April 14, 2025 • 17 mins
Nour Hassan dives into the universal struggle of imposter syndrome, sharing personal stories and actionable strategies to overcome self-doubt and fully own your worth.
• Understanding imposter syndrome as a sign of growth rather than inadequacy
• Normalizing these feelings by recognizing they affect even the most accomplished individuals
• Creating a "confidence file" to document achievements and positive feedback for moments of self-doubt
• Learning to separate feelings of inadequacy from the factual evidence of your capabilities
• Taking action without waiting to feel completely ready or prepared
• Embracing your unique perspective as something no one else can bring to the table
• Recognizing that your authentic voice is your greatest asset
If not now, when? And if not you, then who? Follow @thecurationpod and @NourHassan on Instagram to stay updated on all our content and future interviews.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Welcome to the Curation, a show for the
culturally curious.
This is your host, noor Hassan.
Each week, I'll guide youthrough a curated edit of the
finest in art, fashion, design,culture, luxury, wellness, tech
and more.
This is your go-to space fordiscovering trailblazing ideas,
untold stories and meaningfulconversations with innovators
(00:31):
and creators who are shaping ourworld.
There's no gatekeeping here, sosit back, tune in and let's
discover only the best together,together.
(00:55):
Hey, my loves, how are you?
I feel like it's been foreversince I've done an episode for
you guys and I'm really, reallyinterested in the topic, so I
feel like a lot of you will betoo.
I think it's kind of the agethat we're at right now and by
we I mean me and my audiencekind of late 20s, early 30s a
big, big, big era of shift andchange is a very difficult one
(01:23):
to tackle, because a lot ofpeople feel like it's not a big
deal.
You know what I mean.
What I'm talking about rightnow is imposter syndrome.
What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome means that,even though you have studied
something, you have worked hardfor it, you have really tried to
(01:46):
earn your stripes.
As they say, I learned, Istudied, I understood and now
I'm going to apply what I did inany situation or scenario in
life and you feel that I'm outof place, I'm not worthy, I
don't deserve to be in this roomon this stage doing what I'm
(02:10):
doing now.
Since I got over this, not onlydid I completely change the way
(02:38):
I think about work andachievements and success and all
of these big topicswaverable inmy intuition.
I listen to my own words, Ilisten to what I want to do, and
I do this without making anyonefeel nervous or make anyone
(02:59):
feel nervous.
So, first of all, I want towelcome you back to the Curation
podcast.
I'm your host, noor Hassan, andtoday I want to talk about
something so many of us silentlystruggle with Imposter syndrome
.
Okay, that feeling that maybeyou're not good enough, that
you're just lucky, or that oneday someone will find out you're
(03:19):
not as capable as they thinkyou are.
I felt it, you felt it,everyone has felt it, you felt
it, everyone has felt it.
But today we're going to breakit down and walk through five
powerful reminders.
Okay, that will help you ownyour own voice, your space and
your worth.
So let's get into it.
All right, my loves.
(03:49):
The first point that I want totalk about is that you're not
alone.
I mean, imposter syndrome isuniversal.
Okay, it's not that you'rebroken, you're actually growing.
You are really coming to termswith the fact that you have a
lot to offer, and it's scarySometimes.
(04:09):
الواحد لما بيبقى عنده.
So much to offer, so much tosay, so much to give.
الموضوع ده يخوف اكتر من انهتبقو شخص او بني ادم فعلاً ما
عندوش.
As much to offer.
So what is there to be worriedabout?
But a personal story of minethat I experienced imposter
(04:29):
syndrome is when I was asked todo a TED talk.
A TEDx talk, oh my god.
When I was maybe 25, I talkedto students and told them a
story about building my brand.
At the time it was calledRadical Contemporary and this
(04:51):
was the first step, and evenuntil now, I thought that I
declined, actually refused theopportunity, which is no, I
don't want to do it, because whywould they want to hear what I
have to say regarding buildingmy brand, even though it was a
proof of concept, with an onlinemagazine turned into a podcast?
