This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move forward on your journey towards reaching your full potential. We hope the stories and lessons below will help you overcome self-doubt.

Kyoko Bartley

Well, this is one of those questions that’s tough for any artist to answer honestly, but I’ll give it a shot!

The truth is, I haven’t completely overcome imposter syndrome. I’ve been taking commissions, creating illustrations, comics, and paintings since I was 17. This year actually marks my 30th anniversary of getting paid for my art! You’d think after three decades I’d feel like a “real artist” by now, but anyone who’s passionate about their craft— Read More>>

Kelly Ann Gonzales-Dodd

When it comes to overcoming imposter syndrome, it’s been a journey of faith and grit for me.

As a mom to my two beautiful daughters in a blended family with my husband who is also an entrepreneur (Jeff Dodd of Final Cut Coffee), I grew up navigating the chaos of family dynamics,

I often felt like I wasn’t enough, especially with my C-PTSD whispering doubts from a chaotic childhood. Read More>>

Nancy Badillo

I stopped trying to feel confident and started building evidence that I was capable.

Imposter syndrome hit me hard — especially in the early years of coaching Etsy sellers. Even though I had built a successful shop, grown a massive audience, and helped thousands of students, I’d still question whether I was “qualified enough” to teach others. I’d compare myself to other experts and wonder, Who am I to do this? Read More>>

Liz Yang

Imposter syndrome has a subtle but powerful way of making you doubt the very things you’ve poured your heart into. I used to second-guess my creativity constantly, wondering if I was truly an artist or just someone pretending to be one. Even when others praised my work, I found it hard to believe—telling myself it was just luck, good timing, or a random fluke rather than a reflection of real talent. Read More>>

Sabika

Hmm… if I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ve fully overcome imposter syndrome, and maybe that’s okay. I’ve just learned to keep showing up anyway. Over time, I’ve noticed that the doubt tends to appear when I’m stepping into something new or meaningful. Instead of letting it stop me, I’ve started to see it as a sign that I’m growing. Read More>>

Emily Guarnotta

As a psychologist, I’ve spent years helping my clients name and navigate their own imposter syndrome. I could explain the cognitive distortions, the patterns of self-doubt, and the classic signs of feeling like a fraud who is just one step away from being “found out.” I had the professional language and the clinical tools. Until I became a mother. Read More>>

Emily Diaz

Imposter syndrome is something I struggle with quite frequently. It is a honest feeling we artists struggle with often, and it is natural. I consider myself an anxious person, so that specific form of insecurity never quite goes away. Regardless, I use it as a way to keep myself motivated. Continuing to make art proves to myself I am not an imposter or a “fake artist”. So long as I am creating, I am a creator. Read More>>

Jose Luis Osorio

What helped me from overcoming imposter syndrome is knowing that I’m still learning to improve my art, celebrating the little wins I get and reflecting the challenges I faced to be where I am today. Read More>>

Kyndall Brown

By finding my true sound and identity through Christ.

God gave each of us specific qualities and talents for a reason. It’s easy to get caught up in the trends, the aesthetics, the pressure to fit a certain mold—but at some point, I had to stop and ask myself: Who are you, really? Read More>>

Sarah Moriarty

Truthfully, I’m not sure it ever fully disappears , it’s still that voice in the back of my head, whispering doubt, but I’ve learned not to let it lead and over time, I’ve found tools that help me quiet it.

Finding a creative, supportive community has been a big part of that. Through programs like The Artist’s Way, daily morning pages, and the simple act of showing up for my creativity, I’ve started to build trust in my own voice. Read More>>

Paul Rahn

Some of the best things that I did to overcome, imposter syndrome included spending a large amount of time preparing myself before I was in front of people that included countless hours studying practicing and reviewing the communication that would be in front of people and how it was presented to ensure that it was a smooth delivery that allowed me to have credibility to develop a reputation And always be prepared for the unknown Read More>>

Christy Berghoef

There are several occasions in my life where I have felt like an imposter. One in particular stands out. A few years ago I was invited to join a speaking tour and travel the country living on a tour bus with some of my favorite authors/speakers. I could in no way understand why anyone wanted me – a little known author with limited speaking experience – to join this group on stage. A couple things stand out as having really helped me overcome imposter syndrome. Read More>>

Mélanie Sánchez

I don’t think I’ve “overcome” imposter syndrome in the traditional sense.
It’s not something I defeated and left behind—it’s something I’ve learned to sit with, question, and gently shift when it arises.

When I was younger, I felt like I didn’t quite belong. I grew up comparing myself to others, feeling like I wasn’t good enough, like I was always falling short. I internalized the message that there was always someone “better” than me—more talented, more confident, more deserving. Read More>>

Travis White

Imposter syndrome wasn’t something I could just “think” my way out of. I had to live through it—over and over—until the voice that doubted me got quieter than the one that believed in my purpose.

