I hear my students and clients talk about imposter syndrome all the time. These are accomplished women, yet they still harbor feelings of doubt and inadequacy. They are unable to fully embrace their gifts because they don’t know everything, and feel as if they should.
I was asked recently if I ever felt like an imposter. I reframed that to say there were many times when I felt like a learner. I have openly shared when I was a beginner in my field, or when I was new to a project, but I always believed in my abilities to figure it out. It was this inner confidence that kept me from the imposter trap.
Brené Brown beautifully describes this in her book Strong Ground:
“I define grounded confidence as a brand of confidence that is built not on arrogance or posturing, but rather on the solid ground of self-awareness, courage, and practice. Grounded confidence is accepting and embracing learning and unlearning, practicing and failing, and, at its core, is driven by discipline and the joy of mastery.”
I think grounded confidence is the antidote to imposter syndrome. Instead of focusing on what you don’t know (yet), trust in your ability to learn it.
Source: Strong Ground by Brené Brown, 2025, page 229
