Valerie Young on Success and the Imposter Syndrome

EDITORS’ NOTE: Valerie Young – an internationally-known expert on impostor syndrome and author of the award-winning book, The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women — discusses her insights on Imposter Syndrome, behaviors and self-esteem, constructive criticism and self-awareness, the future of Work, and lessons from success.

Video Interview

Audio Interview

Interview Questions

Imposter Syndrome — Time Index: 1:01 (Based on the Audio)

1. Let’s start with the basics. What is imposter syndrome?

Self Esteem and Imposter Syndrome — Time Index: 1:46

2. And is there a difference between self-esteem and the imposter phenomenon?

Behaviors of Imposter Syndrome — Time Index: 2:21

3. And then what kind of behaviors does it manifest itself in?

Ways to Deal with Imposter Syndrome — Time Index: 3:44

4. One of the things you say is if you want to stop feeling like an imposter, you have to stop thinking like an imposter. What have you found effective in doing that? You talk about reframing and then are there other tips that have been successful?

Constructive Criticism — Time Index: 5:07

5. One of the things you also say is that imposters react differently to, let’s say, constructive criticism. Is that also something you see as non-imposter syndrome thinking in a way?

Self Awareness — Time Index: 5:46

6. One of the things that we see happening is that sometimes incompetent people think they’re competent. And then competent people feel like they’re incompetent. And you say that one of the things that imposters share is an unrealistic, distorted definition of competence. How do we create this better sense of self-awareness within ourselves and others?

Time Index: 8:37

7. Do you see a common relationship between people kind of beating themselves up and then imposter syndrome?

Strengths and Weaknesses — Time Index: 9:42

8. What are your perspectives on focusing on your strengths and weaknesses? Some say that you should be aware of your weaknesses, but then really focus on your strengths.

Time Index: 10:23

9. One of the things you often say is that you may feel like a fraud, but in truth, your fear of being inadequate pales in comparison to your fear of being extraordinary. What advice would you give people about how to stop playing small?

Time Index: 11:50

10. I want to shift our conversation to careers, you’ve done a lot of work on thinking outside the job box. … This is really interesting to me because I feel like a lot of us really want to work on what our passions are, and are not really focused on a typical nine to five-day job. What have you found effective? And how do you make that shift?

Work and Passion — Time Index: 13:56

11. One of the things Steve Jobs said, which I found really interesting was: that the reason why you want to follow your passion is that when you run across something difficult, you won’t give up. Right? And it’ll give you that energy and that motivation just to forge forward.

COVID and its Influence on the Future — Time Index: 15:46

12. Do you have any thoughts on the future of work? COVID has changed everything, of course.

Lessons from Success — Time Index: 16:42

13. I sometimes ask this question about people who have had long careers if they could share some humbling lessons from success.

About Valerie Young

Dr. Valerie Young is an internationally known workshop leader and public speaker. Her passion is guiding people to discover and then realize their dreams. She is the founder, visionary, and dreamer-in-residence at ChangingCourse.com where she provides tools, resources, insights, and inspiration for those looking to create a career they love.

Since 1982 internationally-recognized expert on impostor syndrome and co-founder of Impostor Syndrome Institute, Dr. Valerie Young has delivered her Rethinking Impostor Syndrome™ program to hundreds of major corporations and universities around the world.

Her award-winning book “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It” (Crown/Random House) is in six languages.

Valerie’s insights and advice have been cited in many prestigious publications including Reader’s Digest, Redbook, the Chicago Tribune, and the Boston Globe, among many more. She’s also done guest appearances on People are Talking (ABC), Chicago’s WMAQ, and the Wall Street Journal’s syndicated program “Work & Family.”