010. Latinas Overcome Imposter Syndrome: Part 1

Struggling with Imposter Syndrome? In this episode, Alejandra Thompson, leadership coach and first gen Latina, kicks off a brand new series on overcoming imposter syndrome.

She shares her personal experience with imposter syndrome and introduces her three-step framework for overcoming it. Part one focuses on self-awareness and includes a powerful process for identifying limiting beliefs. Alejandra emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in breaking out of the imposter syndrome cycle.

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Intro Song: Cumbia No Frills Faster by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100275

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Transcript

0:00

Hello. Welcome. You are listening to the Latinas in Leadership podcast, where we empower Latinas with the guidance, knowledge they need to get promoted into leadership, increase their salary, and step into their purpose. I'm your host, Alejandra Thompson, leadership coach and first gen Latina, on a mission to see more Latinas in leadership. Inside of my one on one coaching program, the Confident Latina Leader. I've helped Latinas increase their salary by 000, and even 40, 000. I've helped them get promoted into director level positions, quit toxic jobs, and change careers without taking a pay cut. In this podcast, you can count on me to share strategies, tools, and knowledge to help you break into the next level of your career. Let's go.

Shure MV7 & Lumina Camera - Raw: 0:55

Hello? Hello friends. It has been a while and I'm really excited to get back in here. To be sharing space with you. I have had a wild couple of weeks at the start. Of this year. So it just feels really good to be able to get back in my office and record this podcast. And I'm really excited about the topic we're talking about, which is imposter syndrome. Something that I have experienced a lot in my life and have coached a lot of my clients over experiencing imposter syndrome. So appreciate your patience. It's like I mentioned, been a wild couple of weeks. my dog, Bentley is actually going, I don't know what's going on with him. Fortunately, I was able to grab a veterinarian appointment for. Tomorrow, they were able to squeeze me in, but he's got something going on with his leg. And so I'm just really praying over his healing that he's doing. Okay. That he'll be okay. And. It's nothing too serious. So I will update you all my little Bentley bear. Um, my poor little guy he's been limping. He can't really, um, go, he, he's not really walking around much. He's been limping on one leg, his hind leg. So that was really concerning for me. And it's just been kind of one thing after the other. So. I'm really glad to be back here. We're talking about imposter syndrome and I am kicking off a brand new series. This is going to be three parts where we go over my three-step framework for overcoming imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is something that I am very familiar with on a personal level. And I again have coached people through it. So I want to teach you some of the things that I have integrated into my life to help me whenever I'm experiencing imposter syndrome and also help my clients out. So this is how it's going to work out today. We're going to go over part one next week. I'll drop part two and the week after that, I will drop part three. And so you'll have all of them. I encourage you to relisten to them as needed to take notes as needed and like anything else, like I'm going to drop in some things in here for y'all to do, to help you. To be able to land that promotion to make more money, to change careers, that career goal that you have, but it's essential that you apply some of these things that you get, some help that you do something that you take. Action. Okay. And so. Over the next three weeks, I'm going over three steps to overcome imposter syndrome. The framework that I have, we're starting off today. Part one is all about self-awareness and I'm going to go over one tool for identifying limiting beliefs that are keeping you stuck and imposter syndrome, limiting beliefs simply means beliefs that you have about yourself. That limits you. That's all. It means it can be very like coachee kind of jargon. That's all it means. Think about self-talk that is limiting you. That's a limiting belief. That's going to be part one. I'm going to give you a process by which you can identify. Those beliefs so that you can break out of this stuck cycle that you've been in with imposter syndrome. And step two, when we go over it next week, I'm going to talk all about. Uh, reframing and how to change those limiting beliefs. How to actually change them so that you can take a different course of action and you can foster a growth mindset. And I'll tell you all about what that means and how you can make sure that you have one, because a growth mindset is a central for anyone who is going to be in their purpose, who is going to be pursuing hard things who want to grow. I mean, it's in the word itself. So if you know that growth is really important for you, that. At advancement is important that you are ambitious. You have to foster a growth mindset, and I will talk all about that next week in step two. And then the following week, I'm going to go over all about action, how you can take action and go over your five step action plan to overcome imposter syndrome. So I'm going to bring it all together and give you a very simple process that won't necessarily be, I won't say easy, but it is simple. And you have five steps that you can take so that you can start applying for the director level position. So that. You can negotiate your salary so that you can do whatever it is that you've been sleeping on because of imposter syndrome. All right. That is what our three week schedule is going to be looking like. And today we're starting with self-awareness. One of the things that we'll talk about today, specifically with self-awareness is one, what is imposter syndrome? Like? I actually want