189. How to beat Imposter Syndrome
Imposter Syndrome is at best stopping you reach your potential and at worst a major health hazard.
Just ask my guest Alison Shamir who suffered a severe panic attack as a result of Imposter Syndrome building up.
Alison is now an expert in Imposter Syndrome and in this episode you'll learn:
🫥 The difference between Imposter Syndrome and regular self-doubt.
🫥 How to recognise Imposter Syndrome and stop it in its tracks.
🫥 The critical steps to overcoming Imposter Syndrome for good.
🫥 What to say to someone who has Imposter Syndrome.
🫥 Whether it affects women more than men and why.
Transcript
Hello, hello. I would hear at least a couple of times a week from clients and people in my DMs that they are struggling with imposter syndrome. It's a term that gets thrown around quite a lot, not always accurately. So today I have the wonderful Alison Shamir. Alison is an expert in imposter syndrome, what it is, how to spot it, and how to conquer it. Alison went down this path after experiencing a severe panic attack in her office, in her corporate tech role, and she shares the story of what happened. If you've ever felt imposter syndrome, wanted to learn more about it or help others who are experiencing it, this is the episode for you. And in my group program, Soul Speakers, imposter syndrome is something we tackle head-on. So if you've ever had that little voice saying, Who am I to speak? Who wants to listen to me, then come and join us right after you take in this fascinating conversation.
Sally:
Alison Shamir, welcome to that voice podcast. I'm so happy to have your expertise on the show.
Alison:
Thank you, Sally. I'm so thrilled to be here, I'm super excited for where this chat's going to take us. Thank you.
Sally:
So first question, which I'm sure you've answered hundreds of times, what on earth is imposter syndrome?
Alison:
You're right, I have answered it a lot, but it's super important, the definition of imposter syndrome. So I'm glad that we're starting there and a lot of people might've heard it, you know, it's very prevalent, but very, very few surprisingly know what it actually means. And that's why I do the work that I do as well. So just to sort of front load it, what imposter syndrome actually is, is when you believe that you are not as intelligent, capable, qualified, or talented as other people perceive you to be despite clear evidence of your ability, your accomplishments, and your success. So when we have imposter syndrome, those of us that experience it have an inability to internalize our own success, accomplishments, abilities. So because we don't properly internalize it, we're plagued by a feeling or a fear that we're going to be exposed or found out to be an intellectual fake, phony or fraud.
Alison:
And that's where the name imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon, which is actually its real name as it was coined in the late 1970s. So a persistent feeling of intellectual phoniness or fraudulence despite evidence of ability, success or accomplishments. And that point is really important and I know we might chat about it today because the hallmark is that feeling and sense of intellectual fraudulence despite evidence. If you don't have that, then you don't have imposter syndrome. Are you experiencing imposter syndrome or are you just having a moment of standard self-doubt or are you fearful for another reason? You know, such as, I mean in the work you do, Sal, public speaking is one of the world's top fears, right? People are just scared of doing it and are very fearful. And that may or may not be tied to imposter syndrome. So you can have standard self-doubt, you can have other fears, and they are not necessarily imposter syndrome.
Sally:
So how do we know whether it is the standard self-doubt, just your run-of-the-mill self-doubt or whether it is imposter syndrome?
Alison:
Yeah, great. One of the key differentiators, and you'll love this as well with your line of work, is language, is the language and how we speak to ourselves. So imposter syndrome is an identity level limiting belief. We are questioning ourselves, our worth and our value as a person regardless of how you gender identify. Whereas self-doubt is often reserved for the things that you do and the practical applications and the activities. And so I'll give an example of that and how it intersects with language. So when you have imposter syndrome, firstly you need to have a feeling that you're going to be exposed, found out, you know, to be some kind of intellectual fake phony or fraud. That fear that you are fooling everyone into believing you're really no smarter and more talented than you are. That's the hallmark of imposter syndrome. If you have that feeling, we know we're crossing the line into imposter syndrome.
