Podcast appearances and mentions of Pauline R Clance

Heute habe ich eine richtig deliziöse Podcastfolge aus der Konserve für Dich: In dieser Folge, die erstmals am 24.4.2022 in den Venus Codes veröffentlicht wurde, ist mal wieder meine Freundin Johanna zu Gast. Wir sprechen über: ✨Authentizität auf Instagram (mal wieder) ✨unhaltbare und fahrlässige Versprechen in der Coaching- und Onlinekurs-Branche ✨Zyklen und Phasen im Leben, die Gleichzeitigkeit verschiedener Dinge und Erfahrungen im Leben, die Natur von Heilungsprozessen ✨das "Hochstapler-Syndrom" ("Imposter Syndrome/Imposter Complex") ✨warum Verletzlichkeit und Authentizität immer auch ein Risiko bergen ✨Achtsamkeit und Lebenszufriedenheit ✨den Umgang mit Weltkrisen und den Bewusstseinswandel der Menschheit; Schuldgefühle und wahre Veränderung ✨geerdete Spiritualität Ich wünsche Dir ganz viel Freude mit diesem Gespräch, das mir mal wieder großen Spaß gemacht hat. Hier sind die Links zu dieser Episode: >> Reise ab dem 24.6.2025 sechs Monate lang durch kosmische und irdische Zyklen zu Dir selbst, in die tiefe Verbundenheit mit Deiner Seele – mit 13 Monde – https://suzannefrankenfeld.de/13-monde/ >> Schreib mir auf Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/suzannefrankenfeld/ Zum Imposter Syndrome/Complex: 1) Die "Studie", die ich in der Folge erwähne, ist eigentlich ein wissenschaftlicher Artikel von 1978: Pauline R. Clance, Suzanne A. Imes: The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women. Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. In: Psychotherapy. Theory, Research, and Practice. 1978. 2) Tanya Geisler fokussiert sich in ihrer Arbeit unter anderem auf den Imposter Complex und in folgendem Artikel erklärt sie, warum sie das Phänomen so nennt –https://tanyageisler.com/blog/imposter-syndrome-impostor-complex Coverfoto: Selfie

In this solo episode, Alexa dives into the common struggles of imposter syndrome, low confidence, and feeling overwhelmed that many singing teachers face. As an experienced voice instructor and singer herself, Alexa shares personal stories and insights on managing these challenges in your teaching career and life. Learn how to overcome negative self-talk, build your confidence both in and out of the studio, and avoid burnout through self-care and planning.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Imposter syndrome, low confidence, and overwhelm are common among singing teachers. Imposter thoughts prevail due to isolation, comparison, and teaching observations. These feelings stem from self-doubt, fear of judgement, and perfectionism. Strategies like reframing thoughts and celebrating achievements can counter imposter syndrome. Perspective-taking and building a support network are beneficial. Despite accomplishments, imposter syndrome affects individuals across fields, emphasising the importance of sharing experiences for community support. You can build a support network by joining online communities and forums, attending conferences, and seeking mentorship. Forming mastermind groups, scheduling catch-ups, and following inspirational accounts on social media offer additional support. Investing in a coach and being open with students about imposter feelings can also aid in managing challenges. BEST MOMENTS  "100% of them reported having felt imposter syndrome, low confidence and overwhelm." "The most common intrusive thoughts reported include 'Just quit. You don't know enough' and 'You don't have the skills.'"   "Sometimes, I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of information and responsibility I'm faced with as a singing teacher."   EPISODE RESOURCES  Guest Website: www.aterryvocalcoaching.com  Social Media: Instagram: @AlexaTerryVocalCoaching Facebook: @ATerryVocalCoaching  Relevant Links & Mentions:  Vocology in Practice The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention by Dr Pauline R Clance & Dr Suzanne A Imes (1978) Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw (1903) (Blog) Singing and the Premenstrual Voice (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.102 Understanding Singing and Menopause with Joanne Bozeman  Psychologist Lev Vygotsky (The Zone of Proximal Development & ‘Scaffolding')  The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women by Valerie Young (Youtube) TED Talk by Valerie Young (2017) Tommy Ludgate: https://tommyludgate.com/ (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.49 Unlocking Your Creative Potential with Tommy Ludgate  (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.151 How to Sing with Twang with Kerrie Obert (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk - Ep. 133 Mastering Belt in Musical Theatre with Amanda Flynn Steven Bartlett & The Diary of a CEO John Henny: https://johnhenny.com/ Voice Study Centre: voicestudycentre.com Adam Grant: https://adamgrant.net/ The 6-minute Success Journal (Podcast) Singing Teachers Talk - Ep.147 TV Coach: Behind the Scenes on ITV's Mamma Mia with Claire Delaney  alexa@basttraining.com BAST Book A Call   ABOUT THE GUEST  After graduating with a BA Musical Theatre degree, Alexa Terry donned her sailor's cap and performed as a lead soloist on cruise ships travelling the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Baltic seas. She trod the boards in London's West End as the protagonist in a new Musical Theatre project, studied as a librettist with Book, Music and Lyrics (BML), and has written for the likes of BritishTheatre.com as a reviewer.  Alexa runs her own 1-1 singing tuition practice in the South of England and is a singing tutor at one of the UK's leading performing arts schools - Italia Conti, where she also regularly panels entry auditions. Alexa is the host of the BAST Training Singing Teachers Talk Podcast, mentors for the BAST Training Level 5 Qualification, and has presented on the topics of Musical Theatre repertoire and authentic Musical Theatre performance.  basttraining.com Updates from BAST Training

Episode 91—Yes, I'm The Great Pretender: Navigating the Creative Challenges of Imposter Syndrome in Writing.Section One: THE WRITERS' ROOM. In this section, we explore writing problems and struggles by answering your questions.What is Imposter Syndrome?Imposter syndrome is when you feel you're not good enough at something, even if you're actually doing well. It's like having a little voice in your head that tells you that you're pretending to be good at something, and that everyone will find out you're not as skilled as they think. The term impostor phenomenon was introduced by Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes.For more information you can read a detail review by Pauline R. Clance on her website - https://www.paulineroseclance.com/impostor_phenomenon.htmlTogether they mention:The Netflix Documentary - Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling NowThe Netflix Documentary - StutzSection Two: PERSONAL PROJECTS. In this section, we share what we've been working on.Laura has been completing all the details necessary when publishing a book. Besides working with clients ghosting writing and memoir writing. Peter has been refining the third edit of his book in progress. He has changed the name and subtitle of the book and is reflecting on his mission with the book. Section Three: BOOK UPDATE. In this section, we share interesting book recommendations, articles, or ideas to help you on your writing journey. Pete is finding great insights from reading: Write Useful Books: A modern approach to designing and refining recommendable nonfiction.Publisher Rocket saves time and frustration when searching for keywords. Publisher Rocket will help you get your book in front of more Amazon shoppers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing.Laura has been reading - Write It All Down: How to Put Your Life on the Page by Cathy Rentzenbrink.Section Four: LESSONS LEARNED. In this section, we share what we are learning about writing and publishing, as it never stops! Update from Ingram Spark about changes for their 10 yr celebration - uploads are now free with T & C. https://help.ingramspark.com/hc/en-us/articles/15276524164749-IngramSpark-Celebrates-10-Years-Section Five: WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DERBYSHIRE WRITING SCHOOL TH

Nach fast einem Jahr ist heute endlich mal wieder meine Freundin Johanna zu Gast in den Venus Codes. In dieser reichhaltigen Folge sprechen wir über: – Authentizität auf Instagram (mal wieder) – unhaltbare und fahrlässige Versprechen in der Coaching- und Online Kurs-Branche – Zyklen und Phasen im Leben, die Gleichzeitigkeit verschiedener Dinge und Erfahrungen im Leben, die Natur von Heilungsprozessen – das "Hochstapler-Syndrom" ("Imposter Syndrome/Imposter Complex") – warum Verletzlichkeit und Authentizität immer auch ein Risiko bergen – Achtsamkeit und Lebenszufriedenheit – den Umgang mit Weltkrisen und den Bewusstseinswandel der Menschheit; Schuldgefühle und wahre Veränderung – geerdete Spiritualität Ich wünsche Dir ganz viel Freude mit diesem Gespräch, das mir mal wieder großen Spaß gemacht hat. Hier sind die Links zu dieser Episode: Bisherige Venus Codes Folgen mit Johanna: (Die Links führen alle zur jeweiligen Folge auf Spotify, aber Du findest alle Folgen wie gehabt auch bei Apple Podcasts.) 7 | Emotionales Essen & andere Süchte – Küchentalk mit Johanna (23.8.2020) – https://open.spotify.com/episode/4nqeWRjhEn4XePbAybu7t6?si=C8kjlqb_T2iC8ozqGYNOUQ 13 | Ermächtigte Freundschaft & platonischer Versöhnungssex – Talk mit Johanna (4.10.2020) – https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wwyn4ptn9BD3y39fzKJvr?si=aVd5UdxwRbKcCXybIjpyog 21 | Gin Gin und der Fall des Patriarchats (22.11.2020) – https://open.spotify.com/episode/7lJmrjirtlaPwasbHnW0GM?si=95gYVfnrTe21sKoUjd3kow 32 | Oh my fucking God, the Love Train is coming! (Talk mit Johanna) (28.2.2021) – https://open.spotify.com/episode/7eMBcgTy5UD2vycbUkaDP7?si=01bfa55ab0b6412e 37 | Vergebung + Erkenntnis = Zertifikat | Talk mit Johanna (9.5.2021) – https://open.spotify.com/episode/012V0lUQGT1QM6XBDFrR5c?si=UJ6qBpasSKu4I2ah1Ufieg Zum Imposter Syndrome/Complex: 1) Die "Studie", die ich in der Folge erwähne, ist eigentlich ein wissenschaftlicher Artikel von 1978: Pauline R. Clance, Suzanne A. Imes: The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women. Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. In: Psychotherapy. Theory, Research, and Practice. 1978. 2) Tanya Geisler fokussiert sich in ihrer Arbeit unter anderem auf den Imposter Complex und in folgendem Artikel erklärt sie, warum sie das Phänomen so nennt –https://tanyageisler.com/blog/imposter-syndrome-impostor-complex >> Kostenfreie E-Mail-Serie "Weiblich, kraftvoll, einfach Du" – https://suzannefrankenfeld.de/weiblich-kraftvoll-du/ >> Triff mich auch auf Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/suzannefrankenfeld/

