Imposter Syndrome: Why You Have It and How To Overcome It
Join Victoria Jenn Rodriguez as she tackles the complex topic of impostor syndrome - why so many high achievers experience it and how you can turn feeling like a fraud into fuel to push you forward.
Drawing from psychology and her own journey, Victoria Jenn offers a practical framework to mitigate imposter syndrome’s chokehold. She shares tips like cultivating self-awareness of when it strikes, curating a “badassery committee” who believes in you, the power of mirror pep talks, and celebrating small daily wins.
In this episode, Victoria Jenn provides:
Insight on why imposter syndrome often intensifies as you advance and achieve more
A 4-step approach to transform self-doubt into confidence
Affirmations and exercises to combat feelings of being undeserving
Perspective on why discomfort propels your greatest growth
Discover how sensations of being an imposter often indicate you're coloring outside the lines and taking risks to expand. Learn to embrace the emotions you feel, while equipping yourself with practices that reinforce your capabilities.
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Full Transcript:
70% of professionals experience imposter syndrome at least three times in their lives. And for folks of color and women of color in particular, that data point triples. A lot of us are the only, in many of the rooms that we are in.
In order for you to grow and expand, in order for you to excel, you need to be uncomfortable. The more you climb that corporate ladder, the more money you make as an entrepreneur, the more you succeed and accomplish, the more you will begin to question yourself. They put in the work, they have the experience, they have the fan base, they have the money, honey.
They have the lifestyle, and they are still experiencing imposter syndrome. When you're uncomfortable, what happens? Progress is made.
I feel like, hey, we're on to something here. When you find yourself in those rooms, in those situations, again, you are prepared. You got what it takes.”
“You are incredible. And whatever you are feeling right now is only temporary, baby. Welcome back to Banking on Cultura.
I am your host, Victoria Jenn Rodriguez. And today, I want to talk to you guys about something that got a lot of y'all in a chokehold, y'all. And the reason why I know this is because so many people reach out to me about this one thing that just has them stuck, that has them standing in their own way, that has them feeling less than and just messing with their confidence.
And this is that bitch, imposter syndrome. Yes, her, okay? Her.
“She is taking over our lives, honey, and she is all up in our space, all up in our circumference, and literally holding us back from tapping into our full potential. And for those of you who are not familiar with imposter syndrome, I'm gonna give you a quick definition, because some of you are experiencing it and don't even know exactly that that is what it is. So imposter syndrome is whenever you felt like you don't belong, like you are not worthy to be in a space, regardless of how much sweat equity you put in, regardless of how much work you put in, regardless of how many accolades you've had, how many degrees you had, you just feel like an imposter.
So if you ever experienced those type of emotions, ever felt like you were kind of like the standout in a room that was completely full of people who didn't talk like you, who didn't look like you, all the things, then you will have experienced imposter syndrome. And in fact, it is quite normal. So 70% of professionals experience imposter syndrome at least three times in their lives.
“And for folks of color and women of color in particular, that data point triples. So it is a very real thing. And I know there's a lot of controversy out there as to whether or not imposter syndrome is real, if we should be using that terminology.
All of that doesn't really matter. The facts are is that a lot of us are experiencing self-doubt. And a lot of us are the only in many of the rooms that we are in.
And a lot of us are stretching ourselves in ways that we've never had before, and it's making us a little uncomfortable. And some might argue that imposter syndrome is a bad thing, right? You hear the word syndrome, and automatically you're like, ooh, I don't want that.
That sounds, ooh, definitely don't want that. But I want to shift your mindset a little bit about this. So Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez, Sheryl Sandberg, people that you admire, people that you look up to, and there's a lot of fellas who have admitted to this as well, they have all talked about the fact that they experience imposter syndrome.
“And you look at folks at this caliber and you're like, you, even our girl Oprah, Tony Robbins, right, have publicly stated that they have experienced imposter syndrome. And all of these folks have tremendous accolades under their belt, right? They put in the work, they have the experience, they have the fan base, they have the money, honey.
They have the lifestyle. And they are still experiencing imposter syndrome. So what should that indicate to you?
What should that really say about this thing, imposter syndrome? Well, for me, what it indicates is that it's a really good thing. Because if you have people at that stature experiencing imposter syndrome, don't you want to be like them?
I don't know about you, but like JLo is one of my idols, Oprah. All of these folks are people that I admire. So if they and I are experiencing the same type of emotions and symptoms, I feel like, hey, we're on to something here.”
