Silencing the Voice of Doubt: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome—an all-too-common experience—leaves even the most accomplished individuals doubting their abilities and questioning their success. In this episode, we explore the roots of imposter syndrome, uncover its impact on personal and professional growth, and offer actionable strategies to help you silence that inner critic.

Our guest, Kristi Faltorusso shares her personal journeys of overcoming imposter syndrome, offering relatable insights and practical tools for reframing self-doubt. From confidence-building exercises to recognizing and celebrating your accomplishments, we’ll guide you toward embracing your true potential with authenticity and assurance.

This conversation is packed with strategies like journaling, seeking feedback from trusted individuals, and practicing affirmations to build self-validation and reframe negativity. By the end of this episode, you’ll feel equipped and motivated to confront imposter syndrome head-on and take bold steps in every area of your life.

Key Highlights:

• Recognizing the signs and root causes of imposter syndrome
• Practical strategies for building confidence and reframing self-doubt
• Reflective exercises to celebrate your achievements authentically

Guest Contributions:

• Personal stories of overcoming imposter syndrome
• Tools and practices to challenge self-doubt
• Recommended resources for mindset shifts
• Reflective takeaways to inspire deeper self-worth

Join us for an empowering discussion and learn how to celebrate your accomplishments and own your worth unapologetically.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Okay, welcome to Friday Feelings, the podcast where we are focused on real emotions in the lives of real people. And the then the goal really is to deliver an experience that gives you valuable insights and key takeaways, something impactful that you can embed in your life today to address the feelings you feel and not be afraid of them. So I am so excited to introduce our guest today, Christy Felterusso, who is the chief customer officer at client success, a very dear friend of mine, and someone I deeply respect and admire because of the level of vulnerability and authenticity she brings to her everyday life. So, Christy, thank you so much for joining me today.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Oh, Janelle, I am so I'm so honored to be one of your early guests. And I'm just, I'm so happy that you're finally doing this. Um, after hearing your presentation at CS100, where we were so fortunate to have been blessed by your storytelling and uh highlighting all of the things that we really much need to be talking about. I I'm just thrilled that you're bringing it to this forum and expanding your reach. It's important. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Thank you. I agree. So today's topic is um silencing the voice of doubt, overcoming imposter syndrome. And I think you really connected with me on the imposter syndrome part during the EQ Bootcamp live session, where we were talking about self-awareness and this deeply rooted insecurity that most of us feel and the voice we have in our heads that says we're not good enough, that says you're not worthy, you're not enough, you suck.

unknown 1:36

Right?

SPEAKER_00 1:36

That voice that we hate sometimes. So, from your perspective, can you explain uh your experience and and how you would define imposter syndrome?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

I mean, it really I for me, imposter syndrome comes from this world of self-doubt and lack of confidence. And I think that as you start to get a hold of that confidence, you can start to minimize that noise. But let's be honest, it never goes away, right? You're able to control it. And it is this feeling of doubt. It's a feeling of insecurity, it's a feeling of less thanness. It's it, and it honestly, sadly, it impacts so many facets of your life and it goes well beyond your professional working environment. It is really something that's going to impact you in all areas. And so it is so critical to be able to get ahead of these things and navigate it.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

I totally agree. So let's, I want to just dive right into imposter syndrome has been something that you've worked through, worked to overcome. And I would take a guess and say you still have moments where imposter syndrome is still a thing. I know it is for me. So is there a specific story that you can uh walk us through about how imposter syndrome it affected you? And how did you work through it and how have you used that in your life today?