It strikes more people than you know, and it's been behind the demise of many a promising career.Imposter Syndrome was first recognised identified in 1978 by Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Dr. Suzanne A. Imesin.in their article "The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention"It' s that irrational fear of failure, that little voice inside your head that tells you you're a fraud and you're going to get found out any minute now.There are some great resources available to help combat this feeling now, and we were privileged to speak to one Australian Expert in the fiend, Suzanne Mercier, founder of Purpose to Profit about her own personal experience with Imposter Syndrome, and how she is now helping others to combat it.Episode Transcript available at ReframeOfMind.com.auLet's keep the conversation going. You can find us on our websitewww.reframeofmind.com.auOr connect with us on social media:Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Pinterest | Tiktok———Reframe Of Mind is an Australian podcast series where we explore mental health topics with commentary from scientific and psychological researchers and practitioners, with people whose lived experience supports the research, and applying their learnings to our own lived experience.About Welcome Change Media:Our mission is to help people connect through inclusive content that empowers and inspires.We also work with businesses, organisations and creators to produce branded podcasts that align with your mission.Contact us today to see if we can help you.If you are concerned about yourself or someone you know, please seek individual professional help.The following services may be able to offer some support: Mental Health Helplines Get bonus content on PatreonSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/reframe-of-mind. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Síndrome da Impostora, você tem psi? A ex-primeira dama dos Estados Unidos, Michelle Obama, tem, será que você também? Este fenômeno foi descrito pela primeira vez em 1978, em um artigo escrito pelas pesquisadoras americanas Pauline R. Clance e Suzanne A. Imes, cujo título é “The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention”. No estudo, dados de 150 mulheres que, reconhecidamente, haviam alcançado êxito em suas carreiras foram analisados. Embora suas conquistas profissionais e acadêmicas fossem evidentes e publicamente reconhecidas, percebeu-se que boa parte delas tinha forte sensação de que as suas próprias capacidades estavam sendo superestimadas. Daí o nome impostor. Quem passa por isso tem a impressão de estar enganando as outras pessoas ou de não ser merecedor dos próprios êxitos, como se eles fossem resultado de sorte ou do acaso. Crença de não ser boa o suficiente e sentimento de fraude, sensação de não pertencimento ao meio onde se está, medo de ser descoberta e culpa por estar “enganando” as pessoas; ansiedade pós-sucesso; perfeccionismo e baixa autoestima; insegurança ao ser avaliada e medo da comparação; dificuldade de receber elogios e de se apropriar do sucesso, receio de não conseguir repetir os resultados anteriores... Essas são algumas crenças comuns entre essas pessoas. Conheça o Laboratório de Psicólogos: www.metodopsicolab.com.br Envie um áudio para a gente: https://anchor.fm/psicolab --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/psicolab/message

Das kannst du mitnehmen wenn du heute den Podcast hörst: - Was das Hochstapler-Syndrom ist - Warum es Sinn macht das Syndrom zu kennen - Was das Hochstapler-syndrom mit deiner Rolle als Mutter zu tun hat - Was du als ersten Schritt tun kannst um herauszufinden, ob du betroffen bist - Welche Tipps und Tricks helfen können, wenn du zu verstärkten Selbstzweifeln neigst. Hast du auch manchmal das Gefühl irgendwann bestimmt erwischt zu werden, weil dann alle merken, dass du eigentlich gar nichts kannst und deinen Erfolg gar nicht verdienst? Falls ja, kann es sein, dass du auch zum Impostor-Syndrom, auf Deutsch Hochstapler-Syndrom neigst. Der Begriff wurde in den 80er Jahren von den amerikanischen Psychologinnen Pauline R. Clance und Suzanne A. Imes geprägt: https://www.paulineroseclance.com/pdf/ip_high_achieving_women.pdf Wenn du diesen 10 Aussagen zustimmst könntest du vom Hochstapler-Syndrom betroffen sein: Du hast oft das Gefühl, nicht gut genug zu sein Du gibst immer 110 Prozent und tust mehr als andere und als andere von dir erwarten Über Erfolge kannst du dich kaum freuen Stagnation ist für dich Rückschritt Du hast oft Angst, alles zu verlieren was du erreicht hast. Du fühlst dich häufig überfordert und gibst es nicht zu. Du bittest andere nur selten um Hilfe Komplimente und positives Feedback kannst du nicht annehmen Manchmal hast du das Gefühl, du verschwendest dein Leben Andere nehmen dich als kompetenter wahr als du dich selbst wahrnimmst Mehr NOW MOM auf www.verenaschool.de und auf Instagram nowmom_school :-)

A tucked away secret in the vault of the Haz Mat Guys. We get a chance to bring out this topic hoping that we can give you some insight as to the psychology of Hazmat Thank you to our sponsor: First Line Technology and Argon Electronics Register and enroll at THMG e-University here. Courses being added weekly! Our hazardous materials training manual is finally available on Amazon! Click here to get your copy. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Thanks! Thanks for listening and watching! Don't just get on the job, get into the job! So we've all been there. Standing at your first or even the hundredth drill or roll call and you get the cold sweats. Someone had made a mistake, I am not supposed to be here.You're thinking, I am in a Haz Mat company or team, and everyone here is good at this, and I am supposed to be too. I've been to the classes, I've been in a company doing Hazmat for a while, but I am WAY out of my league.So you start questioning yourself, rationalizing that, “Well...This seemed like the next step, but…”Or maybe people said, “You should go to Hazmat, your smart”All the while, Deep down in our minds we were thinking, “Someone made a mistake”So you ask yourself, how did I end up with a such high performers? And the cycle continues.This thought, along with feelings, things like fraudulence or self-doubt came with it.This feeling sticks around for quite a while.So we begin our endeavor with the thought that if I outperform them, I'll keep up! So we play the part.***If you can't make it fake it***Maybe you begin to feel that you'll never be able to compete with these guys on skills alone so maybe we began focusing on helping the bosses achieve their goals…more on that later.What we find out is that this is a standard way of dealing with our “perceived” phoniness.What I'm describing is something called imposter syndrome.We didn't make this up, this is a legit psychological syndrome that is more common than you thinkIt was first brought to light in 1978 by psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imesimposter syndrome describes the experience of being unable to internalize accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.”Those who experience these feelings of fraudulence tend to believe that they haven't truly earned the success they've achieved — despite clear evidence of their intelligence and capability — and instead attribute their success to luck, or the ability to deceive people into believing they're more competent than they actually are.When you're in the situation you have this fear of being “found out”. Surely, if they've managed to fool a boss, into believing they're actually capable, then someone will discover the truth about them.Multiple studies have shown that impostorism affects both genders, and occurs in people from all professions, cultures and levels of successClance later conducted a survey that found that about 70% of all people have felt like impostors for at least some part of their careers, while other researchers, like Joan Harvey, concluded that anyone can feel like an imposter if they fail to internalize their success.Clance & Imes, who explain imposter syndrome in terms of three central behaviors that come from and even reinforce the imposter phenomenon.The first one is Diligence and hard work.The fear of being “found out” by someone important often causes the “imposter” to work even harder.Putting in longer hours, studying harder or obsessing over quality of work result in strong performance and approval from the bossThat accomplishment validates the person and delivers some temporary relief from the feelings.True fraudulence and inauthenticity.In an attempt to avoid feelings of fraudulence, some people will work to game the system around their accomplishments by finding other ways to satisfy their authority figures.For example, they may figure out the opinions the boss likes, then express those opinions to gain validation.

