Conquering Imposter Syndrome & Self-Doubt

in the work to get there. I want to bring you the tools and actionable steps to feel confident in yourself, inspired to take bold action, and motivated to conquer your goals. Are you with me, girl friends, Let's rise and Conquer. Hi, guys,

and welcome back to the Rise of Conquer Podcasts. Today's episode is a solo podcast and it's very unplanned and I'm kind of just feeling very inspired and I wanted to just jump on here and chat about it because today we are talking about a feeling that I get like a lot, and it's kind of weird, and I feel like it's this unspoken thing where a lot of women get it and it can't be super crippling, and basically it's a form of self doubt and it has

an actual name. It's called imposta syndrome. So today we're gonna talk about impostera syndrome and how I've kind of dealt with it over the years, and how you guys can deal with it, because something that I realized when I spoke to Mel and spoke to other friends is we all feel it a lot, and sometimes it can really consume us. And when that happens, it often gets in the way of really rising up and conquering your goal,

which we don't want. This is the Rising Conca podcast, So I'm going to talk about how you can get over imposta syndrome and how I do. Before we get into that, though, I do want to make a little announcement and this is very real time. So last week I announced and introduced a company that I founded and started with my big brother Cooper, that we have been working on for almost a year. It's an all natural,

vegan sports supplement company that focuses on women. So I announced this last week and I was so excited to tell you guys. I announced it on Instagram and I was just so excited to tell you guys because we've been working on it for so long, and it's just been under wraps for obvious reasons, and I finally get to tell you, and I just wanted to go in a little bit about it, a little bit of a background, just because it does really tie into this episode, and

then we'll get into the actual episode. But basically, this company started because actually there's two reasons. So I'm just going to tell you guys, going to be very raw and real on here. And so basically, as you guys know on Instagram, I hate this name, but I'm an influencer, which I'm doing with my air quotes, and so basically that means is I partner with brands and I will

promote their stuff and something for me. I have this big process when I work with a brand of trying their product for a while and making sure I love their values and all this sort of stuff before I tell you guys about it. I actually get sent so much that you guys would just never hear about because basically I wouldn't use it myself, so you're not going to see it anyway. So I worked with this supplement company.

This is a good obviously, like over a year ago, and it's no company I've worked with recently and I was taking their protein vegan protein. Loved it. I shared it with all us guys. Use guys loved it. Anyway, long story shorts, tests were done and I actually found out that they were lying on their packaging and they were lying about the ingredients inside, and I obviously dropped them as a partner, and I told all you guys, I told you guys on Instagram or one of my

stories and all that sort of stuff. But that was just a kick in the teeth because at this time, me and my brother are very close. We were talking about all these subjects together and I just said to him, I was like, it's just really sucky because I believed

in this brand. I really believed in their values, like I was really invested, and then I was telling you guys about it, and then something like this happens, and I just thought, surely, it's not that hard not to lie on your packaging to consumers and just to like make good stuff without having to sneakly put in sugar or you know, anything like that. So that was really disheartening, and I just thought, guys, the supplement industry needs to

be better. And so that thought was all around my head. Also, guys, I'm so sorry Tim is mowing the lawn, So I'm sorry if you can hear that, But I was just feeling really inspired to record this episode, so hopefully you can't anyway back to it. And so another reason why I had this idea for this company is, as you guys know, I'm more of the fitness side of social media.

So I kind of got into social media because of my health journey, and I've always been into health and fitness, and if you look back in the day at like my first sort of YouTube videos, I'm in the kitchen and I'm making my own pre workout because I basically couldn't find supplements that could do what I wanted them

to do. I then also went through this period where I had to start thinking more holistically and I made a shift into having more holistic, wholesome products because I needed to because of my hormones and I had all

these health issues and all that sort of stuff. And so basically for a while, I was just like, why isn't there supplements like focused on females that have really good active ingredients that aren't filled with fillers and filled with crap and no misinformation, and so this was a moment where I sat back and I was like, I want to change this anyway. I teamed up with my brother and obviously food techs and really amazing wholesome food manufacturers,

and we have built this supplement company together. And it's so surreal because, like I said, we have been doing this for so long and I finally get to share my baby with you guys. And so our first product that we are bringing out is dropping very soon in May, and it's a pre workout plus fat burning blend designed with a woman's body and mind. So it's got no hidden nasties. It's a formula with ingredients to enhance your performance,

but it's natural. It's got an epic tase, no crash, an effective fat burning component that is really focused on females. And basically, when I say it's focused on females, I really want to explain this part. So, because I love pre workouts, I've honestly tried them all and what I've really found is the natural ones didn't do enough of me, Like I really didn't get any sort of pre workout feelings.