“Like, this is a good thing. Because really, when you are experiencing those things, you are actually in environments that are making you uncomfortable, right? And when you're uncomfortable, what happens?
Progress is made. If you think about when you go to the gym, right, and you had a crazy leg day, right? In the moment, you hate it, right?
In the moment, you are cursing out your trainer, or you're trying everything and anything to stay glued in, to stay focused so you can finish your workout, right? And the next day, you might hate it too, because now you're sore as hell, so, you know, sitting on the toilet, y'all know what I'm talking about. It hurts, right?
But then a day later, you pass that mirror, and you're like, oh, wait, hold up. Those thighs looking thinner, that booty looking a little, you know, up than it was yesterday, right? And you start feeling yourself, because in order for you to grow and expand, in order for you to excel, you need to be uncomfortable, right?
“You need to feel the pressure, right? You need to feel all of the feels that come along with you doing something you normally don't do in order for you to get to the next level. So if you're experiencing imposter syndrome, I challenge you to think about how this is actually a value add.
This is actually good for you, right? It's a very good thing that you are experiencing imposter syndrome because it's an indication that you're coloring outside the lines. It's an indication that you're taking a risk.
It's an indication that you are allowing yourself to expand and grow. So that's the first thing. The second thing I want you guys to keep in mind because I wanted to make sure that I gave you a tangible, a tangible framework that you can use to help you mitigate your imposter syndrome.
Because quite frankly, it's never going to go away, right? It's never going to go away. The more you climb that corporate ladder, the more money you make as an entrepreneur, the more you succeed and accomplish, the more you will begin to question yourself.
“And this is a very human reaction and human response. It doesn't mean that something is wrong with you. You need to eliminate that thinking.
There is nothing wrong with you. Because regardless of how far you move in your life in terms of how you define success, there will always be moments of fear. There will always be moments of self-doubt.
There will always be moments where you don't feel completely confident. Why? Because you're human first and everything else second.
So let's go through this framework. So the first part of the framework, and it's a four-part framework, and guess what the framework is called? All right, wait, wait, wait, wait.
“Before you go, I got one more thing. So if this landed with you and mindset is something you are struggling with, and if you know you want to enter the entrepreneur space, but you're not sure where to start, and maybe imposter syndrome is what is holding you back, I welcome you to book a strategy call with me so we can take a deeper dive and see if you're a good fit for the Dare to Leap Academy, my online learning platform where I teach women who are in corporate, the nine to five grind, how to transition into entrepreneurship without losing their financial security. If you are already an entrepreneur who has been in business for less than five years, and you are struggling with the mindset piece, and with scaling, I welcome you to also book a strategy call so we can get to it, honey.
We can see if we can work together and make this magic together, honey. So, where do you go to book a call? I want you to go to www.victoriajenn.com backslash magic call.
“Fill out the welcome form there so that we are able to learn more about you and prepare for our call in advance, and I cannot wait to talk to you then. Psst. Mi gente, did you hear?
Banking on Cultura is also on YouTube. So, if you're into the visual thing, if you wanna see our reactions and get into these fits, honey, make sure to look up Banking on Cultura over on YouTube. It's called Don't Panic.
Okay. So, don't panic when you are experiencing imposter syndrome. And I want you to work through this framework to help you mitigate.
So, the first part is self-awareness. I want you to write down all the times that you feel like you are experiencing imposter syndrome. Is it before you're giving a talk in front of an audience?
Is it when you're going into the boardroom? Is it when you're going to have a difficult conversation? Is it when you are trying to raise money for your business?”
“Is it when you are trying to pitch yourself for an opportunity, right? Write down when you experience imposter syndrome. Because if you are able to recognize it, then you are able to address it.
And you're able to prepare in advance so that when you find yourself in those rooms, in those situations again, you are prepared. So first step is self-awareness. The second part of the framework is called your Badassery Committee.
Now, this committee is super important. This committee is made up of your board of advisors, right? People in your life that believe in you.
People in your life that know that you are a badass. People in your life that know your experience, know where your heart is, understand your credentials, and can speak life into you in those moments where you are feeling self-doubt, when you are experiencing a lack of confidence. I was just having a conversation with a mentor of mine yesterday, and I was telling her about this process that I was feeling really intimidated about, and it was messing with my confidence.”
“And you know what she said to me? And this is why she's on my Badassery Committee, all right? Shout out to Yvette Mayo, I love you.