Si te haz sentido estancado que eres un fracaso y tus logros se deben a un golpe de suerte y no a tus destrezas, inteligencia y cualificaciones. Podrías estar frente al síndrome del impostor es mas común de lo que parece, pero no se habla tanto como se debería. En 1978 fue la primera vez que las doctoras Pauline R. Clance y Suzanne A. Imes hablaron del tema publicando un articulo titulado "The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention" ellas definieron el fenómeno del impostor como una experiencia individual de falsedad intelectual autopercibida. Además en este articulo catalogaron este fenómeno en 6 distintas dimensiones.  Mas adelante la Dra. Valerie Young continúa haciendo investigaciones sobre los sentimientos fraudulentos entre los estudiantes de alto rendimiento. Se posiciona como experta e identifica cinco subgrupos en los que este síndrome a menudo cae en su libro titulado: “The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It”.  Si te interesa este tema puedes conseguir mas información acerca de este síndrome en el internet. Puedes conectarte conmigo a través de mis redes sociales https://linktr.ee/yachirav    

In this episode, discover the meaning of Imposter Syndrome. Dr. Bertrand and Dr. Porcher share their personal experiences with imposter syndrome, its impact upon the Black community, and how to address it. The term “imposter syndrome” was coined by psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes in 1978 to describe an “internal experience of intellectual phoniness in people who believe that they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement.” --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/black-gaze/support

In this episode, I'm talking all about Imposter Sydrome.  Many entrepreneurs experience the unwanted emotion lurking, just waiting to rise to the surface to override our hard work. It's an ugly feeling that impacts the best of us from time to time. If you allow it, this unwelcome emotion can completely derail your mental and emotional strength, bringing your business to a paralyzing halt (Trust me, I've experienced it one too many times). So, you've done well for yourself. Taking a quick glance at your experience and looking at that long list of accomplishments. All signs point towards success. You look good on paper.Now, wait.... Accomplished. A proven authority. However, there's this tightness in the chest that hints at an entirely different conclusion. It even causes you to start questioning yourself because you're worried that others will think you are a fraud. Are you sitting there listening to this silently, nodding your head in agreement? I know right?!The term Imposter Syndrome was coined and introduced to the world in 1978 by Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Dr. Suzanne A. Imes. This term means a psychological pattern in which individual doubts their accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud". Put those earbuds in and listen right away but if you want a sneak peek of what we talk about during this episode, here you go: What is imposter syndrome What to do if you're feeling imposter syndrome Writing down accomplishments Creating a raving fan folder  Build and participate in a support network Embrace the feeling of imposter syndrome and move forward  __________Want to try Kajabi FREE for 28 Days?Sign up for the FREE here: https://app.kajabi.com/r/eCS534oP/t/gnovbpfv__________FOLLOW ME AT:► FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/IAMBRITTANYDARRINGTON/► TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BrittDarr► INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/iambrittanydarrington/► LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittany-darrington-77978aa8/ ________LISTEN TO THE CORPORATE MISFIT PODCAST HERE:► ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-corporate-misfit-podcast-with-brittany-darrington/id1452120031► GOOGLE PLAY: https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ijv5yltzlyxchxen33hejfjb6oq► STITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=369737&refid=stpr► SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/3fnLqZhdJypQKfYp0bWsUE #BrittanyDarrington #CorporateMisfitPodcast #CorporateMisfit

Have you ever had that feeling of being ‘found out’? Like despite your accomplishments at any point someone’s going to call you out and reveal you as a big old fake who has no idea what they’re doing! The ‘who am I do to this?!’gremlin niggling away so that feeling of not being good enough gets louder and louder…so, why even bother trying to show up? Ever felt like that? Yeah, me too….along with most of the population! That’s the joy of Imposter Syndrome. So…What Is Imposter Syndrome? The term ‘Imposter syndrome’ came from research by two clinical psychologists (Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes) back in the 70s.  It was a study primarily of high achieving women as they thought they were the only sufferers, but more recently studies have shown that it affects men and women pretty equally, women were just better at talking about it back then.   Harvard Business Review states “Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. ‘Imposters’ suffer from chronic self-doubt and a sense of intellectual fraudulence that override any feelings of success or external proof of their competence.” So what’s actually going on? The bottom line is this fear is activating the fear centre in your brain which causes the fight or flight mode to kick in.  You’re pumping the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline all over your body so it doesn’t feel good at all and is bad for your health in the long run. What Does Imposter Syndrome Cause? Fear.  Fear of being caught out, fear of failure, low self-worth.   This can lead to perfectionism, overworking to make sure you don’t get ‘found out’…which of course can lead to burnout, a perpetual state of anxiety, stress, feelings of shame and even depression. In short it WILL hold you back if you don’t work through it.   Think about it, if you feel like a fraud you’re not going to put yourself out there, you’re not going to put yourself forward for that speaking gig, that article, that huge opportunity that could propel your business forward.   It’s going to keep you stuck and make everything you do feel that much harder! …so it’s pretty important we nip it in the bud right?! What Can You Do To Combat Imposter Syndrome? TALK ABOUT IT!   The main reason it often goes unnoticed is that people struggling with Imposter syndrome feel like they’re keeping a dirty little secret.  When you realise everyone has these thoughts at some point you can feel a weight lift from your shoulders, you’re not alone anymore AND you can also help other people breathe that same sign of relief in the process too when they realise THEY aren’t alone. A couple of great ways to make sure you’re talking to someone who will really ‘get it’,and have the tools to get through it, is to get a coach or mentor who will provide a completely non-judgemental space for you to share, will understand what’s going on and will be able to help you through it so much more quickly.   You can also consider group coaching programmes where you will also build a network of like minded people so it’s a double whammy really! FIND THE EVIDENCE!!! A huge part of Imposter Syndrome is actively avoiding the evidence that you’re not a fraud.  Write a list of all the reasons you know what you’re talking about. All the training, life experience, qualifications, books read, time spent taking online training. Visualise a time you’re achieved something when you’ve felt really capable and proud of yourself.  Reminding the brain of these moments can help calm the fear centre in your brain. Stop looking at successes you HAVE had as luck and appreciate your hard work and effort. On the flip side, are you actually being a bit of an imposter, if you are what do you need to do to NOT be? AFFIRMATIONS.   Literally rewire neural pathways in your brain to not go to the negative on auto pilot through a process called neuroplasticity. For example, ‘I’m amazing at what I do and am highly qualified.’ PROOF OF LOVE. Keep a folder of all the lovely things people say and who you’ve made a difference to.  If you’re ever feeling like a fraud go read it! TAKE A DAMN COMPLIMENT. Seriously, even if it’s uncomfortable just say thank you.  Don’t let your b JOURNAL.  Use prompts like the one I mentioned above about listing your achievements.  Journaling will help you keep track of what you’ve achieved too so you will be able to look back over your entries and see just how far you’ve come.  Check out my printable journals here for some ideas. UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S PART OF THE PROCESS.   Every time that uber successful person you admire uplevels, launches a new programme, anything new..they feels like an imposter to begin with…then they do the thing and guess what, they stop feeling like an imposter! So there you have it.  Some great ways to keep that Imposter syndrome gremlin in check! When you actually understand and ‘name it’ it really helps it feels MUCH easier to deal with. Remember you’re the only one that can put your message into the world that somebody else needs to hear right at that time, said by you! You can CHOOSE to push through the feeling or let it stop you, it really is up to you.  But once you do it you only grow in confidence, know that! Only talk about what you KNOW you know, you’ve just gotta be a couple of steps in front of someone to be able to help them, you don’t have to know EVERYTHING, the reality is there will always be someone who knows more than you…but there will also ALWAYS be people who know less…talk to them! Fx For more information on this topic head over to https://www.franexcell.com/impostersyndrome/ To join my Free Facebook Community for daily mindset tips and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/franexcellcommunity/ Download your Free Procrastination Buster here: https://franexcell.lpages.co/procrastinationbuster/ Check out my printable journals: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/franexcellprintables

