Have you ever hit a major milestone — a degree, a promotion, or a big win — only to feel like you didn’t deserve it? You’re not alone. In this episode, Dr. Ana Castilla breaks down imposter syndrome — what it really is, why it hits women so hard, and how to silence that inner critic so you can rise into your full leadership power.

Ana shares personal stories of resilience, humor, and growth — from being “the loud Latina freshman” on a scholarship to becoming an orthodontist and 8-figure entrepreneur. Along the way, she gives you six practical steps to reclaim your confidence, lead boldly, and remind yourself that you belong in every room you walk into.

Because Queens don’t wait for permission — they build the door and walk through it. 👑

Leadership isn't about being fearless.

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It's about leading despite the fear and despite feeling like you don't belong.

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It's about walking into rooms where no one looks like you and deciding to stay anyway.

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What's up Queen?

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I'm Dr.

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Ana Castilla, orthodontist, author, speaker, unapologetic dream chaser, and yes, I took my

business from flatlining to an eight-figure exit in just eight years.

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But spoiler alert, I didn't play it safe.

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I broke rules.

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I made bold moves.

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And I became the woman my younger self was waiting for.

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Queen Mode is your weekly dose of fierce strategy

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unfiltered truth and mindset shifts that will have you leading, growing and living like

the powerhouse you are without burning out or selling out.

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So if you're done playing small and ready to rise, welcome home.

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Have you ever achieved something incredible?

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Like a big promotion, a college degree, a business milestone you never thought you'd

reach, and instead of celebrating you thought, did I just get lucky?

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Or maybe you've walked into a room full of successful people and felt like any minute

someone might discover you don't really belong there.

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That, my friend, is imposter syndrome.

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And it's one of the most common

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quietest battles women in business face.

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I know because I have lived it.

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From being a Latina college freshman who was told she was too loud, to being an engineer

surrounded by coworkers who questioned if I was a quota hire, to sitting across from an

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orthodontic admissions director who flat out told me I would never make it.

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Believe me, I have been there.

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Every one of those moments not only hurt me, they caused me to doubt myself no matter what

I accomplished.

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I felt like a fraud.

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But here's what I eventually learned.

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You can't devalue yourself just because someone else can't see your worth.

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And that pain can become your fuel to rise higher than you ever thought you could.

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So today, I want to talk about what imposter syndrome really is.

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beyond the social media buzzword.

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We'll explore why it shows up so often for women, why it can hit harder if you're a woman

of color, and most importantly, how to silence that inner critic so you can become the

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leader you were born to be.

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Because you didn't come this far to start doubting yourself now.

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You came to lead like a queen.

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Okay, so apparently the term imposter syndrome was coined way back in 1978, but I actually

didn't hear about it until 2019 when I was in business school at the University of

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Illinois taking leadership courses.

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And the moment I learned what it meant, it was like someone flicked on the lights in a

room I'd been living in my entire life.

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And the wild part, I realized I wasn't alone.

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I thought...

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this constant second guessing was just me.

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So what is imposter syndrome?

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Well, it's that sneaky feeling that you're a fraud, that you don't deserve your success,

even when the facts say otherwise.

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And if you've ever had a moment where you achieved something and immediately thought, was

that luck?

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Welcome to the club.

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My first big encounter came freshman year at The Ohio State University.

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Picture it.

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Tiny dorm, three roommates, one phone line, and me living my lifelong dream on a full

academic scholarship.

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Totally qualified to be there, but already wondering if everyone else could tell I was new

to this world.

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That's when I got my first taste of, you don't belong here.

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Maybe you've had that moment too.

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That new job, that first networking event, or a classroom where you felt like the odd one

out.

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For me, it started with something you wouldn't expect.

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It started with music.

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My dorm mates laughed at me because I didn't know who Van Morrison or Neil Diamond were.

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They would say things like, you've never heard of Sweet Caroline?

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What kind of rock have you been living under?

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And I wanted to say, apparently, one located in Brooklyn.

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population salsa and hip hop.

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Because seriously, there's a whole other world beyond Neil Diamond.

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I grew up with Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, LL Cool J, and Salt and Pepper.

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Now maybe you're thinking, okay Ana, that's just harmless teasing.