But the you know, the pre workouts which would work, which I'm putting again in air quotes would often be way too strong for my body, like for a woman's sized body, and I would get anxiety, I'd get the shakes, and then I would get a crash. So basically with this product, we did months of testing to find the perfect formula that in between where you actually get a feeling to smash your workout that puts you in a

good mood. It's a mood enhancer. It gives you energy, but it isn't going to hurt and upset your nervous system. So it's not going to spike in anxiety. It's not going to get a crash at ten am. So that's kind of what I mean by female focused. So yeah, that's our first product. I'm so excited. We've been doing so many like test in samples and we've got the perfect formula, perfect formula, so I'm so excited. This blend

is also like no artificial colors, flavors, or sweetness. It's vegan friendly and free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar. So it's just like this really good raw blend that actually works. The flavor. The first flavor is sweet strawberry, and then we have another flavor coming out soon. That's a bit under wraps, but there will be another flavor coming out soon too. So the first launch and drop for this is in May, and there will be a limited amount of stock. So me and Cooper have like

really built this company from the bottom up. I haven't collaborated with another company, and they're sort of like doing all the work and like putting everything down. It's literally me and Cooper doing everything ourselves, which I love. That's exactly what we wanted to do. But obviously there will be more stock to come, but our first drop is

the smallest. So if you want to be the first to know when we are launching and when you can get your hands on the first product from Naked Harvest, all you have to do is go and sign up to our newsletter. This will be so helpful for us because we'll be able to cater for everyone, and also you guys will be the first to know there will

be any deals. And also with the newsletter, we will be sort of talking to you guys, so you know, when we want to bring out our next product or a new flavor, we're going to go to this email list. So it's really like a community and I'm really excited about it. So if you do want to be the first to know, please go to Georgie Stevenson dot net ford slash Naked Harvest or go to the Naked Harvest

Supplements Instagram. The link is in that bio, or I will put the link in these show notes so that will sign you up to the newsletter, so you'll be the first to know, you'll be in the Naked Harvest Gang and all those cool things. So yeah, it's a bit of adamin and exciting news to start the episode. But let's get into talking about imposta syndrome. So this really intertwines for obvious reasons, but I wanted to talk

about basically what imposta syndrome is. So it is defined as the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of

one's own efforts or skills. So basically, imposta syndrome is that feeling that even after you've got the promotion or you've had some success in life, you feel like you don't deserve it, or that you're like a fraud, or that you know it will be found out that you don't deserve this, and it really affects like high achievers

and creators, and well, it really affects everyone. I actually did a bit of research and from an article in the International Journal of Behavior Science, it's estimated that seventy percent of people experience and positive feelings at some point in their lives, and it can literally be anyone. It's actually often more successful people experience it more, which is

kind of weird when you think about it. So I really wanted to talk about this because this is a feeling I get all the time, and me and melwitchatting about this and she really gets it and she struggles to deal with it, and to be honest, I think it's something women often get because for some reason, we never think we are worthy enough of our success, which is so sad and basically then needs to be a change. We need to shift this mindset because it's holding us back.

