Episode #712 Small Steps Build Lasting Confidence — Dr. Christiane Schroeter
“The only reason why you’re intimidated is because the goal is too big. So just shrink it down.”
Dr. Christiane Schroeter
Author, TEDx Speaker and Leadership Strategist
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Small steps build confidence by turning intimidating goals into actions we can begin, repeat, celebrate, and eventually trust.
Episode Summary
Big goals have a way of making us question abilities we have already demonstrated.
We forget the problems we have solved, the risks we have survived and the difficult things we once believed were beyond us. Instead of remembering that evidence, we stare at the next challenge and convince ourselves that we are not ready.
Dr. Christiane Schroeter offers a refreshingly practical alternative: make the step smaller.
Her philosophy of petite practice is built around the belief that meaningful transformation does not require one enormous act of courage. It begins with an action small enough to take today. When that action is repeated, examined and celebrated, it becomes evidence. That evidence slowly changes how we see ourselves.
The conversation also explores the importance of praising progress, listening thoughtfully to outside feedback and becoming clear about the values that define how we want to live. Confidence is not presented as something we must find before beginning. It is something we construct through action.
With stories about moving from Germany to the United States, completing a dissertation in her second language, writing a book and learning to become comfortable with discomfort, Christiane demonstrates what happens when small actions are given enough time to become a new identity.
The result is a lively, thoughtful and occasionally kitchen-inspired conversation about pots, lids, elephants, courage and the quiet practices that help us keep moving.
Key Takeaways
1. Make the Goal Small Enough to Begin
Feeling overwhelmed does not always mean we lack discipline, courage or ability. Sometimes the goal is simply too large in its current form.
Christiane encourages us to reduce the challenge until we can identify one action we are willing to take now. That first step may appear insignificant, but it creates something imagination alone cannot provide: evidence that we have begun.
Small steps build confidence because they move us out of debate and into experience.
2. Praise the Progress
Many of us examine what went wrong and immediately move on from what went right.
Christiane challenges that habit through a simple but powerful idea: praise the progress. Celebrating an action is not arrogance, and it does not mean pretending there is no room for improvement. It means recognizing the effort, courage and growth that brought us forward.
Those moments of acknowledgment become emotional fuel when the next step feels difficult.
3. Repetition Turns Action into Identity
One courageous decision can create movement. Repetition teaches us that the movement was not an accident.
Audley and Christiane explore how returning to a practice strengthens our ability to recover from doubt. The fear may still appear, but we respond to it differently because we have accumulated proof.
We begin saying, “I have done difficult things before,” instead of asking, “Who am I to try?”
4. Clarity Creates Its Own Kind of Loudness
Living out loud does not require being the most visible or outspoken person in the room.
Christiane describes a different kind of loudness: knowing your values, recognizing your personal frequency and confidently choosing what belongs in your life. Sometimes bold living means pursuing an opportunity. Other times, it means clearly saying no to something that does not align with who you are becoming.
Confidence becomes less about volume and more about clarity.
Guest Bio
Dr. Christiane Schroeter is an author, TEDx speaker, Fulbright Scholar, professor, leadership strategist and host of the Happy Healthy Hustle podcast. Her work helps leaders and professionals create meaningful change through practical, research-informed actions that are small enough to sustain.
After moving from Germany to the United States for graduate studies, Christiane earned her doctorate and built a career spanning teaching, speaking, coaching, wellness and leadership development. That experience informs her Petite Practice® philosophy: lasting progress is created through manageable actions that are intentionally repeated.
Books, Comedy and Guest Resources
Petite Practice®: Small, Steady Steps to a Life of Momentum and Real Change
Christiane’s new book introduces a research-backed approach to creating change without relying on dramatic reinvention or unsustainable bursts of motivation. It explores how readers can simplify intimidating goals, move beyond all-or-nothing thinking, strengthen identity through action and make positive changes stick.
The Petite Practice® Power Quiz
Christiane offers a free three-minute quiz designed to help people identify their Petite Practice® starting point. Participants receive a personalized scorecard highlighting where they can focus to develop greater clarity, confidence and momentum.
Take the quiz:
https://doctorchristiane.com/quiz
The quiz and its personalized scorecard are described on Christiane’s official website.
The STEP Framework
Christiane’s approach organizes meaningful change around four actions and one multiplier:
Simplify: Reduce the goal until it no longer intimidates you.
Tell: Name the action and share what you intend to do.
Examine: Reflect on what worked and identify the true obstacle.
Praise: Recognize the action and progress rather than waiting for the final outcome.
Repeat: Continue the practice until the action compounds into lasting change.
The framework is represented as Change = (S + T + E + P) × R.
Continue Your Audacious Journey
The Power of Small Shifts: Why Lasting Change Happens One Step at a Time
Christiane’s petite practice philosophy adds another valuable dimension by showing how simplifying, examining, praising and repeating those choices can turn isolated actions into lasting personal change.
Audley‘s Personal Insights
“Praise the progress” stayed with me after our conversation. We are often so focused on the distance still ahead that we overlook the strength, courage and determination it took to reach where we are standing now.
Giving yourself credit does not stop your growth. Sometimes it provides the confidence you need to continue.
Best Point of Contact
The best place to connect with Christiane, explore her speaking work, discover her books and take the free Petite Practice® Power Quiz is:
Her official website also provides information about speaking engagements, the podcast, books and direct inquiries.
Listen & Subscribe
This conversation is an invitation to stop waiting for confidence and begin creating it one manageable action at a time.
Listen to the complete episode, subscribe to the podcast and share it with someone who may be feeling intimidated by the size of their next step.
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👉 If this conversation inspired you, be sure to listen, subscribe, and share with someone who needs it.
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