(05:15):
One of the first don't get mewrong, I mean a book I recommend
to everyone is Ego is the Enemyby Ryan Holiday, and the
effective summary of that bookis you should never think and
then to Amal, to Haga, or thetask is done and over and up,
(05:40):
but at the same time you shouldbe able to humbly acknowledge
what you've done.
So at the time I wanted todecline, but instead of
declining, I decided you knowwhat.
I'm going to go for it and I'mactually going to get on stage
and talk to these students aboutwhat I know, even though I had
(06:10):
already graduated from AUC witha degree in mass communication
and film and creative writing,as well as UCLA public speaking
and film techniques.
So, essentially, not only did Ido something definitely new in
the market where it provedsomething new, but not just that
, but, like honestly, there wasalso a lot of education and
(06:33):
years of studying that went intothis.
And the thing about that is isthat, had I said no, I wouldn't
have had that moment on myportfolio, I wouldn't have
gained so many followers andseen the light on young
students' faces as they look upand think, wow, that could be my
(06:54):
story.
I can do that, I can be a firstmover and change the game and
pioneer if I had given into theimposter syndrome and just
simply declined the invite tospeak at a school or university
or whatever it is, because Ifelt, like you know, I haven't
(07:17):
achieved XYZ enough yet to beable to be given that
opportunity.
So I want to normalize thefeeling to the listeners first
and understand that it's not youalone.
But the first step toovercoming imposter syndrome is
realizing and catching in themoment that feeling and saying
to yourself why am I feelingthis?
Why would I decline anopportunity?
(07:38):
Unless you actually trulycannot add value, then there is
a reason.
You got that call or email ortext or opportunity, so take it.
The second point that I want totalk about is keep a confidence
file yeah, any confidence file.
(07:59):
This is one of my favoritethings to do, you guys, and I
recommend it so much and itchanged my life when I did it
which is create a digital fileor a space or a mood board that
kind of shows you or collages orputs together all of your
accomplishments and things thatyou are proud of, and they can
(08:21):
be anything but god, like a tagfrom a press conference or a
snippet from an article or apicture from a shoot or a
signature from a book, whatever.
Put it all in one place, evenif it's quotes from people.
Your mom said something, yourbest friend, your partner,
(08:41):
whatever.
Keep it in your notes app.
Write this thing Keep it inyour notes app.
Write this thing Document yoursuccessful moments in albums, in
notes, in physical form, andleave them there for the
self-doubt that creeps ininevitably, even in the best of
us, even in the most confidentof us.
Okay, and pull out that archiveand look at it and take it in
(09:07):
and understand that you areworth it.
Understand that, yes, you can.
Okay, you did it before and youwill do it again.
And there is a reason you'rehere.
Okay, and this is exactly whata confidence file is, and I call
it that.
But I mean it can be anything,anything but God.
Reflect on your past growth toquieten the noise.
(09:31):
Okay, I mean, there is nothingwrong with that.
People will think like, whywould I, you know, gather up all
of my successes?
But like, what else are theyfor?
Then?
To remind you.
And Instagram can be a placefor this taban in highlights and
posts with kalemda kodlo.
But ultimately, sometimes, whenyou're in that headspace of
imposter syndrome, the lastthing you're going to do is go
(09:53):
to Instagram to try and get anysort of reminder or validation.
So this is a really, reallyincredible tool.
You know, we forget how farwe've come when we're too
focused on where we think weshould be.
Okay, this is a trap and Ireally recommend this tip.
All right, third tip, you guys.
(10:14):
Third tip is a really, reallyimportant one, and it's to
separate your feelings from thefacts.
Okay, what are the facts?
The facts are you have a degreein XYZ subject.
You did accomplish whatever itis, you are capable of giving
(10:36):
that talk, speech, seminar,whatever.
It is the feeling of impostersyndrome that creeps in and
tells you no, you're not.
Why would they pick you?
