Imposter syndrome is a common phenomenon among lawyers, often starting in law school, where self-doubt about your spot among so many wunderkinds can shake your sense of achievement and belonging. Gwinnett County Magistrate Court Judge Ruth Rocker McMullin joins the podcast to discuss what imposter syndrome looks like when it shows up in lawyers’ lives, how she got out of her own way as her legal career pivoted into new directions, what happens at the intersection of imposter syndrome and implicit bias, and how cultivating emotional intelligence just might save you from yourself.
Topics
3:50 Imposter syndrome
5:52 Places, spaces of imposter syndrome in law
8:56 Are lawyers more susceptible?
10:37 What imposter syndrome looks like
15:39 Implicit bias and imposter syndrome
20:32 “Glue work”
26:20 Managing implicit bias upwards, sideways
27:16 Calling out implicit bias, letting it slide
29:18 Upside of imposter syndrome
31:21 Managing your own brain
33:00 Exploring emotional intelligence
34:38 Developing emotional intelligence
38:58 Signoff question
Quote
“I had to have that conversation with myself when I switched my career from being a public defender to going into private practice, to taking a part-time judicial position. You know: ‘I don’t know if I’m qualified to do this.” I had to tell myself, ‘You handled death penalty cases. Of course you can do this.’” Judge Ruth Rocker McMillan
Resources
Judge Ruth Rocker McMillan (bio)
The Imposter Phenomenon (article)
Being Glue (article)