Hi Friend, Welcome to Episode 34 of Sally’s Performing Arts Lab Podcast. Today, my husband, George, my daughter, Emile, and I discuss fear of failure and Impostor Syndrome. I’m your podcast host, Sally Adams. Every week I talk to people about creating original work for a live audience. Send an email anytime to Sally@sallypal.com. Your ideas keep great conversations coming every Monday evening. Check out sallypal.com/join for the free 20-page theatre resource. Creator’s Notebook Insert #2 on scheduling will soon be available. In the meantime, you can listen to Episode 31 if you want an in-depth convo about scheduling for your production. It’s never too late to sign up to have access to the Creator’s Notebook inserts. I’m interested in knowing what creators need as a performing arts resource. Do you need more   information about venues? Do you want to know how to put butts in seats on the cheap? Would you like to connect with other creators? Do you need more practical tips? If there are things you want included in the Creator’s Notebook, let me know by sending an email to sally@sallypal.com! I read them all… challenge me. Be sure and listen until the end of the interview for Concise Advice from the Interview, and Words of Wisdom from George. Fear of failure can be barely noticeable or paralyzing. For artists in the world of performance, the fear of failing can overpower the drive to perform. Some great ideas and performances languish in hiding because an artist can’t seem to get their work on the stage. The artist who succeeds in getting the work in front of an audience may struggle with another roadblock to full expression: Impostor Syndrome. Impostor Syndrome is defined as, “a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success.” The term Impostor Syndrome was coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes. According to a study out of Georgia State University, a third of successful adults believe that they don’t deserve to be where they are. Feelings of success are often overshadowed by the feeling that you are a fraud and anyone who says otherwise doesn’t know enough to recognize your incompetence. A few weeks ago, I asked performing artists to share what they saw as roadblocks to mounting a successful production of original work. I expected to see things like, “finding a venue,” “funding a show” and “putting butts in seats.” While these received honorable mentions, the overriding responses were, “fear of failure” and “Impostor Syndrome”. I distinguish between these two although they have a lot in common. Fear of failure usually keeps you from acting. While Impostor Syndrome means you took an action but you can’t believe your success is anything more than accidental. I’m currently reading a book given to me by my daughter Emile’s fiancé, Beckett. The book is titled The Art of Possibility. Written by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, it exposes the assumptions on which fear of failure and Impostor Syndrome are based. As a longtime drama teacher I was never a big fan of arts competitions. I love arts festivals, performances, and sharing programs. But competitions where the work of one group of artists is measured against the work of another group of artists to determine which group is “the best” strikes me as sending the wrong message. It’s a version of sports competition based on opinions rather than objective measurements. Many of us believe competitions are a necessary evil to inspire student artists to push their work to a higher level. But the arts competition model is flawed and the Zanders explain why: “All the manifestations of the world of measurement – the winning and losing, the gaining of acceptance and the threatened rejection, the raised hopes and the dash into despair – are all based on a single assumption that is hidden from our awareness. The assumption is that life is about staying alive and making it through – surviving in a world of scarcity and peril.” This is where the book begins. The world we live in every day does not position anyone to reach their potential. For most of us, the opposite occurs. The book, The Art of Possibility, goes into detail describing ways to break free from the competition construct. One quote stood out for me. It’s a quote from Agnes DeMille’s book, Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham. In it, DeMille quotes Graham as saying, “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” This conversation is touched on from time to time in other interviews I’ve recorded. Pat Hobbs in Episode 32 talks about imperfect perfection. He says that giving yourself freedom to make mistakes can take your performance to a whole new level. Vanessa Adams, in Episode 28 knows that being vulnerable as an artist has risks and can feel dangerous. But that authenticity can help audience members connect both to the work and to each other. Emile Adams, in Episode 31, revealed that she doesn’t attend rehearsals of her own works to avoid what she calls “backseat directing” and trying to control the expression of the work. During the conversation I mentioned the off-Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcherzzzz. The actual title is, Peter and the Starcatcher. It’s singular… there’s only one Starcatcher. The show is now closed but it was amazing. We also mentioned the amazing Hamilton by Lin Manuael-please-be-on-my-podcast-Miranda. None of us thinks Hamilton is garbage. In fact, Emile and I have been a bit obsessed with the show. But even Miranda admits the early days of creating the show had challenges. And just as I have no evidence of crappy versions of Hamilton, I have no proof that Eric Clapton didn’t start out as a guitar god at age twelve. It’s just that teaching middle school students for over a decade, I can guess that he didn’t start out playing Layla or Tears in Heaven the way he does now. When it comes to creating art for an audience, we all must start somewhere or we don’t start. Today, my husband George, my daughter, Emile, and I explored fear of failure and Impostor Syndrome.  Concise Advice from the Interview is a short version of tips on dealing with fear of failure and Impostor Syndrome. Here are 9 important bits of advice. 9) You can do this - Don’t be afraid to give it a try 8) Learn to motivate your self 7) There’s nothing about “downward spiral” thinking that’s useful. 6) You can write garbage or you can write nothing. Writing garbage means you’re still writing 5) Bragging and Sharing Your Work are not the same thing 4) To get to the place where you can create an amazing thing, you MUST create some garbage along the way 3) You won’t learn if you can’t fail 2) Let go of being technically perfect and your work will connect with an audience 1) When someone compliments your work… Just say, “Thank you” Check out the blog, SallyPAL.com, for articles and podcast episodes. You can be part of the momentum that’s building. Keep an eye out for social media opportunities to share with the SallyPAL community. I want this podcast to give you tools to defeat your fears and share your unique artistic expressions. “If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.” The show notes include links to some of the things talked about today. Use the links as a springboard to launch your work. And, as always, thank you for following, sharing, subscribing, reviewing, joining, & thank you for listening. I want you to pursue your dream to have your work on the stage in front of a live audience. It’s scary, but SallyPAL is here with resources, encouragement, and a growing community of people like us. If you like SallyPAL and want to see the show continue, go to iTunes and leave a review. Also, tell your friends! Word of mouth is the only way to know about SallyPAL. Thanks to Steve, Vicki, Emile, George, Pat, Julie, Beckett, and all of you who’ve been sharing SallyPAL. The art we put on the stage really does make a difference.  I want to help you create original shows for a live audience… All the performances you’ve seen on any stage once lived only in someone’s imagination… Now...keep that channel open!