There's someone more qualified,etc.
Etc.
Okay, the feeling of notbelonging.
Okay, it's not the same as Idon't belong because you do so.
(10:58):
Reframe those thoughts andremind yourself that they're
valid, but they're not the truth, and I think the best way to do
this is not only to look backat your confidence file and
acknowledge that this is normal,but catch it in the moment and
really check yourself and tellyourself that, honestly, I
(11:20):
didn't work this hard to standin my own way.
One of the most amazing episodesthat went viral is an interview
I did with model Mai Yakut, andshe really said it best.
She said I didn't come this farto stop Keep going.
Okay, tip number four, this ismy favorite one Don't wait to
(11:48):
feel ready.
Okay, I wanted to become aPilates instructor, with full
awareness that I have a fullspinal fixation, a metal spine
(12:11):
and this is something that Iwill talk more about on the
Pilates account and I went and Idid the certifications, even
though I was the only one therewith that problem I'm
potentially one of the only onesthat has done a certification.
You know, with this majorquote-unquote obstacle, right, I
(12:34):
cannot move my mid-spine but Idecided you know what, there's a
first time for everything and Idid it.
And what I want to say here isthat the same thing happened
with the podcast.
I decided I have a network inthe region that is strong enough
to carry a podcast, one thatwill be unique, niche, luxury,
(12:56):
art, culture focused and aMiddle East and North Africa
focused podcast.
And so I kind of reached out toeveryone, started the podcast
and had no clue how to editaudio or record or post this
type of content or share.
But I think the point here isthat if you don't start, you're
not going to know what you arecapable of doing until you
(13:19):
actually get it done.
So I encourage you guys to takethe messy route, the scary one,
the one where you actually donot do a dress rehearsal,
because not only is ignorancebliss, but it allows you to dive
in and, I think, training thismuscle that we have when we're
younger, where you thinkanything is possible and you can
(13:40):
do whatever without anyexperience or any prior
knowledge.
It's something that keeps youyoung, keeps you alive, keeps
you inspired.
So that's my fourth tip.
My last and final tip is to ownyour space.
You bring something to thetable.
(14:00):
No one else can.
Your story, your vision, yourenergy, listen.
Imposter syndrome is a thing ofthe past for me, because once I
locked in and realized thispoint, nothing can change my
mind, nothing can waver what Ibelieve, which is everyone is
(14:21):
unique.
Everyone has their ownperspective, their own point of
view, their own energy, theirown light that they bring to
everything that they do.
So, even though, for exampleand I will give another example
from my own experiencepodcasting is a very, very
saturated market now, it wasn'tfour years ago.
(14:43):
But what doesn't make me feel,you know, intimidated by the
competition or whatever, isbecause I know that nobody can
be me on the mic, nobody canbring the guests that I have or
give the advice that I give, andit's the same for anyone else.
So I think, just harnessing thatI am meant to be here,
(15:05):
affirmation, and stop playingsmall.
Show up, fully, understand thatthe value that you bring is in
who you are, and it's thebiggest and ultimate cliche, but
also, paradoxically, the onlylife hack that matters, which is
be yourself, you know.
(15:27):
Show up as yourself, speak asyourself and do not apologize
for it, and this will kill anyimposter syndrome you ever had,
because, at the end of the day,the reason people are listening
and I always say this to you orwatching your content or
(15:48):
engaging in any way with anycreative output that you put out
there is because of who you areand not necessarily because of
the quality, the medium, thetechnique or even the message.
The technique or even themessage.
(16:09):
Okay, so those are my five tipsto overcoming imposter syndrome
once and for all.
2025 is the year where we areabsolutely throwing that concept
in the past and moving swiftlyalong and never looking back at
it.
And the points where you're notalone and the points where
you're not alone.
Keep a confidence file,separate feelings from facts,
(16:33):
don't wait to feel ready and ownyour own space.
Ultimately, I hope this episodegave you guys a little
inspiration.
