Imposter Syndrome Exposed: Why You Feel Like a Fraud and How to Stop

Have you ever felt like you're just one mistake away from being discovered as a fraud?

That nagging voice doubting your achievements isn't just you—it's a widespread phenomenon called imposter syndrome. 

In today's episode of the 2% Solution, we tackle this pervasive yet often unspoken challenge. 

From its identification by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978 to its impact on careers, fitness journeys, and more, we'll unpack the roots of this self-doubt. I share my struggle in the fitness industry, questioning my worth despite my journey from obesity to becoming a fitness coach. 

Imposter syndrome often stems from perfectionism and fear of failure, leading to chronic stress and burnout. 

Yet, there’s a silver lining—recent studies show that recognizing and reframing these feelings can fuel personal growth. 

Join us as we explore practical strategies to overcome this mental barrier and help you embrace your true potential. 

If you've ever felt like you didn’t belong despite your successes, this episode is your guide to turning self-doubt into a powerful motivator. Let's kick that imposter out of our heads and step into the greatness we're meant to achieve!

TEXT ME here - Have a question? Comment? Feedback? I’d love to hear from you.

Support the show

A Message from Dai, host of the 2% Solution Podcast:

Hey there, you fantastic listener! 👋

As we wrap up another episode of The 2% Solution Podcast, I want to throw a massive, confetti-filled THANK YOU your way.

As we launch this podcast, your support is like getting an extra espresso in your Venti Americano—unexpected and refreshing!

Your reviews? They're like high-fives to my soul. Your shares? They're spreading more joy than cat videos on the internet. Subscribing? You're officially the coolest in my book.

Meeting in the 2% Collective Community? It's like watching a garden of awesomeness bloom – and you're all the sunflowers making it happen!

Keep being the amazing, 2%-improving rockstars that you are.

🌟 Stay fabulous, stay tuned, and stay 2%! 🚀

Love, laughs, and much gratitude,

Dai M.

P.S. I'm primarily active on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Feel free to connect and start a conversation. If you're searching for inspiring, motivational, educational, and healthy living content, check out my over 1500 articles at DaiManuel.com - I enjoy writing, okay? lol

Episode Transcript

Dai Manuel (00:08):
Hey there, 2% Collective Warriors.
Welcome back to another episodeof the 2% Solution.
I'm your host, diamond.
Well, and today we're divinginto a topic that I know many of
us struggle with, but we don'talways talk about it imposter
syndrome.
You know that little voice inyour head that says who do you
think you are?
You don't belong here.

(00:29):
Sound familiar?
Today we're going to tacklethat voice head on.
So let's kick that imposter outof our heads and start
embracing our true potential.
So what exactly is impostersyndrome?
Simply put, it's the feelingthat you're not as competent or
qualified as others think youare and that they will soon find

(00:51):
out you're a fraud.
Imposter syndrome was firstintroduced in 1978 by
psychologists Pauline Clance andSuzanne Imes and their paper
entitled the Imposter Phenomenonin High-Achieving Women
Dynamics and TherapeuticIntervention.
They described it as aninternal experience of

(01:13):
intellectual phoniness.
I love how they termed that,particularly common among
high-achieving women who,despite evident success there's
proof but they believe they arenot intelligent and have
deceived others about theirabilities, even though there is
so much evidence stacked upagainst that.
You know, really proving it,opposite to that Incredibly

(01:37):
successful woman that they talkabout in that study.
And you know, it's just one ofthe things.
I recommend checking it outbecause I think a lot of us can
relate to that right.
We achieve certain successes inour lives.
We achieve certain milestoneresults for actions we've taken,
and they've been great, big,big moments of change in our
lives, and we made that happenby making changes.
So we know a lot.

(01:58):
But this feeling of being animposter isn't something that's
just a fleeting feeling.
Studies show that about 70% ofpeople will experience imposter
syndrome at some point, and thisis according to the research
from International Journal ofBehavioral Science.

(02:20):
You know 7 out of 10 people.
So you're feeling this way.
You're not alone.
Imposter syndrome can creep upin all areas of life, whether
you're starting a new job, maybelaunching a business, heck even
your fitness journey.
You might question whetheryou're good enough, wise enough
or fit enough.
But here's the truth you are.

