Clare joined Rachel Lindsay and Becca Kufrin on an episode of "Bachelor Happy Hour" where they discussed Clare's upcoming season of "The Bachelorette." Clare revealed she found out when she’ll leave to start filming the show (she didn’t share the date!) and how she’s spent the past three and a half months preparing for this journey.

"I love having this moment," Clare shared with Becca and Rachel. "I think there are so many younger followers of 'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' who are like, 'I don’t even know who this girl is,' which is totally fine. The people who do know me know Clare from six years ago, know Clare from five years, and know five minutes of my life."

She explained that she’s grown tremendously as a person, most of it out of the public eye.

Clare said, "Coming off of Juan Pablo's season, I was weak. I didn’t know who I was. I wasn’t self-aware. Now, coming from there and doing the work all in my 30s, I'm an empowered woman now, and a strong woman. I would say even more than being a strong woman — because I'm not always strong — more than anything, I'm a courageous woman now. Even when I’m weak, I still have the courage in myself to do hard things."

The hair stylist admitted that she's struggled with her self-esteem, including "having no self-confidence" and "not believing in myself, not feeling worthy of a lot of stuff."

She continued, "When things are hard, it reverts to that unknowingly. There are those moments when I wake up and I’m like, 'Why did they pick me? Is this a joke?' Then there are other times when I sit there and I’m like, 'Hell yeah, I cannot wait to share my story.'"

At 39, Clare is the oldest Bachelorette in franchise history, and she views that trait as more time for her to gain knowledge and wisdom about herself. She said she’s looking forward to being "another voice for women and men to feel empowered, and to see that being 40 and single, there’s a reason why we’re at where we’re at in our lives."

She continued, "I want so bad for other women who are waiting and have waited to know that their self-worth comes first more than anything. It’s taken me a little longer to work on it and feel it and believe it, but only till you feel it and believe it and you love yourself can you allow other love into your life."

Clare’s season was due to start filming in March and air in May, but the coronavirus pandemic derailed those plans. In these past few months, Clare has had time to self-reflect, and for that, she’s extremely grateful.

She expressed, "Everything happens for a reason. It has given me the time to sit and go, 'What is my message? What is it I want to share with women my age, women of any age?' I want to be that woman for other women that says we all go through pretty awful stuff sometimes. Other people from just what you see, whether it be on social media or publicly, is not always the case. I want to be able to share my message."

These words echo what she said in a conversation with Chris Harrison on a recent episode of “The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever!” He asked, "Do you think because of the women that have come before you, you can be that powerful strong woman and own that intimacy, own whatever comes?”

Clare replied, "Because of the women, yes, but also because of the woman that I have become. I have been judged in the past. I’ve had the worst of the worst said to me and called the worst of the worst names. But when you believe in yourself and know what you stand for, this is something that I will gladly own, and I’m excited for it."

To hear what else Clare has to say about being the Bachelorette, be sure to listen to the full "Bachelor Happy Hour" episode now!