We are officially in spring,summer is coming, everything is
in full swing and I think it'stime.
If not now, when?
And if not you, then who?
And that is one of my favoritequotes ever.
All right, my loves, I'll speakto you on the next solo.
(16:53):
Bye, guys.
Thank you for listening.
Make sure to follow at thecuration pod on Instagram, as
well as at Noor Hassan, in orderto stay updated on all of our
(17:18):
content and future interviews.
Welcome to the Curation, a show for the
culturally curious.
This is your host, noor Hassan.
Each week, I'll guide youthrough a curated edit of the
finest in art, fashion, design,culture, luxury, wellness, tech
and more.
This is your go-to space fordiscovering trailblazing ideas,
untold stories and meaningfulconversations with innovators
(00:31):
and creators who are shaping ourworld.
There's no gatekeeping here, sosit back, tune in and let's
discover only the best together,together.
(00:55):
Hey, my loves, how are you?
I feel like it's been foreversince I've done an episode for
you guys and I'm really, reallyinterested in the topic, so I
feel like a lot of you will betoo.
I think it's kind of the agethat we're at right now and by
we I mean me and my audiencekind of late 20s, early 30s a
big, big, big era of shift andchange is a very difficult one
(01:23):
to tackle, because a lot ofpeople feel like it's not a big
deal.
You know what I mean.
What I'm talking about rightnow is imposter syndrome.
What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome means that,even though you have studied
something, you have worked hardfor it, you have really tried to
(01:46):
earn your stripes.
As they say, I learned, Istudied, I understood and now
I'm going to apply what I did inany situation or scenario in
life and you feel that I'm outof place, I'm not worthy, I
don't deserve to be in this roomon this stage doing what I'm
(02:10):
doing now.
Since I got over this, not onlydid I completely change the way
(02:38):
I think about work andachievements and success and all
of these big topicswaverable inmy intuition.
I listen to my own words, Ilisten to what I want to do, and
I do this without making anyonefeel nervous or make anyone
(02:59):
feel nervous.
So, first of all, I want towelcome you back to the Curation
podcast.
I'm your host, noor Hassan, andtoday I want to talk about
something so many of us silentlystruggle with Imposter syndrome
.
Okay, that feeling that maybeyou're not good enough, that
you're just lucky, or that oneday someone will find out you're
(03:19):
not as capable as they thinkyou are.
I felt it, you felt it,everyone has felt it, you felt
it, everyone has felt it.
But today we're going to breakit down and walk through five
powerful reminders.
Okay, that will help you ownyour own voice, your space and
your worth.
So let's get into it.
All right, my loves.
(03:49):
The first point that I want totalk about is that you're not
alone.
I mean, imposter syndrome isuniversal.
Okay, it's not that you'rebroken, you're actually growing.
You are really coming to termswith the fact that you have a
lot to offer, and it's scarySometimes.
(04:09):
الواحد لما بيبقى عنده.
So much to offer, so much tosay, so much to give.
الموضوع ده يخوف اكتر من انهتبقو شخص او بني ادم فعلاً ما
عندوش.
As much to offer.
So what is there to be worriedabout?
But a personal story of minethat I experienced imposter
(04:29):
syndrome is when I was asked todo a TED talk.
A TEDx talk, oh my god.
When I was maybe 25, I talkedto students and told them a
story about building my brand.
At the time it was calledRadical Contemporary and this
(04:51):
was the first step, and evenuntil now, I thought that I
declined, actually refused theopportunity, which is no, I
don't want to do it, because whywould they want to hear what I
have to say regarding buildingmy brand, even though it was a
proof of concept, with an onlinemagazine turned into a podcast?
(05:15):
One of the first don't get mewrong, I mean a book I recommend
to everyone is Ego is the Enemyby Ryan Holiday, and the
effective summary of that bookis you should never think and
then to Amal, to Haga, or thetask is done and over and up,
(05:40):
but at the same time you shouldbe able to humbly acknowledge
what you've done.
