COURSE

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome makes us feel like a fake or a fraud and generally like we are not good enough. Feeling like an imposter can hold us back in our lives and careers and it is important to take active steps to overcome it. Many people struggle with imposter syndrome and it doesn't simply go away when we graduate or get a promotion. In this micro course, we will discuss what imposter syndrome is, how it can hold us back, and you will learn share 10 practical strategies to help you overcome imposter syndrome.

Visualization Confidence Health & Happiness Affirmations Science Fear Stress & Anxiety Anxiety Psychology Happiness Freedom from Suffering Workplace Performance Stress

Meet your Teacher

Adia Gooden, Ph.D

Chicago, IL, USA

Dr. Adia Gooden is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked with hundreds of clients related to issues of imposter syndrome and other concerns. Adia uses her voice to share deep wisdom and guidance that encourages people to embrace their full selves. Adia offers sincere empathy and compassion, which helps people to know they are worthy. She is committed to empowering all people to thrive and share their full selves and gifts with the world, inspiring people to move beyond managing mental illness to embodying mental wellness and engaging boldly with the world.

15 Days

17.8k students

4.8 stars

12 min / day

Confidence

English

Lesson 1

What Is Imposter Syndrome?

The first day of the course will provide an overview of what listeners can expect from the course and will also introduce the core components of imposter syndrome. The first lesson will also highlight some of the ways that imposter syndrome shows up in people's lives and why it is important to overcome imposter syndrome.

Lesson 2

Societal Factors That Exacerbate Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome makes us think that we are not good enough and that we do not have anything to contribute to the teams we are on, the organizations we work for, and the academic spaces we are in. Similarly, discrimination communicates to people that they are not good enough because of their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual identity, ability status, age, and others. When we experience discrimination, people may explicitly or implicitly tell us that we do not belong, that we only got our job or into an academic program because of diversity initiatives. In other words, discrimination can send the message that you are an imposter. In this lesson, we will discuss the ways that discrimination can exacerbate imposter syndrome.

Lesson 3

Common Ways That Imposter Syndrome Holds Us Back

In this lesson, I will share four ways that imposter syndrome can hold us back from fully engaging in school and work. Imposter syndrome holds us back by causing us to procrastinate, overwork, not allow ourselves to learn, and hold ourselves back from contributing. You will be guided to reflect on whether imposter syndrome holds you back in any of these ways or not.

Lesson 4

Envisioning Your Life Without Imposter Syndrome

In this lesson I will guide listeners through a visioning exercise that helps them imagine what their lives would be like without imposter syndrome.

Lesson 5

Strategies To Overcome Imposter Syndrome

In this portion of the micro course, I will share one strategy each day that you can use to overcome imposter syndrome. The first strategy is to identify evidence that you did not get to where you are in life by accident.

Lesson 6

Strategy 2 – Acknowledge Cope With Stress From Discrimination

In today's lesson, we will discuss the importance of acknowledging the stress of discrimination and how that can impact performance. I will also share coping strategies to use when you experience discrimination to prevent it from making you feel like an imposter.

Lesson 7

Strategy 3 - Fully Acknowledge Your Accomplishments

One of the things that happens for people with imposter syndrome is that they blame their success and accomplishments on luck and they feel that they didn’t really earn achievements or successes that they have. In this lesson I will guide you to acknolwedge your accomplishments to help you overcome imposter syndrome.

Lesson 8

Strategy 4 - Allow Yourself To Learn

One of the things that contributes to imposter syndrome for many of us is feeling like we should know everything already. When we feel confused or unsure about how to do an assignment, we worry that we must be imposters. In this lesson I will discuss the reasons that it can be difficult to allow ourselves to learn and some practices that can help with making room for learning.

Lesson 9

Strategy 5 - Know That Perfection Is Not A Pre-condition For Success

Perfectionism is challenging because it can cause us to believe that we will only be successful if we are perfect. When we experience perfectionism, we may feel that we are imposters if what we are doing or producing is not perfect. In this lesson I will guide you to begin to let go of perfectionism in order to help you overcome imposter syndrome.

Lesson 10

Strategy 6 - Seek Concrete Feedback

Imposter syndrome is fueled by a tendency to be self-critical and discount accomplishments. Seeking concrete feedback about your work or other things that you are doing can be another effective way to overcome imposter syndrome. In this lesson I will help you to understand the importance of receiving concrete feedback and to identify 1-2 people that you can ask for feedback.