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But isn't that what we often tell ourselves?

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That these little slights, these microaggressions that make us shrink are no big deal?

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They feel small, until they don't.

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One evening, my resident advisor pulled me aside to tell me that my dorm mates had filed a

complaint about me.

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Not about music or late parties, about me.

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They said I was too loud on the phone when I spoke in Spanish to my family.

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Apparently English Ana was fine.

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Spanish Ana was disruptive.

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Oh, and the other complaint?

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The fact that I wore my street clothes all day.

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My shoes were too loud.

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Now, this is the part where I wish I were joking, but this isn't Mean Girls Dorm Edition.

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This actually happened.

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And I remember standing there.

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embarrassed that I was having a conversation with my RA about my dressing habits.

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I wanted to cry.

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How was I supposed to explain to my RA that the reason I stayed in my day clothes in the

dorm was because I didn't have money to buy loungewear?

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I had two categories of clothes, street clothes and pajamas, no fuzzy slippers or

sweatpants to quietly lounge around my dorm.

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That was the moment I learned.

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That belonging isn't about qualifications, it's about perception.

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And when that procession tells you you're too much or not enough, imposter syndrome sneaks

in and whispers, maybe they're right.

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Maybe I did get lucky.

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Have you ever done that?

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Over-explained your achievements?

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Worked to prove your worth?

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Or over-prepared so no one could ever question you again?

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That was me.

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After that incident, I became fluent in classic rock overnight.

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Journey, ACDC, Pink Floyd, Queen, ironically my favorite band now.

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I thought I was fitting in, but in reality, I was fading out.

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Disappearing into the cycle of over preparation and anxiety.

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The signature moves of Impostor Syndrome.

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Fast forward a few years, I did it.

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I finished college and became an engineer.

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The degree, the hard work, the long nights, all of it felt worth it.

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I got my first professional job in the automotive industry and thought, okay, new chapter,

no more doubt, except Impostor Syndrome apparently didn't get that memo.

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At that job, I was paired with another engineer, older, friendly enough guy, who I later

learned didn't even have an engineering degree.

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One day, right in front of me, he said to a line manager, well, they have affirmative

action now, so anyone can get hired.

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He said it so casually, so matter of factly, like he wasn't talking about me, except he

was.

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And though I had every qualification that could ever be required to hold my job, including

the degree he didn't have, somehow his words made me question my worth.

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Has that ever happened to you?

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Someone drops a comment that seems small, maybe even harmless, but it lands like a punch.

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You walk away smiling politely while your brain replace it for hours.

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That's how imposter syndrome gets you.

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It doesn't kick the door open.

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It seeps through the cracks of every doubt you've ever absorbed.

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And the worst part?

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It wears your own voice.

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Years later, I fell in love with orthodontics and went to dental school.

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But even there, imposter syndrome packed its bags and came along.

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I told myself I wasn't orthodontist material.

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Everyone in dental school said ortho was for the creme de la creme and I believed them.

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But worse than that, I didn't think I could be the creme de la creme.

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So I became a general dentist.

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It was practical.

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safe and fast since it didn't require additional training past dental school.

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I told myself I was being smart.

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I could get back to earning money sooner.

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But really, I was playing small.

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Four years later, the dream of becoming an orthodontist didn't let go.

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So I finally decided to go for it and apply for orthodontics residency.

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I applied to 18 orthodontic programs.

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18, which by the way, in the orthodontic world, this is totally normal.

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It's so competitive.

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It's like the Hunger Games with transcripts.

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And out of 18, I got interviews at two programs.

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Two.

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The first was my alma mater, Ohio State.

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I was so excited, but when I got there, the excitement faded.

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I don't know how to explain why, other than to say that nothing activates imposter

syndrome like walking into a conference room full of 20-somethings who all seem to know

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each other and are casually mentioning they've each got eight to 12 interviews lined up.

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Meanwhile, I'm sitting there with my two.

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I remember thinking, was this a courtesy interview?

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You know, because I went to school there?

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And then it seemed that my fears and self-doubt would be confirmed.

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As soon as I sat down for my first Ohio State interview, the professor interviewing me

smiled politely and said, let's talk about the elephant in the room.