And so I wanted to explain to you guys' situations where I have felt this imposter syndrome and basically how I've dealt with that. I think I've got around five points that I will kind of go through. So let's talk about my experience and you can kind of think about your experiences in life and if you've ever felt these feelings. So I was thinking about it, and the first time that I felt impostera syndrome was in grade five. And so I grew up and I went to a

public school. My three older brothers or went to public schools. I went to a public school. At this stage. My parents very much grew up like poor. I wouldn't say we were poor, but you know, we're just getting by when we were younger, and then things got better for my parents. But anyway, so we went to a state school, and I told my parents that I wanted to be a lawyer in grade five or four or something like that, and basically they asked me if I would like to

go to a private school. They had, you know, they had enough money at this stage, and my cousins went to this private school, and I was like, yes, please, I want to do this. What a cool new experience. Anyway, I went to this private school and I just felt not good enough. I wasn't rich enough, I wasn't smart enough to be in the school. It's so weird because I was in grade five, so I was like really young, but I felt this feeling that basically I wasn't good

enough to be in the school. And it's funny because I actually left the private school after three years and I went back to the public school where I felt really comfortable and did really well. Anyway, so that's the first time I experienced that. Another time is basically throughout my whole law degree. So in Australia or No, it's probably more just in Queensland. Basically you have to do this big test and then year eleven and twelve your

sort of senior years. The marks you get decide if you go to university, if you get in the course you want to do. I wanted to do law and I needed an OP five and the ops go from one to twenty five, I think, so it was a pretty hard op and I worked extremely hard because I knew I wanted to do law, and I got an OP five, so I got in. That's what I needed, a five, and I got a five. Anyway, throughout my whole law degree, I felt not good enough. I felt

like I wasn't smart enough. I felt like everyone else around me was smart enough. Even though I got the grades and I got accepted and I got into the university, I wanted to get into. I constantly felt like everyone was working harder, everyone was smarter, and basically like I wasn't worth enough to be there. Then I also got this feeling when I got my first clerkship at a

really good law firm in the city. And how I got this job is a friend who I used to work at a real estate and a friend who worked there. He knew one of the principles and got me an interview. I had my interview and I got the job, and that brought on these feelings that even though I got the job, even though I did the interview and got the job, I wasn't good enough and I only got it because of who I knew. You know, I felt imposter syndrome. Then then I've also felt imposter syndrome basically

throughout my whole kind of social media life. I'll put it in vert commas. So I've been on social media for seven years, and when my following was really growing, like I always felt these feelings, I was like, you know, and I think I've said this more than once, which it's funny, guys, because now I even say these things out loud. Like I realized how ridiculous. Some of my

thoughts are, but I was, I'm gonna tell you. And so with social media, I always thought, there's so many prettier girls than me, Like there's so many girls with better bodies, there's so many girls who are putting out better photos, better content. I always like, and I've definitely said this, like two tim and two friends, I'm like, I'm just so average, Like why would anyone want to follow me? And so I had so much Aposta syndrome around that even though you know, like I was increasing followers,

people obviously liked my content. They obviously liked my photos and my videos and all that sort of stuff. And a lot of the time also my imposter syndrome, I thought to myself, Oh, I'm just lucky. Obviously sometimes a lut can be involved, but I really don't think people are just lucky, especially me, when I look back, and I look back how much I worked and was invested in everything that I did. Another thing that I felt imposter syndrome was on social media as I was getting bigger.

And this doesn't happen often at all. It's not like I can't leave my house, but you know, if I'm out with my girlfriends or just like somewhere randomly, I'll have people come up to me and be like, hey, I follow on you on Instagram, I like the podcast I Love You YouTube's like that sort of thing. And every time I think to myself, this person has literally taken time out of their day to praise me or say hello to me, Like how am I even worthy

of that? Like I'm just so me and normal, Like I just like I don't feel special enough for someone to do that, Like I feel it doesn't feel right to me. And then I felt it when I was leaving my corporate job and I was pursuing this job full time. I thought to myself, who am I to be? You know, this creative entrepreneur. You know I've done no degree in it. I've got a law degree. I can't be doing something like this, Like who am I to

be doing this? And also I very much felt like everyone knew what they were doing, and because I was just winging it, that everyone else was somehow better than me. And that's also another thing with imposter syndrome is I've talked to people and I've found that you often feel like you think everyone else has it figured out and you're like the only one, whereas in reality, like everyone's kind of winging it. And then I felt it again when I made my ebook, I Find Your Healthy Ebook,

I thought, who am I to do a cookbook? I only started cooking too years ago because I did not cook growing up, guys, like I begked a lot with my mom and I saw her cook a lot. But even when I moved out of home, like I got those like meals you put in the microwave, I only got into cooking like two years before I even made my cooking ebook, and I thought, who am I to do this? You know, I'm not a chef, blah blah blah.