SPEAKER_01 2:55

I have so many stories that I can reference with regards to how this manifested itself into the feelings and experiences that I've had. But one sticks out to me that's very uh specific, and I'll always kind of go back to this story. So allow me to share. Um, early in my customer success career, and I have to preface it by saying I spent a decade of my career in marketing. And so I got to a place in my marketing career where I started to build confidence and momentum professionally and started to see myself grow. And then I decided a career pivot was the move. And so I broke into customer success, not knowing much about it. Um, I knew the product and I knew my subject matter expertise, but I didn't, I didn't even know what SAS stood for. Okay. So like I broke into this world so unfamiliar and feeling such a fish out of water. And I remember early on in some conversations that I was having during the interview process. And one of the things that was shared with me was that this organization only hires employees from prestigious universities. I mean, like they reference very, very uh amazing colleges, right? Like we'll talk the Ivies, Stanford, Wharton. I mean, like this is where the caliber of their employees that they were hiring from. Now, I have to share, I didn't go to an Ivy League university. I went to a local college, a private institution here on Long Island in New York. I had a major in communications. I only have a BA. So not only did I not go to an Ivy League college, I did not have advanced education, I didn't have a bachelor's, I mean, I didn't have a master's, I didn't have a doctorate, and I'm a MBA. And the fact that that was the premise in which they talked about hiring people from day zero, it made me feel like I was so far behind. Now, the interesting thing is that was not their intention, right, you know? Like they were just noting that the caliber of the employees that they bring into their organization, they're top tier. These are people that have the best of the best. And the fact that I got hired should have put me in a camp feeling like, wow, I am best of the best. Instead, the sentiment that they shared about hiring from these universities made me feel like I wasn't worthy, that I wasn't good enough. I did not live up to the standard that was everyone else that was part of my ecosystem. Now I would look to my left and look to my right, and I'm seeing MBAs and PhDs and people with really remarkable experiences and career paths that I just didn't mirror. And so hearing it and then seeing it, I started to feel it. And I feel like it really started to set me back emotionally in my performance of that organization.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

That's such a good point, which is um one of the things I teach is that your thoughts, we know that your thoughts generate chemical reactions in your nervous system that produce your emotions, right? And so emotions when they're negative, when they're really strong, drive behavior. And so, as you point out, because you were emotional and you were set in this really difficult emotional place, your productivity and your emotional investment declined. So, did you stay at that job?

SPEAKER_01 6:10

I stayed there for five and a half years, Janelle. Okay, good for you. I mean, let's talk about sticking it out. Um, but it did like, okay, so my first couple months, my first year, it was riddled with self-doubt. I had never been somebody who felt like my work needed to be double-checked or that I needed validation. And so, to your point about driving behaviors and actions, I felt myself doing things that I would have never done when I was in marketing or my previous careers. I knew that I stood on good work and I did what I was supposed to do. I delivered it, service with a smile, and would move on to my next project. And now I found myself, everything I did, I wanted somebody else to look at it, somebody else to validate me. And I needed that external validation from my peers and my leaders to just enable me to move on to the next thing. It was almost crippling to the extent that I never felt like whatever I was doing was going to be good enough.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Yeah, that's a really tough mental place to be when, especially when you're breaking into a brand new industry, right? So you've been in customer success now for how many years?

SPEAKER_01 7:17

It'll be 13.

SPEAKER_00 7:19

That's amazing. And your time at client success has been phenomenal. You guys have done really amazing things for the customer success community. Have you had a moment recently, let's say within the last six months to 12 months, where you've had a thought that you would equate to imposter syndrome?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Uh, you know, I think I've spent so much time trying to shush that feeling, Janelle, and I have built so much confidence over the years. But I did find myself in a situation where I was having a conversation with somebody where it wasn't about customer success. And we were talking about businesses, and you know, it kind of put me in a pool with a bunch of individuals who I just wasn't as close with. These folks were not people that knew me. They didn't know my experiences, my background. I didn't really have any credibility to build off of in this moment. And we were forced to have a dialogue about something that I just wasn't comfortable with. And so as we sat around in this round table, I got really uncomfortable and I started doubting everything I knew. And it was almost as if to say, because I didn't know one thing, all of the things that I knew didn't matter. All of the other value that made me who I was went away. I was worthless in that moment because I couldn't contribute to the conversation and the dialogue in a meaningful way. And so, and I find myself sometimes in these conversations. And instead of being vulnerable and leaning in and using it as an opportunity to learn, I turtle up and I kind of remove myself from conversation because I don't want to seem stupid or I don't want to seem like I don't know what's going on. And so, yeah, I still find myself in those situations and it's often surrounded by just brilliant people who have just done things I haven't done yet.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yeah, I think, well, and first, thank you for your vulnerability because it's not easy to admit that. But I want to highlight the fact that getting to the place where imposter syndrome is not a part of your mentality, you're that is like a prize to win or a race to win. This is a process and it's a journey that will continue the rest of your life, right? So implementing skills and tools now that help you work through those moments is really where I'm trying to help people find that pick one thing, pick pick something that you know works for you and keep going at it. And I I'm curious because I would I would classify you as a high achiever, right? Dealing with high pressure pressured situations. Why do you think imposter syndrome is so common in high performance, high performers, high achievers?