For years, I was behind the scenes of some of the most high-profile brands in the world, working in rooms where people didn’t always look like me, think like me, or come from where I came from. I was raised in Shreveport, got married at 21, and found myself navigating rooms in Los Angeles that felt worlds apart from that beginning Read More>>

Jamie Colón-Orelüp

How DO I overcome feelings that cause me to doubt my professional skills?
I do my best not to be triggered by capitalistic ideas or models of traditional medicine. More so in these times where it feels like my life’s work is trending. I do my best not to be triggered by people with egotistical attachments to credentials yet fail to acknowledge their teachers, professors, instructors; their lineage.  Read More>>

Mani Monroe

I’ve put in the work, paid the dues, probably did three people’s jobs at once and STILL got overlooked more times than you can count. That résumé? That portfolio? That lived experience? Baby, it’s real. I didn’t just “get lucky,” I got qualified. Owned it. I had to realize that I didn’t stumble into the room, God placed me there! Once I reframed my thought process, the fear flipped from am I supposed to be here to “I built the damn door and walked through it in heels! You have to rewrite the narrative. Realize that you don’t have to sound like them, dress like them, or hustle like them to be valid.  Read More>>

Steph Andrews

A new venue with people you’ve never met before. A writing room with acclaimed writers. A songwriting workshop with publishers who are about to hear and critique YOUR song.

A voice whispers in your ear, “Who do you think you ARE?”
Anxiety creeps in, and now you’re focused on regulating your breathing instead of the creative assignment in front of you. Read More>>

Liz Rodgers

It’s an ongoing process really. I constantly overcome the fear of how I’m being perceived by reveling in the amazing feeling that comes when I pursue the things that make me feel like my most authentic self. Read More>> 

ASHLEY Beck

I can’t say I’ve fully conquered imposter syndrome—if I’m being real, I feel like it’s something that comes up on a day-to-day basis, especially in this age of social media where comparison is everywhere. But what’s changed is that I’ve found confidence in my brand. Now that I’m almost a year in, I know what my brand is. I know who I am as a business, and the people who vibe with that are naturally drawn to it. Read More>>

Erika Monyè

Imposter syndrome has been both a shadow and a mirror throughout my journey as an artist. It whispers behind every post, every brushstroke, every moment of sharing something raw and personal with the world. And as someone who feels deeply and aches for beauty and truth, it’s been even harder to exist in a world that often seems to reward detachment over depth. Read More>>

Annie Masarie

I started my career with a great deal of imposter syndrome, largely because I am mostly self-taught. I learned to sew at a very young age from my mother, who was a quilter, and I started trying to replicate my own clothing not long after learning to sew. What followed was years of trial and error—on my own, with no formal instruction. Read More>>

Madeline Schmidt

I’ll be honest, in some ways, I’m not sure you ever completely overcome it. But I’ve definitely learned how to quiet it and not let it run the show.

I still vividly remember one of my first big jobs in my early 20s. I was in charge of leadership training at the Hotel del Coronado. Here I was, fresh out of grad school, running sessions for people twice my age, many of whom had been leading teams longer than I’d been alive.  Read More>>

Madelyn Palare

My husband and I often laugh because I can be such a contradiction. On the one hand, I’m overly confident—maybe it’s the homeschooler in me. I’ll proudly ask if you want to hear the poem I wrote the other day (I’m pretty sure it’s good), or taste the bread I baked (even though I’m gluten-free and can’t taste it myself—I just know I nailed it). I’ve even crowned myself the self-proclaimed Parallel Parking Queen.  Read More>>

Tiffani Rooney

Oh boy, this is something I still deal with every day! Throughout my life, I have had so many people cast doubts on my abilities. Whether that’s because they think I didn’t have to work hard to get where I am based on my connections. Or they think that I don’t deserve it because I’m a black woman (especially in today’s political climate). Read More>>

Amber Gaige

Overcoming imposter syndrome is no small feat. It is a process and a commitment to a journey of self awareness. Growing up in a family business and working in a male dominated field – I often grappled with this all so common feeling. The key to over coming it was fine tuning my skills and commiting to be a lifelong learner and cultivating my own unique professional approach/voice. Read More>>

Cyanide818

There were moments when we questioned ourselves—wondering if we were good enough or if people would just see us as “another Metallica cover band.” The truth is, there are a lot of talented musicians out there, and that can be intimidating. But what helped us push through those doubts was the support of our family, friends, and the music community around us. Read More>>

Ariana Bishop-Falu

I’ve loved hair and makeup for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I wasn’t even allowed to wear makeup myself, but I always knew this was something I was meant to do. I was drawn to how beauty could change how a person feels about themselves, that moment when someone looks in the mirror and truly sees their own confidence and worth. Read More>> 

Rena

We live in a competitive culture that foments self-doubt and the comparison trap. We are suspicious of success and can sometimes cultivate a stance of false modesty when we achieve it. I have always been inspired by these lines from T S Eliott’s poem Four Quartets: ” We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” By “the place” he means ourselves, our identities.  Read More>>

Drew Hill

Partway through my career, I decided to take a lifelong hobby of photography, and start bringing it into the work we do with my design firm. While I was really insecure about my skills, I had a strong feeling I could produce better images than the ones our clients provided us for their projects. But I constantly worried that I’d missed some key element — Read More>>

Abigail Vieira

Battling imposter syndrome is an ongoing struggle. For me, it is important to notice it and name it when it is creeping into my consciousness. Next, I root myself in the facts, by listing out loud or writing down evidence that challenges my imposter syndrome, i.e. I earned a Masters’ degree in Social Policy, my most recent evaluation was overwhelmingly positive, the last project I led was successful, etc. Read More>>

Mel Cohen

Though I am still working to overcome my struggles with imposter syndrome, I have made great strides! My now business evolved accidentally and organically from a personal hobby. As a former lawyer, my path to group fitness was not a traditional one. Comparing myself to the many instructors around me who have decades of working in the fitness space under their belt, is something that has certainly made me feel insecure at times. Read More>>