Lesson 11

Strategy 7 - Accept Affirmation

Many of us have a tendency to reject affirmations, whether they come in the form of a compliment or a positive evaluation at work, we can tend to brush aside the affirmation and respond with all of the reasons that we don’t deserve the affirmation in the first place. Accepting positive feedback supports us in overcoming imposter syndrome because it helps us counter the narrative that we are imposters and not good enough. In this lesson I will share practices to help you accept affirmation.

Lesson 12

Strategy 8 - Identify Your Strengths & What You Can Contribute

In this lesson, we will be discussing how to identify your strengths and what you can contribute to your school, workplace, or even the world overall. Imposter syndrome makes us feel like we don't belong, and identifying what we can contribute helps us overcome imposter syndrome. You will be guided to identify your strengths and how they can be used at work and school.

Lesson 13

Strategy 9 - Create Connections

Imposter syndrome often leave us feeling isolated and alone. Our worries that we are not good enough make us want to hide and we don’t share our feelings with others. Creating connections can help us overcome imposter syndrome because they help us feel like we belong in our workplaces and schools. In this lesson, you will be guided to identify people at work or school with whom you can create or deepen connections.

Lesson 14

Strategy 10 - Focus On What You Want To Give Instead Of Your Fear Of Failure

At the core of imposter syndrome is a focus on the negative things we believe about ourselves and worries about failure. Whenever we are overly worried about failure or what might be wrong with us, we lose touch with the present moment, the people we are working with, and what we are working towards. With this final strategy for overcoming imposter syndrome, I encourage you to shift your focus from fear of failing or making a mistake to what you want to give or contribute.

Lesson 15

Wrap Up & Practical Application

In this final lesson I will review the key points that I shared during the course and provide some suggestions on ways that you can incorporate the 10 strategies we discussed in your daily life as you move beyond the course.

Ask your teacher

This course includes 259 community questions and 23 audio replies from Adia Gooden, Ph.D. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

259

4.8 (402)

Recent Reviews

Carolina🕛🌚💃🏻

January 7, 2025

Thank you so much for all the insights. To change all the programming on the way I feel about myself will take some time but I’m moving in that direction.🙏🏼🙏🏼

Alicia

July 30, 2024

Very helpful course thank you so much

Tynese

July 11, 2024

This course is a God-send, to all who have struggled with Imposter Syndrome. It is one that I will revisit frequently. Thank You and God Bless You, Dr. Gooden

Sorca

June 26, 2024

Dr Adia’s course was really well delivered and I’ve definitely taken away some v useful tips for combatting my imposter syndrome - thank you so much for sharing this course !

MariaXavier

May 8, 2024

Thank you. I didn’t know I was living with this syndrome. Now I can improve myself. Thank you ❤️

Nicki

April 23, 2024

I really appreciated this course. The last strategy really resonated with me. Shifting my mindset to what I can contribute. This helps me get my head in the right space before work. Thank you 💓

Vickie

March 15, 2024

I found your course to be very helpful. I wrote everything down about imposter syndrome. I will continue to follow your strategies, however, I still feel like one. I'm working on it. Thank you very much 😁.

Kirsty

March 14, 2024

I really enjoyed this fantastic course! It's very beneficial and constructive. It's especially helpful to me that the teacher is BIPOC, as this means that she discusses discrimination wholistically with Imposter Syndrome. I have several disabilities and feel more comforted when getting inclusive advice because those extra layers of accumulative discrimination, and barriers, have to be tackled for me to move forward.

verlaine

January 4, 2024

what a great opportunity to reflect on my journey and what i bring to the table. i’m so grateful for this new perspective!!

Greg

December 19, 2023

Excellent course! Thank you!

Rochelle

August 28, 2023

Great Course! I now have a better understanding of imposter syndrome.

Sofia

August 17, 2023

Nice ❤️

Caroline

August 3, 2023

This was so helpful! The strategies were practical and I’m feeling more confident.

Jenna

July 31, 2023

Great course! Super valuable tips and strategies.

Lala

July 25, 2023

Amazing reflections. I deal with impostor syndrom in the friendships sphere, it help me a lot to finally identify that that's how I feel and gave me some very helpful insights! 🙏🏻 Also, I would love a course based on this theme of impostor syndrom around relationships, thank you!

Keri

July 6, 2023

I loved her tone & organized but not overwhelming material

Rana

June 15, 2023

Really helpful. It helped to see how I’m not alone.

Kurt

June 9, 2023

Thank you for taking the time to put this course together. It really helped identify several of the triggers that make me feel like an imposter and provided some excellent strategies in dealing with the imposter feelings. Much ❤️ and appreciation.

Sylvia

June 2, 2023

I appreciate the new perspective that Dr. Gooden brings to this topic.

Morganne

May 22, 2023

Thank you 🙏🏼

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