We were lucky to catch up with Mariah Magazine recently and have shared our conversation below.
Mariah, 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.
To be honest, I don’t think someone ever really “overcomes” imposter syndrome. I think we all just strengthen the muscle to work WITH it & move THROUGH it, instead of letting it hold us back.
Imposter syndrome usually pops up for me in business when I’m doing 1 of 2 things:
1). Doing something new.
2). Consuming more then I’m creating.
When I’m first testing out a new idea or new strategy, or I’m starting to think about something from a new angle, it feels uncomfortable. I don’t have the confidence to back me up in this unique specific situation quite yet. I don’t have the PROOF that I’ll be okay on the other side.
So it’s like the little imposter voice pops in my head and she’s like “Are we SURE we wanna do this???? We don’t have any proof that it’s gonna work out the way we want? Don’t we wanna stay safe & comfy?”
And then I have a choice.
Do I really want the thing or do I wanna stay comfy?
Usually, I really want the thing. So I commit to doing it. I make a promise to myself that even if my baby steps are small and even if the progress doesn’t happen quickly, I’m committed to moving through the uncomfortable feelings because what I desire is greater than the fear that imposter syndrome is bringing up for me.
But when it comes to consuming more content then I’m creating, that’s the trickier way that imposter syndrome starts to trickle in. Because it’s more nuanced, and usually it doesn’t happen all at once. It’s not a big decision, it’s the build up of many small ones, like deciding to scroll on social media longer than necessary.
All of that scrolling, and watching, and consuming time adds up.
And at first, the imposter warning signs are more subtle. But then things will start to feel REALLY heavy. I’ll start to question my own experience, expertise, and results. I’ll start to question my knowledge, my clients, and my business. And then I’ll try to combat it by DOING more & PROVING more, which honestly just makes it worse.
So what I’ve found works for moving through imposter syndrome in that scenario is stopping.
Stopping everything. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go outside & put my feet in the grass, or call a friend and grab coffee.
In that moment, I can do anything BUT work. I instead need to focus on joy and fun, and pull away from the endless mind chatter that imposter syndrome wants me to swim in.
So, a bit of a layered answer, depending on where the imposter syndrome is coming from, but I think the main point is to give yourself grace & accept that feeling like an imposter is just part of being a business owner. The key is to not let it take you under, or stop you from showing up long term.
The other things that’s been really helpful is verbalizing to rationalize. Aka calling a friend. Specifically a business friend that understands what I do & my perspective on things. Chatting it through with someone and allowing them to reflect the truth back to me (aka I DO know what I’m doing and if I don’t, I’m smart AF and I’ll figure it out because I always do) is always wildly helpful at stopping the mind loop that imposter syndromes thrives on.
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?
Of course! I’m Mariah, an award-winning SEO Consultant & Educator, and YouTube content creator.
Basically, in a nutshell, I’m a firm believer that getting more eyeballs on your business doesn’t have to be as difficult & overwhelming as everyone makes it. Since 2015 I’ve helped hundreds of clients & students get their websites found on page #1 of search engines in a way that feels both actionable & practical.
I specialize in bite-sized, doable SEO advice that anyone can implement. I don’t have an SEO agency, and I don’t believe in gatekeeping industry “secrets” – I deeply, truly, and honestly want YOU to get found in a way that feels good for you. And I’m here to help you do that 🥳
I got started in my industry as a website designer & developer. And TBH, back then, I HATED SEO. I thought it was SUPER overwhelming. And awful LOL – but more & more website design clients kept asking “How do I get my website found on Google?!” after we would launch, and I didn’t know what to tell them.
So, I decided to explore it myself.
At the time, I was blogging quite a bit about what I was learning in the online space & decided to experiment & test out what I was learning about SEO. And it was fascinating. I started seeing amazing results. Like hundreds of email subscribers monthly, simply from getting ONE blog post on page #1 of Google.
So I knew I was onto something.
Little by little I started testing out my SEO process with clients, and then they started getting results too.
So after a bit, I fully transitioned into SEO full-time. And now, I’m obsessed with it.
I’m obsessed with learning about it. Testing it. Tweaking it. Strategizing it.
And maybe even more so, I’m obsessing with EDUCATING about it.
Because in the SEO industry, everything is kinda kept “hidden” because SEO agencies want you to pay them on retainer to implement things. But I never wanted an agency. I’d rather teach, educate, and empower business owners & team members to infuse SEO-friendly habits into the things they’re already doing so they can take SEO into their OWN HANDS.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Ooooh there’s a lot I could dive into here, but I’d say:
#1. Finding people that I could brainstorm, problem-solve, and dream big with. Since the beginning I would pop in and out of communities & spaces, trying to build relationships with people that felt really supportive. It took a while to find “my tribe”, but I’ve been able to make incredible relationships & learn a lot about myself along the way!
Having people in your corner of the business world that just “get it” is wildly unrated. Finding your people can change everything when it comes to holding yourself accountable and moving through things like imposter syndrome.
#2. Being resilient has been an absolute necessity. Rarely do things go “as planned” in business (or in life as general). And the fact that I’ve been able to allow myself to test & tweak; at ALL stages of entrepreneurship is what I think as allowed me to be successful.
And now, I’m just a firm believer that business is one big experiment. Allow yourself to experiment and collect data points. Even if an idea or direction “fails” you’re still one step closer to figuring it out.
#3. Owning my STRENGTHS & combining that with my JOYS. When it comes to marketing, there are a MILLION ways to market a business. But in order to find a way that works for ME, I have to make decisions based on what I’m good at, and what I love doing, otherwise, I’ll just burn myself out. And I wish more people in business realized this. Marketing is not a one size fits all, you get to make & break the rules, and you get to do things differently based on what you WANT.
If you don’t like creating videos, don’t start a YouTube channel.
If you prefer talking things out, consider a podcast.
Don’t like talking or being on video? Written content is about to be your best friend.
Prefer to spend your time connecting with people in your community? Join a local networking group.
The clearer you get on your strengths & joys, the easier marketing will become.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
Honestly, the best piece of advice that I’ve ever got came from my mom when I was little. We didn’t have a lot of money, so my mom couldn’t put me in extracurricular activities like I wanted, but she ALWAYS encouraged my expression of creativity in other ways. Even if that meant using old nail polish as paint for a picture LOL (I stunk up the house with that one lmao) – but she would tell me all the time “Whatever you touch turns to gold” – which has since given me the inner knowing that whatever I’m aiming for or trying to do, I’ll figure it out AND that my unique spin on things is valuable.
My mom really tried her hardest to make me & my brothers feel special.
Even to this day.
But it’s thanks to her support & reminders that I am where I am today. Especially when I was at a crossroads before starting my business. I was 22 years old and was considering quitting college & my full-time job in the same month. My mom said “Mariah, trust your gut. You’ll figure it out. You always do.” – this wasn’t the most responsible advice LOL but it’s what really gave me the courage to build the business & career I have now.
And it’s the thing I fall back on every time I’m feeling imposter syndrome or feeling overwhelmed with my workload…
“Whatever you touch turns to gold. Trust your gut. You’ll figure it out. You always do.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mariahmagazine.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariahmagazineco/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahmagazine/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MariahMagazine
Image Credits
Avalon Mohns Photography
