Defined Notes | Impostor Syndrome: What To Actually Do When It Shows Up

You're in the meeting. You've done the work. You probably know this material better than half the people in the room.

And still, somewhere underneath all of that, there's a quiet voice running in the background asking if today is the day someone finally figures you out.

That's the part nobody has a real answer for. Not the definition of impostor syndrome, not the LinkedIn post reminding you that even the most successful people feel it. We've gotten good at naming it. We haven't gotten as good at doing something about it in the actual moment when it shows up.

Because it does show up. And knowing what it's called doesn't turn it off. I spent a long time thinking awareness would be enough. It wasn't.

Here's what actually helped me. There is opportunity in self-doubt. Doubt moves into whatever space you leave open, so I stopped holding space for it. The way I do that is by coming into situations prepared. Before anything high stakes, I ask myself a few things — do I know the material? Have I thought through the questions that might come up? Have I done the work that's within my control?

You can't rehearse every possible scenario. You can't have a perfect script. But you can show up prepared. And when you do, the impostor syndrome doesn't magically disappear. It still shows up. It just doesn't get as loud.

Try it before your next hard conversation — the presentation, the skip level, the negotiation [insert that scary thing here] — and notice whether showing up prepared changes how much space the doubt gets.

One tool. More to come.