Imposter Syndrome: Stop Disqualifying the Woman God Already Qualified | Kingdom LeadHERship

In this episode of The Kingdom LeadHERship Podcast, Stacy Jo welcomes listeners to and shares a candid, faith-centered conversation about imposter syndrome in the life of a woman pursuing her kingdom calling.

She describes how the voice of “who do you think you are?” disguises itself as humility, caution, or waiting for more preparation, and how it keeps gifted, called women stuck, undercharging, overthinking, shrinking back, or refusing open doors. 

Stacy Jo offers practical shifts: Name the voice and discern whether it brings shame and condemnation versus God’s loving correction, keep a record of what God has said and done, stop waiting to feel qualified, and take the next small obedient step. 

She points to Esther, Mary, Rahab, and scriptures including:
Esther 4:14
Luke 1:38
1 Samuel 16:7
2 Corinthians 12:9

Are you pursuing your purpose with Christian leadership? Gain clarity and conviction to align your daily actions with your divine calling.

The Kingdom LeadHERship Podcast with Stacy Jo is designed for women who want to integrate their faith into every aspect of their professional and personal lives. If you feel called to lead but struggle to find the right path, this show provides the encouragement necessary to move forward with confidence. We focus on the practical application of spiritual principles to help you navigate your responsibilities with a clearer vision of your unique purpose.

Every episode emphasizes that your calling is intentional and that obedience matters in your journey. By listening, you will learn how to identify your specific spiritual calling and apply it to the leadership roles you currently hold. This is about realigning your efforts with what matters most so you can lead effectively and faithfully.

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00:00 Welcome to the Podcast
00:47 Heart to Heart Opening
01:13 Meet the Inner Critic
03:12 What Imposter Syndrome Is
05:33 How It Shows Up Daily
08:07 You Are Not Alone
10:47 Three Practical Shifts
11:22 Name the Voice
12:55 Stop Waiting to Feel Ready
13:18 Biblical Examples of Calling
17:53 Take the Next Step
19:26 Your One Step This Week
20:36 Share and Follow
21:44 Prayer and Sendoff
22:53 Final Outro Reminder

Association of Christian Business Women
This episode is brought to you by the Association of Christian Business Women

Association of Christian Business Women
This episode is brought to you by the Association of Christian Business Women

