Hacking Imposter Syndrome: 3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Being Found Out
Host, Nikki Innocent, focuses this episode around a topic that comes up in almost all of her coaching calls along with any live Q&A session at her speaking engagements: How to hack Imposter Syndrome and overcome the fear of being found out. Imposter syndrome is defined as that sinking feeling that you will be found out as a fraud, that you are not qualified, that you don't belong, that your successes are undeserved and based more on luck, timing or other factors outside your control rather than your skills, contribution and strong performance. When Imposter Syndrome was first talked about in the 1970s, it was believed that it only affected women. From then to now, fifty years later, we realize that it is not just a women’s issue. We now know that so much of this Imposter Syndrome comes from you being seen as part of the non-dominate, non-majority or subordinate group. If you are seen as a member of that non-majority identity dynamic, you have been told by society that you are not enough, that you are a fraud. So much of this feels like it is our own heaviness that we are carrying around, but the reality is that you have been told as a member of that subordinate group that you are not enough. Nikki urges listeners to shine a light on this topic, to identify it, and to talk about it. The tangible solutions discussed in this episode tie to three common themes that Nikki discusses in her women’s leadership work: 1) people pleasing 2) seeking external validation or approval 3) lacking awareness of our unique strengths Listen to the full podcast episode for specific exercises to shine a light on these three themes, tap into specific tools to hack the powerful feelings of fraudulence and put them in action to overcome imposter syndrome. Show notes: https://www.nikkiinnocent.com/podcast/podcast-episodes/imposter-syndrome