How I overcame imposter syndrome as a soul led coach

Do you ever feel that intense desire of your soul to create/teach about a topic, but then you feel like you are not credible enough to create about it?

For a long time, I’ve felt like an imposter too when it comes to creating content around business and marketing. It’s like my heart is fervently longing to speak/teach about it but then my inner imposter would hold me back because I haven’t millions.

That feeling of being an imposter is not uncommon among feminine beings in business. In fact, I have seen it a lot within the clients I work with as well, which is why I have written several articles on that topic.

Usually, the imposter will point out how you have not manifested enough, you are not far ahead enough, have not made big enough etc.

And the thing is, she does not stop. No matter what income bracket you are in, what credentials you have, the imposter can go loud in our heads about how there is more of who you “should” be.

Whenever the imposter does this in terms of marketing, it does two things:

1). it blocks the stream of creative ideas from flowing through us

2). It holds us back from fully serving our clients through our expression.

So not only we feel like we are not tapped into our fullest soul potential, we don’t experience joy and fulfillment for the creative process itself.

So I want to share with you how I’ve been able to shift that around and speak with confidence in the things I teach/create content around— transforming my inner imposter from a slouched potato to a poised flamingo:)

1.Talk about what you HAVE done

Imposter syndrome happens whenever we try to get further ahead than where we are now and try to teach things we have NOT done.

Like if you are telling other how they can make millions but if you actually haven’t done it yourself, it’s not going to be ethical and our hearts are not going to feel authentic and clean. And even if make sales in the short run, it won’t lead to sustainable business success later because of unhappy customers and damage to the brand.

And people can sense the smell of ‘faking it.’ Especially these days, when people have begun questioning the practices in the coaching industry.

So in my case, what I do is: I share all things I have overcome.

I document what works and what does not.

I share what I have embodied and experienced.

And you will see that when you finally own where you are now and teach from there, greater results will happen, both in your clients’ lives + your business. 

2. Hone in your expertise

In my experience, I have learned that when we are not accurately depicting our gifts in our messaging, we experience more of the imposter.

Like when we are vague and not specific about what your expertise exactly is, we are more likely to not feel confident selling/creating content about it. 

For example, you may be marketing yourself things like “abundance coach” but if you are not specific with the specific circumstance, the specific problem, the specific outcome you help with, it is hard to be confident in marketing “abundance.” I learned this the hard way myself.

And only after profound self-awareness work, I realized that I did not feel as confident in my marketing because I am not just a general business/abundance coach. In fact, my core expertise is in the creative aspects of marketing and experiencing flow state. And only when I specified and narrowed down the focus to that, the imposter syndrome quieted down. 

The thing is, when you feel slightly icky selling what you are selling, it may be because your soul is telling you that what you are marketing is not exactly right.

More often than not, it may be because what you are selling is not specifically honed into your real gift(s) and expertise. And when we are sharply fine-tuned into what we are most good at + are most excited about, no imposter can block the productive, creative seasons in our business. 

3. Embrace the gift of being New

Another reason for feeling like an imposter when it comes to marketing, especially for small business owners, is because we feel like we are just “beginners”. Trust me, I understand because it was only a few months ago that I pivoted to my new niche. 

But whenever we are feeling ashamed about where we are, what we do not see is the hidden benefits of being new. Those are benefits like being able to see things differently and teach things differently from the traditional ways that no longer work. In other words, you are a better innovator. 

In my own marketing coaching journey for example, I realized that traditional marketing strategies only focus on the numerical aspect of business so much that they do not take into consideration of how good we feel nor how creatively fulfilled we are. I would not have those fresh perspectives had I been stuck to the old ways of “the industry.” 

So my point is that there are gifts hidden exactly where you are, no matter what stage of business you are in. The only question is whether you use what you have right now to your advantage.

4. Let your creations be your teacher

I think another reason I see why imposter happens is because there is a lot of pressure to “show your authority” and be seen as an expert when it comes to marketing. It may feel like you have to know it all, be it all, have it all before you can share your gifts to the world. 

And when we are operating from this pressure to be a know-it-all, a lot of women find themselves waiting for “the right time”-- whether that is, to be more successful, to be more experienced, to have more followers etc. Thus, we hold ourselves back from being our most fulfilled selves while serving clients at our full potential with all our hearts right now. 

However, what I’ve come to realize is that if we do not need to know it all before we create content. In fact, we have to approach content creation with an empty mind first in order to create what our hearts most want. Only then, we become able to channel our highest wisdom– with sometimes even insights and revelations that we have not previously thought of before. 

This is something that I learned during this blogging journey. In fact, 3 months ago I had no idea that I would specifically be helping clients find creative joy in their marketing. It was only through writing the blogs that my heart calls me to, that I learned what I am actually great at and what I am here to teach about.

So when it comes to having confidence within your content marketing, my advice is to channel first. Let those channeled creations teach to both you and your ideal clients. Your creative expression will give you more confidence than anything you learn from someone else.

5. Share your theories like a scientist

Another reason I believe for why imposter syndrome happens is because we feel like we don’t have anything “new” to bring to the table.

In terms of marketing, it can feel like all the bigger brands have talked about about the ideas you want to talk about. It can feel like they you would be sharing similar content to what they have already shared.

However, what I want you to know that there is a inner scientist within you— able to mix ideas and bring a unique amalgamation (i.e. unique content ideas and offers) out into the world. That scientist is able to refine what your brand is about, discard what you are NOT about, and therefore make your brand known for how you are different. In other words, you may not be the first person to discover an idea or a creation, however, still it is your unique set of theories, ideas, and values that makes your brand stand out from others in the market.

6. Own who you are

Lastly, I see that imposter syndrome happens when we trying to be like someone else who is further ahead or is at a “higher level” than where we are.

This is especially true in the social media day and age, when it is easy to be so “inspired” by someone that you become like them. (I know this because I used to be someone who looked up to all the high-level coaches so much that I realized myself marketing like them, branding like them and even sounding like them!)

But whenever we do this and try to be like someone else (no matter how successful they are), we just become another coach/ another person trying to sell stuff on the internet. In other words, we become a replica of *insert someone with big name in your industry* rather than a one-of-a-kind original that’s uniquely you. 

And the truth is, nobody can replace you, and that’s your superpower. Nor can anyone replicate your exact set of experiences, your ways of teaching, your story, your values etc. 

In my experience, it is when we own ALL that we are that we begin to display what is most attractive to our ideal clients. So if you are usually sensitive, dreamy and imaginative, let that be your attraction in your marketing (That has totally been the case for me). If you are goofy, chirpy, and bubbly, let that also be your attraction in your marketing.

The more you own all of who you are, the more you will become confident in how you show up in your marketing/creations. And it is when we express all of who we are, that we bring out all the magnetic charms that God has installed within us.