Good Morning Onward Nation...I’m Stephen Woessner and welcome to today’s solocast. As part of my role as host of Onward Nation...and as CEO of Predictive ROI...I am blessed with this amazing opportunity to meet, talk with, and really get to know business owners as well as the critical skills and strategies they have applied to be successful and the lessons they learned along the way. But these owners have also been kind enough to take me behind the green curtain and share their fears, their insecurities, and the constraints to success that they face each and every day. And the constraints can vary from business owner to business owner...and from industry to industry. But there is one constraint that is universal. There is one constraint that affects all of us. There is one constraint – that no matter who you are – you have faced and have been impacted by it. So for today’s solocast...I am going to take you on a deep dive into this constraint, and more importantly, how to conquer it and give you a couple of key ingredients so you can push it aside when it begins to impact you and your business. And the constraint that I am talking about is the Imposter Syndrome. The Imposter Syndrome isn’t some mystic dark magic voodoo. No, it’s the little voice you hear – a whisper – a question – that asks... “Who do you think you are to attempt something so grand...a goal so big. Who would ever pay for that? What makes you think you can deliver that type of project? Why would that company choose you to work with when they could hire anyone they want?” And the list of bad questions that we ask ourselves each and every day can go on and on. These questions that we pose to ourselves can cause us to question our competency. The questions might give us pause. The questions – and the ensuing internal dialogue – may cause you to show up to a meeting with an important client in a less confident way. Your employees may wonder if you have what it takes to be the inspiring leader they were hoping for when they joined your team. And then all of that negative self-talk results in a self-fulfilling prophecy, which is then followed by another round of doubt from the syndrome. “See, aren’t you glad you didn’t get your hopes up? It’s better this way...then there is no disappointment.” And here too...the list can go on and on. So, the Imposter Syndrome is real. It is unrelenting. It doesn’t get tired. It knows all of your weaknesses and how best to mask your strengths. The Imposter Syndrome will cheat you out of your destiny. It will cheat you out of the application of your God-given talents. And it will cheat you out of being the owner of the thriving, wonderful, game-changing business you want to lead. So buckle in Onward Nation. We’re going for a deep dive into the Imposter Syndrome and how you can conquer it...once and for all. I will share some definitions and some context for when the Imposter Syndrome was discovered, how you can avoid it, as well as several examples of the syndrome hard at work so that you can spot it when it tries to sneak up on you. My hope is that this discussion will be helpful to you recognizing how the seemingly innocent thoughts, or a minor procrastination, can change the course of your destiny without you even realizing it. Why? Because your thoughts become your actions -- and your actions -- become your destiny. So here we go, Onward Nation! First, the Imposter Syndrome is something we all face. Everyone on Earth faces it -- no matter who they are. It is just that some people have deliberately conditioned themselves to be better than most at pushing themselves past it the fear created by the syndrome. If you are hearing the term “Imposter Syndrome” for the first time -- let’s start us off with some context and background. The term Imposter Syndrome was first coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne Imes and was used when referring to high-achieving individuals marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” Despite external evidence of their competence, those exhibiting the syndrome remain convinced they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. In fact, they take their proof of success and pass it off as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be. Some studies suggest the impostor syndrome is particularly common among high-achieving women while other studies indicate that men and women are equally affected. However, based on my experience over the last 20+ years in business, and having interviewed close to 700 of today’s top business owners -- some of the most ambitious super achievers in business today -- I can confidently say -- that the Imposter Syndrome does not have any such gender bias. It attacks both men and women equally -- so nice of it to do so, right Onward Nation!?! Now let’s take that definition and break it down into its two core ingredients. Ingredient #1: the inability to internalize accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” Have you ever felt walking into a meeting that you weren’t worthy -- or that you didn’t belong there? Perhaps someone on the selection committee, the award committee, or board of directors had somehow made a mistake in selecting you. Heck, maybe even some of your colleagues, family members, or friends looked at you and even validated your own suspicions and asked you the seemingly innocent question of “So why did they pick you?”. I began to learn about the imposter syndrome back in 2009. My first book had been published while I was an academic staff member at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. My book had become popular with small business owners and several of the UW campuses around the state started asking me to teach a class at their respective campuses. Awesome. So one day I mentioned the opportunities to a family friend -- that I was headed to UW-Green Bay the next day to teach a class based on my SEO book...and my friend looked at me and said, “Well, why are they having you teach the class? Couldn’t they find someone else locally to teach the class?” My friend was not trying to be hurtful -- not in the least. But those comments hit me hard. Never mind that my SEO book was #3 in the United States, I had just been interviewed for Inc Magazine and other credibility indicators. When he asked me that question -- I actually paused and thought about it. “Yeah, why are they hiring me to teach...am I good enough...do I have what it takes...am I the best they could bring in...did I deserve to be there...was I a fraud...did I know what I was talking about?” Or, there was another instance -- with this same family friend -- when we were having dinner following a recent trip where I was in Washington DC doing what’s called a “Speaker Visit” at Leading Authorities, one of the speakers bureaus that represent me. They had just started representing me and the visit was an opportunity for me to make a brief presentation to showcase my areas of expertise, answer questions, and just help their sales team get to know me a bit better for when any of their clients might need a professional speaker with my skill set. And during the Q&A portion of the discussion, some members of the Leading Authorities sales team asked me some questions about how best to promote one of their newest clients online -- a very big name -- retired military officer -- and big headlines at the time. Awesome -- I love that kind of Q&A -- and it was really fun sharing some strategies and steps they could use to make a big impact. So when I got home -- and had dinner with my friend -- I told him about the experience at Leading Authorities and how excited it was. And after I was finished telling the story -- he said to me -- again not trying to be mean to me -- but he asked, “So why did they ask you about how to help?” A legitimate question...and my answer could have been to share aspects of my experience that were relevant to the conversation in D.C. and specifics about how I helped. Instead, I let the Imposter Syndrome rise up -- destroy my confidence -- and the end result was that I even began to question why I had been asked. It was a complete 180 in my confidence -- but -- it also proved to be a critical lesson in learning how to defeat the Imposter Syndrome -- and part of your weaponry needs to be protecting your inner circle -- who gets to be inside your circle -- and the information you share or don’t share with members outside your circle. But, there’s nothing unique or different about these stories. We have all had these experiences of the little voice in our heads whispering -- or in some cases shouting -- “Who do you think you are to do something so amazing?” That is the Imposter Syndrome, Onward Nation and it is likely holding you back -- it is rearing its ugly head in the form of fear -- and you need to push it aside so it doesn’t block your progress in moving forward. Here’s the reality...high-performers work hard to prevent people from discovering they are "impostors." This hard work often leads to more praise and success, which perpetuates the impostor feelings and fears of being "found out." The "impostor" may feel they need to work two or three times as hard, to over-prepare, tinker, and obsess over details. This can lead to burnout and sleep deprivation. I have felt that way before. With each new interview, success quote, media feature that I received from my books -- I would think -- goodness -- did I deserve to be there? YES -- but it took me a long time to believe it -- and I still wrestle with it today. Ingredient #2: the “imposter” takes the proof of success and passes it off as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be Has your business ever gone through a growth spurt and you wondered why? Have you ever looked around your office and suddenly realized you have some amazing people working for you, looking to you for leadership, and you cannot figure out what they see in you? Have you ever felt uncomfortable heading into a presentation with a new client and you wonder why they invited you to the table? Or, in a personal situation -- have you ever felt like you married up -- that your husband or wife -- was not only your better half -- but completely out of your league? Why do we ask ourselves such losey and unfair questions? And here’s the important point that I really want you to get, Onward Nation. When you ask yourself “How on earth were we able to hire such amazing employees? Don’t they know that we don’t know what in the world we’re doing?” -- your brain does a funny thing...it gives you an answer. Your brain doesn’t want to make you out to be a liar -- so it gives you the answer to fit your story. You start hearing things like… “Yeah, boy, you really pulled the wool over their eyes on that one. Hope Becky doesn’t figure it out -- because if she leaves -- then Tom is sure to leave, too.” Or, “Why did client X invite us here? We don’t really have a shot at winning this pitch, do we?” And then answer you get back might be something like, “Nope, we have no chance of winning -- especially if they knew all about the mistakes we made just last week on Client Z’s account. We are lucky to have kept Client Z -- hope X doesn’t ask for references. Maybe we ought to back out of the process now.” What nonsense. The reality is that you were invited into the evaluation process because you have a stellar network -- perhaps stellar credentials -- and you deserve to be at the table. The voice on your shoulder -- the voice whispering in your ear -- is the imposter syndrome. And we all deal with it. It doesn’t matter who you are thinking of right now...Tim Ferriss has dealt with it...Joel Osteen has dealt with...all of the incredible business leaders that grace the covers of SUCCESS Magazine, Inc, Fast Company deal with it. Heck, I struggle with it, too… “I think to myself all the time -- I can’t invite that person to be a guest on my show -- they’ll for sure say no!” Good grief! Why do we do this ourselves, Onward Nation? Every business owner -- every political leader -- every leader throughout history has dealt with this. George Washington did not feel he was worthy to be this country’s first president. No one is immune from the Imposter Syndrome. But if you know that -- you can defeat this secret enemy. But here’s what is unique -- and what is special -- is when someone stares into the face of potential rejection -- faces their fear and they do it anyway. And to quote the rock solid awesome words of Dr. Marcie Beigel -- a three-time guest of Onward Nation...she said to me in her first encore interview in Episode 144 said to me, “Stephen...be scared, and then do it anyway!” Wow...I loved that. Because it is oftentimes fear -- which is another way of describing the imposter syndrome -- it is fear that gets in your way more than anything else. You -- you, Onward Nation...are your business’s biggest constraint. Not the market, not your lack of customers, not your pricing, not your product quality...no...it is you. You -- as the leader -- as the business owner -- you set the pace and tempo of your company -- either fast or slow -- you do. So I asked Dr. Marcie during that special encore interview to share how business owners can reach that elusive next level? She was kind enough to map it out into three simple steps. Get clear on what the next level is — how will you know when you’re there? Walk through your fear -- make a plan -- and just do it Find a mentor -- we learn best from the people who have been there And let’s look at all three of these. First...get clear on what the next level is. Well, if the imposter syndrome (aka FEAR) is making you believe that you are not even worthy of your current level of success -- how could you possibly believe that you are worthy of more? So how could you define what the next level looks like? Great question, right? Instead, perhaps you need to spend some time in gratitude being thankful for what you have already accomplished -- consciously acknowledging that what you have achieved was deserved because you worked hard to get there and you applied your God-given gifts and talents to get there -- and now -- to realize your full potential -- it is time to leap off your current plateau and move onward to that next level -- and you deserve to be at the next level -- because you’re an expert. But the first step is to give yourself permission to define that next level so you know when you and your business have arrived. Second...be scared about the next level...and do it anyway. Set your fear aside -- what is the worst that could happen? Prospective customers could say no. You might make a bad decision and lose some money? An employee or a group of employees may disagree in how you’re redirecting the company and could decide to leave. Okay? Are any of these life-threatening situations? Did anyone die? No. And like Mike Stromsoe taught us in episode 24 of Onward Nation -- did anyone die, no? then move on! Stopping making each decision more -- or bigger -- than it has to be. Just make a decision...then move on. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. So, Onward Nation, just be scared -- and then do it anyway. And lastly...find a mentor to learn from. More specifically -- find a mentor or group of mentors who are all moving at a pace and tempo that is faster than you. I know I say this a lot -- but only because it is critically important. It matters who you spend your time with -- and if you spend your time with people who are moving at your current pace -- or slower -- those people may make you feel comfortable to be around -- they may not challenge you -- they may not push you or ask you tough questions -- and it is easy to relax and unwind. But guard yourself -- if you don’t protect your time -- you will slow down as a result. Why? Because as Coach John Wooden once said, you will never outperform your circle. You won’t -- it is just human nature. So you need to make sure the mentors you select are operating at a completely different level than you are currently at -- that you reach -- that you stretch -- that you get yourself into a group of people where you don’t currently belong. And then you work like crazy to not get left behind -- and in the process -- you will expand and grow -- and leap off your current plateau onto that next rung. And as Scott McKain recently taught me, “Stephen, you cannot reach that next rung, unless you are willing to let go of the current one you are hanging on to.” Very wise words, Onward Nation. Please recognize the imposter syndrome for what it is...it is nothing more than fear. Please also know that we all deal with it...you are not different because you feel it...you are not uniquely burdened or yoked. But what can make you unique and distinctive is your ability to refuse the status quo and to push past your fear -- to shove the imposter syndrome aside and to not let yourself be your own limitation. You were meant for greatness. You are a child of the most high God. You are instilled with an infinite abundance of talent and gifts. Please don’t let something so small as fear limit all you were meant to be. So with that said... I want to say thank you for taking the time to be here with me today. It is an honor to have you here -- thank you for tuning in -- your time is sacred and I am delighted you chose this episode to be what you listen to, study, and take with you on your morning run, or maybe Onward Nation has become part of your daily commute, or in some other way has become part of your morning routine. However our daily podcast fits into your daily routine -- I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing some of your invaluable 86,400 seconds you have in your day with me and the strategies we learn and share each day from today’s top business owners. And please continue to let me know what you think of Onward Nation...good or bad...I always want your feedback. My direct email address is stephen@onwardnation.com -- and yes -- that is my actual Inbox. No fancy filters or filing system and I read and reply to every single email. So please let me know how you think we are doing. I look forward to hearing from you. We will be back tomorrow with an interview with Ian Lamont. I think you will find Ian helpful because we explored how today’s successful companies – at their core – as part of their DNA – have became media companies and how this transformation is likely to continue. My guess is you will find our conversation thought-provoking as I did – it is well worth your time.    Until then, onward with gusto!  

