Overwhelmed Working Woman: Boost Productivity, Master Time Management, Overcome Overwhelm & Stop People Pleasing
Overwhelmed Working Woman is a podcast for accomplished women who want to feel more calm, in control, and focused without adding more to their already full plate.
This top 2% podcast is hosted by Michelle Gauthier, who has over 7 years of experience coaching hundreds of overwhelmed working women.
Each episode offers simple, practical strategies to help you reduce overwhelm, improve productivity, and stop people pleasing. You’ll learn surprising time management hacks, how to do less without guilt, and why the path to calm begins with changing how you think.
If you're ready to reclaim your energy, focus, and peace of mind you’re in the right place. Start with listener favorite: “The Power of a To-Don’t List.”
Overwhelmed Working Woman: Boost Productivity, Master Time Management, Overcome Overwhelm & Stop People Pleasing
#155| Signs Imposter Syndrome is Wrecking Your Productivity, and How to Overcome It For Increased Confidence and Less Overwhelm: Overwhelm, Productivity, Time Management & People Pleasing
Do you ever feel like you're doing everything “right” but still second-guessing yourself every step of the way?
If you’re a high-performing woman who downplays her achievements, over-prepares, or holds back from new opportunities, imposter syndrome might be secretly running the show. This episode reveals the hidden ways it manifests — even if you're outwardly confident — and how to shift into calm self-assurance.
In this episode, you will:
- Learn 3 subtle signs that imposter syndrome might be hijacking your thoughts and decisions
- Discover how overworking and hesitating may actually be symptoms — not just personality traits
- Get practical strategies to recognize your own worth and move forward with bold, grounded confidence
Press play now to uncover the hidden ways imposter syndrome could be keeping you stuck — and how to finally feel ready for the next level.
Featured on the podcast:
What's Causing Your Overwhelm? quiz
Wondering why you're overwhelmed? Take my "why am I overwhelmed" quiz to find out the source of your overwhelm, and what to do about it.
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Life can be overwhelming, but on this podcast, you'll discover practical strategies to overcome overwhelm, imposter syndrome, and negative self-talk, manage time effectively, set boundaries, and stay productive in high-stress jobs—all while learning how to say no and prioritize self-care on the Overwhelmed Worki...
You're working hard and doing all the right things and checking all the right boxes, but yet you still feel behind and anxious and you're constantly second guessing yourself. You're listening to Overwhelmed Working Woman, the podcast that helps you be more calm and more productive by doing less. I'm your host, Michelle Gauthier, a former overwhelmed working woman and current life coach. On this show, we unpack the stress and pressure that today's working woman experiences and in each episode you'll get a strategy to bring more calm, ease and relaxation to your life. Hi, friend, today we're going to be talking about imposter syndrome, and I think sometimes, when we just call it imposter syndrome, we think about ourselves having the thought like how did I get this job? I'm not qualified for this, or something obvious like that. But today I'm going to talk about three sort of secret ways that imposter syndrome might be showing up in your life in a way that maybe you didn't realize. And if that's the case, what to do about it? Sign number one is that you downplay your accomplishments and chalk them up to luck instead. Let's say, you get invited to speak on a panel and, instead of celebrating, your first thought is well, they probably just couldn't find anybody else, and I can't tell you how many times I've had conversations like this with my one-on-one clients, because I'll be talking to a woman who has this amazing job with tons of responsibility, and she's great at it, and she'll get asked to lead something or do something new and the first question is am I even qualified for this? Could they just not find anybody else? So if you notice this in yourself, you might have imposter syndrome. A great thing to do to combat something like this is to look back and actually remind yourself of all of the things that you have done and all of the hard work that you have put in, and also give credit to the luck you've had. There's always luck. Maybe someone has a connection who gets your foot in the door at some point. Or you got lucky, like me, to come from a family where my parents were able to send me to college and I had that privilege. So you definitely get some lucky breaks along the way, but lucky breaks aren't enough to get you far in your career.
Michelle Gauthier:Sneaky sign number two that you might have some imposter syndrome going on is you over prepare, over work, because you don't feel qualified enough. So you're asked to give like a 15 minute update at work. This used to happen at my old job all the time, where you would get invited to a meeting that you're not normally part of and putting my hand up in the air because the meeting was higher than you were and you're asked to give a 15 minute presentation or an update on something and it's supposed to be simple, but you end up staying up past midnight for days tweaking all the slides and rehearsing and being stressed out about it, because deep down you're afraid that someone will realize oh, she doesn't belong here, she doesn't know what she's talking about. And this matters because you waste so much time and energy on worrying about that, when really you probably got invited to the meeting because you're the person who knows the most about it. Sign number three that you might have imposter syndrome is you hesitate to go for the next thing. So you see a job posting or a promotion, a new challenge. You have a or a promotion, a new challenge. You have a secret desire to start a new business, but you automatically think I'm not ready and instead of saying yes, you stall. And this matters because when imposter syndrome is running the show, it's blocking your momentum and you end up stuck in your current role or your current relationship, even if you're totally capable of more.
Michelle Gauthier:I read this somewhere and I can't remember where or I would credit the source, but I read something that said when open job positions are posted and it will say, you know, seven to 10 years of experience required, or whatever it is that when women apply, they have like 10 to 12 years, they're overqualified for the position. And when men apply, they have like three to five years of experience, but they have the belief that they can do it. Why is that? That's because imposter syndrome is telling us that we can't do it and they don't have that in this particular example. I'm not saying no, men have it and all women have it, but in this particular example I was like that makes a lot of sense. Women feel like we have to be way overqualified and men are like let's give it a whirl. So I don't say this very often, but let's try to be like men in this situation. If you feel like there's something you want to go for and you've been thinking about it and you're hearing me say this right now, this is your sign, even if you think I'm not ready. Go for it. So those are three signs that imposter syndrome might be playing a role in your life and, if so, I gave you some tips for how to let go of that imposter syndrome and start believing that you are ready and that you earned where you are right now.
Michelle Gauthier:I mentioned this on Monday, but I want to mention again that there's a. I'm going to put a link in the show notes to a quiz that is on my website that helps you get to the bottom of why you feel overwhelmed. Imposter syndrome could be the answer. Other answers could be people pleasing boundaries, not managing your time or planning well, not being super focused on your productivity. There are many reasons why you could be overwhelmed, and if you take this quiz, it will tell you which one is causing the most problems for you and what to do about it. So check it out. I hope you have a fantastic rest of the week and I will see you next week. Thank you for listening to the Overwhelmed Working Woman podcast. If you want to learn more about my work, head over to my website at michellegauthier. com. See you next week.
