Dr Emily - The Phenomenon That Is Imposter Syndrome
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What is imposter syndrome and why is it called a phenomenon, not a syndrome?
But if 70% of people are experiencing this thing, it's not abnormal. It's actually normal.
It's imposter syndrome with Dr. Emily.
This very strong feeling of being a phony or being a fraud accompanied by a fear that I will be discovered and outed as such.
What I've experienced is also the fear of being caught that I think I'm good enough to play in this arena.
Yes. And it sounds something like Who do they think they are?
Yes.
People that are prone to imposterism will often fail to recognize that their skill and their hard work resulted in this achievement or this outcome. They believe that it was just by chance that I made it through this.
That resonates big time.
For me, it was a very sore anus.
Oh.
Never felt pain like it. I just and I screamed. I can't wait till this comes back to imposter syndrome.
Quick! Is anyone here a doctor? Yes, her name is Dr. Emily, and she's a psychologist. Please welcome to the Imperfects, our very own psychologist. Yes. She's back, she's back, and psychologisty as ever.
Sure am.
Everyone gets so excited when you're here, Em. Do you get excited when you're here?
I really do. Yes. I'm very excited. Really what I
wanted to hear? Everyone's sitting at home with their pen and pad at the ready just going, Stop talking, just tell me what I need to learn. I'm gonna learn something. Give
me the facts.
Yeah.
Change my life quick. No pressure. No pressure. Let's get straight into it because this topic that we know that you're going to be talking about today is one that I certainly have dealt with a lot. Um what are you talking about today?
I would really like to explore imposter syndrome.
Yeah. Jeez. Good. Yeah.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Now I um I'm aware that you had in twenty twenty four you had Adam Grant come on and talk about, you know, at that time uh the book he had written, which is Hidden Potential.
Yeah.
Um and he touched on imposter syndrome um in a really eloquent way, of course, which he does. Um but I thought it would be really useful for us to actually kind of do a bit of a deep dive into this experience that is um such a normal human experience to have. Um and then hopefully to look at some ways in which we can work with them.
I mean, I already knew Adam Grant was a big deal, but then I found out recently that he's just started a podcast with Brene Brown. Yes. Yes.
Really? And it's excellent. Is it? Can highly recommend.
Yeah, I bet. I mean a m it's amazing. It's it's like Michael Jordan and Charles Barclay have started a podcast together. It's like, whoa, okay. That's gonna be great. Uh okay. Now d do you have a clip?
I do. It's actually from that episode and I thought it was kind of a good platform to start off with, if that's okay.
Yeah. What's common are imposter thoughts, which are the everyday pangs of Wonder if other people are overestimating me. I wonder if I'm up to this challenge. Am I ready for this promotion or this role? Um am I as good as other people think I am? The the big question that comes out of this is what do you do with the feeling of being an imposter? And I've come to think it's a paradox that on the one hand, you're saying, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't I don't believe in myself. And on the other hand, you're saying, but I definitely know that I don't know what I'm doing. And I'm gonna trust my own opinion over the expectations and beliefs of other people. And Like, well g can you you can't have it both ways.
Either you know what you're doing or you don't. Anyway, so when when when you confront that paradox, what I would say is it's really tempting to trust your own judgment over other people's because you have more information about yourself than any other person will ever have about you. What you're forgetting is that other people see you more objectively. They're more neutral. They have more distance. And that gives them um an accurate viewpoint that's that's just invisible to you. And I think what that means is if multiple people believe in you, it's probably time to believe them. And that when you feel like an imposter, it doesn't necessarily mean that you're uh that you're you're being overestimated by other people.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is imposter syndrome and why is it called a phenomenon, not a syndrome?
0:00–9:48
2
How did the original research by Clance & Imes define imposter phenomenon?
9:48–17:48
3
Why do feelings of not belonging trigger imposter thoughts in new roles?
17:48–27:32
4
What are the two main coping responses to the imposter cycle – over‑preparation vs. avoidance?
27:32–38:36
5
How does the Dunning‑Kruger effect illustrate the opposite side of imposter feelings?
38:36–46:40
6
What practical strategies can help break the imposter cycle (skill inventory, naming shame, mentoring, celebrating success)?
46:40–55:20
7
How can managers and workplaces create a culture of belonging to reduce imposter costs?
55:20–1:04:49
8
Why is celebrating success and building a mentorship network essential for long‑term confidence?
1:04:49–1:11:52