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I froze.

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Then he said, you were ranked 30th in your class.

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What are you going to do when you don't get in?

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Every ounce of air left my body in that moment.

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Seriously, I could not believe he was saying that to me.

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I mean, I get it.

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I wasn't in the top 10, but I still had a 3.5 GPA and a national board score of over 90.

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I wasn't exactly an academic dropout.

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And then something in me shifted.

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Calmly, I said to him, I don't have a backup plan because when I set out to do something,

I do it.

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Till this day, I don't even know where that came from.

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It was like my higher self temporarily took the mic.

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That moment changed me.

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I walked out, sat in my rental car and cried.

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but they were tears of release, tears of finally choosing belief over fear.

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And guess what?

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I got in.

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I matched at Oregon Health and Science University, but even there, I would continue to

face people who didn't think I belonged.

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And though I was so thrilled my dream of becoming an orthodontist was going to finally

come true, it wasn't long before I discovered that one of my co-residents,

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was talking behind my back, saying that I didn't deserve to be there because of my dental

school ranking.

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Never mind that I had great board scores and real world experience, both as an engineer

and a dentist.

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And once again, that voice inside me, the one that had been trained to question me,

whispered, maybe they're right.

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Have you ever noticed how imposter syndrome

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doesn't care how successful you are.

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You can have the degree, the title, the sales numbers, and still it shows up like an

uninvited guest at your victory party.

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But here's the thing, the more you face it, the quieter it gets.

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It thrives in the darkness of self-doubt, but shrinks in the light of your self-worth.

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Because here's the truth.

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No one's ever going to choose you until you choose yourself.

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And every time you stand tall in a room where you once felt small, that voice loses its

power.

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So, why am I sharing these stories?

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Certainly not to make this episode about me.

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I'm sharing them to show you that I get it.

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I know how heavy that inner dialogue can feel and how it shows up when you least expect

it.

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Now let's zoom out because imposter syndrome doesn't exist in a vacuum.

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Both men and women experience it.

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But for women, and perhaps especially for women of color, it hits different.

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Because it's not just self-doubt.

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It's cultural.

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It's systemic.

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It's generational.

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As women, we are taught to be humble, agreeable, and grateful for every opportunity.

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We're told to be confident.

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but not too confident, qualified, but never intimidating.

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And if you're a woman of color, there's that extra layer, the silent message that says you

have to be twice as good to be seen as equal, and the pressure of feeling like you have to

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represent an entire group of people.

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Like when I wear scrubs and someone asks if I'm a nurse, but assumes my husband in the

same scrubs is a doctor.

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And if you think this doesn't happen in 2025, I got news for you.

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These micro cuts are small, constant reminders that test your sense of belonging.

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And over time, they can add up.

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Imposter syndrome is sneaky.

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It rarely shouts.

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It whispers.

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It looks like overworking.

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It looks like perfectionism.

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It looks like downplaying your achievements or avoiding new opportunities because you're

afraid to fail publicly.

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For me, it looked like reading an entire 700-page orthodontics textbook before day one of

residency.

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That was in preparation.

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That was fear disguised as diligence.

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And if you're thinking, I'm confident, this is not me, stay with me.

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Because imposter syndrome often hides behind overachievement.

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It's the quiet thought that says, do more, be more, achieve more, even when you've already

earned your seat at the table.

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Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with ambition.

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Ambition is how we build empires, but it's worth checking the why behind it.

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Are you chasing a goal because it lights you up or because deep down you're still trying

to prove you're enough?

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One comes from expansion, the other comes from fear and learning to tell the difference

changes everything.

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And at the end of the day,

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Even if you've never personally felt Impostor Syndrome, I promise you someone on your team

has.

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Maybe it's the brilliant assistant who never speaks up in meetings or the talented

marketing manager who second guesses every campaign.

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As a leader, you need to know that Impostor Syndrome can quietly affect the confidence,

creativity,

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and performance of the women working alongside you.

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So even if it doesn't live in you, it may still live in your business.

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So what do do?

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We can't just name imposter syndrome and move on.

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Awareness alone won't evict it.

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And if you want to lead and scale your business without the constant mental tug of war,

you need practical ways to reclaim your power.

