28. Battling Imposter Syndrome - You're More Qualified Than You Think

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Ever felt like you don’t belong or that you’re about to be “found out”? You’re not alone—that’s imposter syndrome talking. In this episode, we’re diving into what imposter syndrome is, why it happens, and how to shut it down before it holds you back.

What You’ll Learn:
✔️ Why even the most successful people experience imposter syndrome
✔️ The common ways it shows up in our thoughts
✔️ Why we doubt ourselves despite our accomplishments
✔️ 5 actionable ways to combat imposter syndrome

Key Takeaways:
1️⃣ Keep Your Receipts – Create a folder of positive feedback and wins to revisit when doubt creeps in.
2️⃣ Reframe Your Thoughts – Shift “I don’t know what I’m doing” to “I’m learning as I go.”
3️⃣ Talk About It – Find mentors, friends, or even podcasts (wink wink) that remind you you’re not alone.
4️⃣ Stop Moving the Goalpost – Celebrate your wins instead of always focusing on the next thing.
5️⃣ Take Action Anyway – Confidence comes from doing, not waiting until you feel ready.

Challenge for You:
Notice when imposter syndrome shows up, call it out, and rewrite your story. Keep going—you belong here.

Join the Conversation:
💬 DM me on Instagram – When has imposter syndrome tried to stop you? How did you push through?
⭐ Leave a review & share this episode with a friend who needs the reminder.

Until next time—keep showing up, keep pushing forward, and remember: there are NO imposters here!

Cheers! Thank you for joining us for another episode. Have a chaotic moment, question, or topic you want us to cover? Drop us a message or leave a review! If you loved this episode, share it with a friend who thrives in beautiful chaos too.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to Caffeinated Chaos,where business deals happen
between diaper changes andfriendships are fueled by
caffeine.
I'm Whitney Uggen, your host,and I'm here to talk all things
business, parenthood, and ofcourse, keeping up with the
BFFs.
Whether you're juggling theboardroom, the playroom, or just
here for some coffee fueledchaos, we've got you covered.

(00:20):
Get ready for real talk, laughs,and a whole lot of heart as we
dive into the beautiful messthat is entrepreneurship,
parenthood, and everything inbetween.
So let's embrace the chaostogether.
Caffeinated, of course.
Welcome back to the podcast.
All right, let's get real.
Have you ever had a moment whereyou're about to do something?

(00:43):
Maybe it's speaking at ameeting, launching a project,
starting a new job, starting anew job, and suddenly your brain
is like, who do you think youare?
Like any second, someone isgoing to tap you on the shoulder
and say, Hey, we've got you.
We figured you out.
You don't actually belong here.

(01:03):
Does that sound familiar?
Well, congratulations.
You are human and also you areexperiencing imposter syndrome.
That little voice in your headthat makes you question your
accomplishments and doubtyourself despite overwhelming
evidence that you're actuallydoing just fine.
Here's the thing.
Imposter syndrome doesn't justhit newbies or people who are

(01:26):
still figuring things out.
Some of the most successful,wildly talented people in the
world have dealt with it.
If you've ever felt this way,then maybe just, maybe imposter
syndrome isn't a sign thatyou're unqualified, but a sign
that you care.
I'll be honest, I struggle withthis all the time.
Even with this podcast, thereare moments where I think, who

(01:46):
am I to be giving advice?
Why would anyone even listen tothis?
And yet, here we are, and Ithank you for listening.
So today we're breaking downwhat imposter syndrome is, why
it happens, and how to shut itdown so it doesn't stop you from
doing the amazing things thatyou're meant to do.

(02:07):
Okay.
Let's start with a littledefinition.
Imposter syndrome is basicallythe belief that you are not as
competent, talented, or capableas people think you are, and
that somehow you've trickedeveryone into believing that you
belong.
And one day you are gonna getfigured out.
Doubts, it can show up in abunch of different ways.

(02:27):
There's the feeling that youhave to have everything be
flawless or you failed.
Maybe you think you need to knoweverything before you can be
taken seriously.
Maybe you believe that askingfor help means that you are not
truly capable.
And if something doesn't comenecessarily easy to you, you

(02:48):
assume that you're not goodenough or you know, you push
yourself to do everything toprove that you are good enough.
If any of these sound familiar?
Yeah, same.
And guess what?
These are all thoughts.
Not facts, thoughts.
So why does this even happen tous?

