When Imposter Syndrome Hits

By Anne Irene Ryan

I’ve been struggling with Imposter Syndrome since the start of this year. (What a way to kick off 2025, right?)

What makes it even more perplexing is that my core message is “You’re more awesome than you think you are” …but sometimes I don’t feel very awesome myself. So then I wonder “How can I encourage others to embrace their awesomeness if I don’t feel it myself?”

But at the same time, I get it. I totally get it.

This past week, I listened to a podcast featuring two amazing people I’m lucky enough to know – my Speaking Business Mastery Coach Kris Kelso & fellow Career Coach Angie M. Callen.They dive deep into overcoming Imposter Syndrome – here are my favorite takeaways:

• “Vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness.”
• “Failure is part of the process of success rather than the opposite of success.”
• “If you are struggling with imposter syndrome, the best thing you can do is talk to someone about it.”

That second one – failure is part of success – was a light bulb moment for me while standing in my kitchen washing dishes. How often do we tear ourselves down up for not getting things on the first try? (I’m definitely guilty of this.) But the truth is, failure is part of success.

If you’ve ever experienced Imposter Syndrome, I’d love to hear your thoughts or how you’ve worked through it.

About The Writer

Anne Ryan is a career coach and owns Anne Ryan Consulting, LLC, where she has helped hundreds of people position themselves to build their ideal career through speaking engagements, workshops, individualized coaching, and resume and LinkedIn profile writing. Before starting her own LLC, she worked at IBM as a product support engineer and Palantir Technologies as a product support team lead and project manager. While at Palantir, she co-founded and globally represented the Women in Technology affinity group.