to break down what that is. I want to break down how you can identify when you are in a cycle of imposter syndrome. And then I want to talk over self-awareness. Self awareness is a sensual. And I know it kind of like limiting belief. It can sound a little bit like fluffy. Okay. Self-awareness. But it is essential. It is the most important piece. And I just want to say, when I started my business, I had so much imposter syndrome. I've experienced imposter syndrome in many times, over many times of my life. But in particular, when I started coaching, when I started my business, when I started doing speaking engagements and doing podcast interviews, you don't understand when I started doing, especially the speaking engagements and like the camera. It was on me and I was the person that was giving the information. Oh, my gosh. I was so scared. I would think that they were going to figure out I was a fraud that I didn't actually know anything. What if I'm actually dumb? And I shouldn't even be here. There were, there was a lot of negative self-talk and that imposter syndrome was really, really loud. And so I'm very familiar with this and I want to talk over what imposter syndrome is first, so that we can be on the same page because imposter syndrome has gotten very popular as a term over the past decade, but I want to make sure we're on the same page. Imposter syndrome. When I talk about it over this podcast episodes and the ones to come, it's about an experience in which you doubt your skills, your talents, or your accomplishments. And you have a fear of being exposed. Usually that exposed feeling is like the vulnerable feeling of like, what if they figure out I don't belong here or as the name itself may give away is an impostor. What if they find out I'm an imposter that I don't belong here, that I shouldn't be here, that it was a fluke. That they find out. I actually don't know what I'm doing. That kind of thought process. I do not believe that imposter syndrome disappears for most people for the rest of their lives. And so as much as I would love to tell you that if you did this process, you will never have imposter syndrome again. I will not scam you. I will not lie to you. I believe that imposter syndrome pops up at the edge of our comfort zone when we are expanding into a new level. Each and every time I have done something that is outside of my comfort zone and is a bit uncomfortable because it is outside of my comfort zone. I get that imposter syndrome feeling. Because there's that growth? There's that? Challenge there's that this is outside of what I've done before. And so the strategy I'm sharing with you over the next three weeks are to take you to the next level. And after that, the next 100 levels that come. So you can always use this process over and over and over again. Just know that it is totally okay. If you are experiencing imposter syndrome. When we talk about self-awareness going into self-awareness, why is it important? It's if we just think about awareness, the definition of awareness, it's simply knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists. Super simple knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exist. And as basic as it sounds so many of us get caught up in an imposter syndrome cycle and we don't even have the knowledge or understanding that it's happening, we're just in it. And we're believing the lies. We're believing that we're not qualified enough. We're believing that we don't belong here. What believing that they're going to, that we're going to get exposed that we're going to, that this was a fluke, we're believing those lies. And we're not even in the understanding that this is happening. And so I want. To tell you a story of one of my clients in the past, she told me that she needed to get a master's degree, that she felt like it was important for her to get a master's degree. And then I asked her if she wanted to get a master's degree because her energy behind it was kind of like, I don't think she really wants one. So I just asked her, I was like, do you want a master's degree? And she was straight up. Like, no, I don't. I actually really don't feel like going back to school and I don't want to get into more debt. And so I asked her, well, why do you think you need to get a master's degree then? And she was like, well, I want to be a director. And if I need to be a director, then I need to get a master's degree. And I was like, okay, where did you. Where did that come from? Why, why do you believe that? And that kind of stumped her. And she was like, well, I just don't know if like my experience would be enough. And then I asked her, well, if you know of other directors in your workplace, do they have master's degree? And she said, most of them don't. And so we just opened up a whole conversation around where did this idea that you are not qualified enough without a master's degree come from? And she didn't even know she was in that cycle. Like for her, she just straight up was like, yeah, I need a master's degree. Like it was super It's the truth, right? Without the awareness, without the knowledge and understanding that she was in an imposter syndrome cycle. So I really want you to not skip this episode to not think that, oh, I already have self-awareness girl. We always need more. So just stick with me here, because this is the foundation it's so. Important. We cannot change what we do not know. Okay. We can not change what we do not know, do not underestimate the importance of self-awareness. I'm going to give you one process for identifying your limiting beliefs. That are keeping you stuck in imposter syndrome. It's going to be some questions. It's going to be a journaling exercise for you. I love journaling exercises. I think they are so incredibly helpful, especially when we are feeling. Very overwhelmed or riddled with self doubt. It just is very therapeutic. So I want to take you through a process on how you can foster self awareness so that you can identify when you are in an imposter syndrome cycle and you can break out of that. Number one. I want you