We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marcy Campos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marcy below.
Marcy, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story, lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we now have 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.
This is funny because I just did an episode addressing how to deal with Imposter Syndrome as a person of color:
In it I said that imposter’s syndrome is pervasive among communities of color based on how we are socialized. It is the phenomenon of having feelings of not being good enough or being an imposter and no matter how much quantifiable evidence we have of our greatness we can’t shake the feeling of not belonging in the rooms we have earned our place in.
Some things I do are:
~I remind myself every day that I have earned my place here time and time again.
~I celebrate the little wins that I have and surround myself with other powerful women who celebrate me in big ways.
~I just started creating a brag on me list weekly which I update with my accomplishments and attributes.
~I practice positive self talk I start by looking in the mirror and saying something I love about myself. (Also when the imposter monster rears its ugly head I just ask “Who said that?”
~I practice being kind to myself as well.
~ I own my accomplishments by celebrating and publicizing them. This small act of celebrating these accomplishments normalizes excellence in communities of color.
~Seeking out support resources by going to therapy. Therapy has helped me own my accomplishments and celebrate myself.
Overcoming impostor syndrome can be hard, but it is definitely achievable. Take a moment to recognize and appreciate your own abilities, accomplishments, and the unique perspective you bring to the table. Whenever start to feel inadequate, don’t hesitate to confide in your inner circle, so they can help you address the factors that affect your self-confidence.
Instead of focusing on your feelings , instead shift your focus on concrete evidence such as your qualifications and past successes. Shift your internal dialogue from self-criticism to positive self talk, remind yourself of your worth and potential. Remember, changing your mindset is essential to conquering impostor syndrome, and you have the power to make it happen. Slay that imposter dragon!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Washington Heights in NYC. I graduated from the City College of NY with a Masters in Bilingual Special Education. I am currently a teacher for at Kipp Charter schools and the mother of a 15 year old boy who lives with Autism. I am the host and creator of Comadreando Podcast.I am a one woman show I edit, and produce the show.
People often ask what does comadreando mean? I define it as spending time with people who are near and dear to your heart often a comadre (close friend) who could be the godmother to your child, but not necessarily. There is a certain closeness that is developed and level of comfort that you develop with them that isn’t duplicated in other relationships with other people in your life.
My podcast is near and dear to my heart because through the aim of the podcast is to have virtual comadre time where a 1st generation Dominican/LatinX mom of a child with Autism, and special education teacher can be your support and answer any questions you may have from navigating the educational arena, advocating for your child, traveling, talking to family about your child, and even dating… between comadres. The most special thing about my show is that it is creating a beautiful community that did not exist for people of color before we came on the scene.
Comadreando podcast aims to create community and provide resources to parents of children with special needs. The goal is to create more inclusive environments, educate, and break stigmas around people with disabilities in communities of color. Through the show I provide advice and guidance to all parents in whatever stage they are in the process of having a child with special needs.
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?
The three skills or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey were my spirit of resilience, willingness to learn and maintaining a curious mind.
A way that I improved my spirit of resilience was that even if I continued to run into set backs I did not give up and used those failures to fuel my fire and keep going. Early on in my career before becoming a teacher I was a banker and one thing we learned is that when you get a no or fail you should get so excited because that means you are so much closer to your yes.
Willingness to learn has always been art of my personality I love to learn different things and continue to hone my skills in different ways. If I wanted to learn something I made it my business to find out how either by asking some one who is good at it, reading a book, or using our great free university (the internet).
Maintaining a curious mind was not always easy because at first I was a little resistant especially when I was given feedback that wasn’t what I wanted to hear. As I worked on improving this I see feedback as an opportunity to grow as a professional.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parent did for me was be an example for having a phenomenal work ethic. She was unstoppable she came to New York without knowing a lick of English and having a degree in education and she decided to continue to pursue her career here in the states. When going to get her license in NY she was met with the news that her degree in our home country Dominican Republic was not transferrable here. Instead of giving up and working any old job she decided to go back to school to learn English and then later on get recertified to be an elementary school teacher specializing in teaching English to students of other languages (TESOL). All that while raising three small children. She graduated top of her class.
She really was my inspiration and motivation showing me that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.
Contact Info:
If you have any questions at all please feel free to send me a comadre-gram, email on [email protected] or DM me. Please visit our website www.comadreandopod.com
- Website: https://www.comadreandopod.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comadreandopod/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/comadreandopod/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@comadreandopod
- Other: https://linktr.ee/comadreandopod