Imposter Syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome) is a concept describing high-achieving individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud." The term was coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes. Despite external evidence of their competence, those exhibiting the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be.  Tonight, we will explain this condition, how people get it, and therapeutic coping strategies for those who may have it.

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and the host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media. Good Morning Onward Nation…I’m Stephen Woessner and welcome to this week’s solocast…Episode 440. If you have been listening to Onward Nation for a while — you know that I like sharing strategies along with all of their tactical step-by-step processes that help business owners create predictable, measurable, and repeatable success for themselves and their teams. Today’s solocast will be no different. We are going to dig into how hosting a podcast can be a perfect strategy for owners of business-to-business professional services firms. I am going to take you deep into a sneak peek of the pages of my latest book, entitled Profitable Podcasting. The book will not be released by my publisher until September but I want to begin sharing some of the insights now so you can begin to apply. This book is comprehensive — and it is a research-based book that shares our full blueprint or “recipe” for podcast success with you. Each and every step is presented in complete transparency. Not a single step has been be hidden from you. It’s all here, in plain sight. Within the book, I will walk you behind the green curtains of Onward Nation and Predictive ROI so you can learn our proven system. You will also have access to in-depth insights from 10 business owners just like you. Each of them decided to create a podcast to change the game – and then did it. Their impressive stories are shared in full transparency too. But why write such a comprehensive book? Because you deserve a resource that eliminates the guesswork, demystifies the process and gives you a clear and concise strategy for going from zero to launch in about 30 days. Only limited resources were available when my Predictive ROI team and I decided to create Onward Nation. Sure, there were plenty of hyperbole packed eBooks and webinars that led me into the sales funnels of information marketers, but those resources lacked depth, and candidly, they lacked business acumen. We quickly consumed the resources and were left with more questions than answers. Plus, the resources lacked full transparency. They typically provided just enough to get you interested in learning more, and then pitched a $997 online training or mastermind program. All of which drove me crazy and didn’t solve our problem. Not awesome! But there are much more important reasons I decided to go as deep as possible with the book. In my opinion, podcasting – as a medium – deserves a long-form guide, an encyclopedia of how to do it right. When I interviewed Gary Vaynerchuk before the release of his social media book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook (by the way — still the best book on the market regarding social media and the business strategy behind it all), we discussed how it wasn’t just a social media book, but a business book that would elevate social media to a new level of legitimacy. My hope is that this book will raise the bar for podcasting just as Gary did for social media marketing. So on the surface, Profitable Podcasting looks like a podcasting book. But it’s actually a business book about how business owners just like you are using podcasting to grow their companies, expand their platforms, and build nations of true fans. I promise you — each chapter includes step-by-step instructions so you can create, launch, market, and monetize your own podcast. The book includes checklists, production schedules, weekly goal tracking, social media strategies with visual examples, promotional emails, guest invitations, exclusive access to private online video tutorials, and other resources including time-saving third-party tools. I am excited to share this resource because small business has been my focus for 23 years. This is my third book devoted to helping small business owners succeed. Helping small business owners is deeply rewarding for several reasons. First, having owned five small businesses, I know that in today’s economy, if one wants to have an impact (as I strive to do), then small business represents a tremendous opportunity. Small business owners are the lifeblood of our economy. Second, the 28 million small businesses operating in the United States today, according to the Small Business Administration, account for 55 percent of all jobs and 54 percent of total revenue generated. I want to help as many business owners as possible grow so they can create more jobs and improve the lives of their families, employees, and communities. Third, this book tackles the top challenge facing most business owners: According to a recent survey of 1,100 small business owners, 43 percent of respondents identified growing revenue as a top challenge facing U.S. businesses in 2016. That’s more than 12 million businesses expected to face the same challenge. Driving this number down is a worthy goal of this book. And if you know my family history — and our story — you will understand why I am so passionate about the success of small business owners. But…there are significant challenges to small business owners who want to have a podcast. It is not as simple as just turning on the microphone, recording a conversation, and distributing it out to iTunes. Sure you can do that…but it is highly unlikely that your time and effort will pay off for your business. So for today’s solocast…I am going to address the challenges that typically paralyze business owners from either getting started — or — keep them from achieving the success they aspire to achieve from their podcast. So here we go, Onward Nation. Ready for the deep dive? Rock solid awesome! First…a podcast is just a tool. It’s just a platform, Onward Nation. A platform is simply a conduit for distributing or sharing content. No platform in and of itself will help your business grow revenue. This is a very important point. Just because you have a podcast — does not mean — that prospective customers or even an audience will begin to flock to you. Not at all. In order for your podcast to be of value to your business, there needs to be purpose behind the guests you invite to be on your show. There needs to be purpose behind the questions you ask your guests. There needs to be purpose behind how you nurture and take care of your guests before their interviews and after their episodes have aired. And ultimately, you need a strategy for how your podcast will grow your business, expand your platform, and build your nation of true fans. Having interviewed nearly 500 of today’s top business owners – and having talked with, consulted with, or worked with many of them in producing and launching their own podcasts – I can say with certainty that there are typically three primary challenges or questions that well up in the mind of a business owner who is considering a podcast. Some business owners need to confront all three; others may just need to confront two. But I assure you, Onward Nation — every business owner will need to confront at least one. Question #1: How will my podcast make money and help grow my business? Question #2: How much time with this take me? Question #3: How will I get guests? (Or, the variation: What if no one accepts my invitation to be a guest on the show?) I will devote a future solocast to the revenue topic. But for this week — we will dive deep into Questions 2 and 3 because they are critically important to getting your mindset right before heading down the podcasting path. If you don’t get your mindset right, I assure you, there will be setbacks and challenges along the way. Without the correct preparation you will be tempted to quit – and you likely will…quit. Most podcasters quit after just 7 episodes. It is called “Podfading” — because a business owner launches his or her weekly show — then expects the show to set the world on fire just because it is available — and when it doesn’t — they quit after not even two months. Really sad. However, if I help you properly set expectations, when the challenges come your way, instead of being tempted to quit, you can confidently say to yourself, “Ah, Stephen said this would happen and that I’d feel this way” – and you will push forward. Don’t ever quit, Onward Nation. Let me help you AVOID THE TIME TRAP. One of the questions I am asked most often by business owners who have considered a podcast for their business is, “How much time will having a podcast take out of my schedule?” It’s a great question because we should all protect our schedules. Most business owners assume the answer is 10 hours a week – and that the solution will require them to add staff and make other investments. But here’s the reality: You can have an awesome, top-rated podcast in iTunes by investing less than four hours per month. Yes. Four hours. Would you grow revenues faster if you invested more time? Likely yes, but four hours a month is an excellent place to start. So why would business owners assume that my answer would be something like 10 hours a week? Because then it would be easy for them to justify why they hadn’t pursued it more seriously. But in fact, it isn’t the perceived time commitment that stops a small business owner from having a podcast. It is fear. Fear often rears its ugly head in an attempt to derail the entrepreneurial journey you’re on. Fear will beat you to your knees if you let it. Fear will cheat you out of success in all aspects of your business, including developing a great platform like a podcast so you can grow revenue and build a nation of true fans. Once business owners are assured that their time investment will only be about four hours per month, a second challenge typically comes to mind – this one with the subconscious goal of thwarting the podcast from gaining any additional momentum; to snuff out the fire that was building. But what will be YOUR BIGGEST MOST PAINFUL CHALLENGE on your path to use podcasting to grow your business? Well, you may be asking yourself the question right now, “Stephen, how will I get guests?” Or maybe the variation: “What if no one accepts the invitation to be on my show?” These two fear-laden questions should serve as warning signs that something sinister is lurking. If you let them, they will keep you in check and prevent you from moving forward. The truth is, we all face such challenges. It’s just that some people are better than others at pushing themselves past them. In my opinion, this challenge may be blocking your success not just with podcasting, but in other areas of your business as well. The challenge is known as the “Imposter Syndrome.” Clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne Imes coined the term in 1978 to describe high-achieving individuals who are unable to internalize their accomplishments and who consequently fear being exposed as a “fraud.” Actual, objective evidence of their competence doesn’t matter to those who exhibit the syndrome. They remain convinced that they’re frauds. They feel that they don’t deserve the success they have achieved. Calling it “luck” or “good