So at the time I wanted todecline, but instead of
declining, I decided you knowwhat.
I'm going to go for it and I'mactually going to get on stage
and talk to these students aboutwhat I know, even though I had
(06:10):
already graduated from AUC witha degree in mass communication
and film and creative writing,as well as UCLA public speaking
and film techniques.
So, essentially, not only did Ido something definitely new in
the market where it provedsomething new, but not just that
, but, like honestly, there wasalso a lot of education and
(06:33):
years of studying that went intothis.
And the thing about that is isthat, had I said no, I wouldn't
have had that moment on myportfolio, I wouldn't have
gained so many followers andseen the light on young
students' faces as they look upand think, wow, that could be my
(06:54):
story.
I can do that, I can be a firstmover and change the game and
pioneer if I had given into theimposter syndrome and just
simply declined the invite tospeak at a school or university
or whatever it is, because Ifelt, like you know, I haven't
(07:17):
achieved XYZ enough yet to beable to be given that
opportunity.
So I want to normalize thefeeling to the listeners first
and understand that it's not youalone.
But the first step toovercoming imposter syndrome is
realizing and catching in themoment that feeling and saying
to yourself why am I feelingthis?
Why would I decline anopportunity?
(07:38):
Unless you actually trulycannot add value, then there is
a reason.
You got that call or email ortext or opportunity, so take it.
The second point that I want totalk about is keep a confidence
file yeah, any confidence file.
(07:59):
This is one of my favoritethings to do, you guys, and I
recommend it so much and itchanged my life when I did it
which is create a digital fileor a space or a mood board that
kind of shows you or collages orputs together all of your
accomplishments and things thatyou are proud of, and they can
(08:21):
be anything but god, like a tagfrom a press conference or a
snippet from an article or apicture from a shoot or a
signature from a book, whatever.
Put it all in one place, evenif it's quotes from people.
Your mom said something, yourbest friend, your partner,
(08:41):
whatever.
Keep it in your notes app.
Write this thing Keep it inyour notes app.
Write this thing Document yoursuccessful moments in albums, in
notes, in physical form, andleave them there for the
self-doubt that creeps ininevitably, even in the best of
us, even in the most confidentof us.
Okay, and pull out that archiveand look at it and take it in
(09:07):
and understand that you areworth it.
Understand that, yes, you can.
Okay, you did it before and youwill do it again.
And there is a reason you'rehere.
Okay, and this is exactly whata confidence file is, and I call
it that.
But I mean it can be anything,anything but God.
Reflect on your past growth toquieten the noise.
(09:31):
Okay, I mean, there is nothingwrong with that.
People will think like, whywould I, you know, gather up all
of my successes?
But like, what else are theyfor?
Then?
To remind you.
And Instagram can be a placefor this taban in highlights and
posts with kalemda kodlo.
But ultimately, sometimes, whenyou're in that headspace of
imposter syndrome, the lastthing you're going to do is go
(09:53):
to Instagram to try and get anysort of reminder or validation.
So this is a really, reallyincredible tool.
You know, we forget how farwe've come when we're too
focused on where we think weshould be.
Okay, this is a trap and Ireally recommend this tip.
All right, third tip, you guys.
(10:14):
Third tip is a really, reallyimportant one, and it's to
separate your feelings from thefacts.
Okay, what are the facts?
The facts are you have a degreein XYZ subject.
You did accomplish whatever itis, you are capable of giving
(10:36):
that talk, speech, seminar,whatever.
It is the feeling of impostersyndrome that creeps in and
tells you no, you're not.
Why would they pick you?
There's someone more qualified,etc.
Etc.
Okay, the feeling of notbelonging.
Okay, it's not the same as Idon't belong because you do so.
(10:58):
Reframe those thoughts andremind yourself that they're
valid, but they're not the truth, and I think the best way to do
this is not only to look backat your confidence file and
acknowledge that this is normal,but catch it in the moment and
really check yourself and tellyourself that, honestly, I
(11:20):
didn't work this hard to standin my own way.