Alison:
Whereas you can have self-doubt and not have that sense of intellectual fraudulence. That's the first thing. Secondly, back to what I was saying is around language. When you have imposter syndrome, you constantly attack and critique yourself and you use a lot of I-based language. I am not worthy, I am not good enough, I'm not smart enough to be on this stage or in this room, I don't know it. How can I possibly get on stage and use my voice or stand up in a meeting or launch my business or whatever it may be. I mean, they'll all know that I'm a fraud if I do that. How can I, I am not, who am I to do such? So the language is very personal. We are attacking our identity when we have imposter syndrome, whereas you can have standard self-doubt. And an example of that is, I'll give you a quick one.
Alison:
So I come to you, Sally, because I'm being invited to step on a stage next week in front of 300 people. And if I'm having a moment of self-doubt, I'll come to you and say, Sal, I need your help. I'm stepping on stage next week in front of 300 people. I haven't been on stage for a while, or I haven't been in front of 300 people. I need some help on stagecraft. Or what if I forget what I say or what if I stand in the wrong place or run outta time or I don't know what to do? You know? And, and you'll be able to say, great, we can work through that, we can practice. But if you see all my language is very much focused on the theme or what I'm about to do, none of it was focused on me. Same scenario.
Alison:
I have imposter syndrome. My language is, Oh my god, Sal, I can't do this because if I step on that stage, they'll all know I don't deserve to be there. They'll know that I've just been fooling them the whole time into thinking I'm actually smart enough or good enough to be there. It's going to expose me. I'm going to embarrass myself. Who am I to stand in front of 300 people on that stage at X company? So the language becomes very personal, very self, you know, self-deprecating when we have imposter syndrome, as opposed to being fixated on an activity or an action, which often keeps us in self-doubt territory. If you have imposter syndrome, you do have the talent, you do have the intelligence, you do have the runs on the board, you're just not internalizing them, you're dismissing them instead of bringing them in.
Sally:
IYeah. So I can't be like, who am I to fly a plane? They're like, oh, you know, you've just got imposter syndrome. It's like, well no, I've got no evidence that I can fly a plane <laugh>.
Alison:
That that's right. That's a great example. That's right. Or it's just like, No, it's actually, I haven't done this before. My brain, my body, you know, everything, my mindset just has no experience. Knowing what you are, having a moment off like an imposter moment as I call it, or a moment of self-doubt or fear, knowing the difference and being able to say to yourself, so your own self-talk go, hang on, I'm having a, an imposter moment, or B and c I'm fearful, or I've got self-doubt that differentiation is crucial because it impacts the next step that you need to take.
Sally:
Oh, Allison, so good. I'm sure there are so many people listening to this nodding their heads going, yes, yes, that's me. I hear you. Before we get into the solutions, I'm keen to understand how did you get into this?
Alison:
So I have a very personal journey with imposter syndrome as well as obviously now a lengthy professional journey because I myself used to be crippled with imposter syndrome. And so in my previous life I talk about my previous life before 2019, I spent more than 15 years in a very senior corporate career, primarily in the technology sector. And so I had this previous corporate life before I launched my own business. And throughout that corporate life, I experienced major bouts of imposter syndrome myself, which stemmed from my own journey and things that had happened to me in my childhood and adolescent years, which played a part in my prevalence of imposter syndrome and my imposter story. And that carried into my work. And in 20, between 2013 and 2014, I had a very debilitating panic attack in my office in Sydney brought about by months and months and months of imposter syndrome building up.
Alison:
And one day literally in my office, my brain and body came physically and mentally crashing down and that panic attack, and if anyone's listening to this and you've had an extreme panic attack, it's a horrific experience because you lose complete control of your body and you feel quite frankly, like you're having a heart attack or that you can't breathe and the walls are closing in on you. And it was a very, very horrific episode for me, which resulted in, you know, a week in bed and a whole bunch of other things. So it was my own journey with imposter syndrome. It brought me crashing down, which is when I went on a desperate mission to find out what was wrong with me, realized that what I'd been experiencing had a name that was imposter syndrome or imposter phenomenon. And that then started this last decade of my, quite frankly, my obsession with imposter syndrome because I was obsessed with pulling it apart, understanding it, why does it impact people, especially those of us that are talented, qualified, successful, et cetera.
