We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dr. TIFFANY WEST. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with TIFFANY below.
Dr. TIFFANY, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Overcoming imposter syndrome involves changing your mindset about your own abilities. Dr. Valerie Young divided imposter syndrome into five categories: The Perfectionist, The Superwoman/Man, The Expert, The Soloist and The Natural Genius.
Growing up, I felt I had to live up to the genius of my eldest sister and the social butterfly of our other sister. This gave me an insane desire to be the natural genius. Over time, I learned that all three of us can have our individual strengths and make our unit better together.
One thing that I continued to fight was my need for perfection and the need to do it all, help all people, etc. I stepped into adulthood earlier than most as I finished my schooling shockingly fast according to other people. While people thought of me as someone who had everything together because of education at a young age, I still thought I had to be superhuman and do everything perfect while being that superhuman. I grew up seeing my parents as superhumans. They overcame the most difficult situations, some independently before being married and some together as a unit. I watched them overcome these battles and seemingly help everyone that came across their path simultaneously. They helped the barren, the hungry, the houseless, the disabled veterans, the battered people, needy children, last chance youth, etc. You name an avenue of charitable outreach and guaranteed one of my parents have helped in that area. It was inspiring to grow as I watched them change so many communities and show that one person or two can make a difference.
The affect this had on me remained in the forefront of my mind as a new adult. Add onto this mindset my (at times crippling) anxiety and you can see the recipe for disaster. It was the perfect storm to lead to burnout. I learned balance was key to success but that is a story for another day.
Every time I would have a surprise presentation for executives from major banks, speaking in front of international church leaders, fighting for human rights awareness to rectify social injustices, submitting my books or writing for review, or sharing my herbal business with the public- I would ask myself “What makes you good enough to be here” or “Why are the one they chose” “Why should they listen to you”. All of this self doubt fed by my anxiety and naysayers topped with mistakes I made ( I am human after all) made my mind swim in worry and begin spiraling.
I learned over time, that the very principles that made me resilient also made me worthy. I am a child of the King, His Son is my elder Brother, and the Spirit is my comforter. If He helped me through every obstacle and every hurdle I have experienced thus far, of course, he would aid me when I call now. I believe it is this faith that calmed me in these moments, it is Him reminding me that not only am I a child of the King, I am a child of Bishop Dr. Dennis West and Rev. Dr. Belinda West. They are survivors. They are winners. They are warriors. If they are, then by default, as their blood- I am a survivor; I am a winner; I am a warrior. They reminded me that I am sister of Christy, fighter for the youth and guide to the youth, and Julie, fighter for veteran rights. We are more than…. We as a family and as individuals overcome. We survive and we thrive. It is who we are. It is how we were made and how our family was/is structured.
Not only do my connections strengthen me, but my experience. I had to remind myself that while it is important to be humble, we must also know our worth. When anxiety said ‘What makes you good enough to be here” I said, I have proven myself through my education, experience, and my victories. When self doubt said “Why should they listen to you”, I said my resilience had proven my wisdom and strength. When the naysayers said ” Why did they choose you”, I let my supporters and my resume do the talking.
For me, I believe I overcame imposter syndrome in 4 ways.
1. I have a strong spiritual base that strengthens my resilience and allows for faith in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances.
2. I am from a family of fighters, activists, authors, and ministers. This foundation gave me discipline. We prevail so we can help others.
3. I am intelligent and talented. I built a resume and a reputation that shows why “they” would choose me.
4. I think of all I have overcome and the lengths I have gone to in order to be able to live my dream while helping others.
Survive, Thrive, and Revive.
Know who you are, what you are capable of, and stand on it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am mid transition now and am ecstatic for the change!
I am still working with my company that I founded with my best friend, Duffy George, called Herbal Phoenix STL. It is our dream to open a brick and mortar store that will also serve for educational purposes. We not only provide health resources for those who don’t have access to health care, doctors, etc. but we also provide classes. These classes vary from herbalism topics to cultural appreciation classes with experts facilitating each course. We host these classes monthly at this point. We strive to drive community unity and appreciation for all of the beautiful people groups here in the metro area.
In addition, I am now a speaker and author. I speak as a corporate leadership coach, train educators, speak in religious settings, speak on behalf of groups fighting for awareness or change, create curriculum, and write varying pieces.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back, I would say the understanding of the human psyche and the personality types psychological traits helped immensely and continues to aid me even now. Second, my dogged determination to succeed drove me to always go further and always take that extra step. Lastly, learning and knowing my strength was essential to my success.
All three came from the firm foundation that my parents and my faith established in my life. My parents have had a HUGE impact on me.
As far as my advice for people early on in their journey, I would say to first identify your dream. Lay out long term goals and make your own vision statement. Know your goal! Then, create short term goals that will aid the arrival at the dream. In order to accomplish these short term goals, you will need discipline and determination. Start cultivating these characteristics now so its ingrained in every iota of your personality. Then, start learning about the different types of personalities and how to identify them. Knowing how to understand, appeal to, motivate, and edify each personality will help you build your empire. Lastly, know who you are and what you are capable of. Be unmoving and unwavering in your goals.
As I said those things so easily, remember it is so much easier said than done. This takes time. Don’t quit when things get hard. Life isn’t handed to us and we should not expect it to be handed to us. Hard work wins the race every time. How sweet victory is when you know you deserved it, you know you won it, and you know you did more.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
My business partner and I are looking for an investor or grants that will aid Herbal Phoenix STL in finding a permanent brick and mortar location.
While there are wellness businesses in our market, there has yet to be a company like Herbal Phoenix. We provide healing to people of all classes. We serve those who have allergies to medications, those without insurance who need another option, and those that are desperate to find relief as western medicine has failed them.
This aid will enable us to provide services to so many more people and have a stable location people know they can go to for help. This location will work as a type of community center as well where we can learn about each others cultures, teas, food, dances, music, challenges, and victories. It will be a place of understanding with no judgement.
Our current and perspective buyers range in ages and genders. They all share a few of the same characteristics. They are looking for a deeper connection with self. They are looking for solutions to their ailments. They want to learn and connect with others while bettering themselves. Keeping the similarities in mind, our customers come from a variety of people groups, income brackets, and even religions. We celebrate our differences with our policy of inclusivity.
Investors and grant awarders may wonder, what motivates our customer to buy? We represent a cause. We fight to protect mother earth and educate our customers and community. In addition to our social endeavors, we provide a service that so many have never experienced- a private consultation with a custom solution for each customer using natural elements only. We make a commitment to each customer to walk their journey to health with them as they find relief using our products and celebrate their milestones with them.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.herbalphoenixstl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herbal_phoenix_stl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herbalphoenixstl.com
- Other: https://authenticwriting19.wixsite.com/authenticwriting
Image Credits
Image 3 and 9 Credit Tim Larson of Ferguson, MO