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Kingdom Leadership, the podcast for women pursuing kingdom purpose with faith and intention. This is a space for clarity, encouragement, and conviction. It's a place to pause, refocus, and realign your leadership with what God is asking of you. Whether you're leading in business, ministry, your home, or your community, this podcast is here to remind you that your calling is intentional. Your obedience matters, and your leadership is meant to be aligned with God, not carried in your own strength. I'm your host, Stacey Joe, and together we are leaning into leadership that is whole, obedient, rooted in purpose. Let's get started. Hey there, Kingdom Lead Hers. Come on in, grab your coffee. Let's get comfortable because today's one of those heart-to-heart conversations, you know, the kind that we would have if you were sitting right across the table from me with your mug in your hand and no rush to be anywhere. Those are the days I love. Those are the conversations that I enjoy. And I want to start by being honest with you because that's well, that's what we do here. There are days, even now, that even after everything that I've seen God do in my life, a quiet little voice shows up out of nowhere and whispers, Who do you think you are? Who are you to lead this? Who are you to teach this? Who are you to build the thing that God put in your hands? And I am betting, sister, that you know that voice too. I'm betting that you have heard it more times than you would care to admit. Maybe you heard it this morning. Maybe you've been hearing it for years. Maybe it's gotten so familiar that you do not even notice it anymore. You just quietly obey it and you call it being humble or being careful or being realistic. And I have been in seasons where that voice was so loud that I almost didn't start at all. I would look at other women who seem so sure of themselves, so polished, so confident. And I would think, well, they are clearly meant for this. And I am just playing dress up over here. I felt like at any moment someone was going to tap me on the shoulder and say, excuse me, I think you're in the wrong room. And you know what? No one ever did. The only one ever saying it was that voice in my own head. So before we go one more step, I just want you to take a breath and hear me say this. You are not the only one. You are not broken, and you are absolutely not alone in this. The very fact that you are here listening, building something for the kingdom tells me that you're exactly the kind of woman this voice loves to come after. Because the enemy doesn't waste his time and energy on women who are sitting still. Oh no, he comes after the ones that are about to move. So let's talk about this. Woman to woman, let's just have a chat. Because today we're talking about imposter syndrome. And I do not want to talk about it the way the world talks about it with a checklist and a pep talk. I want to talk about it the way it actually shows up in the life of a kingdom woman who is trying to walk in her calling. And here's the simple way I can put it imposter syndrome is that nagging belief that you're not really qualified to do the thing that you're doing, and that sooner or later everyone is going to find out. It's that feeling that you snuck in, that you really don't belong in that room, that the gift, the opportunity, the open door somehow landed on the wrong woman. And at any time now, someone's going to realize their mistake. And here's why, here's what makes it so sneaky. It rarely feels like fear. It dresses itself up as something noble. It tells you that you're just being humble, that you're just being, you know, you're just being responsible, that you're just waiting for the right time or a little more wisdom or a little more preparation. Does that sound familiar? It almost never announces itself as what it really is. It hides behind good intentions. And that is exactly why so many of us have been stuck for so long without even knowing why. And here is why I care about this so much, because I've watched it. I have watched brilliant, anointed, capable women, women God clearly called, freeze right at the starting line. Not because they lacked the gift, not because God had not opened the door, but because deep down they did not believe they were qualified enough to walk through it. So they wait. They shrink back, they hand the assignment back to God, and they and they just quietly assume he must have meant it for someone more polished or more experienced, more put together than them. And the kingdom then misses out on what only they could have offered. That right there is what we're dealing with today. Now, let me tell you what this actually looks like day to day, because I have a feeling I'm about to describe your week. It looks like finally getting the thing you prayed for, that client that you've been asking God for, the opportunity that the yes. And instead of celebrating, your stomach drops. And the very first thought is, oh no, now they're gonna find out. I have no idea what I'm doing. It looks like writing the email or that post or the message, and then who's guilty of this? I am reading it over five, six, seven times, softening it down, second guessing it, wondering if I even have the right to say it. And then sometimes not even hitting send it all. Maybe it looks like sitting in a room or on a call with people that you actually do belong next to, and quietly feeling certain that everyone there is more qualified than you. That if they really knew you, knew your doubts, knew how unsure you feel, that they would never take you seriously. Perhaps it looks like having an idea at two in the morning, the one that lights you up, the one you are almost sure is from God. And by the time the sun comes up, you've already talked yourself out of it. Who am I to do that? Someone's already doing it better. I will wait until I'm more ready. Those are the things we say to ourselves. It looks like charging less than you're worth or not charging at all, because deep down you're not sure you've earned the right to ask. So you over-deliver and you under-receive, and you call it generosity when really a piece of its fear. And maybe the heaviest one of all, it looks like watching another woman, someone with far less experience than you, step out boldly, post confidently on our social media, launch that thing, say the yes while you're sitting quietly on the sidelines, gifted, called, and stuck. And then you pile on the shame on top of the fear because now you feel bad about feeling bad. And I speak from experience on this. Now you're not just afraid, you're ashamed of being afraid. And that just sinks you deeper. If any of that landed, if you ever felt one of those in your chest, here's what I need you to know. