Scared to Show Your Face on Instagram? Here’s How to Stop Hiding and Start Owning It
How to Get Over the Fear of Showing Your Face on Social Media
TL;DR
You’re not afraid of the lens. You’re afraid of being seen. That fear is your nervous system trying to protect you. The fix isn’t more scripts. It’s trust, reps, and letting your real energy lead. This post gives doulas a practical, gentle path to on-camera visibility so your ideal clients can feel you and hire you.
The Fear We Don’t Talk About
You can help women through labor. You can advocate in a hospital room when a doctor doubts you. You can be the calm in the storm.
Point a camera at you and suddenly your brain blanks. You re-record. You tell yourself “next week.”
If that’s you, you’re not alone. And your business, and the mothers who need you, can’t find you if you’re invisible.
Why This Fear Is So Loud
Every doula I’ve coached has wrestled with this. Every single one.
It isn’t vanity. It’s vulnerability. Showing your face, your voice, your truth is intimate. The same empathy that makes you phenomenal at supporting families also makes visibility feel risky. You’ve held space for others for years. Being visible asks you to hold space for yourself. That’s new terrain.
Reframe: Confidence Isn’t a Prerequisite
Confidence doesn’t come first. Courage does. You earn confidence by showing up scared and noticing the sky doesn’t fall. One day you won’t feel “fearless.” You’ll feel free.
Practice Like It’s a Skill
Confidence is the byproduct of repetition. I didn’t learn to sell by reading. I learned by saying awkward things, learning, trying again. Same with camera work:
Speak. Record. Cringe. Post. Repeat.
Mini-challenge: record 30 seconds a day for a week. You don’t have to post the first six. By day seven, you’ll already sound more natural.
Lean Into Your Quirks
Your magnetism lives in what you keep toning down. Sarcasm. Big hand gestures. Warmth. The dry humor. We’ve been taught “professional” equals polished. Your ideal clients aren’t craving polish. They’re craving you. Every time you hide your quirks, you dim the very thing that differentiates you.
Find Your Camera Personality
You don’t need to be bubbly or loud. You need to be you, on purpose.
Ask yourself:
When do I feel most like myself: coaching, dancing, storytelling, teaching?
What energy do I want to bring into this space?
If my best friend sat across from me, how would I talk?
Goal: make the camera a friend, not a judge.
Don’t Perform. Connect
If you’re nervous, you’re focused on yourself. Shift your focus to her, the woman scrolling who is scared, exhausted, or hopeful. She wants trust. Speak to her.
When your energy moves from “How do I look?” to “How can I serve?”, everything changes.
Structure Without Scripts
Overthinking usually means you’re trying to sound perfect. Ditch the word-for-word script and keep a simple outline:
Hook: “If you’re scared to show your face on camera, this is for you.”
Story: “When I started, I recorded 14 drafts and cried.”
Tip: “Here’s one thing that helped.”
CTA: “Tag me when you post so I can hype you up.”
Structure grounds you. Scripts stiffen you.
Regulate Your Nervous System
Visibility can trigger a stress response. Tell your body you’re safe.
Quick reset before filming:
Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth, three times.
Shake out your hands and shoulders.
Say out loud: “I’m safe to be seen.”
Small shifts. Real results.
Give Yourself Permission To Be Messy
The first videos will be awkward. You’ll say “um.” You’ll blink a lot. Nobody cares. People bond with presence, not perfection. The “perfect” accounts blend in. The real ones build trust.
Redefine Success
Stop measuring by likes. Start measuring by ease:
Did this feel more natural than last time?
Did I have fun?
Did I show up with my heart open?
That’s growth you can bank on.
Borrow Safe Eyes
Confidence grows faster in community. Share drafts with your doula pod, coach, or a supportive friend. Let them mirror back the magnetism you can’t see yet. Eventually you won’t need external reassurance. It’s okay to borrow it for now.
Anchor In Your Mission
Visibility isn’t vanity. It’s advocacy. When you show up online, you model empowered, evidence-informed, woman-centered leadership. You’re not just selling a service. You’re reshaping birth culture.
Join the Waitlist: BOOKED & BOLD
BOOKED & BOLD: Socials That Sell- The Visibility Experience for Doulas Who Refuse to Blend In
Not another “find trending audio and pray” course. This is where you transform your relationship with showing up.
You’ll go from:
“What do I even post?” → “I can’t wait to share this.”
“I sound cringe.” → “This sounds like me.”
“Social drains me.” → “This actually makes me money.”
Pre-sale opens soon. Limited spots at the pre-sale rate because I include 1:1 completion checkpoints with my eyes on your work.
👉 Join the waitlist: [Help Me Make My IG Find Me More Mamas]
