My name is Avil Beckford, and I'm the host of the One Problem podcast. There are tons of problems in the world. We won't worry ourselves about all these problems because we don't want to get overwhelmed. We're going to tackle them one problem at a time. As has been the case, most of the people who come on this podcast, I have some prior relationship with them. And that's the case today with my very special guest, Brenda Pearson. We were in a LinkedIn Sprint together. Now, this is interesting because Brenda is a Career Happiness Coach. Over to you, Brenda.

Brenda Pearson

Thank you, Avil, for having me on. I'm thrilled and honored to be part of The One Problem podcast. The problem today that I aim to address in this very short period is known as the Imposter Syndrome. Essentially, I want to help people address their self doubt, their insecurities, their lack of confidence.

Often things that sound like I am not enough, I'm going to get found out, who do I think I am? Incidentally, the vast majority of us experience these imposter Syndrome thoughts at many points within our life and far too often in my humble opinion. It can manifest into a fear of failure, taking risks, not bringing your own voice to the table. Some people devalue and actually underestimate what they bring to the table compared to others.

The One Problem Podcast with Brenda Pearson

Sadly, this can actually be the gateway to many mental health issues as well. To tackle this issue, I believe it is imperative that we understand three things about imposter syndrome. Foremost, you're not alone. Second, I'm going to tackle and just talk a little about why we experience the imposter syndrome and self doubt thoughts. I'm going to scratch the surface, but hope that you walk away by sharing some tools and tactics that can address the imposter syndrome.

Honestly, if people walk away from this podcast with one thing, I actually believe that this is just so important to understand is this idea that you are not alone. Many of the greats have expressed experiencing imposter syndrome. Some people you may have heard of, I don't know, people like Jennifer Lopez, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Howard Schultz, Paul McCartney amongst many, and Paul McCartney, he was one of the Beatles.

Brenda Pearson

There's also a vast array of studies that have shown that a high percentage of us have experienced this from time to time. I think this alone, I really hope would extend some shared empathy and ultimately normalize this. That you're not a weirdo per se, that you're in fact actually, you're human and this is normal as well. That's the first piece that I think is a really important piece I wanted to hammer home.

Before I jump to solutions, I believe there's such importance in understanding why we experience this. I can summarize this in two words, biology and sociology. Biology, we as humans are designed to survive, not thrive. Because our natural defaults are in service of survival, our brains are designed to protect us, protect us from humiliation, from failing, from taking risks, thus these negative thoughts that we consistently have going on.

I could go on and on about this, but I want to top line it for today. Then second, sociology. We all come with our own individual set of experiences that have shaped our view of the world and our own mindset. Many of what we've been exposed to in terms of society, including social media, pop culture, entertainment, all the things in this world that we get exposed to, have set us up for, I would say, an almost impossible standard to live up to.

Brenda Pearson

I sometimes refer to this as the Disney effect, where you see the happily ever after storylines always. In life, we don't have our happily ever after, and that's an impossible standard to live up to, that we should actually celebrate the milestones and achievements and actually the inputs and the work that we put in our life daily as well. I wholeheartedly believe that raising a level of awareness of the why helps us just to have a deeper understanding of the mechanics.

So that we can just better negotiate and work, I would say, to optimize ourselves, not unlike the mechanics of a car. When you understand a little of how to drive and operate a car, you can definitely drive a car more efficiently, effectively, and even optimize that.

Have you read or watched?

1. Crush Chaos in Life & Work, Master the CHAOS Model with Vitality Coach LaChelle Adkins
2. Mastering Difficult Conversations: Expert Tips from Madeline Schwarz
3. Boost Your Productivity with Professor Margo Berman’s 5-Step Process
4. Overcoming the Gender Confidence Gap with Sheena Yap Chan
5. LaRae Quy, Author of Secrets of a Strong Mind
6. Laura Flessner, Innovation & Leadership Coach
7. Jennifer Regular, The Soul Illuminator
8. Judith Sherven, Executive Coaching for the Brightest and Best
9. Jackie Lyles, C Level Growth Strategies to Maximize Sales
10. Jackie Maclean, Energy Innovator and Clinical Hypnotherapist
11. Leslie Nydick, The Conflict Strategist, How to Lead Inclusive Conversations
12. Holly Jackson, TEDx Speaker, Holistic Leader
13. Kes Morton, President and CEO, Pisces Research Project Management
14. Kerry Wekelo, COO of Actualized Consulting
15. Dr Pauline Crawford, The Conversation Game Changer
16. Syya Yasotornrat, Podcast Strategist and Producer

A quick example of this is when we recognize that we have negative thoughts going on in our head, we don't always have to believe those. In fact, more often than not, it's actually fake news. That's the second piece. It's just understanding a little of why we experience that we, as humans, again, are designed to survive, not necessarily thrive.

It's not necessarily our natural default. Then last, and ‌the solutions are a couple of solutions. There are a vast majority of ways that people can attempt to address the imposter syndrome. It is a complex issue. It's not a one and done, and it is not cookie cutter. I want to caveat this, but if I had to distill it down to three most important and primary strategies that I believe that are highest priority, I would start with moving your body first and foremost.

Brenda Pearson

There's such strong research now that links the mind and the body connection. I'll simplify because I'm a happiness coach and just talk about all the happiness hormones that get released when you're moving your body. You're putting exercise into your daily, weekly, into your regular routines. This also helps to contribute to a positive identity of yourself.

Then second, it's getting a hold of your thoughts. Many people don't know this, but we as humans have, on average, 60 to 90,000 thoughts going through our minds on a daily basis. Ninety percent plus of those are repeated unconscious and guess what? Negative thoughts.

Getting into good practices, whether through meditation, mindfulness, I have a Five R reframe methodology that I can probably share in the show notes if you'd like as well to help you to reframe some of these. Then last, and this is deeper work, I must admit, and this is not easy, but it is so important to work to get yourself into alignment. What I mean by that is being in a context where your values, your gifts are embraced, your values are in sync, and what brings you joy, what brings you energy, that you're in a context where you're gaining energy.

And dare I use the passion word, where you feel just great about what you're doing on a daily basis. More often than not, when it comes to people's skills and talent, people underestimate what they are really good at because it comes easy to them and it feels effortless.

Brenda Pearson

I think doing some deeper work in terms of understanding what you're really good at and what you're better at than most is essential. Then, living out your purpose on most days, I think helps people to contribute to being in alignment, taking the time to figure out, figure yourself out, and who you are actually meant to be in service of. With that, ultimately, I believe three things, Avil.

By normalizing that you're not alone, many people in this world, and if not everybody, experiences these imposter syndrome self doubt thoughts in their life, understanding what causes the imposter syndrome and what causes it for you, what might be behind it for you, and then integrating some tools and tactics and building them into your, I would say, daily, weekly regular habits, I think will help you to hopefully address the one problem of the imposter syndrome. Over to you, Avil.

Avil Beckford

Thank you so much, Brenda. Many people suffer from imposter syndrome, so it's good to shed some light on it.

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