12 Years in, and I Still Feel Impostor Syndrome

12 years, hundreds of deals, a stack of certifications, and guess what? Impostor Syndrome still occasionally joins me for my morning coffee ?.

For me, it tends to creep in when I’m stepping out of my comfort zone, reaching beyond familiar faces, markets, or areas of expertise. Moving into new territories—whether it’s managing larger teams, leading international projects, or tackling a new industry—can make me feel like I’m back to square one, trying to prove myself all over again.

It turns out, this feeling doesn’t necessarily go away with experience—it just evolves. Michelle Obama admitted that even after becoming First Lady, she still wondered, “What do I know?” And Tom Hanks shared that he sometimes thinks, “When are they going to discover I’m a fraud and take everything away?” Hearing this from two widely respected figures is a reminder that impostor syndrome is surprisingly common, and research shows it’s less about our actual abilities and more about the way we set expectations for ourselves.

The Science (Behind It) ??

The goal isn’t to beat impostor syndrome once and for all. Instead, it’s about building a tolerance for that discomfort—gradually learning to move forward despite the doubts. The framework behind impostor syndrome, developed by Dr. Pauline Rose Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes, suggests that it’s rooted in a few familiar culprits: the need for perfection, a tendency to discount our accomplishments, and a fear that eventually we’ll be exposed as frauds.

These habits show up in small ways. We often brush off praise, saying it was “luck” or “just good timing.” We hold ourselves to impossible standards and feel inadequate even when we reach our goals. And the kicker? That fear of exposure—that someone, someday, will “find us out.” Clance and Imes found that these patterns can be especially strong when we’re in new or unfamiliar roles, where the stakes feel high, and we’re unsteady on our feet. In my case, starting this new chapter as a solopreneur has been a test of confidence and, yes, a bit of humility.

The Therapy (Sort of) ??

The best way to handle these feelings might be to desensitize ourselves to discomfort. Try doing one small uncomfortable thing every day: take a cold shower ??, strike up a conversation with a stranger on the street ??, or tackle a skill you’ve been avoiding ??. Over time, these little challenges can help us separate discomfort from failure, teaching us that being uncomfortable doesn’t mean we’re unqualified. As social psychologist Amy Cuddy says, “Fake it till you become it.” The more often we confront these small, uncertain moments, the less power they have to hold us back.

So, if you’re feeling like an impostor today, remember—you’re standing on the shaking shoulders of other impostor giants ??. You’re not alone. Keep expanding, keep feeling that doubt, and trust that it’s leading you somewhere valuable. And if you need to chat, reach out!

#ImpostorSyndrome #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Resilience #MentalHealth #Sales #Motivation

References:

? Amy Cuddy’s “Fake it till you become it”: TED Talk on Body Language

? Dr. Pauline Rose Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes’ Impostor Phenomenon framework: Clance IP Scale and Research