And then also because it's about intuitive eating and I had only you know, got over my food issues, and I thought, who am I to be doing this? I've only just got over my food issues. And then with the podcast, I thought, no one's going to even want to listen to a twenty four year old talk about

these sorts of issues. They're not important. And then I felt it again when the podcast reached top charts, and I thought, like, there's podcasts out there that are way better than me, Like it's just these sorts are so consuming anyway. And lastly, oh my god, I had so much imposter syndrome when we were creating basically the whole process of Naked Harvest, and I just thought to myself,

like constantly, like who am I to do this? Who do I think that I can just go and create this company and create a product, even though it's not like I did it myself. I did it with my brother. We outsourced, We've got professionals, food technicians, and we went through so many processes and so much time and effort and work. But the whole time, I just kept on thinking like, who am I to do this? When you

think about it, everyone starts somewhere. So just because we are not the experts or the gurus, that doesn't mean we cannot do these things. And that's something I know a lot of you you're probably not doing something or not pursuing a dream because you're thinking, who am I to do this? I'm not valuable enough, I haven't got enough self worth, or like you know, who am I to do this? No one's going to care, no one's

going to listen, no one's going to want this. I'm not good enough, which is like, guys, we are letting this impostas syndrome consume us and cripple us and it's just not okay. So let's get into how we can deal with this. So I've written down some dot points and these are just like little things that I will do when I'm having these feelings, So kind of sit with each one and see what works best for you.

Like I kind of say in all my episodes, you really need to sort of try these things on and see what works best for you, because they're not all going to work and they're not going to feel right for everyone. But basically, something I want you to think about is realizing that you have control over your thoughts. So one of the first things I do is I take a step back and I go, Okay, this is

a thought I'm having if I believe it. Because guys, remember, we create our own reality with our thoughts, so everything you are thinking, you then create your reality. So you can have this thought, and you need to decide whether you are going to believe it or not. So it's basically taking back the control and going, hey, look, I realized this is coming up for me. That's fine, observe it. It's kind of like I hear a lot in meditation about you'll have this thought come up and don't engage

with it. You just observe it and you let it float by. That's also kind of the same thing here, So you observe you're having these feelings, you're having these thoughts, but don't let it consume you. You have this choice, and you are strong enough to make the choice and to pick the option to help you rather than to hinder you. So that's just kind of like a quick

and easy thing. I know that's very much easier said than done, but I think that's even just being self aware enough to realize that you actually have control to pick. The next thing I want you to think about is to really trust in the process and the facts. So instead of listening to this negative voice in your head, listen to the feedback. You may actually have to like go and talk to someone or you need to look

at the fact. So for example, when I got into this law firm, in this clerkship, I actually remember I got like a sort of like an admin sort of job, and then I actually got a law clerk job. So I actually went for two interviews and got both. This was a good six months after and I was like, now friends with everyone in the office and my boss, and I actually asked my boss and I was like, hey, like, why did you hire me? There's so many smarter people

out there and you probably shouldn't say those words. So he explained, He was like, of course there's going to be smarter people out there, but that's not what I'm looking for. The department where I worked was family law, so we dealt a lot with clients who were upset, clients were going through hard times, and he was like, I knew you knew your stuff, you were really interested, you were really keen. I knew you could talk to a client and have that sort of personal connection with them. Also,

I saw that you were very driven. So even though you might not be the smartest person in the room, I knew you would work hard enough to, you know, make sure you get the job done. And so basically having that feedback and having someone else objectively tell you it's nice because you're like, ah, Okay, I guess it's just reinforcement. Don't rely on it too much, but like, if you can get some sort of feedback that's not just like thoughts in your heads, it's actual objective feedback.

