At the just-wrapped 2025 Blavity Fest—the annual celebration of Black entrepreneurship, innovation, and culture—attendees had a unique opportunity to access life lessons from leaders in the U.S. Army.

Cadet (CDT) Culeigha Hinton and Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Faith Alexander joined moderator Bria Janelle for the panel, Break Through the Noise: Elevating and Maintaining Your Confidence. The two Army leaders were ideal for the discussion. After all, these smart, accomplished women are training and mentoring the next generation of Army service members. Safe to say, they know a thing or two about the role confidence plays in establishing yourself as a leader.

Confidence is Rooted in Competence 

“I truly think that to a certain degree, confidence is based off your level of competence,” CSM Alexander pointed out. “If you know you can do a job and do it well… not only do people around you become more confident in your abilities, I think you become more confident in yourself.”

Staying Grounded & On Track

“There was a time when I was really ill. I learned that I was not in control of anything but myself,” CSM Alexander offered. “It humbled me. I came out of the experience thinking: what do I need to focus on that I can really influence? Anything other than that is outside the limits of my control and I will not stress myself out about those situations.”

Giving Yourself Grace

“No. Negative. Self-talk. I don’t do it,” CDT Hinton declared. “It’s programming my mind in the wrong way. So I just try to speak positivity into myself every morning.”

For CSM Alexander, nurturing the self is knowing who you are. “At this point in my career, I AM her. It’s just what it is. ‘What’s the next challenge?’ is the biggest question,” she said. “That’s not me being boisterous, that’s me understanding what I actually bring to the table.”

The Role of Community

“I feel that my community has given me the tools and equipped me to handle what I have to handle. Now I want to be part of a community to help someone else,” said CSM Alexander. “Because that’s what the Army is… It’s a community of people who support each other in navigating the future… For me it’s about establishing the next generation of great leaders out there.”

CDT Hinton knows that finding your community can help take you to the next level. “With my cadre I felt uplifted and felt like I could conquer and do everything. And that’s really important when you want to take big steps, like becoming a second lieutenant and leading people. I found my tribe and I’m seeing people like me who wanted better for themselves and I was so thankful to be surrounded by people like that.”

Keep Going, Keep Growing

CSM Alexander gave perhaps the most touching and unexpected advice when she pointed out that she is driven by love. “To be an exceptional leader in the Army… if you don’t love soldiers, you’re not going to be a great leader. You can be very competent. You can razzle dazzle everyone with your great speeches, but at the end of the day if you don’t love soldiers and continue to try to create opportunities for them, then, in my eyes, you’re not a great leader. What keeps me going is that I’m not done creating spaces for others.”

She also pointed out the importance of facing down the idea of the impossible. “Don’t let hard things stop you,” she insisted. “It’s hard but it’s not impossible.”

Advice for Young You

When asked what advice they would give to their younger selves, the two leaders offered guidance that was both tough and uplifting. 

“Keep your inner child alive. Don’t allow society to make you small,” CDT Hinton reminded the audience. “You are big and you’re amazing. You need to shine bright.” 

“Some advice that I would give to my younger self is: expectation management,” said CSM Alexander. “Life is not designed to be fair. You will not get the same resources as the people around you. You will have to make adjustments. You will have to work harder to get the recognition that you deserve. But through your competence, you’ll be able to achieve what you need to achieve.”

“I would also tell my younger self to not lose faith and heart in what you’re doing…” she continued. “There will be shortfalls, there will be losses. It’s only a storm for a season… Give yourself some space and grace to say I’m a human being… You’re not perfect and sometimes it doesn’t have to be perfect, it has to be done to learn the lesson.”

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