to identify one area that you're going to focus on. We're starting a three-week series. You're with me here. Now. I want you to decide right now, what area do you want to focus on with me? Is it the area of applying to a director level position, for example, is that one area that you are experiencing a lot of imposter syndrome in? Is it the area of presenting in front of senior leaders? Is that the area you want to focus on? There may be several things that you're struggling with when it comes to imposter syndrome. So I just want you to identify one specific area that you want to have. Your focus on over the next few weeks so that you can take this process through, because part of the thing, and when I am helping my clients and coaching my clients, It's about breaking down things that feel very overwhelming and to a step-by-step process so that we can remove the overwhelm and you can actually start taking action towards the goals that you want. And so even if I go back to the story I was telling you about my client who thought she needed a master's degree. After that we were able to put together a five-year plan for what would get her to a director level position without putting herself in more debt. And without going to get her master's degree, something she didn't even want to do because that was available to her. But when she didn't even have the self-awareness that she was in an imposter syndrome cycle, she couldn't even open up that possibility because for her, it was the truth. I have to go get my master's, but I don't want to. And then it left her feeling stuck and unqualified, and like she'll never be able to get to where she wants to get to, which is an hopeless. So I want, I help my clients by reducing this overwhelm and taking it into a step-by-step process to help you take action towards the goals that you have. So I want you to begin to practice that when you are feeling really overwhelmed by imposter syndrome or you're feeling hopeless, or you feel like you're never going to be able to get out of the situation you're in, you're never going to be able to have a job that you love. You're never going to be able to make it to director level position when those things are happening and you're feeling overwhelmed. It's really important that you focus in on. On one thing. There may be a lot of things you're overwhelmed about, but right now I want you to focus in on one thing. So I want you to make that decision. Okay. Decide what you want to focus on. With me. Over the next few weeks when it comes to overcoming imposter syndrome. That's number one. Number two, now that you have made the decision on what you're going to focus on. You're going to journal and list out all of the limiting beliefs you hold about yourself. Remember limiting beliefs are simply self-talk that limits you. So, what is that negative self talk. It could be, I'm not good enough. I'm not qualified. What if I fail? What if they hate me? What if all of this is a fluke? I want you to really think about what are those limiting beliefs? Something else I always say is you can identify limiting beliefs because they are usually vague. Maybe you have a specific, maybe you have a limiting belief. That's very specific. But most of the time, I find that they're very vague limiting beliefs sound like I'm not good enough, or I'm never going to make it, or I'm never going to be. Where I'm supposed to be, or what if I fail? Like the examples I gave, those are all very vague statements. They're never like, okay, what if I don't have what it takes to be able to apply to this job and go through the interviews and be able to actually accept the offer? Like it's always just vague. It just, just like, what if I can't do it? So that's always one of the things I like to tell my clients is just notice, where do you have these overarching, vague statements that make you feel like crap? That can be a very great. Um, indication that this is a limiting belief. So you should list them out, journal on it and just brain dump. What are all the beliefs you're having? So let's say the area that you decided to focus on is that you want to apply to a director level positions. You've been thinking about that over the past six months, you've been doing director level director level work on a manager salary, and you've been frustrated yet. You can't find yourself to seem. You can't find yourself actually to apply to jobs. You. You stay stuck in this, in this space where you're a manager and you know, you're underpaid. And it's frustrating for you. So if you decide, okay. Applying to director level positions, that is going to be where I focus on, what are the limiting beliefs that come up? Do you think that they won't hire you? Do you think that you can't actually land the job? Do you think that you'll be discriminated against because you are a woman or Latina or whatever it may be. Begin to list out all of those limiting beliefs and journal on it. Brain dump on that. Number three. I want you to then journal on. How do you feel when you think those things, what are all the emotions that have been coming up for you? When you are thinking all of those limiting beliefs. So usually for me, whenever I'm experiencing imposter syndrome, I feel sad, frustrated, guilty, shameful, scared. Think about all of the things, all of the emotions that come up for you when you are. In the cycle, when you're thinking all of those limiting beliefs, what are the emotions? And I want you to really go into all of the emotions that come up. This is a whole separate podcast, just in terms of emotional intelligence. I do a lot of that work with my clients because it's so important as a leader to have emotional intelligence and emotional intelligence is you having an understanding of your emotions and an understanding of other people's emotions. And I find that because we haven't done a lot of teaching around emotional intelligence. We don't know even how to describe our emotions in a very wide range. So a lot of my work is also helping my clients be emotionally intelligent so that they can feel better about