timing,” they never take credit for their accomplishments. Perhaps they believe that they’ve tricked others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they actually are. Now let’s take that definition and break it down into its two core ingredients. Ingredient #1: the inability to internalize accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” Have you ever walked into a meeting and felt that you weren’t worthy — or that you didn’t belong there? Perhaps someone on the selection committee, the award committee, or board of directors had made a mistake in selecting you. Heck, maybe even some of your colleagues, family members, or friends even validated your own suspicions and asked you the seemingly innocent question: “So why did they pick you?” I began to learn about the imposter syndrome back in 2009, around the time my first book was published. I was an academic staff member at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. After my book became popular with small business owners, several of the UW campuses around the state asked me to teach a class at their respective campuses. Awesome. One day I mentioned this opportunity to a family friend: I told him I headed to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay the next day to teach a class based on my SEO book. My friend looked at me and said, “Well, why are they having you teach the class? Couldn’t they find someone in Green Bay to teach it?” My friend was not trying to be hurtful — not in the least. But those comments hit me hard. Never mind that my SEO book was #3 in the United States, or that I had just been interviewed for Inc. Magazine, or any of the other credibility indicators. When he asked me that question, I actually paused and thought about it. “Yeah, why are they hiring me to teach? Am I good enough? Do I have what it takes? Am I the best they could bring in? Do I deserve to be there? Am I a fraud? Do I even know what I’m talking about?” There is nothing unique about my story. We have all had these experiences where we begin to hear the voice in our heads whispering — or in some cases shouting — “Who do you think you are?” The imposter syndrome will work hard to hold you back. High-performers with imposter syndrome may work obsessively hard to prevent people from discovering that they’re “impostors.” And talk about a vicious cycle: The hard work leads to more praise and success, which only perpetuates the impostor feelings, leading the “imposter” to work even harder, which can lead to sleep deprivation, burnout and worse. Ingredient #2: the “Imposter” takes the proof of success and passes it off as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe. Has your business ever gone through a growth spurt that you couldn’t explain? Have you ever looked around your office and suddenly realized you have some amazing people working for you and looking to you for leadership – and yet, you cannot figure out what they see in you? Have you ever felt uncomfortable before a presentation with a new client? Did you wonder why they invited you to the table? Why do we ask ourselves such lousy and unfair questions? Here’s the important point that I really want you to get. When you ask yourself, “How on earth were we able to hire such amazing employees? Don’t they know that we don’t know what in the world we’re doing?” — your brain does a funny thing…it gives you an answer. It’s a crummy answer but it’s an answer. Your brain doesn’t want to make you out to be a liar — so it gives you the answer to fit your story. You start hearing things like, “Yeah, you really pulled the wool over their eyes on that one. Hope Becky doesn’t figure it out — because if she leaves — then Tom is sure to leave the company, too.” Or, “Why did client X invite us here? We don’t really have a shot at winning this pitch, do we?” The answer you get back might be something like, “Nope, we have no chance of winning — especially if they knew about all the mistakes we made just last week on Client Z’s account. We are lucky to have kept Client Z — hope X doesn’t ask for references. Maybe we ought to back out of the process now.” What nonsense, Onward Nation! You were invited into the evaluation process because you have a stellar network — perhaps stellar credentials — and you deserve to be at the table. The voice on your shoulder — the voice whispering in your ear — is the imposter syndrome. And we all deal with it. It doesn’t matter who you are thinking of right now. Tim Ferriss, the bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, has dealt with it. Joel Osteen has dealt with it. All of the incredible business leaders that grace the cover of Entrepreneur magazine deal with it. Every business owner — every political leader — every leader throughout history has dealt with this. George Washington did not feel he was worthy to be this country’s first president. No one is immune from imposter syndrome. But what is unique — and what is special — is when someone faces the fear of potential rejection. To quote the beautiful words of educator and behavior expert Dr. Marcie Beigel — a two-time Onward Nation guest: “Stephen…be scared, and then do it anyway!” I loved that. Because it is oftentimes fear — which is another way of describing imposter syndrome — gets in your way more than anything else. You may be your own biggest constraint. Not your ability to schedule guests on your show, not your ability to sell, not the market, not your lack of customers, not your pricing, not your product quality. No, it is you. You, as the owner, set the pace and tempo of your company — either fast or slow. I asked Dr. Marcie to share how business owners can reach that elusive next level. She was kind enough to map it out into three simple steps: Get clear on what the next level is — how will you know when you’re there? Walkthrough your fear; make a plan — and just do it Find a mentor — we learn best from the people who have been there So let’s look at all three of these. First, get clear on what the next level is for you and your business. Well, if imposter syndrome (aka FEAR) is making you believe you are not even worthy of your current level of success, then how could you possibly believe you’re worthy of being the host of a top-ranked podcast? Great question, right? Instead, perhaps you need to spend some time being thankful for what you have already accomplished — consciously acknowledging that what you have achieved has been well deserved because you worked hard and you applied your God-given gifts and talents to get there. Now, to realize your full potential, it’s time to leap off your current plateau and move onward to that next level. You deserve to be at the next level. You’re an expert. The first step is to give yourself permission to define that next level so you know when you, your podcast and your business have arrived. Second…be scared about the next level…and do it anyway. Kick fear to the curb. What’s the worst that could happen? Prospective customers could say no. You might make a bad decision and lose some money. An employee or a group of employees may disagree with how you’re redirecting the company and could decide to leave. Okay. Are any of these life-threatening situations? Did anyone die? No? Then move on! Stop making each decision more than it has to be. Just make a decision. Then move on. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. As Dr. Marcie said, “Be scared and then do it anyway.” Finally, find a mentor to learn from as Don Yaeger recommended in the Foreword of this book. More specifically, find a mentor or group of mentors who are all moving at a pace and tempo that is faster than you. It matters who you spend your time with — and if you spend your time with people who are moving at your current pace — or slower — those people may make you feel comfortable to be around — they may not challenge you — they may not push you or ask you tough questions — and it is easy to relax and unwind. Why? Because as Coach John Wooden once said, “You will never outperform your circle.” That’s just human nature. So you need to make sure the mentors you select are operating at a completely different level than you — a level to which you can reach and stretch. You want to get into a group of people where you don’t currently belong and then work like crazy not to get left behind. In the process you’ll expand and grow. You will then be able to leap from your current plateau onto the next rung. As Onward Nation guest Scott McKain taught me, “Stephen, you cannot reach that next rung, unless you are willing to let go of the current one you are hanging on to.” Wise words. You were meant for greatness, Onward Nation. You are instilled with an infinite abundance of talent and gifts. Don’t let something so small as fear limit all you were meant to be. Don’t give up — keep pushing — and don’t ever, ever quit. If you are going to be successful at using podcasting to drive your business onward to that next level — you need to get your mindset right first. Because when you do — you will no longer be at risk of podfading — and then the next step — will be for you to bolt on a monetization strategy to your podcast so you have an opportunity to drive significant revenue into your business. I will cover monetization in a future solocast. So with that said… I want to say thank you for taking the time to be here with me today. It is an honor to have you here — thank you for tuning in — your time is sacred and I am delighted you chose this episode to be what you listen to, study, and take with you on your morning run, or maybe Onward Nation has become part of your daily commute, or in some other way has become part of your morning routine. However, our daily podcast fits into your daily routine — I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing some of your invaluable 86,400 seconds you have in your day with me and the strategies we learn and share each day from today’s top business owners. And please continue to let me know what you think of Onward Nation…good or bad…I always want your feedback. My direct email address is stephen@predictiveroi.com — and yes — that is my actual Inbox. No fancy filters or filing system and I read and reply to every single email. So please let me know how you think we are doing. I look forward to hearing from you. We will be back tomorrow with an exceptional interview with Nick Creswell from Thomson Reuters in London — who will take us inside why he believes that today’s leaders lead with culture. Nick is off-the-charts amazing. You will not want to miss it. Until then, onward with gusto!

Our 2nd ever guest joins the podcast, Amy Oplinger, to discuss Impostor Syndrome & life after Dreamforce! Helpful links: Salesforce User Groups - https://success.salesforce.com/usergroups Coastal Cloud - http://coastalcloud.us/#sales-force-implementation @saleforceamy http://paleoleap.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Infuser-Water-Bottle-Ounce-Ingredients/dp/B0093F9LW6 Wikipedia: Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome) is a term coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes referring to high-achieving individuals marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud".Despite external evidence of their competence, those exhibiting the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Proof of success is dismissed as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be. Some studies suggest that impostor syndrome is particularly common among high-achieving women.

