True confidence isn't about having all the answers — it's about trusting yourself to find them. For lawyers, the difference between playing it safe and stepping into real growth often comes down to one thing: backing yourself.
Lara Wentworth, a performance coach who works with legal professionals, understands this deeply. She helps lawyers shift from reactive career patterns to intentional leadership, transforming self-doubt into self-belief and external pressure into purposeful action.
We sat down with Lara to explore what it really means to back yourself in 2026. She shares practical mindset shifts that build confidence, daily practices that strengthen self-belief, and the story of a sole practitioner who transformed her entire practice by learning to trust her own capability.
Backing yourself isn't about perfection. It's about permission to grow
Lara often sees lawyers trapped by anxiety. One described feeling like they were ‘always on fire.’ She helps them find ways to shift from fight or flight to a steadier, more empowered way of being in the world.
“Backing yourself means trusting that you can work things out even when the path isn’t clear,” she says. “It’s choosing to lean on the skills, insight, and instincts you already have, while giving yourself permission to learn, experiment, and occasionally stumble. It’s responding to feedback in a healthy, grounded way, using it to grow rather than to judge yourself, and cultivating confidence that isn’t dependent on a perfect outcome.”
The results can be seismic and significant.
“When lawyers back themselves, they unlock career progression because they’re more willing to stretch, take on new challenges, and focus on opportunities rather than limitations,” Lara explains. “Their self-esteem remains intact, creating the psychological space needed for meaningful learning and professional evolution.”
“At a firm level, this mindset fuels innovation and momentum. Teams led by people who feel safe to try, adapt, get things wrong on the way to getting them right, and welcome diverse perspectives are far better positioned to meet goals and thrive.”
Stop reacting to your career. Start directing it
A new year presents opportunities to reset and refresh. In 2026, Lara encourages lawyers to embrace a powerful mindset shift.
“Try moving from 'life is happening to me' to 'I am at the cause of my career, not the effect of it,’” Lara says. “This shift invites a more deliberate way of operating, choosing the meaning we give to setbacks, reframing failure as feedback, and adjusting our approach rather than questioning our capability. It means being intentional about how we want to show up each day, what we want to achieve over the week or year, and the kind of lawyer and person we are becoming.”
“Instead of being driven by external pressure, urgency, or other people’s expectations, this mindset centres on what we can control: our focus, actions, energy, and interpretation of events. When lawyers adopt this stance, they show up with more clarity, personal power, and confidence, because they’re no longer reacting to their career; they’re consciously directing it.”
You don't silence self-doubt — you rise above it
A job that sees you routinely witness the worst-case scenario playing out is one that, quite understandably, can lead lawyers to hesitation and self-doubt.
“The goal isn’t to silence the 'I’m not ready' or 'I’m not good enough' voice, but to understand it,” Lara explains. “That inner critic is usually trying to protect you from failure, embarrassment, rejection. Every part of us has a positive intention, even when its delivery is harsh.”
The first step is to make friends with that voice instead of fighting it.
“Notice it, name it, and ask: What are you trying to do for me? Is it seeking safety, success, validation, or belonging? As long as you resist it, it will persist,” Lara says.
“Once you’ve acknowledged the positive intention, you can engage your logical brain: Given what this part wants for me, what’s a more helpful way to move forward? That might mean preparing more, asking for support, or taking a smaller first step. In doing this, you don’t eliminate the voice, you rise above it and choose a more resourceful response.”
Stop rehearsing failure. Start visualising success
“A powerful daily or weekly practice for building self-belief is intentional visualisation,” Lara says.
“The unconscious mind doesn’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s imagined. As lawyers, we often use that power against ourselves by rehearsing worst-case scenarios in the name of preparation. Over time, this chips away at confidence because we’re mentally practising failure.”
Be careful what you practise, Lara warns.
“Visualisation flips this pattern,” she explains. “When you repeatedly picture yourself handling challenges well, showing up with confidence, and achieving the outcome you want, you strengthen the belief that you can. And belief fuels action: we only take the risks, opportunities, and stretches we think we’re capable of.”
“You can still prepare thoroughly, but imagine that preparation paying off. See yourself navigating the situation with clarity, capability, and calm. When you mentally experience success first, your behaviour naturally aligns with it, and self-belief becomes an internal game you can win.”
The shift from "What if I fail?" to "What if I succeed?"
“One client, a sole practitioner, transformed her entire practice by learning to back herself,” Lara says.
For years, she held back from fully committing to her business because giving 100% felt risky: if it didn’t work, she believed it would prove she wasn’t good enough. Playing small felt safer than failing.
“Through our work together, she reframed those limiting beliefs, built practical confidence tools, and shifted her focus from fear to possibility. Most importantly, she learned to take charge of her mind rather than letting old patterns dictate her choices,” Lara says.
“Once she started backing herself, everything changed. She hired new staff, moved into larger offices, attracted bigger clients, and created her own version of success. The day-to-day challenges of running a practice didn’t disappear, but she showed up differently: more aligned, more congruent, and far more connected to her values and vision.”
So how about starting to trust yourself a little more in 2026? And question those worse-case scenarios in your head… visualise all the other possibilities that may come about, like a successful outcome and a confident you!