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not weak, you are not faithless. In fact, the very fact that you feel like an imposter is not evidence that you are one. Some of the most gifted, most anointed women that I have ever met are the very ones quietly convinced that they're frauds. The feeling is not proof. It's just a feeling. And feelings make terrible judges of our callings. What you are is a woman with a real calling and a real enemy who would love nothing more to keep you sitting down. Because here's the truth he does not want you to catch. If he can convince you that you're not qualified, he never has to fight you for that assignment. You'll hand it over all by yourself. And I want to gently say one more thing here because I think it might actually set you free if you're dealing with this. This struggle can feel so private, like it's your own little secret that no one else can see. But, sister, you are carrying something that was never meant to stay hidden. There is a woman out there who needs exactly what God has placed in you. A client only you can serve the way you serve. Maybe it's a daughter learning courage by watching yours. A whole audience that God assigned to your voice, your gift, your particular way of seeing things. They're not waiting on a perfect woman. They're waiting on you. And there's someone else's blessing is on the other side of your obedience. So I don't say all of this to add any weight to your shoulders. You've carried enough weight. I say it because I want you to see how loved and how needed you are. This is bigger than your comfort and it's bigger than your fear. The world does not need you to feel ready. It just needs you to show up and be obedient. And when you do, the woman on the other side of your yes gets to encounter the goodness of God through you. And isn't that why you're building a kingdom business? Isn't that what you want them to experience? Is the goodness of God? Because that is who you are. That is why this feels so hard. The enemy fights hardest over the assignments that matter most, and yours matters more than you even know. So let's not let that happen. Let's talk about what to actually do when that voice sits down in the front row and looks you in the face. Now, I'm not going to hand you a formula because you don't need a formula. You need a few honest, doable shifts that you can actually carry into your real work. So that's what I want to give you today. Not seven steps, just a few true things that you can hold on to the next time that voice gets loud and is staring you down. I want to walk you through a few things, and I promise to keep it real and doable, not heavy. The first thing is you need to name that voice and check where it's coming from. When that thought shows up, the one that says, Oh, you're a fraud, just pause, call it what it is, say it out loud if you need to. And I find that this works for me. That is fear talking, that is not the Lord. Speak it out. That is fear talking, that is not of the Lord. And here's how you tell the difference. God's voice, even when He is correcting us, always comes with love and a way forward. It never comes with condemnation. The accuser's voice, on the other hand, comes with shame and a closed door. So if a thought is telling you that you're worthless, that you should just quit, that you're kidding yourself, who are you? That is not your Heavenly Father. And you do not have to take that meeting. You tell him to get right out of that door. And let me give you something practical to actually do with that, because naming it is only half of it. Keep a little record of the truth. Some women keep a note in their phone, some keep a journal by the bed. Write down what God actually said about you and what he has actually done through you. The answered prayers, the doors that he's opened, the woman he told you that you are. Because imposter syndrome has a terrible memory. And on the days that lie is loud, you're going to need somewhere to go and read the truth back to yourself. The second thing, and this is a big one, stop waiting to feel qualified before you move. I want you to hear me on this because this changes everything. It changed everything for me, and it'll change everything for you. Almost no one that God used in the scripture felt ready. And I think about these women especially. I think about Esther. Hello, she was an orphan. She was an exile. She was a young woman who had no power and no platform. She somehow ended up positioned to save her people. And when that moment came, she was terrified. But her cousin, her cousin Mordecai, sent her those words that we will never forget. And you can find them in the book of Esther, chapter 4, verse 14. Who knows but that you have come to your position for such a time as this? And Esther, still scared, basically said, If I perish, I perish. And she walked through the door anyway. She did not wait for the fear to leave. She moved while it was still there. I also think about Mary, Jesus' mother. She was a young girl from a forgotten little town. She was poor, she was unknown. She had no resume that would qualify her to carry the Son of God. And when the angel came, she did not say, I am qualified for this. In Luke chapter 1, verse 38, she said, I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled. That was it. That was her whole qualification, a willing heart that said yes before she understood any of it. And then I think about Rahab. You can read her whole story in the book of Joshua, chapter two. She was a woman with a past, the world would never let her live down. An outsider, the last name you would expect on any list. And God didn't just use her, he wrote her right into the family line of Jesus Himself. A prostitute. Rahap was a prostitute, but God saw fit to use her. You will find her listed there in Jesus' line in Matthew chapter 1, verse 5. Her past didn't cancel