Navigating Imposter Syndrome: Jess Stuart
Imposter Syndrome refers to the inability of some individuals to accept their successes as valid, often doubting their abilities and living in fear of being exposed as a fraud.
AGWN Coordinator, Virginia Fordham shares her experience at Jess's workshop on imposter syndrome and what we can do to limit the negative effects of self-doubt.
The concept of ‘imposter syndrome’ had always resonated with me so I was excited when the opportunity to attend Jess’s workshop came up. I thought I’d be able to take away a few strategies to use when that nagging voice of doubt crept in – which I did, but the workshop also gave me a different perspective on why I and many others fall victim to these thoughts.
Jess created a safe space for me and seven other participants to learn about each other and share our experiences as women in the workforce. Listening to these stories immediately proved that I’m not the only one who has a self-restricting dialogue – something that rationally I knew, but it really helped to hear out loud.
You are not the only one who feels this way.
Jess took us through how our brains are wired to look out for danger and prepare for the worst, resulting in a ‘negativity bias’. This is the voice that can get too loud sometimes, and instead of protecting us, it may start to inhibit us. It takes concentration to turn that voice down and training the brain to seek out the positives is a daily task.
Don’t feed the fears.
I enjoyed learning about the five types of imposter personalities and which ones my fellow workshop attendees related to. Being able to identify self-sabotaging behaviour is a great first step to changing it. I’ve found myself going back to the workshop material and getting better at identifying and combatting my ‘negativity bias’.
When certain skills come to you naturally remember to value them – they are your strengths.
Jess has a range of in-person and online courses on an assortment of topics as well as a YouTube channel where she regularly shares free video resources.