Why Feeling Like a Fraud Is Actually a Sign You're Growing | EP 37

You landed the client. You got the opportunity. Someone called you an expert and instead of feeling proud, your stomach dropped. That quiet voice that whispers you're about to get found out is a common experience entrepreneurs face, and yet most people suffer through it in silence. You’ll hear the moment she landed her first client  and, instead of celebrating, spent an entire week convinced she was going to disappoint them.

It's a feeling many creative business owners know all too well and it usually shows up not when things are going wrong, but when things are finally going right.

We’re unpacking imposter syndrome from a different angle -  not as a problem to fix, but as a signal worth understanding. We break down what imposter syndrome actually is versus what most people assume it means, why it tends to intensify as your business grows, and how the discomfort of self-doubt is often a marker of a growth mindset at work. With practical tools and a perspective shift that sticks, this episode is a reminder that confidence doesn't arrive before the action, it comes from it.

What to Listen for in This Episode

1. Imposter syndrome isn't evidence you're unqualified — it's evidence you care. The internal belief that you're less capable than others perceive you to be tends to live in people with high standards and self-awareness. People who aren't growing don't feel like imposters. That discomfort is your comfort zone marking its edge, not a stop sign.
2. Build an evidence file. When the imposter voice gets loud, it works with selective memory. Keeping a running log of wins, client feedback, and moments where you showed up and delivered gives you something real to look back on. Not for ego — for accuracy.
3. Separate the feeling from the fact. "I feel like I don't know enough" is a feeling. "I have no experience in this specific area" is a fact. They require completely different responses. Auditing the facts almost always reveals the feeling doesn't hold up.

Thought to sit with:

If you felt completely comfortable every time you took a new step in your business — were you actually taking a new step? The stretch is supposed to feel like a stretch. What if the doubt isn't a warning to slow down, but a signal that you're finally moving in the right direction?

Transcript

You're listening to Entrepreneur Encounter, the podcast where soft skills meet real talk for creative business owners who are building with purpose. I'm Dana, a Pinterest marketing strategist and agency owner helping wedding pros and creative entrepreneurs get seen without burning out. And I'm Sarah, a business and team strategist who helps small teams and podcasters communicate clearly, lead with empathy and grow sustainably. Together, we're unpacking the messy, side of entrepreneurship.

from boundaries to burnout, leadership to listening, so you can build a business that actually fits your life.


you've just landed a new client or you've just got asked to speak on a panel, even someone is calling you a expert in your field. And instead of feeling proud, you feel like you're about to be found out. Like somehow at any moment, someone's going to pull back the curtain and realize you don't actually know what you're doing. If this sounds familiar, you're not broken. You're not a fraud. You're experiencing something almost

every driven growth oriented entrepreneur goes through. And this is called imposter syndrome. And today we're going to flip the script on what this means and give you the tools on how to get out of that imposter syndrome. Because here's the thing most people don't tell you. Imposter syndrome isn't a sign that you're in the wrong room. It's actually a sign that you're growing. And once you understand that,

things change. So today we're going to talk about what imposter syndrome really is, why it shows up more when you're doing well and what you can do to move through it without waiting for it to magically disappear. We're going to cover three things today. What's really driving that imposter feeling? Why it's not what you think it means and the tools that you can use right now to keep moving forward anyway. But before we get into it,

We have a free gift for you. It's our 20 minute clarity map. So you'll learn how to pick three goals that will make the biggest impact. And then you're going to pair those goals with a soft skill to boost your follow through. You're going to define simple, realistic goals and actions you can actually complete and help you stay consistent without burning out. What is imposter syndrome?

What is it actually and what is it not? So let's start by naming what we're actually talking about because imposter syndrome gets thrown out so much and I think the term itself has almost lost its meaning. Imposter syndrome is this internal belief that you are not as capable as other people perceive you to be and that at some point they're going to figure that out. You think the more you accomplish the more confident you feel.


