Israeli Model Yael Shelbia Shares Confidence Secret in Viral New York Encounter

Israeli model Yael Shelbia went viral after a chance meeting with American content creator David Carmi on the streets of New York. Carmi, known for his street interviews about self-confidence, asked Shelbia how she maintains her confidence. Shelbia candidly attributed it to life experience, explaining that she was not always confident in her youth and that building self-confidence requires repeated effort and occasional embarrassment.

Shelbia recounted a formative experience from school where a teacher required each student to deliver a 10-minute speech. Despite intense anxiety and sleepless nights preparing, she succeeded, which transformed her self-perception. "I was embarrassed at first but I did it," she said, describing how this moment changed her mindset to "just do it, it will be okay."

When asked what message she would give to children watching, Shelbia encouraged them by saying, "When you finish school, everything will be different. School is not the whole world, you will find your way." The video quickly amassed millions of views and drew warm responses praising Shelbia’s wisdom and confidence. Shelbia also shared a photo from the meeting and thanked Carmi for the inspiring conversation, noting it had been four years since their first encounter in New York.