Alison:
Why are we debilitated by it? Why do we feel this? How do we experience it? How do we get out of it? More importantly, how do we actually understand it this and make sure it doesn't impact us? And so that's what I've been doing for the last decade with myself, then with people and in the organizations where I was leading teams, it was highly prevalent. And then in 2019, I launched my own speaking and coaching business, and that's what I've been doing for the last five years. And I'm very passionate about helping people understand it, navigate it, dismantle it, and and ultimately conquer it.
Sally:
Oh, Alison, thank you so much for sharing your story and what I like about it, not having a panic attack in your office because yes, anyone who's experienced that, it's not a pleasant experience.
Alison:
Don't, don't recommend.
Sally:
Yeah, do not recommend, do not try that at home. But what it's often associated with is if you've got imposter syndrome, then you're not gonna get ahead in your career. You're not gonna go to your full potential. And all of that is true. However, as you experienced, it's further than that. If this is something you do not address, it manifests physically in your body and can cause you to become unwell. It's a health hazard.
Alison:
It's a major health hazard. Firstly, you're exactly right, there's two sides of imposter syndrome. The first one is what you just shared in that it could block you or hold you back from achieving the success or doing whatever it is that you wanna do. And the other side of that, which was the version of imposter syndrome that I had, is that you can push forward and get to a height of success, but you are managing anxiety and you are managing burnout and all of these other things because you still have the imposter syndrome. So it doesn't block you from achieving success. But what it does is it takes a personal, mental, physical, emotional toll, and eventually that brings us crashing down to earth. And that's why imposter syndrome is heavily tied to addiction, is heavily tied to clinical burnout, chronic anxiety and stress disorders and other mental health and mental illnesses that are registered on clinical registers around the world.
Alison:
I call it the imposter impact. The impact is high. Nobody escapes the impact of imposter syndrome if you experience it, whether it's holding you back or whether you are still stepping on stage or into the boardroom or launching the business. But when you close the door, you are plagued by this feeling. It is taking an internal toll. And we all try to outrun that toll. We try to outrun the feeling, but it chases us down and eventually it catches up. And in fact, the longer we try to outrun it, when it catches us the car, we come crashing down.
Sally:
Oh my gosh, Alison, you are painting a very, very grim picture here. So, I can hear people like leaning into their earphones going, Oh God, what do we do about this, how can you claw this back?
Alison:
You need to understand your imposter story. So your story, your journey with imposter syndrome. When did these feelings start? How often do they show up in you? Who's involved in them? Is it when you're in a particular situation around a particular person doing in a particular activity? So we all have an imposter story, which is kind of like a little blueprint.
Sally:
Yeah. Like, like we have a speaking story. So if you've been listening to the podcast for a while, I talk about the speaking story a lot. It's a similar thing, isn't it?
Alison:
Correct. And so you just need to understand what your own journey is. And you can grab, for anyone listening to this now, I recommend grab a journal, grab a piece of paper, grab some post-it notes, and think, okay, when was the first time I felt like this? You know, was it 10 years ago? Was it last week? How and why is it showing up for me? What situation? Who's around me? The key part of that, back to the story piece, and you're saying about owning it, Sal, is what is the story I'm telling myself? Because we all have an imposter story. Now, for me, my imposter syndrome stemmed from the fact that when I was a young girl I experienced a lot of childhood trauma, which was instigated by my own mother. And that's, that's probably a podcast for another day. But just to give people an insight, I grew up with the story that if my own mother didn't love me and if my own mother didn't protect me, and if I my own mother didn't want me, then how good can I really be?
