Teacher Thrive: Episode 6: Imposter Syndrome - Part 1

Free Guides:

• Who Are You, Really? 12 Prompts to Create Self-Awareness
• Boundary Setting Cheat-Sheet
• Understanding Imposter Syndrome

Connect with the hosts:

Madel Mazzella:

• Instagram: ⁠@madelmazzella
• TikTok: ⁠@madelmazzella⁠
• Website: madelmazzella.com

Kaitlyn Rapai:

• Instagram: ⁠@kaitlyn_rapai_coaching⁠
• TikTok: ⁠@kaitlyn_rapai_coaching⁠
• Website: ⁠kaitlynrapai.com⁠

In this episode of the podcast, Madel and Kaitlyn discuss imposter syndrome; The fear of being found out despite our achievements and capabilities. This is a phenomenon that affects many more women than men and it expands to all types of situations.

There are 5 types of imposter syndrome according to Dr. Valerie Young

• The Soloist - doesn’t like asking for help
• The Perfectionist - believes they’re not as good as others think
• The Expert - doesn’t believe they know enough
• The Natural Genius - unless they’re naturally good, it's not enough
• The Superperson - believes they need to work the hardest and achieve the most

People who experience imposter syndrome:

• tend to attribute their accomplishments to luck
• have a hard time saying no
• dismiss positive feedback
• over-prepare
• feel like a fraud when mistakes are made

Get the free guide to understanding imposter syndrome here.

When we feel like imposters, no amount of evidence to the contrary will suffice to make us feel otherwise. Feeling like an imposter happens when we’re having a thought error and we’re not present enough to be aware of it. If the feeling persists, it means we’ve gone on autopilot and there’s little to no reflection being done to stop it. This can cause us to prolong the negative feeling, which is completely unnecessary and unkind to ourselves.

Social conditioning prevents many women from verbalizing that we are great at what we do. We’re afraid to come across as boasting or arrogant. Instead, we want the accolades to come from others. We want others to validate our effort and hard work.

There are ways we can understand and overcome imposter syndrome. Knowing ourselves and being self-aware is number one. From that point we can make conscious decisions about how to shift our thinking.

Once we’re aware we are having a thought error we can:

Decide to focus on progress instead of perfection

Take inventory of our accomplishments and use them as reminders of our capabilities and strengths

Refuse to negate our achievements

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Original Music by: Matthew Dotson

Cover Art by: Nate Rapai

[Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of any educational institutions or organizations.]