(03:09):
Why do we even questionourselves when we know that
we've put in the work?
A few reasons.
Stepping outside your comfortzone is a huge leap.
The bigger the leap, the louderthe doubt.
Imposter syndrome loves to showup when we are stretching
ourselves.
Two, comparison culture.

(03:30):
I mean, it is so easy withsocial media these days, because
it makes it so easy to compareour messy behind the scenes to
someone's.
Highlight reel, and we've talkedabout this before on another
episode, how we should not be.
Comparing ourselves to thatquote unquote perfect mom on
social media, it's a highlightreel.

(03:51):
Okay?
Three, lack of representation.
If you don't see people likeyou, who look like you, who act
like you in certain spaces, it'seasy to feel like you don't
belong.
Four.
Success doesn't feel like weexpected it to.
We assume success will feel likethis huge validating moment, but

(04:14):
often it feels like just anotherday.
And the worst part, the moresuccessful you become, the more
imposter syndrome can creep in.
Instead of thinking, I made it,you started thinking, what if I
can't keep it up?
What if this was all just luck?
Well, okay.

(04:35):
Let's get into the good stuff.
How are we gonna shut this down,everybody?
I'm gonna give you someactionable steps.
Take what you like, leave whatyou don't, one, keep.
A, we'll call it, I don't know,receipts folder, like create a
folder on your phone.
It can be an email, whatevernotes that holds every kind

(04:58):
word, every positive review,every win that you've ever
received.
So next time that impostersyndrome is starting to creep
up, open your folder.
Read through it.
Remind yourself that you didnot, you did not get here by
accident.
Two, reframe the story that youare telling yourself.

(05:19):
Instead of saying, I don't knowwhat I'm doing.
Try, I'm learning as I go justlike everyone else, instead of
saying I'm not good enough.
Try saying to yourself, I amconstantly growing and improving
the way we talk to ourselvesMatter.
Okay, everyone, the way we talkto ourselves.

(05:40):
Matter three, normalized talkingabout it.
Find people who will remind youthat you are not alone.
Whether it's a mentor, a friend,a podcast, wink, wink.
Surround yourself with voicesthat remind you that feeling
like an imposter does not meanthat you are one.

(06:02):
Okay?
We are not playing among us.
There is no imposter.
Four, stop moving the goalpost.
Do you ever notice how no matterwhat you accomplish, you
immediately start focusing onthe next thing?
Well, you need to take a moment.
You need to celebrate your wins.
Give yourself credits on how faryou've come.

(06:25):
You deserve to acknowledge yoursuccess.
Okay?
And five, take action.
Anyway.
Here's the truth.
Confidence doesn't come fromfeeling ready.
It comes from taking action.
If you wait until you feel 100%confident, well you'll be
waiting forever.
I know the best way to prove toyourself that you do belong is

(06:50):
to keep showing up.
All right, everyone.
Imposter syndrome is proof thatwe care.
It's not proof that we'reunqualified.
Every time you feel like it'screeping in, remind yourself of
this.
You are not an imposter.
You are a work in progress justlike everyone else.

(07:12):
So here's my challenge for youthis week.
Pay attention to when impostersyndrome shows up.
Call it out, rewrite your story,and most importantly, keep going
anyway.
Now I wanna hear from you.
When has imposter syndrome triedto stop you, and how did you
push through?

(07:34):
Send us a DM on Instagram,comment on the episode or leave
a review, and if this episodehelped, share it with a friend
who might also need thisreminder.
Until next time, everyone, youare doing amazing.
Keep pushing.
There are no imposters here.
Love you all.
See you next time.

(07:54):
Bye.
That's a wrap on another episodeof Caffeinated Chaos.
I hope you're leaving with alittle more clarity, a lot more
inspiration, and maybe even anextra shot of motivation.
If you loved today's episode,don't forget to follow us, leave
a review, and share it with afriend who could use just a
little chaos and caffeine intheir life.

(08:17):
Until next time, keep embracingthe mess, chase your dreams, and
make magic happen.
One caffeinated, chaotic momentat a time.
I will see you all soon.
Bye now.