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Because we're so used to being great at what we do. And when we find ourselves in situations where we can't be great, we're uncomfortable. Right. And so I've always tried to excel in anything that I've done. And what I haven't learned from myself yet is that you'll get there, right? You can't know everything day one. You have to be willing to lean in and learn and understand that this is part of your journey. But I feel like because of, you know, I have had such great success in certain areas that I've felt so comfortable in that space. And that's allowed me to be confident and it's allowed me to shush that imposter syndrome and almost avoid these situations where I don't feel comfortable that I have to remind myself that I started from somewhere. And when I learned the things I did and I grew, I excelled. So it's just part of a journey that I've got to be able to embrace a little bit more comfortably so I don't avoid the situations that are probably hindering my growth.

SPEAKER_00 10:49

Yeah, I love that. And so let's transition into the physical aspect. So when imposter syndrome manifests itself in you, what do you notice physically?

SPEAKER_01 11:00

Oh my gosh, physically, I start sweating. Um get a little warm. Um, no, for me, um, I'm quiet, which Janelle, you know me. For anybody who's listening who knows me, I am not a quiet person. I am not a shy person. So imagine me in a dialogue where we are all engaging in conversation, and I get this sense of imposter syndrome, and all of a sudden I tell myself to be quiet. I remove myself from engaging. I feel like my contributions aren't worthy. So that is how that starts to manifest for me. So it ends up, I become a little bit recluse from the conversation. I remove myself out of fear. And then I also start to remove myself from just further engagement. Um, so I start to just feel like I don't belong. Right. And so I actually start to physically remove myself. So imagine you're standing in a circle with a bunch of people having a great conversation. Oh, all of a sudden, excuse me, I have to use the restroom. I have to go get a glass of water. I actually physically remove myself from situations where I should be leaning in. I have things I can contribute, I have value I bring, but instead, I so much lean into just removing myself, it actually hinders my ability to kind of grow in those moments.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

Which is a good transition to say, let's talk about proactiveness, right? I want to understand from your perspective, what are the strategies you deploy from a physical perspective, from a mental perspective in those moments of doubt? Because for people that are listening, if you struggle with imposter syndrome, if you're like, well, I didn't know that was what it was called, self-doubt, self-insecurity, we're putting a name to it. And they're asking, well, how what do I do? What do I do when I'm in a situation and I'm self-doubting and the voice is really loud, I don't know how to overcome it. What would you maybe offer us some ideas and strategies and tips on how you work through that?

