between copying and studying.
Copying is taking someone else\'s words, their exact delivery, their specific style and passing it off as yours. That\'s plagiarism with a ring light.
Studying is watching how a confident presenter holds the room. How they pause before a key point. How their tone shifts when they move from teaching to inspiring. How they use silence instead of filler words.
Before I recorded my first real webinar, I watched five other people\'s webinars. Not to steal their content — to understand how they moved. Then I went and did it my way.
You cannot develop a persona in isolation. You have to have references. Standards. Examples of what good looks like.
The Energy Priming Technique That Actually Works
Here is a practical thing I do before every piece of content I create:
I watch or listen to someone who is genuinely great at what they do — for five minutes. Not to copy them. To borrow their energy.
Before I recorded my first YouTube video, I watched a Tony Robbins clip for two minutes. Not to be Tony Robbins. To feel what confident, energized communication sounds like. Then I hit record and brought that energy to my own content.
This sounds ridiculous. It works.
Your nervous system doesn\'t know the difference between watching someone and doing the thing. Watching confident energy primes you to access your own.
Try it. Before your next piece of content, watch 60 seconds of someone who does it well. Then create. You\'ll notice the difference.
Managing Your State of Mind Before You Create
Your persona is not just how you look on camera. It\'s your state of mind when you show up.
I have coached people who had incredible knowledge but zero confidence. They would record content and sound like they were apologizing for existing. The information was there. The persona was absent.
Here is what I tell every coach I work with: confidence is not a result. It is a decision you make before you show up.
Before you record, before you go live, before you write — decide that you have value to offer. Not because you\'re perfect. Because the person on the other side needs what you know.
That\'s it. That\'s the shift.
You\'re not performing confidence. You\'re operating from the belief that your knowledge matters and someone needs to hear it. That belief — held genuinely — is what comes through on camera, on the page, and in conversation.
Practical Confidence Builders for Content Creators
1. Record more than you publish. For every video you publish, record three that never see the light of day. This removes the stakes and builds the habit. After recording 20 videos nobody sees, the 21st one is way easier.
2. Practice out loud every day. Talk through your content while driving, showering, or walking. Don\'t record it. Just practice the words in your mouth. When it\'s time to record, the words are already familiar.
3. Take on something scary regularly. Confidence is built through reps with risk. If every piece of content you create feels safe, your confidence ceiling stays low. Do one scary thing a week — a live, a post without over-editing, a pitch — and watch your baseline confidence rise.
4. Build the persona before the results. Most people wait until they have results to feel confident. The pros know: you build the confident persona first, and the results follow because you showed up long enough to generate them.
Staying Authentic in the Process
I want to address this directly because someone will read this and worry they\'re being fake.
You are not being fake. You are being intentional.
Intentionality is not the same as inauthenticity. Learning how to communicate clearly, how to hold energy, how to present ideas in a way that lands — that is a skill. It is not manipulation. It is communication.
The coach who rants nervously into their phone with no structure and calls it "authentic" is not being authentic. They\'re being unrefined. There is a difference.
You can be fully, completely yourself — your values, your opinions, your stories, your voice — and also be intentional about how you communicate. Those two things do not conflict. The best presenters in the world are deeply themselves AND highly skilled at communication.
That\'s who you\'re building toward.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it fake to study someone else\'s presentation style?
No. Studying technique is not fake — it\'s training. Musicians study other musicians. Athletes study other athletes. Coaches studying communicators is the same thing. What\'s fake is copying someone else\'s words or passing off their ideas as your own. Studying their delivery and energy is a completely different skill.
How long does it take to build a confident persona?
You\'ll notice shifts within 30 days if you\'re consistent. Real, unshakeable confidence takes about 6-12 months of consistent showing up. But the compound effect is real — every piece of content you create makes the next one easier. The people who give up after two weeks never see the transformation.
I hate how I look on video. What do I do?
Keep watching yourself until you don\'t hate it anymore. I know that sounds harsh but it works. Most people hate their voice and appearance on video because they\'ve only seen themselves a handful of times in that context. Actors have watched themselves for years. That\'s why they\'re comfortable. Watch yourself more. It gets better.
Should I use a script or talk naturally?
Both. I use bullet points as guardrails, then talk naturally within them. Word-for-word scripts make you sound robotic. Pure improvisation makes you ramble. The sweet spot is knowing your key points, understanding the flow, and then communicating naturally around them.
How do I handle nervousness before recording?
Move your body. Literally. Do 10 jumping jacks, walk around the block, shake it out. Nervous energy needs to go somewhere — either it comes out in your content or you burn it off physically first. Also: remember that nobody watches content as carefully as you think. People are scrolling. Show up, deliver value, and let the rest go.
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About Jeremiah Krakowski
Jeremiah Krakowski is a coaching business mentor who helps coaches, course creators, and consultants scale from $3k/mo to $40k+/mo using direct response marketing, AI systems, and proven frameworks. He runs Wealthy Coach Academy and has 23+ years of experience in digital marketing. Learn more →