That is amazing. And then also look at the facts. So, for example, my whole law degree, where I felt not good enough, the fact was I got good enough grades to get in and I got accepted, Like that should be like a full stop. And then also I got good enough grades to finish my law degree and like have my law degree, so obviously it is doing something right. So make sure you're looking at the facts and rather than than just thinking, actually look at the facts and

be like, hey, no, I've got this. The bit twisted and I need to rein it in George's being dramatic again, because that happens. Okay, So the next thing I want you to also do. This kind of ties in with looking at the facts. But when self doubt creeps in, you need to do some reflecting and gather evidence of when you have done really well. And it's kind of like reminding yourself of your accomplishments and looking back at

past accomplishments. And this will really help with new things. So, for example, with the social media stuff, when I felt really like who am I to be this social media person? I actually have these like screenshots of people who have messaged me saying like literally the most beautiful messages. I want to cry when I read them. I'm actually going to get one out now because you guys will get what I mean. Okay, so this is a screenshot. I love reading it, and this is actually to do with

my ebook. So this is someone has written in after buying my ebook and they said, I've only had this for two days and have already learnt so much. I have an eleven month old son, and after having him, I was so strung up on losing my mum bod and going back to what I was. But you have taught me not to worry about size, my weight, or how I look. But most importantly, you've taught me to love and nourish my new body and to fuel it with what it needs. You're an amazing role model and

I'm so glad I found your Instagram. I have such a different perspective on living healthy. Thank you so much. So basically, when I'm feeling not good enough on social media, like I haven't got the best content or the best photos or anything like that, like I go to something like this and I'm like, dude, this is what it's about. Like for me, I'm successful. For me changing someone's perspective on their body and healthy living. That just fulfills me

so much. So I have stuff like that where when I'm not feeling good enough, I can go back to and sort of reflect and be like, no, it's in a reinforcement, but we do need this. So, for example, another good thing would be to like look back on past achievements. So if you have got into the degree, if you did win some award, if you did get higher, anything like that, it's really important to realize that these past things haven't just happened because of luck. It's happened

because of you as a person. And this is also something that's really I need to do when I'm doing something new. So for example, especially doing their naked harvest thing, I had to really look back on other things and be like everything else I have done, especially like with my ebook with the podcast like such amazing feedback, because I do everything with such passion and I like to think that I do it for the right reasons. Like the ebook is because I wanted to help people with

their relationship with food. The podcast because I wanted to help women who are going through the same things that I'm going through and who want to grow their minds and work on personal development. And you know, this new supplement line, this new supplement company, it's beg because I saw a gap in the market and I want to give you guys an awesome product that says that has

packaging that is correct. Just throwing that in there, but I want to give out an awesome product that actually does what it says and has all these amazing natural active ingredients that like, it's not just a load of crap, which I know there is so much out there. So for me, especially when I'm up to something new and I'm feeling these imposts, really look on past achievements and reinforce that, no, you are a good person, you are worthy.

This is a challenge, but you can do it another thing, And this is something I very pride myself on being real and authentic. But you need to realize that we are all constantly a work in progress. So we're constantly changing and growing, and this is an awesome thing, Like, this is an amazing thing. So the real you is always under construction. So even sometimes it's like I feel like a fraud because I don't feel authentic, but it's kind of like I'm progressing. So this is the new me.

Your authentic self is constantly changing, so it doesn't always feel like your authentic self anyway. I hope that makes

a little bit of sense. Another thing is really helpful is to share these feelings with trusted friends or you know, mentors kind of exactly what I'm doing now, Like I have this community where I really trust you guys with what I share, and I know by sharing this this is going to help others and sort of get you thinking and feeling about this and hopefully sort of progressing over this, because I know it can be super scary to get into these feelings, but it is really good,

Like talk to your girlfriends or talk to your partner or your mom and dad and be like, you know, hey, you don't have to be like I'm not good enough and really make it dramatic, but you can sort of just be like, oh, you know, I feel like blah blah blah, and you'll often get that reinforcement. But it's

also good to sort of have it out there. Even me before, when I was telling you guys about how I felt these imposter syndrome feelings, I almost felt a bit silly about the previous ones because they were obviously previous ones. At the time, they didn't feel silly, but now that I've talked about them and I'm even saying them out loud, I'm like, oh, that was a bit silly. So it's really good just to like get the thoughts

out that I find. And basically the last point and the most sort of important point is realize that and this is obviously from my own personal experience, but any time imposta syndrome and these feelings of not being good enough or not being worthy enough have come up, and every time I get uncomfortable is usually the time where

