45. Show Up Scared: Imposter Syndrome, Perfectionism & Taking Up Space

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Have you ever stared at a story draft for days, recorded six takes and still never hit “post”? Or maybe that launch you’ve been planning has been “in progress” for months? Been there, still there. In this episode of Caffeinated Chaos, Whitney Aguon gets vulnerable about the fear of putting yourself out there, battling imposter syndrome, and why messy, scared action is still action.

Whitney shares her own struggles with visibility and perfectionism, plus four practical steps to help you build confidence, connect with your audience, and show up as yourself—without pretending to be someone you’re not.

What You'll Learn:

• Why imposter syndrome never really goes away (and why that’s okay)
• The mindset shift that helped Whitney post her first podcast
• 4 small but powerful steps to help you start showing up
• How to stay true to your voice (even if it’s shaky)
• Why visibility isn’t about perfection—just connection

Links & Resources:

• Follow on Instagram @caffechaospodcast
• Tag us in your “showing up scared” post—we’ll hype you up!
• Subscribe to the show so you never miss a moment of caffeinated chaos.

Cheers! Thank you for joining us for another episode. Have a chaotic moment, question, or topic you want us to cover? Drop us a message or leave a review! If you loved this episode, share it with a friend who thrives in beautiful chaos too.

Let’s Connect:

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• Follow us on Instagram: @caffeinatedchaospodcast or @aguonstudios
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The views and opinions expressed by guests on Caffeinated Chaos are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, beliefs, or positions of Whitney Aguon or Aguon Studios LLC. The content shared by guests is for informational and entertainment purposes only. We encourage listeners to do their own research and form their own...

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Caffeinated Chaos,where business deals happen
between diaper changes andfriendships are fueled by
caffeine.
I'm Whitney GaN, your host, andI'm here to talk all things
business parenthood, and ofcourse keeping up with the BFFs,
whether you're juggling theboardroom, the playroom, or just
here for some coffee fuel chaos.
We've got you covered.
Get ready for real talk, laughsand a whole lot of heart as we

(00:24):
dive into the beautiful messthat is entrepreneurship,
parenthood, and everything inbetween.
So let's embrace the chaostogether.
Ated, of course.
Do you have drafts sitting inyour notes app that you've never
posted?
Have you ever rerecorded thesame story like six times and

(00:44):
still didn't post it?
Or maybe you've been working onlaunching that offer, for, well,
a while now if your hands are inthe air.
Welcome to the Club.
I am notoriously bad at thistopic and we are gonna work
through it together.

(01:05):
Alright, so today we are gonnabe getting real about one of the
biggest blocks in business, andthat is the fear of putting
yourself out there, the impostersyndrome.
We've talked about it before andhere we go again because I feel
like no matter how.
Much I improve in this, I willalways need to keep improving.

(01:30):
So guess what?
We are gonna go on this journeytogether.
Friends.
Imposter syndrome, the who am Ito do this spiral and most
importantly, how to push past itwithout pretending to be someone
that you're not.
Let's break it down.
Putting yourself out there isvulnerable, and as parents, as

(01:51):
perfectionist as people who'veprobably spent a lot of time
caring for everyone else, we'reused to playing it safe.
We've been taught not to take uptoo much space, not to seem too
confident, not to be too salesy,not to make anyone feel
uncomfortable with our successor our goals.
I'll never forget the moment,the first time I posted a

(02:14):
podcast episode, I was.
So nervous.
I thought, oh my God, this isnot gonna work out.
I, who was I to, to have apodcast, you know, crazy, crazy
talk.
And still there are times whereI'm still like, oh my God,
people wanna be on my podcast,people wanna be my guest.
So weird.

(02:35):
And now I'm guessing on otherpodcasts.
And so I'm like, who, who am I,you know, to be able to do all
these things, but.
You know what?
It's messy.
It's human.
It's relatable.
So you've probably felt it too.
It's that voice that just sayslike, you're not qualified
enough.
There are too many other peopledoing the same thing that you're

(02:56):
doing.
No one's gonna care what youhave to say.
And that is all impostersyndrome, friends.
And here's the truth, it doesn'tgo away completely.
Like I said, even the mostsuccessful people feel it.
The difference is.
They've learned how to just keepshowing up anyway, and I am on

(03:17):
this journey too, where I am.
Just keep moving, keep movingforward.
It's going to get easier in myopinion.
Although I feel like theimposter syndrome may never go
away, I definitely feel likeit's getting easier.
Okay.
So again, let's talk aboutactual steps.

