Tackling Imposter Syndrome

When I first became a financial advisor, I struggled.?

I didn’t know how to grow my business, which meant I wasn’t making enough money, which led to me going into debt. I was used to being a good saver, so this felt especially incongruent. The more financial challenges I had, the harder it was to value myself as a financial advisor. I felt ridiculous teaching people how to build wealth when I wasn’t building my own. I felt like a fraud.?

Even if you’re successful, unlike my younger self, you might relate to feeling like you don’t quite know enough or aren’t quite good enough. Women especially, underestimate the value of their success and overestimate the significance of what they don’t know. This is super common, and really sad.?

If you’ve ever experienced imposter syndrome, you’re in good company. Heather Whelpley used to be in the same boat. In corporate finance, she kept chasing “perfect,” until she was forced to realize enough was enough.?

On this week’s episode of Growing Your Financial Business…The Woman’s Way , Heather spoke with me about how imposter syndrome showed up in her life and the lives of women she’s worked with, and the awesome system she teaches to manage it. We talk a lot about ways to improve your mindset on my podcast, but this is an episode that you definitely don’t want to miss.

Heather’s Journey

Heather has always been a total overachiever. She was even valedictorian of her high school class — how many people can say that? But when she got a job in the corporate arena, that overachieving personality started hurting her. At thirty years old, Heather was so tired and stressed that she got Shingles. You’d think that was the wake up call she needed…but she kept going, trying to ignore her health challenges.

Heather was convinced that if she slowed down even for a second, her career would fall apart. She struggled to believe that she could be successful while caring for herself, or putting in the same amount of work as other people.

Heather had seen it before with other female coworkers of hers, as well as her clients. Women who, despite being incredibly successful, didn’t feel successful. They struggled to set boundaries in the workplace, and internalized their supposed professional shortcomings into major blows against their self-worth.

She found a mission in spreading the word about imposter syndrome. But first, she needed to start with herself.?

Heather created a fantastic system to manage imposter syndrome. It’s worked for her, and for the women who work with her. Tune into Heather’s episode to hear what tools she uses for yourself!

It’s About Priorities

Let’s be real: those of us who overdo it with work tend to overdo it with other parts of your lives, too. We want to do it all. Saying no sucks!

In addition to imposter syndrome, Heather and I talk about FOMO and the need to do absolutely everything in this week’s episode . Our conversation is honest, relatable (in my unbiased opinion), and comes with some pretty practical advice for how to prioritize your needs when it can be so difficult to do so.

How does imposter syndrome show up in your life, and what tricks do you use to manage it? Let me know in the comments!