We recently connected with Mallory Musante and have shared our conversation below.
Mallory, 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 you ever completely overcoming imposter syndrome. As I’ve grow and expanded into new levels, both personally and professionally, there’s always that voice and those thoughts that creep in so I personally look at it more like managing your imposter syndrome instead of overcoming it.
By framing it as managing imposter syndrome instead of overcoming it, it takes some of the pressure and frustration out of it for me when I do have those feelings come up. I feel more empowered to take action to move through those feelings, instead of beating myself up over the fact that I have not actually overcome it.
With that said, the way I manage this really depends on the certain circumstances but the biggest piece of this for me is tuning into what I intuitively feel I need in that moment.
Sometimes that looks like changing my daily movement from lifting weights to slow walks or yoga.
Other times it’s leaning more heavily into journaling or meditating to help move through those imposter feelings.
I’m also a verbal processor so I will talk things out with the people I’m closest with and can trust not to judge me. I don’t even necessarily need their feedback but just need to let the thoughts I’m having out so I can stop obsessing over them.
EFT (also known as tapping) is a new daily practice for me that has really helped me move through some difficult feelings and replace them with more desired feelings and beliefs. This has helped so much with my mindset and overall energy. (There are a ton of YouTube videos on this that you can follow along with and learn!)
Something my coach taught me is to also focus on the gains vs. the gaps. A lot of the time when we’re experiencing imposter syndrome, we’re focused on the gaps (what we lack). When we focus on the gains, it becomes so much more clear how far we’ve come, what we’ve already overcome to get to the point we’re currently at, and essentially shines a light on how we should be confident and proud of ourselves instead of feeling like we’re lacking in some area.
I’ve noticed that when I fall out of a positive routine and thought processes is when imposter syndrome tends to show up so I’m now working on doing something every single day to live in those “gains” to help keep imposter syndrome from rearing it’s ugly head.
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’m a brand and marketing strategist and consultant helping small businesses and service providers build marketing strategies that feel simple, sustainable, and actually drive growth.
Throughout my almost 15 years of experience, I’ve not only worked with hundreds of clients from large corporate brands to fast-growing businesses in their early stages and everyone in-between, but I’ve also started seven vastly different businesses myself.
The one thing I’ve noticed throughout my career is that the majority of small businesses focus a lot on marketing tactics and not as much on the strategies driving those tactics leaving their marketing efforts feeling disjointed, inconsistent, and ultimately, less effective.
Now I’m on a mission to change that by making CMO-level support more accessible to small businesses through strategic, but simplified, marketing plans that will actually make a difference.
Along with being a marketing strategist and consultant, I’m also the co-creator of the Bright Beta Co. No Limits Planner.
I am truly passionate about helping amazing humans achieve great things whether that’s building a strong sustainable business through their marketing efforts or helping someone plan the steps to running a marathon using our planner. Because I truly believe when good people have more money and fulfillment in their lives, they do more good in the world. And we could all use a little more of that right now if you ask me!
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 most impactful qualities and skills (other than my marketing knowledge) in my journey would probably have to be:
Confidence: This encompasses so much but it really boils down to believing and trusting in yourself. There are always going to be people that have something to say about what you’re doing and focusing on building your confidence will help you show us as your true, authentic self in a way where you don’t care what others are going to think. You know without a doubt that you are capable and great at what you do. This doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have moment of doubt but it means you know this is momentary. I’ve rebuilt my career numerous times over the last 15 years, including walking away from a very successful business I spent 5 years building. I absolutely would not have been able to do that if I hadn’t spent time building my confidence.
Communication: Whether it’s in your personal or professional life, learning how to effectively communicate with others is critical for not just success but also your sanity. As a marketer, I need to know how to communicate with people on a variety of levels, both visually and through text. But this also allows me to provide an enjoyable experience for my clients by being able to explain concepts in a simple and easy to understand format. Communication is a skill we all have to an extent but the more you engage with others, the more you’ll realize there are so many different communication styles and by being able to effectively communicate with people across those different styles, you can avoid a lot of miscommunication and problems.
Curiosity/Continuing to learn: For me, these two go hand-in-hand. Whenever I’m curious about something and I explore it more, it leads to me learning something new, whether that’s new knowledge I can use in my business, for a client, or just a new perspective or trend on something. This helps me see things differently and from a wide array of angles. I’ve had clients tell me that I can an uncanny ability to see both the forest and the trees and I really think it’s because of this skill and quality right here.
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
I’m going to be really annoying here and say what I say to most of my clients and it’s that this entirely depends on your personal circumstances.
Most of the time it comes down to:
– Is your strength something that you enjoy and are passionate about pursuing?
– If yes, do you have the time to learn something new outside of that strength?
– If no, do you have the means to outsource instead?
In an ideal world, we’d be able to go all in on our strength/passion and outsource everything else to trusted professionals. But the reality is that not everyone has the means to do that and/or the knowledge to make sure they’re building a trusted team that does know what they’re doing.
So it’s a delicate balance of learning enough about an area you’re not as strong in to be able to do that thing until you can outsource or knowing enough to be able to determine if you’re bring on the right person to outsource to.
All in all, I say lean heavily into your strengths but investing time and effort into improving areas you aren’t as strong in will always come in handy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mallorymusante.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mallorymusante/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorymusante/
Image Credits
Jenelle Botts (she took my headshot, the photo where you can see the computer screen I’m typing on, and the one where I’m writing on a post-it on the wall) Moments Granted Studios (the other two where taken by this photographer)