SPEAKER_01 12:51

So the first thing I've had to do is recognize what I'm feeling, right? And recognize that it is simply just that. It is a feeling. It is, it's something that I'm I'm creating in my head because nobody else there believes that I don't belong. I am the one that believes I don't belong, which is wrong. I do. So the first thing I have to do is just actually recognize what I'm feeling and what I'm thinking. And I have to give myself a moment's pause because I have to instead of react, which is very common for me, is like I'm a reactor. So I feel something and then I'll react. Um, I've had to learn how to just pause and allow myself to feel what I'm feeling and process what I'm telling myself and then try to think through why I'm feeling it. Now, the the challenge with that is is sometimes this is happening so quickly. And you don't have, I don't have 30 minutes to have a chat with myself if I'm in the middle of a conversation. So it's it's about recognizing what that is and and creating, to your point, these tools that I can just lean into. So for me, the first one is just I need to just breathe. And honestly, it's just taking a minute to absorb what is happening around me and not in a way that creates any awkwardness for me or those that I'm engaging with or whatever the situation is, but just enough time for me to actually process. And then from there, I have to figure out well, okay, I do know that if it's self-doubt that I'm feeling, and I'm feeling this way for a particular reason that might be triggered by something someone said or something I even manifested in my own head. I do have value, I do have the ability to contribute, and I actually just start to keep going. Um, and so it's a moment's pause, it's a little bit of process, but then it's just the just move on to the next thing, right? Like I've had to just continue to force myself to be comfortable in those moments. And it's not something that comes easy. And it is a little bit of this like, you just got to keep practicing it so that way you can find your flow in those moments. But when I start to do that, when I pause, reflect, process, and then kind of just force myself to continue to engage, I have found that if I give myself a couple minutes, I actually can contribute. I don't have as much self-doubt. I do bring value. But if I didn't get past that hurdle of just recognizing what I was feeling and what I was thinking, I don't get to that next step. And so then it continues to manifest. And then I've actually started to create a narrative in my head where that is true, right? I don't have the ability to contribute. I don't bring value. This isn't a topic I'm comfortable with. These people are not my people, right? And I, and that will continue to manifest itself. If you do not find the ability to overcome that as quickly as possible, that becomes your kind of inherent nature, and that will continue to be your behaviors in the future. So by pushing myself to just get on with it and just find my ways to overcome what I'm hearing in my head, I have become more comfortable and then actually started to lean into those learning moments.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

I love that. So I want to break that down for our listeners. So A, you have an intrusive thought, right? I talk a lot about capturing intrusive thoughts because you ask, is it true? Right. So to your point, do I do I belong here? Am I up to the caliber of the people that I'm surrounded with? Is the information and my my career experience valuable? Right. If you answer no because imposter syndrome is grabbing at you, right? The next question is, well, is this thought helpful? Right? Is it helpful to sit in a circle of business professionals at a table that you've been invited to and doubt and question, is that helpful in the moment? Well, that's a no. Is it in uh is it uplifting? We have to be our own advocates because no one else is gonna do it for us. So in those moments when you're doubting, is it true? Is it um helpful? Is it uplifting? And if the answer is no, none of those things are true, then I'm gonna get rid of that thought. But in order to get rid of the thought, I have to replace it with something. And it sounds to me like you have things that you know you can tell yourself in that moment to reinforce who you are, the truth about who you are, the commitment that you've made to yourself and move forward, which means you're not allowing your emotions to dictate your behavior, right? And so from that perspective, when I talk about an I am statement, when I talk to people about if you can't answer the question, who are you? Remove your spouse, your kids, your job, your hobbies, those are labels. And I ask you, who are you? What remains? And knowing yourself to that level means that in those moments when emotions are high, doubt is present, you're able to address it almost in the moment. Take a breath, take a second, and continue to step forward because you've deployed tools and methods that have worked for you, that you're continually using and reinforcing to your brain that you're not going to stay in that place. You're not gonna let those intrusive thoughts or those negative emotions keep you from moving forward. And I absolutely love that that that's the process you go through.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Yeah, and I will say it's just it's not easy, right? And so, even as simply as and eloquently as you broke it down, it is a lot harder to do, especially in the moment. Um, I think, you know, listen, certain situations lend themselves where you can actually lean in and process that and take the time, but not all those situations will give you the space to do it and with the time that maybe it even is needed for. Um, so you've got to be able to figure out well, when I don't have the time to dedicate to fully processing this, how can I still navigate the situation that I'm in so that I can be, again, seen as valuable in whatever this setting is?

SPEAKER_00 18:21

I love that. Um, I want to touch a little bit on can you help us understand the difference between growth opportunities and perfectionism?