Alison:
And I attempted to master that story in perfectionism. I attempted to master that story with being a great sports. I was a really good at sports. I wanted to be a professional athlete when I was growing up those sorts of things. So I mastered it by trying to do better and be better and achieve things. But that never obviously filled that gap. And it wasn't until 2014 when I owned that story and I started to tell myself that my mother does not define me. My past does not define me, and her ineptness and awfulness as a mother doesn't define me. And that I can believe in myself and that I can overcome this story and that I am worthy to be in the rooms that I enter and to achieve the success I wanna achieve. And that's what we all need to do. So even though I just shared my personal story, and it's not always to do with, with childhood trauma or anything like that, we all have our own story.
Alison:
But owning your story, understanding your story, and paying attention to the language that you say to yourself is paramount when it comes to overcoming imposter syndrome. As you know, Sally and anyone listening, if you tell yourself you are not enough and you could or you know, I'm not smart enough, talented enough, good enough, whatever it may be, if you continue to tell yourself a self-deprecating story, what happens? You believe it. The next question to ask yourself is, what do I want my story to be? What do I want to believe in? What do I really want to do or accomplish? And create a narrative around that and start telling yourself that in your own private time, looking at yourself in the mirror, whatever it may be, we've all got a personal journey. But imposter syndrome is about redirecting the imposter story that we tell ourselves because it's tied to our belief system.
Alison:
And if we don't dismantle the limiting belief, then the other actions don't actually matter because even when we are doing them, we won't internalize them, which will keep the imposter syndrome front and center. And we could go on to win Academy awards or stand on stages and stadiums in front of thousands of people and we will still walk off that stage and we will still walk away with that award. And when the door shuts, we will still say to ourself, I don't deserve this. They shouldn't have given it to me. They've made a mistake. I've just got lucky. And all of this imposter language.
Sally:
Yeah, I think it was Jodie Foster, wasn't it, who won an Academy Award and she had such a bad bout of imposter syndrome. She said that she like rocked up at Meryl Streep's house and like knocked on the door and was like, this is not supposed to be mine. This is supposed to be yours. I'm pretty sure that's who it was. It's just a wild, and it goes to show that it doesn't, it does not matter what level of success you achieve. If you cannot internalize it, then it's the same demons that everyone's battling no matter how big or small the achievement is.
Alison:
That's right. And it was Jodi Foster, you are right. And I, I love that story. And again, imagine winning an Academy Award, the creme de la creme in your industry. There is no accolade that's higher and walking off stage believing that you didn't deserve it. And so what is success if we don't believe we're worthy of it? It's like, what is having money? Sure, money solves a lot of problems, but how many rich people do we know who are miserable or who fall into really, really unhealthy patterns or who end their lives? Because money isn't the be all and end all Right? And it's the same in that if we have success, whatever success means to you, and we all have different levels of success, what is the point of getting there or achieving if you don't believe that you're worthy of it, if you can't enjoy it, if you can't sit in it, if you can't share it, you know, or again, whatever it means to you. And that's what imposter syndrome will rob you all.
Sally:
This is a great spot to remind you. It doesn't matter what you say or to who you say it to, if you are not connected to your voice, people can feel it. This is why you need the magnetic voice formula. If you're a Soul Speaker, it's in the portal. If not link is in the show notes.
Sally:
And I'm interested in knowing when you had that extreme panic attack and you found yourself in bed for a week, how did you make the connection that that episode was because of years of imposter syndrome?
Alison:
It was. I laugh about it now sometimes I actually share this story in my keynotes. And what happened was is after this panic attack when I went home that night, I was so amped on anxiety, right? I'd gone so high, come down, gone back up, I couldn't sleep, right? I was basically an insomniac. And I went on this hunt for information and I tell this funny story about how I was just desperately trying to Google doctor myself to figure out.
Sally:
Yeah, we've all been there.
