The Secret to a More Confident You

This article is a transcribed, edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in March 2025. For the original video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQUHId1qe9c

Mike: A while back, Bob watched a golf audience do something very strange.

Brad: This is what they did. Whoa! They all got up with their hands up, cheering.

Commentator: Is it his time? Yes! At last, long last!

Mike: So what Bob was actually watching was Phil Mickelson sinking an 18-foot birdie putt to win the Masters Tournament that year.

Brad: And that was in overtime, when they tied up. I'm not a golfer, so I don't understand all of that, but Bob wondered, "Why are the, why is the audience all doing this?" Because we're therapists. We're thinking about posture and body, you know, what's going on.

Mike: So Bob discovered the importance of posture and how it can affect your life, which is what we're going to talk about.

Brad: That's right. And as you know, as therapists, we're always concerned about body movement and posture.

Mike: I don't care about golf, but anyway.

Brad: It was very important to Bob. Now, after Bob saw this activity and how this crowd displayed their posture, he actually did some serious homework to find out why and what the rationale was behind the big posture.

Mike: So we go to expert Amy Cuddy, who is a social psychologist, author, and speaker who's best known for something called power posing, which is the effect body language has on your personal confidence and how you behave.

Brad: Very good. This is a really good video. I'm glad Bob pulled this out. Now, with Amy Cuddy's research, she actually goes back and researches it in detail, talking about human power posturing, or posing, as well as animals doing the same thing, and how it relates back and forth. Not that we're animals.

Mike: Well, we kind of are.

Brad: Maybe the men are. But anyways, we talked about animals. Think of a peacock. When they're scared or frightened, they actually open up the fan, or it's mating season, they open up their fans, their tail feathers, and it's very large. It's very attractive. It gets attention. And whether they want to scare something or attract, you know, they're looking for a girlfriend.

Mike: It is a power pose.

Brad: Yes.

Mike: Bears also do this. If they are intimidated or protecting someone, they often stand up on their hind legs, baring their claws in the air. Very intimidating.

Brad: Exactly. So the human being actually has similar tendencies. And at the golf game, they were all excited. They wanted to get our attention, and they did. Caught Bob's eye right away.

Mike: Now, one of the most powerful poses people may recognize in recent history is actually Wonder Woman's pose with the hands on the hips, big shoulders, and standing tall as well.

Brad: Feet out wide as well.

Mike: Can you imagine if she was slouched forward? It wouldn't be very powerful.

Brad: Right.

Mike: Kind of looks like a monkey.

Brad: She's out like this.

Brad: Gets your attention, and she's on pictures and posters all over the world.

Mike: So studies suggest that power posing can help boost your confidence, reduce your anxiety, and improve your performance in high-stress situations. So have confidence in yourself. Have good posture. All this can help.

Brad: Right, there's nothing new about this. This is something that we have looked at over the years, as well as other researchers and whatnot. You know, if you go into a job interview and you walk all hunched forward and you say, "Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Brad Heineck. I think I can do videos." Is that going to get you the job? Versus, you know, standing tall and confident, hi, I'm Brad Heineck. I've been working hard for the last 10 years. I want to make videos about physical therapy, and I can do it for you. And then Bob hired me for this.

Mike: I don't think that's really how it happened, but good story.

Brad: It was close.

Mike: So the purpose of this all is to think about your posture, because it can oftentimes lead to having more confidence and getting more accomplished in your life. And this includes when you're sitting, when you're standing, walking, anything. Try not to slouch if you can help it.

Brad: That's right. And more importantly, if you are a parent or a teacher, make sure you teach your children at a young age to sit up in the chair at the table, to stand up tall, shoulders back, and look confident. It's going to make a tremendous difference in their life; I can guarantee you.

Mike: Now, in this video, we realize some people may be stuck in a bad posture due to years of being in a forward posture or different issues you may be having. So if you want to work on stretching your posture out, we have a video for you.

Brad: That's right, it's called "Perfect Posture in 18 Days- 6 Minute Routine." It's an excellent posture video. Look at it. I know because I did it.

Mike: And posture not only helps confidence, but it can help your pain as well.

Brad: That's right. Big difference. You can breathe better, shoulders move better, neck moves better, less pain. It all works together.

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