What does the journey to self-confidence really look like behind the scenes? Confidence doesn’t always arrive fully formed. Sometimes it’s built in the quiet moments when you decide to step up: for your family, your team, and yourself.
Invited to speak to the “Women in Technology” group at Mary Kay, Tara Eustace, Mary Kay’s Chief Opportunity and Sales Officer, who has been with Mary Kay for over 30 years, pulled back the curtain on her journey, sharing honest reflections on leadership, the critical importance of humility, and the daily choice to “put on” confidence. Her reflections are real life lessons shaped by experience, challenge, and stepping up when it mattered most.
Below is a recap of this insightful conversation with Tara around confidence and women’s leadership.
Q: Tara, you have talked about stepping up for your family. How has that shaped your confidence?
- Stepping up for my family has absolutely inspired my confidence. When you realize people are counting on you, you find strength you didn’t know you had. That responsibility changes you. It makes you braver. Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a “full person.” Not just a leader. Not just a mom. Not just a professional. A full person. Considering both family and career has helped me slow down and actually enjoy the journey more.
Q: Who inspired you early on?
- My mother. She modeled resilience, strength, and a sense of purpose in ways I probably didn’t fully appreciate at the time. Watching her navigate life gave me a blueprint for stepping up when things got hard and for believing in the journey.
Q: What did confidence look like early in your career?
- I wasn’t confident when I started at Mary Kay. I didn’t know the culture. I felt behind. So, I had to learn to adapt. I had to cope. And over time, it worked. I always told myself, “I’m really good at implementation, but I’m not very good at leading.” That was the story I carried. And then I was forced to step into leadership roles both when the situation demanded it and later by visionary leaders here at Mary Kay who believed in me. Sometimes you don’t know you can do something until others breathe belief in you – or until you don’t have a choice!
Q: How did you build confidence over time?
- Any accolades I have – I worked hard for them. Any scars – I worked hard for those too.
- Confidence isn’t something you earn once and keep forever. It’s like another piece of clothing or armor. You have to put it on every single day.
- Regardless of our situations, we have to be ready and willing to go get it. We have to stand behind what we did and what we said, even if we made mistakes. Especially if we made mistakes.
Q: How do you balance confidence and humility?
- Leadership humbles you very quickly. What I know and what I’ve accomplished is a credit to my team. No one should hang their hat on a title. Always remember that being a leader isn’t about you; it is about the team.
- It’s also about balance. If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t lead effectively. Leadership is a long journey, not just a series of stops and milestones. So even if I miss a deadline, I communicate transparently, recalibrate, and make sure I’m taking care of myself so I can continue to show up, lead, and advance on the journey.
- Keep your eye on the little things, they often make the biggest difference. Returning the call. Sending the note. Having the hard conversation. Seeing the people and not just the work. Those are the moments that define you as a leader.
Q: What impact do you believe our work at Mary Kay is making?
- We are helping women be confident, run their own businesses, and build community. Some may come for the extra income opportunity. But along the way, they gain other things, and often – confidence.
- I’ve heard stories from women who were once part of our independent sales force who say that Mary Kay was a part of their journey that led them to their final goal. I remember meeting a remarkably successful designer who had sold Mary Kay® products early in her career, and she said that her time with Mary Kay helped her build the confidence she needed to pursue her bigger dream.
- When you help a woman, you help her family. When you help her family, you help a community. When you lean into women in a society, you help create sustainable ecosystems. That is incredibly impactful. And that is the Mary Kay business.
Q: What advice would you give to others in the room?
- Any time you walk into a room, talk to someone you haven’t spoken to before. Expand your circle. When you do that, you attract positivity and meet new people, which leads to new connections, and great things can come out of it. That’s how growth happens.
- As women and leaders, we don’t have to measure ourselves against standards that were never designed with us in mind. We have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to define success in a way that reflects our values, strengths, and impact.
- Being a leader isn’t just about how you think. It’s about listening, observing, and understanding what’s really happening around you – and then using those observations to create insights around making things better.
- I would like to end with a quote from Mary Kay. Our founder, Mary Kay Ash, said, ‘Remember that real leadership is being the person that others will gladly and confidently follow. If the leaders lack confidence, the followers lack commitment.’ Mary Kay faced setbacks and failures throughout her journey, but she never allowed them to define her. Her confidence came from her belief in her purpose, her willingness to keep learning, and her determination to keep moving forward. That’s a powerful reminder for all of us: confidence isn’t the absence of setbacks – it’s the decision to move forward despite them.
Did You Know:
- Women-Powered Company: 63% of the Executive Team, 64% of R&D Scientists, 79% of Global Brand and Global Creative, 63% of Global Workforce, and 60% of Leadership positions in Mary Kay’s Top 10 Markets are held by women.[1]
Learn more about the Mary Kay opportunity here.
[1] Women and Leadership Representation at Mary Kay (May 2026).