Alison:
We've all been there, right? Isn't it? And funny, you can laugh about you, like, you know, you end up going Anyway. So I went through a plethora of research. I was reading about anxiety and all these things, you know, that were clinical conditions. And then I actually found an article about imposter syndrome, which I didn't know much, which I knew nothing about at that stage.
Alison:
Sort of read that. And then that led me to the first research paper from the two American female psychologists who coined the term imposter phenomenon in the 1970s. And when I read their paper and some of their earlier work, even though it was back in the late 1970s, I said to myself, oh my God, this is me. This is me. I had a strong case of imposter syndrome. But then was also realizing that it contributed to what they now call high functioning anxiety. High functioning anxiety is, as it sounds, it's when you are so anxious all the time, but you're functional so you're able to hide it, but it's taking its toll on the inside. Or when you leave the meeting or you shut the door, you are basically freaking out and your body's in fight or flight mode, but you are hiding it from everyone else.
Alison:
So you almost go, Hmm, and walk into a meeting and perform. And everyone goes, Oh, Allison's great, you know, she's high performing and they leave the room and you almost collapse in a heat. So I was suffering from what what we now call is formally spoken about is high functioning anxiety. And then I went and sought some, some treatment as well. And I was lucky that I had a very supportive partner at the time because I truly felt, and I I say this word ingest, but I felt like I was going crazy because my career was good. I was earning wonderful money. I was being flown to the US several times a year. Like on paper. My career at 29 years old, looked amazing and was amazing. But I was miserable. I was fearful every time the phone rang and it was my boss, I literally felt like he was going to fire me.
Alison:
This is what imposter syndrome does. So I would see his name on the screen and I think, Oh my goodness, he's calling me 'cause he's gonna tell me I performed badly in that meeting. He's gonna tell me I shouldn't be leading this team. He's gonna fire me. That was the real dialogue going through my head at the time. And some people listening might identify with this and some of you might have a different experience. 'Cause you know, we don't, we all don't have the same experience, but this is what imposter syndrome can do. If it gets a hold of you, please spend some time thinking about your own story, mapping out who's involved when it started, why you think it comes up, and then have a look at the story and the narrative you tell yourself and how you can redirect that into more strong affirming words. No dismantling of the belief, no conquering imposter syndrome.
Sally:
Yeah. You know, know no dismantling of the belief, no achieving anything. I think it's with any sort of transformation we want, it really does begin with that belief. So is it more common with women?
Alison:
No, it's not. So it's a big myth out there, a great piece of research that came out of the UK in 2019, 2020 estimated that it impacts men and women equally. So the research said yes, it was a big research piece. And when I say men and women, I realize we've moved beyond two core genders. So we also now look at all gender identities. But just on that piece of research, it looked at men and women and it's all but equal. And the reason why, just to finish that off, why, why there is a myth that it impacts women the most is the first research piece. And, and the paper that was coined by the American psychologist was a study or an observation of 150 high performing women at an American university. And that paper was published in the late 1970s, but as early as the early 1980s, which is a long time ago now early 1980s when I was born. Woohoo, 83 baby, good times.
Sally:
85. Love it.
Alison:
Yeah. Yeah. There was research eighties babies were the best. There was research that involved men. So what happened was his first research paper about women, people sort of grabbed onto that and that spread like wildfire. So people thought women, women, women, and, and I know you'll agree with this, Sal, is then traditionally throughout the decades, women had been more comfortable in speaking about it. So if we look at the seventies to eighties to nineties and through to the decades, we can see the change in gender roles. We can see the change in discrimin discriminatory laws, all these things, right? That, that that held sort of women back. But women would speak about these things more than men. Men were held back by toxic masculinity. They were held back by society telling them that they could never talk about something like this. I mean we know the prevalence of mental health on men because they weren't allowed to speak about it or were suppressed from speaking about it or were considered weak for speaking about it.
