Overwhelmed Working Woman: Boost Productivity, Master Time Management, Overcome Overwhelm & Stop People Pleasing
Imagine feeling calmer, more focused, and in control . . . even with a full plate. That’s what Overwhelmed Working Woman, a top 1.5% podcast, delivers for accomplished women every week.
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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. All of this comes with guidance from host and Life Coach Michelle Gauthier, who has 8+ years of experience coaching hundreds of women.
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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
#184| How Imposter Syndrome Can Actually Help Your Productivity (With the Right Mindset): Overwhelm, Productivity, Time Management & People Pleasing
Ever hear that little voice whisper “Who do you think you are?” when you take on something new?
That voice is imposter syndrome—and instead of being proof that you’re unqualified, it might actually be a signal that you’re growing. If you’ve ever felt stuck or paralyzed by self-doubt, this episode flips the script to help you see imposter syndrome in a whole new way.
In this conversation, you’ll discover:
- Why simply noticing imposter syndrome is the first win toward confidence
- How to reframe doubt as a growth signal instead of a stop sign
- A practical exercise to track your small wins so confidence builds faster than fear
Press play now to learn how to turn imposter syndrome into your most powerful growth tool.
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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 know that little voice that says who do you think you are? That is imposter syndrome, and while it can sometimes feel awful, it can actually be a sign that you're growing.
Michelle Gauthier: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.
Michelle Gauthier:Hi friend, thanks so much for joining today. Today we're going to be talking about imposter syndrome, but we're going to kind of flip it on its head and look at how having imposter syndrome can actually help you and your productivity, as long as you have the right mindset with it. What we're talking about today is why noticing and knowing that you're in imposter syndrome is a win in and of itself, and then how to reframe your doubt as a signal of growth. And then a simple way to build and you know I'm not going to leave you without a tip so I will give you a simple way to build your confidence while still taking action, instead of just being stuck in imposter syndrome. Before I jump into all of that, I want to thank everybody who did the declutter challenge last week. That was so much fun and we just decluttered so much stuff. I wish I could see a picture of everything that left your houses and your inboxes and your calendars, but I envision it in my mind to be amazing. So thanks to everybody who joined that, and I wanted to let you know that I have one coaching spot open for one-on-one coaching. So if that is calling to you and you feel like you might be ready to do some one-on-one coaching with me, go to the link in the show notes and set up a time for a discovery session.
Michelle Gauthier:Okay, let's talk imposter syndrome. Think about times when you felt like I am so not qualified for this. There are a couple times, both in my career and my personal life, where I have definitely thought that I got a promotion when I was probably still in my 20s yes, I was definitely still in my 20s and I went for a job that I thought was really too big for me. And then I got the job and then I started on my first day and I freaked out in my mind. I basically gave myself a migraine and had to leave the office and thought who hired me for this? I have no idea what I'm doing.
Michelle Gauthier:The other one was when we adopted our son. He's our first child and I don't know if it's because we had very little notice or if every parent feels like this, whether you grow the child in your belly or not. But when we left the hospital with him I seriously thought does everyone know? We have no idea what we're doing here. I don't know how to take care of a baby. I've always been good with kids, quote unquote. I have no idea what I'm doing and I can give you a million small examples. Like my son's school asked me to chair their auction, which is their biggest fundraiser for the year, and I was like oh yeah, sure I can do that. And then I started doing. I was like no idea how to do this. So there have been many, many, many starting my business. I could go on and on. You get the point.
Michelle Gauthier:Everybody listening has had imposter syndrome at one time or another. Noticing that you're in imposter syndrome is the first step to solving the problematic part of it. So the problematic part of imposter syndrome is when you just can't do anything because you're so paralyzed by the idea that you don't know what you're doing. But noticing it and giving it a name is the very first step. So once you notice you have imposter syndrome and that you're feeling it, in that moment that will help you even start to shift out, when you can see it as something that is happening and it's not you and you're an imposter, but your brain is telling you that you don't know what you're doing. Even that is a step in the right direction, because having awareness is where the solution starts. The second thing to do is to, instead of taking it as a red flag like, oh my gosh, this is the wrong thing. I have no idea what I'm doing, just think of it as a growth flag. What color is a growth flag? I mean mine's pink, obviously. But think about what color your growth flag is. You feel like an imposter because you're doing something new, not because you don't know what you're doing. And when your brain is stretching and your identity is expanding, the discomfort doesn't mean you're unqualified. It just means you're learning, you're evolving.
Michelle Gauthier:One great thing to do, when you realize you're in this situation and are able to say this isn't a red flag, it's a growth flag is to ask yourself where have I previously succeeded in learning something new? When I work with my clients on this, I literally have them tell me, tell me an example of three places where you succeeded in learning something new. So maybe it's learning a new job, maybe it's something as simple, as the son who I was so worried about is 18 now. So I did a pretty good job at getting him to this point. I've started many a new jobs. I've started my own business, and even small things Like, for example, when I first got divorced, I was like I don't know how to grill. I don't know why. That was intimidating. But guess what? I can totally grill now. No problem. If you take the time to write down some examples, it's really helpful because it lets your brain see the proof that you are a person who can learn new things.
Michelle Gauthier:The third thing to do is, after you've got your list of things that you've done, where you have proven that you can learn new things and succeed at new things, is to start tracking your wins in your new situation. So if we go back to my example of the position where I was like, oh my gosh, I don't know how I got this job. I have no idea what I'm doing. If I would have, this would have saved me a lot of time and energy. If I would have done this, I didn't know anything about this at the time. Hopefully I'm saving you before you get into this situation the next time.
Michelle Gauthier:But when you start taking action anyway imperfect action, knowing that you're learning then you start recording new evidence of what you figured out and ask yourself really small things like what did I figure out today? And the small wins will add up fast and then your confidence will be built. So, for example, if I'm thinking back to this job that I was apparently super underqualified for, in my own mind it's like okay, I reached out to all the clients who are going to be my clients in this job. I met with somebody else who does this job to understand how we're supposed to bill our time. I called my first client and talked about how we want to have our weekly calls. You know, I just started taking little steps and eventually you build up this list of evidence and pretty soon you're the pro that somebody else is asking for their opinion.
Michelle Gauthier:So, in summary, imposter syndrome isn't a failure, it's feedback, and the feedback that your brain is giving you is whoa, watch out, we're doing something new. This is unfamiliar, but just change that to be. This is a growth flag. I I promise you that when you're doing something new, you're probably never going to feel ready. So just keep going, one brave step at a time. Document where you've done it before. Once you start doing the new thing, document your evidence that you're learning new things and succeeding, and you will minimize the time that you spend in that unproductive imposter syndrome and maximize your learning so that you eventually will feel completely comfortable in that new situation. Have a great 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.
