Meet Jamie Kincaid

We were lucky to catch up with Jamie Kincaid recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jamie, 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.

I’m not sure that any of us ever truly overcomes imposter syndrome. Those of us who deal with it – which in my experience is nearly everyone – simply find ways to push through it. It took me about a decade to actually make the decision to go out on my own and bet on myself. This was in part due to my imposter syndrome and my fear of losing everything I’d worked for. I’ve worked with coaches, surrounded myself with an uplifting and supportive community who is all rooting each other on as we chase our dreams, and worked really hard on centering myself and balancing my mental health. All of that collectively has helped me get through the moments where I felt like I was kidding myself, those moments when I was saying “who do I think I am?” I still feel like an imposter sometimes, and I still feel like giving up on my business when things get really tough. Those are the times I lean on my network and my coping mechanisms. I meditate, take a break from work and do something that brings me joy, text my coach, go out with my family… and then I come back to it and look at everything with a fresh perspective.

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?

I help business owners show up authentically online through gorgeous pictures that tell the stories of their business. I’m not a headshot photographer, I work with my clients 1:1 to learn about their brand, their people, who they serve, what they bring to the world, and I turn it into a gallery of images that make them feel confident and beautiful and excited to share their work with the world. I’m also working on putting out some educational resources for business owners, though I haven’t announced anything yet so stay tuned.

A big part of my work includes lifting women up because so often we’re taught to be self-conscious, not to show up as our truest selves, to make ourselves small. I encourage my clients to be fully and completely them, even if it doesn’t fit the societal expectations of their industry. ESPECIALLY if it doesn’t fit those expectations.

After working with so many people (most of whom identify as women), I decided that we needed a space in our community where women could learn to love themselves better. We need judgement-free community, self-care resources, and in a lot of cases permission to put ourselves first. So I created my Empower You Women’s Retreats, where we spend 1 full day somewhere in the Tri-Cities, WA area learning self-care practices, workshopping with pros in the industry (from life coaches to doctors to coaches), and creating community together. It’s an annual retreat and 2025 will be my 5th year hosting them.

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?

I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that you can’t do this alone. Humans are social creatures, we need community. Surrounding yourself with others who are on a similar path as you, or also have goals as big as yours, is a necessary piece that we don’t talk about enough. It doesn’t matter if you’re a business owner, working in corporate, a stay-at-home mom, a creator, or anything else, you need community. You need other women in your life who are there for you to celebrate when good things happen and to lean on when you’re struggling.

Keeping that in mind, the second thing I think is really important is vulnerability and a willingness to grow. These may not seem like they’re related in any way, but being vulnerable is where quality connections and good communication skills grow from. Which means if you aren’t vulnerable, you won’t know how to ask for help, and you won’t actively seek opportunities to learn and grow. You should never stop learning. Take courses in your chosen field, hire a coach that can help you reach your goals, attend events where the other people there are in the place you want to be.

Lastly, communication skills – regardless of your industry or path – are pertinent to life. Communicating your needs, your boundaries, your knowledge, are all made better with great communication skills. You can tell people what you do or how you can help them with your work, but if you can’t communicate it in a way that is compelling and kind, you’re going to lose out on a lot of opportunities.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

Most of my clients are small business owners, and small business owners are struggling right now. Which means my regular, ideal clients can’t necessarily afford to work with me. So I’ve created some opportunities and packages that are more flexible and easier to access. I’ve also started to work on some educational content for business owners that can help them reach their goals without working 1:1 with me but will act as a more passive income stream for me and also still support those small business owners that I know deserve to thrive too.

I’m also working with a business coach to restructure my messaging and work on some of my own mindset blocks so that I can reach more of the people I want to work with.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Picture of Jamie (Headshot): Rachael Go

All the other photos: Jamie Kincaid, JK Photos

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