Alison:
And that transcended through to things like imposter syndrome as well. So more women speaking about it meant more attention went to women, which then has its good and bad elements. But what comes out of that is a misconception that it's about women and it isn't. But in my coaching work, so in speaking work, I speak to all gender identities all across the world. In my coaching work, I made a conscious decision to only coach high performing, high achieving women because I'm an advocate for women and non-binary individuals. And I want to see women advance and women achieve this, all the successes that they want to achieve. And so I made that conscious decision in my coaching business. You know, obviously there's plenty of coaching out there for men as well. We need all people at the table talking about imposter syndrome. So if you are comfortable in sharing your journey with imposter syndrome, share it with all gender identities or the people around you. Find people that you trust that provide you psychological safety and have a conversation. Because 70% of individuals are estimated to experience imposter syndrome. So 70%.
Sally:
70%. Wow.
Alison:
70%. So it's the majority of individuals. So it's safe to say all the odds are in your favor that someone you speak to might have experienced imposter syndrome, might be experiencing it right now, could have done it in the past or of course their ears are open to help you and to listen, you know, and to provide that support because nobody that I have seen, and I don't like to talk in absolutes, I'm not saying it's impossible, but I'm yet to see someone overcome imposter syndrome on their own. So lean on people, build your network with people you trust that you feel safe with. And one conversation, it's literally, I call it the domino effect. And we can use this, you know, analogy most, once you click that first domino, it's amazing how it can roll and how you can start to perceive things differently.
Alison:
'Cause As you know, Sal, when we're in our own head, we see a story. But when we start verbalizing or when we start writing it down, the story changes. Most of the time we're just like, Oh gosh, okay, now that I've written it down, that I'm looking at that differently or now that I've had a conversation with Sally, Oh, now I understand how that sounds. Okay. Gosh. So we need to get out of our own heads. Imposter syndrome wants to keep us very much internal, very much hidden, very much in your mind. We need to actually push back on that and communicate in written and verbal form when it comes to this storytelling because that's, that's the real power in rattling it's foundation.
Sally:
Hmm. So if you do have kids or a friend or a partner and you can identify that they are showing the hallmarks of imposter syndrome, how can you help? What sort of language can you use?
Alison:
Yeah, great language to use is always open. Like open-ended questions, right? Questions allow a person to see that you care, that you're paying attention, but you don't obviously give them the answer. You allow them to speak. And as we know as human beings, fundamentally we want to be heard, we want to be listened to. And when a question is asked with wonderful intent and empathy and love or kindness shared, then people will speak. They will often open up if you make them feel safe. So back to your question, you've identified sort of that behavior and I would go up to that person and you don't wanna say, Hey, I think you've got imposter syndrome, but you wanna guide them into it and say, Hi Sal, you know, I heard you speaking earlier and I noticed that you know, you're a bit down on yourself or I noticed that you actually didn't speak up in that meeting but you know, you had plenty to say.
Alison:
Or is everything okay? Were you stuck on something? Is there something I can help you with? And pause and let them answer. And they might go and then obviously you assess their answer, they might be really closed off and say, yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Right? So just give them, continually giving them support and asking a question to get them talking is really valuable. Or they might go, yes, I'm just petrified. I'm gonna say the wrong thing, blah blah blah. You say, look, okay, that's fairly normal. Can I work through it with you? What can I do to help you? Can I provide support in the meeting? So it's all about listening and offering constructive support, giving them some praise even though they might begin to sort of deflect it. But making them feel safe and making them feel like they've got a confident they can speak to and that you are noticing them.
Alison:
You'd be surprised and not so much you sound again when I'm talking to you I feel like I'm, you know, talking a bit like preaching to the converted here. But as you know, it's like just somebody recognizing you're doing those things can be really comforting when people want to help others with imposter syndrome. And it's natural for all of us. We often wanna give solutions right off the bat, especially if we have them. But often what the other individual needs is just an empathetic ear. They need to talk uninterrupted, they need to get something off their chest and they just wanna be heard. And sometimes just listening and letting them follow their own trajectory and share their own story and verbalize can send an epiphany or a light bulb in their head where they're like, okay, I do need some help on this. Or, Oh God, that's been really valuable, thank you. Or yes, I will go read what you've suggested. A great question I like to ask is, do you want me to help with this with a solution or do you just want me to listen? Then if they're open to it, send them towards some great information they can read on imposter syndrome. Of course, I've got amazing information on my website. I'm writing my first book on imposter syndrome at the moment, due out at the end of March, which is exciting and terrifying.