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Oh gosh. All right. So I think I try to process things by I know what I know and I know what I don't know. Right. And so I have to be very cognizant of the fact that I don't know everything. Nobody does. And I have to make myself and allow myself to be vulnerable to learning and growth. And so I think by identifying the fact that like I am, I do know a lot and I know a lot about some things, there's a whole world of things that I don't yet. And I have to want to be able to grow in those areas because that's going to help me excel. And again, a little bit of this though is a reflective process too, Janelle, because I have to be able to look back and say, when I started in customer success 13 years ago, I didn't know anything. And now I can go and look at, well, okay, look at how far I've come because I've actually been able to overcome those uncomfortable situations and recognize that these are growth opportunities. And the the need and desire to grow doesn't mean that everything I know is invaluable. It means I can be so much more valuable if I allow myself the vulnerability to lean into those moments. And so I've really tried to focus on those two aspects of it and recognize I will get to a state of mastery or perfection, but I have to, you have to crawl before you run. And this is just part of it.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Yeah, that's part of it. I think it's also really important that you celebrate the small wins, right? Because to build confidence, to go from zero to a thousand, like you said, that's that's not achievable, it's not obtainable, and it's a it's a unfulfilled expectation that you're just hitting your head again, right? So can you talk me through a little bit? What were the small wins that you began to really track as you built your career within customer success?

SPEAKER_01 20:17

Well, it's all finding these moments, right? And they're not all KPI driven. I know that everyone wants to put a metric to things, but like, for instance, I'll never forget the first email that a customer sent me with such gratitude and appreciation for my contributions to helping them succeed. Like, I'll never forget that email. I'll I tell you, it was from the Limited Co. I don't even think that company is around anymore, but they were a retailer. If you are a female shopper or have shopped for a female, they were around in the 90s, 2000s. Um, and basically clothing store. But we were working with them as a retailer, and I'll never forget when that customer, they were churning, and not because of us, but because they were deprecating their department that was focusing on this. But I got a lengthy email about all of the work that I did and how I helped grow their business and all of their focus around digital expertise. And they just really relied on me as their partner and a friend and an ally, and how much I was able to help them succeed on the tool. And I just thought to myself, wow, okay, I did that. And I didn't know anything about customer success and I didn't know anything about SaaS and I didn't know all these things. So it's finding those micro moments, right? They're not always going to be tied to KPIs, but they are gonna be tied to how you feel or how they make you feel. And it was those moments of reflection and recognition that I was able to say, well, okay, I'm doing something here, because for somebody else externally to validate the work and the contributions that I'm bringing, that means something. So that was something for me. I remember the first time I got to do my first customer presentation and go on site and meet with the customer and nail it. Gosh, that is the most intimidating thing to be in a room surrounded with people that know their business way better than you. You being this partner, I'm sure every CSM can reflect and think about their first time in a room. With a customer and to feel like you walked out of there accomplished and achieving a very specific objective, I'll never forget that moment. So for me, it's been finding those little moments where I was able to say, okay, because of what I've learned and what I've done, I am seeing success. And even just having the successful meeting to me was enough because it overcame a hurdle and something, it was a new challenge that I had never done before. So it's all those little ones. And I feel like in customer success, there's so many of those available, right? Your first training, your first onboarding, your first EBR, QBR, your first renewal conversation, all of those things, right? Your first churn conversation, all of those things will start to build your confidence when you start to figure out how to navigate them. And you only got to do it once to then either fail and learn something or be very successful at it and grow from there. So those are some of the early moments that I can remember in customer success. Like I said, the email, that one will never, that will never go away from me because it was such a big one. I also remember winning my first competitive deal. It was a head-to-head. It was an existing customer. They were evaluating another solution. We worked on this for two years. It was a three-year renewal with a very, very large insurance company. And I partnered with them so hard for so long. And I remember the conversation where they said, you are our selected vendor. We're going to move forward with you for another three years. And I just remember like mic drop moment. I like called my husband after I got off this call. I'm like, oh my God, they're going to sign. Uh, like this, just the daunting burden of this like competitive analysis. And I, and I, I earned their business like huge. Like these are the moments. It's not how much NRR am I bringing in. It's not, you know, how many of my customers are advocates or whatever. Like, yeah, those are cool. But from a growth standpoint, it's overcoming these things that you've never done before, having wins in those moments. Those are the moments I reflect back on, and those are the things that have developed my confidence because I know I can because I did.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

I love that. Is there a crossover in your personal life? Meaning the confidence you were building and the wins that you were holding on to, did you find that in your personal life you were finding growth through those wins as well?

