We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Theresa Ogueri. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Theresa below.
Theresa, 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.
I don’t think imposter syndrome is something that you completely get over. You can master your emotions and overcome it at a certain level, but with every new level its easy to find those feelings of inadequacy rise up again.
2 things have helped me so far: the first one is learning to be comfortable with being a beginner or not knowing. Sometimes you feel like an imposter because of a knowledge gap or you haven’t done something/achieved certain results as long or as often as you think you should. So instead of thinking I’m an imposter, I commit to learning and growing in that area, then tell myself that I’m good now and I’m about to be so much better at doing this thing. This really helps me with relieving the pressure off myself and just trusting that my skills are improving.
The 2nd thing is keeping a list of my achievements and accolades. I call this my expertise inventory list. When I feel like an imposter I go back to review that list and remind myself that I am great at what I do and deserve to be here. This really helps put things in perspective and reinforce my self worth and market value.
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’m a writer and self-publishing consultant. I run a boutique publishing agency called, Younik Publishing, where we help leaders, experts, coaches and consultants to write, self-publish and launch impactful, brand-building non-fiction books that make an income.
I absolutely love what I do because I believe in the transformational power of stories. I believe everyone has a unique story that deserves to be heard and empowering them to share their stories and seeing the transformation they undergo in the process is incredibly rewarding.
When it comes to writing a book, we usually put so much emphasis on what the book can do for the audience (and rightly so) but we forget the journey that the author goes through in bringing this book to life. I’m honored to have that front row seat to seeing the author evolve, increase their capacity, learn new skills and even increase their income in the journey of bringing their book to market.
Currently, I run a 12-week Author Bootcamp to help authors go from idea to published book. The Bootcamp is like a unique roadmap on how to take your idea and turn it into a published book. Bootcamp members get personalized 1-1 support, learn to organize their ideas, write their book in record time, set up their back-end for publishing and for profit, and launch, market and promote their book effectively. This is perfect for the first-time author who has no idea where to start. I believe in empowering authors so when you learn our signature process the first time, you can keep replicating it and become your own publisher.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Doing it afraid: Starting something new can be scary. You don’t have the full picture so you’re unsure if it’ll be successful. There’s also other fears like fear of failing or what people will think etc. If you wait for everything to be perfect before you start, you’ll be waiting a long time. Take the risk and do it afraid, you’ll be surprised at the outcome. My faith plays a huge role in everything I do and I can say for a fact, without God, I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything or even have the boldness to do it afraid and step out in faith.
2. Embracing the messy middle: many people start but not many people finish. Mostly because it gets tough and just when you feel like you’re getting the hang of it, something happens and you feel completely lost again. It’s easy to quit at this point but instead, push through. Be okay with the fact that it won’t be perfect, you’ll probably fail so many times before you win, people will have so much to say about what you’re doing and you will feel discouraged. Push through all of that, its just part of the process and it helps build your character and increase your capacity. Remind yourself that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
3. Investing in myself: You’re your biggest asset so invest in yourself. Hiring a coach was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. There are people who have done what you want to do and they can hold your hand through your process. It really helps reduce the learning curve and avoid some silly mistakes – it’s like having your personal cheat sheet. If you can’t afford to invest in coaching you can still invest in yourself by reading books, learning from YouTube videos, asking questions, getting mentorship etc. It took me a long time to finally learn that the level of success I want is up to me, no one will do the work for me. So invest in yourself and do the work. Acquiring knowledge without taking action is a waste of your time. The success you’re looking for is in the work you’re avoiding.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Like I said earlier, everything I have and all that I am I owe it all to God. My faith has been and still is the cornerstone of everything I do. I also thank God that He has blessed me with an excellent support system – my husband, who I work with is my top cheerleader and always encouraging me and pushing me to be the best I can be.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://younikpublishing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theresaogueri/ AND https://www.instagram.com/younikpublishing/
Image Credits
Babatunde Adewole
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