I'm just about to like do something fucking epic. I'm sorry for swearing, but that's why I mean, like, usually when these feelings come out, you're about to do something really exciting, You're about to make that next step, you're about to evolve, you're about to step up, and you need to shift your mindset. So when you're having these feelings, you're self aware enough to be like, Okay, I'm getting these imposter syndrome feelings. This means I'm progressing, I'm evolving,

and basically get comfortable with being uncomfortable. So every time I feel this self doubt and I know now, like now after so much time, that it means like I'm about to break through a glass ceiling and push on to the next goal. I'm pushing boundaries and this is amazing. So, like I said, like looking back, anytime I've been uncomfortable, I've felt these feelings basically after something great has happened.

And so now I'm totally comfortable with being comfortable because I know that good things are about to happen and I need to like work through these feelings. And also you need to realize that growing involving is oh my god, guys, It's what life is about, and so you should be striving to do this. So when you kind of you're self aware getting these feelings, get comfortable with them because often it means you're progressing as a person. So basically,

in conclusion, we all have these feelings. We all get imposter syndrome like most of us, and especially women. I feel like this is really unique to women because I feel like in society we're really made to doubt us just for the sheer stuff. Like I was thinking, society it tells you you should be pretty, but if you think you're pretty, you're vain, and you know you should want to be driven, but not too driven because you know,

males don't like women too driven. So in society we have all these things that basically make us second guess and doubt ourselves. So it is so normal to feel this way, but it's an important part to being aware of these feelings and progressing and basically even pushing them away or working through them and taking control. So the goal is like to not never feel like this, but it's to feel like this and up level to evolve, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, push the boundaries like I

know we all can do. And my goal is basically with this is to give you the tools so you can do this, because that's something that I've really had to work on and push through. But oh guys, it's so worth it. Like I said, usually when you get this feeling, something great has happened and you really need to be brave and pushed through. That's about it, guys. I was just feeling really inspired to talk about this topic, so I hope it was relevant. I hope you got

some insight and some tools. If you did, I love you, guys. DM the Rise and Concer Podcast to chat about it or any posts I do or anything like that. It really means a lot to me. I love talking to you guys and chatting with my community. And you know, if you do know a girl or anyone who deals with this and you think it would be valuable for them to listen to this, please pass this episode on. This is how we sort of get this podcast out

there is word of mouth. So give it to your co or your sister or your mother or anything like that, and get the word out there. Because when more women getting over this feeling of imposter syndrome and pushing through and reaching their goals, that's what it's about. That's what we want to be doing. We want to be empowering

ourselves and other women. So before I leave, I do want to remind you if you want to sign up to the Naked Harvest newsletter and be the first to know when our new pre workout plus fat burning blend is dropping. It's going to be in May, so guys, get onto this because like I said, the first drop is limited, so it may sell out, so you want to be onto it. Of course, we will be restocking, but I just wanted to let you guys know and Basically, I want my community to have first DIBs, so get

onto it. I will put the link in the show notes. Otherwise, go to the Naked Harvest instagram. It is just at Naked Harvest Supplements and yeah, that's about it. I want to thank you for listening to this episode and I will chat to you in the next one. Thank you so much for listening in. If you like this episode, make sure you subscribe to the Rise and Conquer podcast so you don't miss the next one. Also, if you found this podcast valuable, it would mean the absolute world

to me if you wrote the podcast a review. Plus, if you know someone who would benefit from listening to this episode, make sure you share it with them. If you want to go beyond this episode, check out our official instagram at Riseinconquer dot podcast or my personal instagram at Georgie Stevenson. I hope you have an amazing day or night whenever you're listening in. Bye for now, and I'll talk to you soon. First Bust Specker, spoff Spot post spo