(03:39):
Some of these are things thatI'm actually doing that, people
have recommended to me.
So I wanna share it with all ofyou so here we go.
Step one, start small and getconsistent.
This was something that I workedwith too, is I don't need to
launch a full blown videocampaign where everything is
perfect.

(03:59):
Email series already.
Out.
Done is better than perfect.
Okay.
Post a behind the scenes photorecord a quick story share
something that you've learnedthis week.
Consistency builds yourconfidence, not the other way
around.
So very small, consistent thingsjust showing up, right?

(04:20):
Step two, talk to one person,not the whole internet.
And this is something I was toldvery early on, and this is
something I'm actually workingwith one of my clients who is in
the bridal world is.
We started recording reels andit felt very salesy, very pushy,

(04:40):
and so I was like, talk to melike I'm your bride.
Talk to me, answer my questions,and it put them in this kind of
state of ease because it wassomething that they so naturally
did on their day to day.
That thinking about me as thatone person, instead of talking
to the internet and theuniverse, pick that one person

(05:05):
and I want you to think aboutnot really trying to influence
thousands and thousands ofpeople, but to picture your best
friend, somebody who is there tohype you up, someone who you
feel confident and comfortablearound, and imagine talking to
them.
That's your person.
Okay?

(05:26):
Step three, create before youscroll.
This one.
Oh my God, I'm the worst atthis.
Do you wanna stop and avoidthose comparison spirals?
Do you wanna stop doomscrolling?
Because once you start doomscrolling, if you're like me,
you're doing that for what?
You five minutes when it'sactually like an hour, and then

(05:48):
you've lost all your contentmaking time.
So start your day by making yourcontent before you start
absorbing.
Engaging with other people'scontent.
Okay?
Four.
Remember why you started.
I want you to write down yourwhy somewhere visible.

(06:10):
Is it your kids?
Is it to have more freedom?
Your mission, your purpose?
When fear starts to show upagain, I want you to reconnect
with that anchor, okay?
So.
What if they start to judge you?
I get it.
What if someone, you know islooking at my stuff and is
judging and there will always betrolls, right?

(06:31):
People will always judge you.
It's the art, it's the nature ofputting stuff out there.
But if they do, they are notyour people.
The clients who vibe with yourrealness, the community that
you've been waiting for, willshow up if you connect with
them.
And it may not be perfect, butsomebody will find you who you

(06:52):
truly have a connection with,and that is how you're going to
build more confidence.
That is how you're gonna buildyour audience, okay?
But remember, they will onlyfind you.
If you are visible, okay, I wantyou to remember this.
You don't have to be the loudestvoice in the room.
It just has to be your voice.

(07:14):
If you're introverted, cool.
Share thoughtful captions.
If you're funny.
Use it if you're overwhelmed andraw.
Share that you don't need apersonal brand that looks like a
magazine.
You just need one that feelslike you.
So if you need a sign.

(07:35):
Hello, friend.
I am your sign speaking.
This is your permission slip tostart before you're ready to put
your thing out there.
Before it's perfect to speak,before you've memorized the
script.
You never know who's watching orthinking.
If she can do it, then maybe Ican too.
Show up for that person.

(07:55):
All right.
Show up for you.
You are allowed to take upspace.
Your story matters even if yourvoice is shaky, even if it's
cracks, even if it's messy.
Your message is worth sharing.
Don't wait to feel fearless.
Show up.
Anyway, tag me in your first.
I'm showing up scared posts'cause I will be cheering you on

(08:19):
at Caffe Chaos Podcast onInstagram.
Until then, I remember, this iswhere we're gonna keep it real,
keep it messy and be totallyworth it.
Love you all and go take up somespace now.
Bye-bye.
That's a wrap on another episodeof Caffeinated Chaos.

(08:39):
I hope you're leaving with alittle more clarity, a lot more
inspiration, and maybe even anextra shot of motivation.
If you love today's episode,don't forget to follow us.
Leave a review and share it witha friend who could use just a
little chaos and caffeine intheir life.
Until next time, keep embracingthe mess.
Chase your dreams and make magichappen.

(09:01):
One caffeinated, chaotic momentat a time.
I will see you all soon.
Bye now.