SPEAKER_01 24:07

I think absolutely, right? Confidence is it transcends your day job in your personal life, right? So you start to build confidence, you feel good about work that you're doing, you bring that home, right? Just like if you are struggling at work, you bring that home. So there is, there's no compartmentalizing of who you are, right? You're one person. All of these things make you up, right? So there's no like my work me and my personal me. It's it's just me. And so being able to be successful in these moments and see myself grow and evolve as a professional, built confidence that I knew that I could. And when you recognize that you can do certain things, yes, guess what? A new recipe that I've never tried before, gonna try it. Nailed it, right? I'm in the gym, a new PR that I'm striving for, gonna go chase it. It confidence comes with you through all facets of your life. And so once you start to build that and overcome any self-doubt that you have, it literally is the catalyst for your continued growth.

SPEAKER_00 25:07

I love that. I have a little bit of a tougher question. It'll kind of be before right before we wrap, which is in all of the people that I've been meeting and talking to, I think there's a sense in the world that we live in that people are insecure. I think remote work has created a sense of isolation, and sometimes our value is not seen. We don't feel heard. Um if if the listener is an individual who is struggling with a difficult manager or they're struggling at work to really feel like their contributions are being appreciated or they're valued, what's a piece of encouragement or a word of advice you would offer that person?

SPEAKER_01 25:46

I struggled with this too for a long time. Um, I had to realize that I don't need external validation, I need internal recognition. And so you need to be able to understand that not everyone is gonna see your worth. Not everyone wants to see your worth, but you have to be able to see your worth. And if you can't understand that the external validation, it's like a dopamine hit, it's gonna feel good in that moment, but that's about it. When you learn to recognize your own value, that is where things transcend, right? That that is the big meaningful impact. So I know it doesn't solve for a crappy manager who's not recognizing your contributions to the business, but you need less of that when you can recognize the success within.

SPEAKER_00 26:32

That's so beautifully put. I absolutely love that. So we're gonna kind of shift into our final couple moments. And I want, I don't want to recap because there's too much to recap. But from this conversation, Christy, what what is your biggest takeaway? If you were a listener and you wanted, you wanted to have one thing that you could hold on to and move forward with, um, what would that be from your perspective?

SPEAKER_01 26:55

You have to lean into it. You can't avoid it, right? It it's going it the best thing you can do to get over a mountain is get over it, right? You gotta climb it. So otherwise you're stuck in that valley. So for me, it's finding those moments, like I said, instead of removing myself, like I described physically from certain situations where I felt uncomfortable, where I felt that self-doubt. The moments where I just talked to myself, I processed, and I I just continued to forge forward in those moments, that's where growth happened. You will not grow, you will not evolve if you avoid. So just lean into the discomfort, try to shush the voice, figure out what your tools are, figure out what the narrative is that you need to create for yourself and really do the work.

SPEAKER_00 27:36

I love that. And so another question is what do you have physically to help you get through? Do you have motivational quotes that you keep in front of you? Do you have a stress toy that you squeeze when you're stressed? What's a physical way that you continue to engage and stay mindful and present and vulnerable through those stressful moments?

SPEAKER_01 27:58

Well, breathing helps. I think this is just like years of uh working with my daughter through therapy and her anxiety and things like that. So learning breath work, I think, has been really important for me. And this is where, again, there's the processing and taking a moment to pause. I'm a fast talker, I'm a faster thinker. And so recognizing that it's okay to slow down, slow down and take the deep breath. Um, I'll also say that, like for me, sometimes it's not in those moments, but I'm a big exerciser. I believe that, you know, health as a whole really plays a big part into all aspects of your life. So for me, I'm big on the physical fitness part of it because the days that I work out, I have more confidence. I feel good about myself. I've already done the work. So I find that that for me is a very useful tool. Intentional body movement is what I'll refer to it as. Intentional movement for me helps me in all of these ways because it does. It builds a little confidence, it builds a little momentum in my day, it makes me feel better as a person. And that helps me feel better in situations where I might feel less.

