Meet Lindsay Reiten

We recently connected with Lindsay Reiten and have shared our conversation below.

Lindsay , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

There is so much to say about imposter syndrome but I will start with this. I think it’s important to first normalize this thought and the feelings associated with it. No matter where you are at in your journey, either well established or just starting to pursue your calling, imposter syndrome is a universal experience. I can almost guarantee even the most “successful” of people have walked through imposter syndrome, so let’s normalize it.

Let’s also acknowledge that we all have to start somewhere. It would be nice if one day we woke up and there was a perfect roadmap laid out for us for next steps, branding, implementation of pursuit, marketing or whatever it is you are passionate about. But the reality is, no one wakes up one day and their business or craft is fully established with no learning curves or mistakes or pivots. Not one. To me, there is so much freedom in this truth and the reality is that many of us need to learn to do it scared. To do it with no perfect roadmaps and no perfect plan, because that doesn’t exist. Doing it scared is a phrase that has allowed me to navigate my own imposter syndrome since I was an adolescent. I can choose to sit in the debilitating anxiety of avoiding starting or I can sit in the discomfort of starting and learning as I go. We get to choose our hard. At times this feels much harder than others, but I want to choose to pursue my purpose and calling not avoid it.

Which bring me to remembering your why. The reason your sense of imposter syndrome is so high is because you care and are passionate about what’s at stake. This is a good thing! When you start to doubt your capabilities or qualifications remember that your conviction or calling to do the thing, is there for a reason. You’ve most likely fostered this in some way and have worked hard to get to the point where you are now ready take the next step. Listen to that, listen to your desires, acknowledge the work you have done to be here and honor your calling and the nudge in your heart continually saying. “Yes to _____.” Ask yourself, would I be ok with not pursuing this because I’m scared, would I be fulfilled? Am I willing to do it scared?

So for me, I chose my hard, I did it scared. Was or is it perfect, absolutely not. Am I fulfilled, yes! Are there still times imposter syndrome creeps up, of course. So I remember my why, I don’t ignore my passions and gifts and I Ioop people in on my insecurities and feelings surrounding doubt. People need people. Allow people to be a sounding board for you in moments where you question, we all need support.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

If you knew me you know I always say, “people need people.” If you knew me you also know that one of my core beliefs and favorite quotes are that “people are birthed into relationships, wounded in relationships and healed in relationships.” I think at a young age I understood these values. I came from a very values driven, loving family. It was engrained into me the significance of community and I saw how it changed my parent’s life and therefore mine. My parent’s fortunately modeled for me what people needing people looked like. Without their intentional outpouring of time, love and resources to others, I’m not sure who I would be. The humans who my parent’s loved, loved our family in significant ways- financially, emotionally, spiritually and practically. So when I was anticipating what my future might look like, it was simply to help people and more deeply, to be a voice that helped people remember their own value, worth and beauty despite extremely challenging circumstances, traumas or disappointments. Enter my calling to become a mental health therapist for women, specifically as a licensed clinical social worker.

I am so grateful to have a practice of my own called, Lindsay Reiten Therapy and I am so proud of the business I have created whose mission is to support women. Specifically to support women through anxiety, burnout and relationship issues. In addition to these issues I am also extremely passionate about providing women support who are experiencing metabolic issues such as PCOS, hypo/hyper thyroidism or Hashimotos. Due to my own recent development of Hashimotos, I have not only experienced but also seen a significant gap in the emotional support needed for these issues. Whether I am supporting you through anxiety or metabolic related stresses, my desire is to see women cultivate a deeper, more secure relationship with themselves. It is the privilege of a lifetime to be able to be but a part of my client’s story. As a psychotherapist, I have the honor of witnessing people’s unraveling, their growth, their pain, their celebrations and ultimately their healing.

What a gift it is to do this work.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Be willing to ask for help! Having a humble posture that acknowledges you do not have all the answers and may need some support will help you no matter where you are at in your journey. It’s a beautiful mindset to have as you navigate your endeavors and one that allows for more connection and learning.

2. Prioritize relationships. Surround yourself with good, honest, uplifting people, the one’s you whole heartedly trust, feel safe with and also who hold you accountable. As you begin to establish yourself professionally, it’s the people that will be who you lean on, who you ask for support, who you cry with, who you laugh with and who you celebrate with. It’s the people who will be with you when you are doubting yourself and questioning everything. Choose wisely.

3. Be a lifelong learner. No matter what your craft is, there is always room to grow and learn. The smartest people in the room are usually the ones who are continually learning and challenging themselves to be better, personally and professionally.

4. Self compassion. Learn it, own it, embrace it. We are so cruel to ourselves, learn to replace your harsh inner critic with a more self compassionate one. The stories we tell ourself matter, they impact our internal world and therefore our decisions. Work on being kind to yourself, I truly believe it is one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself.

As you begin to navigate your journey, my biggest encouragement to you is to be you. We say comparison is the thief of joy for a reason and it’s because it takes us away from our own superpower, which is simply being yourself. There’s quite literally not another you, which means your uniqueness will be foundational to what you are building and intertwined in everything from business cards, to your mission, to your aesthetics and to your values.

Keep going.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

I talk about self care a lot with clients. And while I think it has become a sort of “buzz word” in our culture, it’s for a reason. Inevitably, all of us will experience moments or seasons of overwhelm. After all, it is a part of the human experience. How we navigate that is what brings me to self care.

We all need supportive, life giving practices that fill our cup. Part of creating your self care toolbox, is attuning to yourself and your needs. Noticing. When I can sense I am overwhelmed, let’s notice the sensations and feelings arising for me and ask what I might need? Do I need water, a nourishing meal, more sleep, to move my body, connection with a friend?

Implementing self care as a regular practice that can help with overwhelm. You can’t always be pouring from an empty cup or you’ll burnout. We’ve all been there and it’s terrible. So prioritize you. Do I know that connection is what keeps me grounded during my weeks so therefore need to plan a date with a friend? Is meal prep something that will support me this week or am I ok to be ordering food more even though my week is busy? Can I wake up some days an hour earlier because I know moving my body matters. Perhaps it’s knowing you need a solo date out of the house and making sure you block of “you time” for it. There are so many different ways self care is needed for each of us that can support us in times of overwhelm.

What is important to remember is that it is needed and that at times it might feel like a luxury but what is the cost of not investing in practices that support you and therefore your pursuits?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lindsayreiten.com
• Instagram: @lindsayreiten

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