How Black Women Can Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Strategies to help you confidently take up space in the workplace

“I just want you to know I didn’t hire you because you’re Black…”

This bizarre bit of information was delivered to me a few years ago by my manager – a white male – who thought it was important to pull me to the side and make this clarification during my first week on the job. I was an executive with 20+ years of experience under my belt, two degrees from Harvard, and notable success in my industry, so the idea that I was hired “because [I’m] Black” had never occurred to me.?

I took a deep breath in and an extra-long breath out before responding and saying: “Thank you for sharing. I think my education and experience speak for themselves.”?

At the time, I was mature enough and experienced enough to handle this microaggression – understanding that, albeit awkward and all-around uncomforting, my manager likely had well-meaning intentions. But if a boss had said those words to me when I was 22 years old, they might have planted a seed of doubt in my mind where I not only questioned my own capabilities but my belongingness. That seed of doubt could have festered and grown into a full-fledged case of imposter syndrome.

The term imposter syndrome was coined in 1978 by psychologists Suzanne Imes and Pauline Rose Clance, who described it as an “internal experience of intellectual phonies” among high-achieving women. Although those feelings of self-doubt, unworthiness, or being found out to be a fraud can affect anyone, they are especially threatening to Black women in the workplace when compounded by racism, sexism, elitism, and constant questioning of one's authority or your right to be in the room.?

Black women are reportedly more likely than other women to be asked to provide evidence of our competence – 40% compared to 30% of all women and 14% of men – according to The State of Black Women in America report. Even recently confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson – the first Black woman ever to become a U.S. Supreme Court Justice? – spoke at her hearings about feeling like an imposter, questioning her abilities, and wondering if she belonged as she walked the campus of Harvard as a freshman.

This more frequent questioning of our expertise can make us afraid to speak up for ourselves in meetings, keep us from pursuing new opportunities for growth within our companies and cause us to shrink as opposed to taking up space. They can also make it difficult for us to accept support and praise when it comes our way, which, to a manager, may look like a lack of self-confidence.

?So what do Black women need to do to overcome imposter syndrome in a world that continues to doubt us??

One of the powerful frameworks I share with clients who attend my breathwork and mindfulness workshops is called WEBAV.

W - Welcoming the voice.

Take a moment and listen to the self-doubting, self-sabotaging voice in your head and write down what it’s saying. It might say, “You’re going to get fired,” for example. By writing it down, you face what you most fear.?

After writing it down, explore it further. What does the voice sound like? What sort of tone is it using? Sarcastic? Criticizing?? Is it a high or low-pitched voice? Does it have a gender? You might even give the voice a name to make it more concrete and bring it into focus.

E - Evidence gathering.

Evidence gathering. that you have pinpointed what the voice is saying and written it down, look at the evidence. Draw a line down the middle of a blank sheet of paper; on one side jot down evidence to support the statement (“You’re going to get fired”) and on the other side, write the counter-evidence. If you’re not sure, ask a supportive friend or loved one to help you come up with the lists. You might find the list of evidence that disproves the statement is longer than the supporting evidence. Keep this list in a safe place to review it when you need to.

B - Breathwork.

When you’re feeling insecure before a meeting or presentation, take what’s called a Lion’s Breath. Inhale deeply. When you exhale, stick your tongue as far out and down as you can and make a sound like a lion’s roar. It will help you tap into the inner lion. If you find yourself experiencing self-doubt in the presence of others, take an Extra-long Exhale instead. Wherever you are in the breath, slowly exhale for as long as you can. This stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system so that you can calm down and really be your best self. Inhale, let your belly stick far out and slowly exhale.?

A - Affirmations.

State and reinforce positive beliefs with affirmations. The most effective affirmations speak in the present tense and use your name (rather than “I”) as if talking about yourself in the third person. For example, to shore up my confidence with the violin, I used the affirmation, “Zee is amazing at violin improv”.?

Try saying it while facing the mirror. Repeat your affirmation five times, placing a different emphasis on different words each time. “Zee is amazing at violin improv” “Zee is amazing at violin improv.”?

V - Visualize your success.

Research shows that when athletes visualize themselves succeeding in competition, it stimulates the same regions in the brain as when they are actually competing. To do it, close your eyes and picture a specific situation, like watching a movie of yourself doing something well and reaching your goals.

Unfortunately, racism, sexism, microaggressions, and other behaviors that may cause imposter syndrome are not soon likely to go away, use these techniques to help you breathe through it and overcome it.?

As a successful Black woman executive in corporate America, Zee Clarke used to think that high-stress levels and stress-related health conditions were a baseline requirement if she wanted to remain employed. Then the Harvard MBA discovered mindfulness, and it changed her life. Now Zee leads?transformative workshops?on mindfulness, breathwork, and stress management tools for BIPOC employees at organizations such as Google, Facebook, Visa, Ecolab, and more. Zee Clarke’s book, Black People Breathe, will be released by Penguin Random House in 2023.