One of the most amazing episodesthat went viral is an interview
I did with model Mai Yakut, andshe really said it best.
She said I didn't come this farto stop Keep going.
Okay, tip number four, this ismy favorite one Don't wait to
(11:48):
feel ready.
Okay, I wanted to become aPilates instructor, with full
awareness that I have a fullspinal fixation, a metal spine
(12:11):
and this is something that Iwill talk more about on the
Pilates account and I went and Idid the certifications, even
though I was the only one therewith that problem I'm
potentially one of the only onesthat has done a certification.
You know, with this majorquote-unquote obstacle, right, I
(12:34):
cannot move my mid-spine but Idecided you know what, there's a
first time for everything and Idid it.
And what I want to say here isthat the same thing happened
with the podcast.
I decided I have a network inthe region that is strong enough
to carry a podcast, one thatwill be unique, niche, luxury,
(12:56):
art, culture focused and aMiddle East and North Africa
focused podcast.
And so I kind of reached out toeveryone, started the podcast
and had no clue how to editaudio or record or post this
type of content or share.
But I think the point here isthat if you don't start, you're
not going to know what you arecapable of doing until you
(13:19):
actually get it done.
So I encourage you guys to takethe messy route, the scary one,
the one where you actually donot do a dress rehearsal,
because not only is ignorancebliss, but it allows you to dive
in and, I think, training thismuscle that we have when we're
younger, where you thinkanything is possible and you can
(13:40):
do whatever without anyexperience or any prior
knowledge.
It's something that keeps youyoung, keeps you alive, keeps
you inspired.
So that's my fourth tip.
My last and final tip is to ownyour space.
You bring something to thetable.
(14:00):
No one else can.
Your story, your vision, yourenergy, listen.
Imposter syndrome is a thing ofthe past for me, because once I
locked in and realized thispoint, nothing can change my
mind, nothing can waver what Ibelieve, which is everyone is
(14:21):
unique.
Everyone has their ownperspective, their own point of
view, their own energy, theirown light that they bring to
everything that they do.
So, even though, for exampleand I will give another example
from my own experiencepodcasting is a very, very
saturated market now, it wasn'tfour years ago.
(14:43):
But what doesn't make me feel,you know, intimidated by the
competition or whatever, isbecause I know that nobody can
be me on the mic, nobody canbring the guests that I have or
give the advice that I give, andit's the same for anyone else.
So I think, just harnessing thatI am meant to be here,
(15:05):
affirmation, and stop playingsmall.
Show up, fully, understand thatthe value that you bring is in
who you are, and it's thebiggest and ultimate cliche, but
also, paradoxically, the onlylife hack that matters, which is
be yourself, you know.
(15:27):
Show up as yourself, speak asyourself and do not apologize
for it, and this will kill anyimposter syndrome you ever had,
because, at the end of the day,the reason people are listening
and I always say this to you orwatching your content or
(15:48):
engaging in any way with anycreative output that you put out
there is because of who you areand not necessarily because of
the quality, the medium, thetechnique or even the message.
The technique or even themessage.
(16:09):
Okay, so those are my five tipsto overcoming imposter syndrome
once and for all.
2025 is the year where we areabsolutely throwing that concept
in the past and moving swiftlyalong and never looking back at
it.
And the points where you're notalone and the points where
you're not alone.
Keep a confidence file,separate feelings from facts,
(16:33):
don't wait to feel ready and ownyour own space.
Ultimately, I hope this episodegave you guys a little
inspiration.
We are officially in spring,summer is coming, everything is
in full swing and I think it'stime.
If not now, when?
And if not you, then who?
And that is one of my favoritequotes ever.
All right, my loves, I'll speakto you on the next solo.
(16:53):
Bye, guys.
Thank you for listening.
Make sure to follow at thecuration pod on Instagram, as
well as at Noor Hassan, in orderto stay updated on all of our
(17:18):
content and future interviews.
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