But for a lot of us entrepreneurs, it's actually the opposite. The higher the stakes, the louder the voice gets in your head. I remember the first time I landed a client. It was a big deal to me because obviously as a new entrepreneur and you land your first client, it's a big deal. Instead of celebrating that, I spent the first week convinced I was going to disappoint them. And that's so common because when the gap between where you are

and where you want to be gets smaller, the fear of losing gets bigger. Here's the pattern interrupt I want to offer early. Imposter syndrome is not evidence that you're under qualified. It's evidence that you care about doing well. Those are two very different things. Trust me, I hate making mistakes and I feel like not just a disappointment to my clients, but to myself as well because

I'm out here building something as you are too. And when something happens, we question it. Are we really capable of doing this? And I truly believe yes, we are capable of doing anything that we set our mind to. It's the matter of your mindset and how you want to continue on with the work that you're doing. Okay. So let's talk about the reframe. What happens? So imposter syndrome tends to live in people who are self-aware.

who have high standards, who are paying attention to the gap between where they are right now and where they want to be. This is not some character flaw. That's growth mindset showing up in a really uncomfortable way. People who aren't growing don't feel like imposters. They just feel fine. They just move along through the day, through the years, just going along with it. This discomfort is marking your comfort zone and showing you if you stepped into something bigger. Think about it this way.

If you felt completely comfortable and certain every time you took a new step in your business, were you actually taking a new step or were you just doing what you already knew? So the presence of that self doubt isn't something to fix before you move forward. It's something you recognize, you name it and you move forward with it. And this is where I think a lot of entrepreneurs get stuck. They think they have to resolve the doubts before they're allowed to act, but confidence doesn't come.

before the action, it comes from it. Let's get into some tools that you can use to function with when the imposter syndrome is loud. Cause I know for myself, at least when I'm in my head so much, the negative self talk, talk about, can't do this because of this, that voice gets louder and louder until you take these tools and realize that it's because again, you really care about what you do.

So tool number one, you want to build an evidence file. mean, this sounds simple, but it works. You keep a running document. You can use a notes app, your journal, whatever you want to use to write these notes. You want to log in your wins. You know, any kind feedback that you receive, the results you've created for yourself and for your clients, moments where you showed up and delivered not for ego. I mean, we can all say like, I'm doing this because I'm cool. Like I want to.

make sure that my evidence is documented. But this evidence is not for ego. It's to show you when imposter syndrome is loud. You can look back on this. You can look back at the notes that you're taking and saying, wait, I had great feedback here. I showed up for my clients. I showed up for myself. I'm doing this. I'm doing that. And you're doing whatever you can do to show up. And you should be proud of that. When you notice the imposter feeling, pause and ask yourself,

Is this a feeling or is this a fact? I feel like I don't know enough. That's a feeling. Cause I think we all think that we don't know enough of this. We don't know enough of that. But when you think about your business and the services that you offer, the products that you offer, you're doing it because you know, or if you say, I have no relevant experience in this area, that's a fact. I've been asked over the years if I offered a certain service, although it'd be great to be like, yeah.

I offer that, but I have no knowledge in that. So that's a fact. And more often than not, when you actually audit those facts, the feeling doesn't hold up. So if it's a fact, go back to the things that you wrote in your journal, the notes that you've taken for evidence and just say, imposter syndrome, like get out of my head. don't want to, I don't want you to be there. Tool number three, normalize it out loud. This could be really uncomfortable for some, especially when people

don't want to really communicate the fact that they're in a certain spot in their business or even in their personal life. It's hard, but talking with someone that you trust can take the power from the imposter and give it back to you. So when you're talking to someone, you just like you're venting, you're saying, Hey, like I'm not good enough. I'm not doing this right. Like I made this mistake. When you realize almost everyone around you is dealing with, some version of this.

Because a lot of entrepreneurs, myself included, feel this way often because we see something on social media. We hear something from this expert, whatever it is. Remember, not everybody is going to be in the same spot as you and you're not going to be in the same spot as somebody else. But when you come to the realization, like so-and-so is having a hard time too. Let's brainstorm together. What can we do to make this better? If you've ever felt like the least qualified person in the room.

you worked hard to get into, this episode was for you. That feeling doesn't mean leave. It means you're exactly where growth happens. You want to name it? Get your evidence, separate the feelings from facts, talk to somebody, and keep going. I encourage you to keep going. And don't forget to grab that 20-minute clarity map, because this will help with your imposter syndrome as well, which you can find the link down in the show notes. Until next time.

You can now follow us on LinkedIn at entrepreneur encounter.

Thanks for spending time with us today. If something in this episode gave you a fresh perspective, share it with a friend or send us a DM. We love hearing how these conversations land with you. And if you're curious about how Soft Skills can support your next season of growth, we each have more resources to share. You can find Dana on Instagram at danas.desk.nc for Pinch's Strategy and Intentional Marketing. And Sarah.

at You Are Rembert for team development, business leadership, and podcast support. Until next time, keep leading with purpose and growing with intention.