SPEAKER_00 28:59

Yeah. Well, you're flooding your body with dopamine and serotonin when you exercise and you move your body. I also want to point out that there's science behind the physical impact that your body has with negative emotions. And I've been researching a ton on the TRTTP method, which explains the gray matter in your brain, is what creates the pathways and the habits that you have. And when you speak positive things out loud, you're transforming the gray matter in your brain and changing the chemical makeup of your brain. And so, from that perspective, are there things that you say out loud to yourself?

SPEAKER_01 29:38

There absolutely is. So every morning, um, I give myself time every morning to get ready. I like to do my hair makeup every day. It makes me feel present, it makes me feel ready for the day. I talk to myself when I do my makeup every day. I'm looking in the mirror and I talk to myself and I say things out loud. And I remind myself that I am worthy. I remind myself that I am strong. I remind myself of basically my confidence. And, you know, I have like my own little mantras and things and I won't repeat them here for everybody to judge me on. But the things that I say to myself, I say out loud, not only out loud, but I say them looking at myself. And I also feel like that makes a difference as well. Seeing myself say these things as well as hearing it kind of kind of allows me to embody it a little bit more fully.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

I love that. And last question. If a listener feels stuck in self-doubt today, what is one action they can take right now to start breaking free?

SPEAKER_01 30:28

Reach out to Janelle. I tried to do that. That was the easiest, that was the easiest, that was the easiest answer. That was the easiest question you gave me. No, I and I and I say this, and all kidding aside, like rely on the resources and the networks that you have to help you navigate these things because you can't figure out these things on your own. I've tried. I failed miserably most of the time when I try to figure things out on my own. I do. So, Janelle, I think that you are a wonderful resource for, you know, the entire community to go. And like, obviously, you've done the work, you've been studying the science around all this stuff. So I would just encourage anybody, if it's not, Janelle, reach out to somebody who can help you navigate this.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

Yeah, that's right. So, where can people connect with you, Christy? Talk a little bit about what you're doing in your own personal life from a business perspective, uh, if someone wants to connect.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

Absolutely. Well, I absolutely love connecting with folks on LinkedIn. Janelle is where you and I'm at. It's where I feel like I've built so many wonderful friendships with so many professionals and who now I get to call friends. Um, so please find me on LinkedIn. If you want to go over to my website, you can head over to Christyfaltaruso.com. You can find me there as well. Um, I'm sharing just lots of content and experiences from my journey from a CSM to CCO, um, all of my stories, the things I've learned, the things I've failed at, and hopes that I can provide some guidance to those who are navigating a similar journey.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

I love that. Well, I want to thank you so much for being open to this and for continually being a beacon to draw the rest of us in, to learn from your example and to highlight the power of vulnerability and transparency and authenticity in business. Um, I want to thank you for being a good human and for caring about your fellow man and your goal of putting goodness back into your daily life, your work life, your relationships, your network. Um, so thank you for all you do. And for those of you listening, here's my one last thought. The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If you're tired of self-doubt, if you're tired of letting imposter syndrome get the better of you, if you are over feeling negative because you are flooded with all of these horrible thoughts that we all have, do something different. Pick up the phone, reach out, take a walk, start to say positive things to yourself. Don't let the new year start by repeating all the things you know and not doing something to get out of your comfort zone, get out of your habitual practices, and try something new. And by the way, when you try something new, don't do it for a day or two and expect radical results. You gotta put in the work, do the daily habit for 30 to 45 days. And if at that point it's not working, then you try something else. But you've got to commit to trying something and allowing it to impact you over time to really see if that's gonna take effect. So as we wrap this episode of Friday Feelings, uh, I want to give a shout out to Christy, a shout out to Client Success and the amazing work that they're doing. Uh, and to you who's listening. Thank you for giving us your time. Um, and I look forward to our next conversation. Thanks again, Christy.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

Thanks, Chanel.