her calling, God redeemed it. Do you see? Do you see it? Not one of these women was qualified the way the world measures qualified. And I don't think that was an accident. There's a verse I keep coming back to in 1 Samuel chapter 16, verse 7. And it comes from the day that God chose David, the youngest, the overlooked one, the brother that nobody even bothered to call in from the field. He called him over all of his taller, stronger, more impressive brothers. And God says, the Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Do you hear that? The world has one measuring stick and God has another. And his is the only one that actually matters. So when God reaches right past everyone the world would have chosen and picks the woman they overlooked, there is only one explanation for what happened next: Him. And he gets the glory in all of it. So when that voice tells you that you're not enough on your own, you can actually agree with it. You are not. But that was never the point. Our qualification was never supposed to come from ourselves. It comes from the one who called us. And he does not make mistakes about who he calls. In fact, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 9, God told Paul, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. So the very place you feel the weakest, that gap that you keep apologizing for, that is not the thing disqualifying you. That is the exact place God has room to show up and show off. And can I just encourage you, sister, don't take my word for it this week. Open your Bible and go read the accounts of those women for yourself. Sit with Esther, Mary, sit with Rahab, read their stories slowly and watch how God reached for the ones the world passed over and let him remind you that he is still doing it today. I will put every one of those references in the show notes so that they're easy to find. And then the third thing, take the next small step and let him qualify you as you go. You do not have to see the whole staircase. I picture that winding staircase where you can't see all those steps. You can only see a few of them. And you just have to take that next step in front of you. Go ahead and send that email. Make that call. Say the yes. Start that thing that has been in the back of your mind that God has called you to do. Book that room. Hit that publish button. Because God tends to qualify us in the going, not in the waiting. You will look up six months from now and realize he was equipping you the whole time, one obedient step at a time, while you were busy thinking you were not ready. That is how God works in the kingdom. The provision shows up in the obedience, not before it. You step and then you see. You step and then you see one next thing at a time. So you don't need a perfect plan. You don't need to feel fearless. You just need to take the next faithful step that's in front of you today. And trust that God who called you is not going to abandon you halfway through the assignment He gave you. And in business, that's no different. So here's what I'm calling you to do this week. And it's simple. That one thing you've been talking yourself out of, maybe it's that door you keep walking past, that assignment that you keep quietly handing back to God because surely he meant it for someone else. I want you to take that one step towards it this week. Just one, not the whole thing, one obedient step. Maybe it's the email you've been drafting in your head for a month. Maybe it's finally saying yes to that speaking opportunity instead of asking for more time to prepare. Maybe it's just speaking your idea out loud to one person instead of letting it die quietly inside of you. Whatever that next step is, you already know what it is. So take it. And here's my prayer for you. I am praying that when you take that step, you feel him there. That you catch even a glimpse of what he's been trying to show you all along. That he was with you the entire time and that you were never as alone or as unqualified as that voice told you. And then while you're at it, I would love for you to do one more thing for the Kingdom Lead Horship podcast. If this episode met you where you are today, would you please share it with a woman who needs to hear it? You know exactly who she is. She came to mind while you were listening to this, maybe more than once, but send it to her. Let her know that she is not the only one either, because somewhere out there she's believing the same lie. And your one little text might be the thing that gets her to step, take that step too. And if you have not yet followed the show, please do so so that we can keep these conversations showing up for you each week. You don't need to feel qualified to be a kingdom leader, you just have to be willing. God has never once needed you to be enough. He has only ever asked you to be his. And if you belong to him, then sister, you're already exactly who he called. So stop disqualifying the woman that God already qualified. She has work to do. Let's pray before we go. Father, thank you for every woman listening right now. You know the ones who've been hiding, the ones who keep talking themselves out of the very thing you called them to do. Quiet the voice of the accuser today, Lord. Remind each of these women that their qualification has never been about being enough, but it's all about belonging to you. Where there's fear, would you please give courage? Where there's shame over the past, would you please bring redemption? And help them to take the one brave step this week, not because the fear is gone, but because you are with them. We trust you with what comes next. In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, until next time, remember this lead whole, lead obedient, and lead with joy. And I will see you next week on the Kingdom Lead Horship Podcast. God bless you. Thank you for spending time with me on Kingdom Leadership. If today's conversation encouraged you or brought clarity, take a moment to reflect on what God highlighted for you. Trust Him even when the path isn't clear, as He is faithful to direct every step. New episodes of Kingdom Leadership are released every Monday, and I invite you to join me again as we continue pursuing Kingdom purpose with faith and intention. Until next time, lead with wisdom, walk in obedience, and trust God with where he's leading you.