themselves. Be more calm, handle conflict so much better, and be able to interact with other people at such a higher capacity and influence people in a much more organic way. So that's a whole side note on emotional intelligence. When you think about how you are feeling, when you think these things, I want you to really dig deep. So. So if maybe, oh, well I feel stuck. I feel frustrated. Then I want you to dig a little deeper. What are some other emotions you can literally Google list of feelings and you can pull from there as well. And that will be very helpful for you. That's number three, number four. What do you do when you feel like this? What do you do when you feel like this? There is something that you do. Whenever you feel frustrated or hopeless or scared. Because you are thinking you're not good enough and you're not qualified and you're never gonna make it. There is something that you do. And I want you to begin to build self-awareness around what that is. And dig deeper. So if you're like, I don't know, or like I do nothing. Okay. Dig deeper. What is the nothing you don't you do? What is it? Cause that even that inaction you can even get specific in that. Do you not apply to the jobs? Do you not actually go to the interviews? Do you not prepare for your interviews because you have this subconscious thought that you're not going to make it anyway. So why even prepare. What is it that you do? Or on the other end, there are other clients I would have that over-prepare and then they're overwhelmed going into the interview because you just spent four hours preparing for it and now their brain is exhausted. And so I want you to think about what you do whenever you feel, whatever emotions it is that you said would that you listed out, what are the things that you do? This is the part that maybe is a little bit tougher for my clients. Like I usually have to do a lot more digging here because my clients will give me something vague. Like, oh, I don't do anything. Anything or like, well, I R they'll say something like, well, then I reject myself before anyone else rejects me. Okay. That's a great start. So what else are you not spending the appropriate time to make sure that you're networking with people? Are you not going to networking events? What is it that you are doing? And even when it's like, oh, I do nothing. Then tell me be more specific about that journal on that. What do you do. I'm a go over this process. One more time. Number one was identifying what area you're going to focus on. Number two is list out all of the limiting beliefs you have about yourself. You're going to brain dump. Number three. How do you feel when you think this and number four, what do you do when you feel like this? That's going to be your process for building self-awareness around imposter syndrome. You must know what is going on, even with the limiting beliefs. For example, if I go back to step two with the limiting beliefs, a lot of times our limiting beliefs. Are vague. Like I mentioned, however, the other thing is they are on the surface, a lie that is. Exposing something that is an even uglier darker lie under that. So let me give you a personal example. Whenever I think something along the lines of like, what if I fail, there's something uglier under that, which is. I am a failure. This fear around I'm going to fail. And then I won't be valuable because if I fail. Then I suck at life. If I fail, then what do I have to offer? If I fail, then other people will laugh at me and like, who am I? There's like something deeper. That's under this surface level question. Of what if I fail? Another example, what if they hate me? If you are a chronic people, pleaser, if you are someone who has just always wanted people to like you, and there's a lot of fear around whether people don't like you, that could expose a deeper rooted fear of I'm only valuable. If people like me, if people don't like me, then I am not worth anything. So there can even be darker things, harder things, deeper things under. These surface level questions. And I often find, I oftentimes find that there are, so it's a great way for you to build self awareness around what is actually under this, because this is the thought that is coming up for me right now. This is the limiting belief, but there, there's probably something under this that is pushing this out. There's something that's deeper under this. And the more that you can get familiar with what's happening, the more you can catch onto it in the future. Teacher and know. Okay. This thought comes up and it's rooted in this thing, but I don't need to believe that. And then again, next week, we're going to talk about all about reframing your negative thoughts so that you can actually pull yourself out. Of the cycle, but for now you have to have that self-awareness. So that's a big thing for step two, in terms of listing out your limiting beliefs. All right. Forens. That is everything I got for you. Again, we went over what imposter syndrome is. It is an experience in which you doubt your skills, talents, or accomplishments, and have a fear of being exposed as a fraud. We went over the importance of self-awareness. And I took you through a process on how you can make sure that you foster self-awareness. I encourage you to go through each of those questions. And remember if you were in an imposter syndrome cycle, it's okay. You don't need to throw shame on top of that. It is okay. It is normal. You can get out of this and you are getting started by even listening to this podcast. So great for you. Celebrate yourself. I will see you next week. Bye.

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If you are ready to get promoted into leadership and get the salary you deserve, I invite you to book a sales call with me. This is a one hour call where I will assess your career, your obstacles, your goals. I will tell you exactly the way that I can help you. And we can talk about whether the confident Latina leader program is the best fit for you. The link to book your sales call is in the show notes. Talk to you soon. Ciao.