(02:44):
Share a quick personal story.
I remember when I first startedin the fitness industry.
I was passionate, but Iconstantly felt like I didn't
measure up to the other trainersand coaches.
I was constantly judging myself, thinking who am I to be
coaching or training people?
I literally look around and Ithink these people have been

(03:04):
doing this for years.
What do I have to offer?
Why would somebody want to workwith me?
And that voice in my head wasloud and incredibly persistent.
But one day you know it wasreally weird Something clicked.
I realized everyone startssomewhere and that experience is
gained through action, nothesitation.
Literally, the more I showed up, the more I learned.
And that experience is gainedthrough action, not hesitation.

(03:25):
Literally, the more I showed up, the more I learned.
And I realized I had somethingunique my story, my personal
experiences that brought me tofitness.
Some of you may or may notremember I was morbidly obese as
a teenager.
I've talked about this innumerous episodes.
You know it wasn't an easy timein life At 15 years old being

(03:46):
morbidly obese.
You know BMI well into its 40s.
It was a struggle, but I made achange and it was 20 months to
realize a new version of me.
And really that was the startof a long journey to get into
where I am today.
And the thing is, when I thinkback on, that it wasn't about
being the best, but it was aboutbeing real, being authentic and

(04:12):
always trying to give my best.
And I bet you have a storythat's just like that too.
So why do we feel this wayImposter syndrome.
It often stems fromperfectionism, fear of failure,
comparing ourselves to others.
A study published in theJournal of Personality and
Social Psychology found thatpeople with high levels of

(04:33):
perfectionism are more likely toexperience imposter syndrome.
This leads to chronic stress,anxiety and maybe even
eventually burnout.
But here's something that youmight not know Recent research
from the American PsychologicalAssociation suggests that
imposter syndrome can alsomotivate growth.

(04:53):
The key is to recognize,reframe and use it as fuel to
push yourself forward ratherthan hold yourself back.
So how do we overcome thisimposter syndrome?
I've got some strategies thathave worked for me and a lot of
my clients, but also, justanecdotally, just people I've
connected with and had theseconversations with, because,

(05:15):
I'll tell you, there's a lot ofus that feel this way, seven out
of 10 of us.
It's amazing.
We just started asking peoplehey, you ever feel like this?
We're going to get yeses morethan we get noes.
But the first step, first realstrategy, is acknowledging your
feelings, you know, recognizingthat you're experiencing

(05:38):
imposter syndrome.
Name it, don't shame it.
By acknowledging these feelings, you remove some of their power
.
Number two reframe yourthoughts.
When that voice of doubt startsto creep in, challenge the heck
out of it.
Replace I'm not good enoughwith.
I'm learning and I'm growingdaily.
Remember progress overperfection.
Number three document your wins.
Keep a wins journal where youjot down your accomplishments,

(06:01):
no matter how small.
This will help you buildconfidence and remind you what
you're capable of, but also,more importantly, how far you've
come.
Number four you got to talkabout it.
I think I've hinted to that somany darn times.
You're probably getting sick ofit, but you got to talk about
it.
Share your feelings with atrusted friend, a mentor, a
coach, maybe a colleague.

(06:22):
You'll be surprised how manypeople have felt the exact same
way as you.
Sometimes, just knowing you'renot alone can be the change to
make a huge difference.
And number five you got toembrace failure as part of the
journey.
I know it's hard, right, it'shard, holy smokes.
Failure is not the opposite ofsuccess, though.

(06:42):
It's part of the process ofsuccess, because every setback
is a setup for a comeback.
So don't be afraid to failforward.
To explore overcoming impostersyndrome more deeply, I
recommend researching resourcesfrom the American Psychological
Association, as well as theInternational Journal of

(07:02):
Behavioral Science and theJournal of Personality and
Social Psychology.
These are all great places tostart your understanding, as
well as understanding how toovercome imposter syndrome, and
the cool part is I've put themall in the show notes to make it
super easy for you to go andfind this stuff, all right.
So so do click over to the shownotes, check out some of those
links and, yeah, I love it Ifyou reach back to me and let me

(07:27):
know what you found or what youlearned.
So, my wellness warriors, this2% collective that we're all a
part of, that's it for today'sepisode on overcoming imposter
syndrome.
Remember you belong in everyroom you step into.
The key is showing up, beingauthentic and pushing forward.
Because you got this.

(07:48):
Thanks for tuning in to the 2%Solution.
If you found value in thisepisode, share with a friend who
might need a little confidenceboost today, and don't forget to
follow us on social media andleave a review.
If you love this podcast.
I certainly appreciate it.
Stay strong, stay confident andkeep pushing your limits.
I'm Diamond Wall and you'vebeen listening to the 2%
Solution.
Let's keep thriving togetherand we'll see you next time.