She said to me that this is temporary. Everything that you're experiencing right now is temporary. And the reason why is because you're entering a new space.
So naturally, you don't have all the answers. Naturally, there's going to be a gray area that you operate in, because everything isn't black or white, but this is all temporary. Because if there's one thing about you that I know, is you never lack confidence in anything that you do.
I said, honey, go ahead and preach that word. But as soon as she said that to me, immediately my mind shifted, and immediately my energy shifted. And so you need people like that in your life that you can call on to be on this committee that can speak life back into you when you need it most.
“All right? And I would say to have at least five to seven people on this committee, and let people know that they're on this committee. Let them know that they need to be on call for those just in case moments.
And it is an honor to be on a badassery committee, right? It is an honor that you would trust somebody to be able to pour life into you, right? That is a gift.
So go and seek those people out. The next part of the framework is called Mirror Real Talk. And this is all about you talking to yourself in the mirror.
I am a big fan of making sure that you remind yourself, more often than not, how incredible you are, how amazing you are, how badass you are, the fact that you're magical. But it's one thing for me to say those things to you, and it's a completely another thing for you to say those things to yourself. So you need to be able to talk to yourself in the mirror and love on you, and talk your shit, okay?”
“And if you need a place to get started, I would research 15 affirmations that you can recite to yourself every single day, when you get up in the morning and before you go to bed. The same affirmations. And I want you to do this consecutively for 15 days straight.
You gotta commit to this, y'all. For 15 days straight, I want you to commit to this process, and you will notice how you begin to think differently about yourself. How you show up differently in the world, right?
Because now you are reaffirming what everybody else knows about you. And that is that you got what it takes, that you are incredible, and whatever you are feeling right now is only temporary, baby. Okay, so the final part of this framework, and this is really important because a lot of us, because we are so ambitious, because we are go-getters, because we are accomplishing amazing things on a daily basis, and because our dreams are so big, that we sometimes forget to celebrate ourselves, right?
“We forget to celebrate ourselves, and we forget to like sit down, quiet the noise, and be like, wow, I did that. I did that. I showed up and I showed out for that, right?
And we forget to celebrate ourselves. But not only that, we don't celebrate the small wins that we have every single day. And that's what I really want you to focus on in this framework, is what are those small wins?
And it could be that you got out of bed, you made your bed, you went, you worked out, you got up early. What are the small wins? They don't need to be monumental.
They don't need to be you made $100,000, and then tomorrow you're securing a $50,000 check. Like, those are amazing too. And you want to celebrate yourself for that as well.
“But the small wins are just as important. And it could be you having a difficult conversation with a spouse, with a friend, right? You calling up a family member that you haven't spoken to in years, right?
Celebrate those small wins because all of these things will help you grow more confident in yourself, but most importantly, be comfortable in your own skin. Because when you take the time out to become more self-aware, when you take the time out to surround yourself with people who believe in you, who root for you, especially in your moments of self-doubt and when you're sitting in the dark and can bring you back to the life, and when you're able to talk your shit to yourself and remind yourself how incredible you are and then celebrate all the wins that you're having every single day, you will become unstoppable. And imposter syndrome will never be something that you fear, but that you welcome because you understand foundationally what it really means to experience imposter syndrome and how good this is actually for you.
“So that's it, y'all. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Make sure to leave me a comment.
Make sure to subscribe. If you're listening on the audio streets, make sure to leave us a review. And I can't wait to see you on the next episode.
Till next time, guys. All right, wait, wait, wait, wait. Before you go, I got one more thing.
“So if this landed with you and mindset is something you are struggling with, and if you know you want to enter the entrepreneur space, but you're not sure where to start, and maybe imposter syndrome is what is holding you back, I welcome you to book a strategy call with me so we can take a deeper dive and see if you're a good fit for the Dare to Leap Academy, my online learning platform where I teach women who are in corporate, the 9 to 5 grind, how to transition into entrepreneurship without losing their financial security. If you are already an entrepreneur who has been in business for less than five years, and you are struggling with the mindset piece and with scaling, I welcome you to also book a strategy call so we can get to it, honey. We can see if we can work together and make this magic together, honey.
So where do you go to book a call? I want you to go to www.victoriajenn.com backslash magic call. Fill out the welcome form there so that we are able to learn more about you and prepare for our call in advance, and I cannot wait to talk to you then.
Bye now.