Sally:
Mm, so exciting.
Alison:
There's lots of great information out there. It doesn't just have to come from me. Of course Sal, you speak and a very experienced in talking about this topic. Go and find creditable information and start to have that journey of understanding your own story and reading information that's gonna help you identify that.
Sally:
Oh, fantastic Alison, you are such a wealth of knowledge. And also having that lived experience for yourself. You are a shining example of how this does not need to stay your story and how you can do incredible things. You know, you've got the book coming out, you're speaking on international stages, you're working with really accomplished women. I just think it's so amazing.
Alison:
I really appreciate that and thank you for, you know, providing this platform for me to have a discussion and everything you do and you know, your work elevating this discussion because I think you know, al you in helping people find their voice, helping people use their voice and all the things that you are wonderful at is such a valuable thing.
Sally:
It is. And it's true. Speaking out loud can help so many thoughts become clear. Why do I have a podcast? It's like self therapy.
Alison:
Yeah, I know it was quite funny. I just tell a quick story is that even to me today is obviously overcome her own imposter syndrome, those sorts of things. You know, as you know, Sally, my work, and this is for everyone listening, I have fears all the time. 'cause As you're doing new things or entering new stages, whatever it may be, taking on new clients, I'm not fearless. I just know how to identify the fear or the doubt or the, you know, experience I'm having and then be able to navigate my way through it. But they don't disappear. You just can identify them quickly and and move, move through them. But yes, it's, you know, owning your voice, standing in that, standing in a belief that you hold is not only going to get you the success that you want, but again, on the flip side of that, you're going to be able to internalize it and enjoy it because that's really what it's about.
Alison:
Because there's no point being successful, whatever that means to you. And being miserable or being struck down with impulse syndrome or being stuck in chronic anxiety and other really debilitating things, which absolutely take a phenomenal toll. There's no joy in that. There's no life in that. You don't have to keep imposter syndrome. Some people conquer it entirely and others know how to manage it. So when it creeps up, they go, ah, talk about speaking out loud. Ah, this is my imposter syndrome. This is what I encourage people to do. Actually, I'll give this tip to all of you. When you know you're having an imposter moment, say it to yourself. Go, ah, I'm having an imposter moment. Why am I experiencing this? I want you to speak to yourself out loud. It's very, very powerful because what happens is you intercept that negative thought and voice in your head rather than me.
Sally:
You put it outside yourself, you
Alison:
Put it outside yourself. Yeah. Right? So rather than going over here and self-sabotaging or being fixated on something and getting it, trying to get it perfect or chronic overthinking or other forms of self-sabotage, you actually sort of push back and you have the ability to talk yourself down faster or talk yourself out of it.
Sally:
And especially if you are working with somebody to help you do that. So Alison, how can people work with you? Where can they find you?
Alison:
Yeah, thank you. So you can find me at alisonshamir.com or on LinkedIn, Alison Shamir. Instagram, @AlisonShamir, please come say hi. If you've listened to this and you've got any questions, please feel free to reach out on any of those platforms. Let me know you've listened to this great podcast and I'm happy to answer any questions. And if you're interested in my coaching program, conquer Your Imposter. There are details on the website where you can book read about it and book a complimentary 30 minute call with me. Please don't be shy in booking that if you feel that it's relevant as well. But come say hi. Come connect.
Sally:
Oh, amazing. Alison, thank you so much for coming on That Voice Podcast.
Alison:
Pleasure. Thank you Sally.