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So here are six steps you can take to reclaim your power today.

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Number one.

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Recognize your feelings.

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Don't gaslight yourself.

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Imposter syndrome is real.

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Name it.

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Feel it.

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Just don't feed it.

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Number two, challenge negative self-talk.

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The great Jim Rohn said, stand guard at the door of your mind.

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Your thoughts create your reality.

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Why?

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Because your thoughts affect your decisions.

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and your decisions create your life, including your business.

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I use incantations, which are affirmations with emotion and movement.

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Every day I say things to myself like, I'm not here to play small.

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I'm here to lead, to shine, and to serve.

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It's not fluff.

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It's mental conditioning.

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Number three, create a reverse bucket list.

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List everything you've already achieved, big and small, becoming a mom, landing that

client, launching that offer, starting a business, learning a new language, seeing your

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wins in black and white, or pink and white if you love pink pens like me.

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Build evidence that you belong where you are and you deserve the success.

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Number four, build a support system.

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You were never meant to do this alone.

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Mentors, masterminds, coaches, women-only spaces, find places that remind you of your

brilliance when you forget.

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Number five, take massive action.

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Confidence doesn't come first, action does.

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Every step you take replaces fear-based predictions with proof.

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Massive action rewires your brain.

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Each time you act, you gather evidence that you can handle it.

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That evidence kills the fraud story faster than anything else.

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Number six, unplug.

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to recalibrate.

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Sometimes imposter thoughts feel powerful because your nervous system is overloaded.

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Meditation, breath work, prayer, a tech-free walk, whatever helps you release that trapped

energy will do.

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When you pause, your focus widens.

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You notice your own brilliance again.

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Disconnecting isn't indulgent.

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It's strategic.

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It's how you reset your power source.

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Here's the truth, self-doubt doesn't vanish when you succeed.

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It just changes its disguise.

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And leadership isn't about being fearless.

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It's about courage.

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It's about leading despite the fear.

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It's about walking into rooms where no one looks like you and deciding to stay anyway.

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It's realizing that your story, your scars, your accent, your age, your gender, your

background,

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They're not your liabilities.

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They are your crown jewels.

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Every time you overcome imposter thoughts, you rise higher.

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Not because you're proving anything to anyone else, but because you're remembering who you

are.

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Women's leadership journeys reveal something powerful.

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Our self-doubt doesn't come from weakness.

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It comes from years of conditioning that told us we had to shrink to be accepted.

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But when you rise above that, you become a mirror for others, showing them what real

leadership looks like.

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Grounded, graceful, and unapologetically authentic.

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And I'll be honest, even now after all these years that imposter voice still visits

sometimes.

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But when it whispers, who do you think you are?

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I smile back and say, I'm the woman who built the room.

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So wherever you are right now, in your car, at your desk, on your evening walk, take a

deep breath and say it out loud with me.

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I belong.

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in the room.

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I belong in the room.

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Not because someone said you do.

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Not because of the titles or the trophies.

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But because you built the door and you walked through it.

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And now Queen, it's time to lead, to shine, and to serve.

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So before you hit pause, take one more second for yourself.

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Think about the last time you doubted your worth and ask, why would it look like if I

walked into that same situation believing I did belong?

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Because that's where real leadership begins.

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Not in perfection, but in presence.

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You belong in the room, and don't you ever forget it.

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Thanks for tuning in Queen.

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I hope today's episode gave you the clarity, courage, or confidence boost you needed.

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Because building a powerful business starts with believing in you.

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And before we wrap, I'd love to hear from you.

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What part of today's episode hit home for you?

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Was there a time when imposter syndrome showed up in your life?

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Maybe quietly in a meeting or right before a big decision?

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Share your story with me on Instagram at Queen Mode Podcast or tag me in your post so we

can keep this conversation going.

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Because when we talk about this stuff out loud, we remind every woman listening, you are

not alone.

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If you loved what you heard, don't forget to hit follow so you never miss an episode.

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And if this podcast moved you, inspired you, or made you think, share it with another

powerhouse woman who needs to hear it.

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Your reviews and shares help more queens rise.

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Keep showing up, keep leading boldly, and remember, you were born to rain.