In this deeply personal episode of Chu on This!, Dr. Katie W. Chu sits down with her longtime friend Claudia Jimenez for an honest and reflective conversation about friendship, identity, confidence, and the quiet work of becoming who you were always meant to be.

Spanning more than two decades of shared history, Katie and Claudia reflect on meeting as young single mothers, raising daughters side by side, and supporting one another through career shifts, financial loss, divorce, and personal reinvention. Claudia shares her journey from working simply to survive to rediscovering her intelligence, worth, and voice through education, therapy, and courageously stepping outside her comfort zone.

The conversation explores unlearning limiting beliefs passed down through family, culture, and society, particularly around being a woman, self-confidence, and perceived capability. Claudia opens up about staying silent for years in a marriage that no longer aligned with who she was becoming, and how finding her voice ultimately changed the course of her life.

Katie reflects on her own journey of reclaiming confidence, leadership, and faith, including confronting long-held self-doubt around business and ability. Together, they discuss friendship that endures without guilt, the power of community, the importance of modeling growth for their daughters, and why healing often begins when we finally tell ourselves the truth.

This episode is a reminder that strength is often quiet, growth is rarely linear, and finding your voice can change everything.

Unlearning old beliefs is essential to growth. Katie and Claudia reflect on how beliefs formed in youth, about intelligence, capability, and worth, shaped their lives for years. True growth began when they questioned and released those narratives.

Finding your voice may come at a cost, but silence costs more. Claudia shares how staying silent for years affected her identity and relationships, and how reclaiming her voice ultimately led to difficult but necessary change.

Safe friendships allow growth without guilt. Their enduring friendship demonstrates that real connection does not require constant contact. Trust, understanding, and mutual support create space for growth without resentment.

“I stayed silent for ten years. Finding my voice changed everything.”

“I believed I wasn’t smart because that’s what I was told, and I carried that for years.”

“We are our biggest critics. Nobody else sees us the way we see ourselves.”