Stephen is the CEO of Predictive ROI and host of the Onward Nation podcast. He is the author of two bestselling books, speaker, trainer, and his digital marketing insights have been featured in SUCCESS, Entrepreneur, The Washington Post, Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and other media. Good Morning Onward Nation...I’m Stephen Woessner. And before we jump into today’s solocast topic -- I want to wish you a very belated Happy 2016. My hope for you is that your New Year has started off with the momentum you envisioned, with the progress you wanted and desired, and that you and your team are executing on all the plans and strategies you crafted toward the end of 2015. My additional hope is that during all the Christmas and New Year celebrations, you also made time to practice Habit #7 that we learned from the wisdom of the late Dr. Stephen Covey is his groundbreaking book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. We all must take time to “Sharpen the Saw” as Dr. Covey so masterfully described it. If you don’t maintain your health, maintain your sanity, take time to relax, rejuvenate, unwind, de-clutter, spend time with family and friends, and nurture relationships, your “Saw” -- or your production capability -- becomes dull and ineffective. Just like a dull blade on a saw that has been overused and becomes dull then needs to be sharpened before it can be put back into useful service. The holidays are an excellent time for sharpening -- but -- not the only time. Today is Wednesday, January 27th...and Habit #7 is partly the reason behind today’s episode being my first solocast of 2016. I have been spending time with family, friends, traveling for a couple Predictive ROI engagements, and for the last 2-weeks, I have been in Disney World to teach a workshop, attend another, as well as some family down time. It has been the perfect start to 2016 -- a fine balance in which to sharpen the saw. And it is a wonderful honor and privilege to be back here with you, Onward Nation, this morning for today’s solocast. Thank you so much for being here with me. So for our time together...I am going to focus our attention toward an obstacle we all experience -- this obstacle is something we all face. In fact everyone on Earth faces it no matter who they are -- it is just that some people are better than others at pushing themselves past it. The obstacle is known as the “Imposter syndrome.” If you are hearing the term for the first time -- I will start us off with some context and background. The term Imposter Syndrome was first coined in 1978 by clinical psychologists Dr. Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne Imes and was used when referring to high-achieving individuals marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” Despite external evidence of their competence, those exhibiting the syndrome remain convinced they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. In fact, they take their proof of success and pass it off as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be. Some studies suggest the impostor syndrome is particularly common among high-achieving women while other studies indicate that men and women are equally affected. Now let’s take that definition and break it down into its two core ingredients. Ingredient #1: the inability to internalize accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” Have you ever walked into a meeting and felt that you weren’t worthy -- or that you didn’t belong there? Perhaps someone on the selection committee, the award committee, or board of directors had somehow made a mistake in selecting you. Heck, maybe even some of your colleagues, family members, or friends looked at you and even validated your own suspicions and asked you the seemingly innocent question of “So why did they pick you?” I began to learn about the imposter syndrome back in 2009. My first book had been published while I was an academic staff member at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. My book had become popular with small business owners and several of the UW campuses around the state started asking me to teach a class at their respective campuses. Awesome. So one day I mentioned the opportunities to a family friend -- that I was headed to UW-Green Bay the next day to teach a class based on my SEO book...and my friend looked at me and said, “Well, why are they having you teach the class? Couldn’t they find someone else locally to teach the class?” My friend was not trying to be hurtful -- not in the least. But those comments hit me hard. Never mind that my SEO book was #3 in the United States, I had just been interviewed for Inc. Magazine, and other credibility indicators. When he asked me that question -- I actually paused and thought about it. “Yeah, why are they hiring me to teach...am I good enough...do I have what it takes...am I the best they could bring in...did I deserve to be there...was I a fraud...did I know what I was talking about?” There is nothing unique or different about my story. We have all had these experiences of the little voice in our heads whispering -- or in some cases shouting -- “Who do you think you are to do something so amazing?” That is the imposter syndrome, Onward Nation, and it is holding you back -- it is rearing its ugly head in the form of fear -- and you need to push it aside so it doesn’t block your progress in moving forward. Here’s the reality...high-performers work hard to prevent people from discovering that they are "impostors." This hard work often leads to more praise and success, which perpetuates the impostor feelings and fears of being "found out." The "impostor" may feel they need to work two or three times as hard. They over-prepare, tinker and obsess over details. This can lead to burnout and sleep deprivation. I have felt that way before. With each new interview, success quote, media feature -- I would think -- goodness -- did I deserve to be there? YES -- but it took me a long time to believe it -- and I still wrestle with it today. Ingredient #2: the “imposter” takes the proof of success and passes it off as luck, timing, or as a result of deceiving others into thinking they are more intelligent and competent than they believe themselves to be Has your business ever gone through a growth spurt and you wondered why? Have you ever looked around your office and suddenly realized you have some amazing people working for you, looking to you for leadership, and you cannot figure out what they see in you? Have you ever felt uncomfortable heading into a presentation with a new client and you wonder why they invited you to the table? Or in a personal situation -- have you ever felt like you married up -- that your husband or wife -- was not only your better half -- but completely out of your league? Why do we ask ourselves such lousy and unfair questions? And here’s the important point that I really want you to get, Onward Nation. When you ask yourself, “How on earth were we able to hire such amazing employees? Don’t they know that we don’t know what in the world we’re doing?” -- your brain does a funny thing...it gives you an answer. Your brain doesn’t want to make you out to be a liar -- so it gives you the answer to fit your story. You start hearing things like…”Yeah, boy, you really pulled the wool over their eyes on that one. Hope Becky doesn’t figure it out -- because if she leaves -- then Tom is sure to leave, too.” Or, “Why did client X invite us here? We don’t really have a shot at winning this pitch, do we?” And then answer you get back might be something like, “Nope, we have no chance of winning -- especially if they knew all about the mistakes we made just last week on Client Z’s account. We are lucky to have kept Client Z -- hope X doesn’t ask for references. Maybe we ought to back out of the process now.” What nonsense. The reality is that you were invited into the evaluation process because you have a stellar network -- perhaps stellar credentials -- and you deserve to be at the table. The voice on your shoulder -- the voice whispering in your ear -- is the imposter syndrome. And we all deal with it. It doesn’t matter who you are thinking of right now...Tim Ferriss has dealt with it...Joel Osteen has dealt with...all of the incredible business leaders that grace the cover of SUCCESS Magazine, Inc, and Fast Company deal with it...heck, I struggle with it… “I think to myself all the time -- I can’t invite that person to be a guest on Onward Nation -- they’ll for sure say no!” Good grief! Every business owner -- every political leader -- every leader throughout history has dealt with this. George Washington did not feel he was worthy to be this country’s first president. No one is immune from the imposter syndrome. But what is unique -- and what is special -- is when someone stares into the face of potential rejection -- faces their fear and they do it anyway. And to quote the beautiful words of Dr. Marcie Beigel -- a two-time guest of Onward Nation...she said to me in her recent encore interview for episode 144 said to me, “Stephen...be scared, and then do it anyway!” Wow...I loved that. Because it is oftentimes fear -- which is another way of describing the imposter syndrome -- it is fear that gets in your way more than anything else. You -- you, Onward Nation...are your business’s biggest constraint. Not the market, not your lack of customers, not your pricing, not your product quality...no...it is you. You set the pace and tempo of your company -- either fast or slow -- you do. So I asked Dr. Marcie during that special encore interview to share how business owners can reach that elusive next level? She was kind enough to map it out into three simple steps. Get clear on what the next level is — how will you know when you’re there? Walk through your fear -- make a plan -- and just do it Find a mentor -- we learn best from the people who have been there And let’s look at all three of these. First...get clear on what the next level is. Well, if the imposter syndrome (aka FEAR) is making you believe that you are not even worthy of your current level of success -- how could you possibly believe that you are worthy of more? So how could you define what the next level looks like? Great question, right? Instead, perhaps you need to spend some time in gratitude being thankful for what you have already accomplished -- consciously acknowledging that what you have achieved was deserved because you worked hard to get there and you applied your God given gifts and talents to get there -- and now -- to realize your full potential -- it is time to leap off your current plateau and move onward to that next level -- and your deserve to be at the next level -- because you’re an expert. But the first step is to give yourself permission to define that next level so you know when you and your business have arrived. Second...be scared about the next level...and do it anyway. Set your fear aside -- what is the worst that could happen? Prospective customers could say no. You might make a bad decision and lose some money. An employee or a group of employees may disagree in how you’re redirecting the company and could decide to leave. Okay? Are any of these life threatening situations? Did anyone die? No. And like Mike Stromsoe taught us in episode 24 of Onward Nation -- did anyone die? No? Then move on! Stop making each decision more than it has to be. Just make a decision...then move on. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. So, Onward Nation, Be Scared -- and then do it anyway. And lastly...find a mentor to learn from. More specifically -- find a mentor or group of mentors who are all moving at a pace and tempo that is faster than you. It matters who you spend your time with -- and if you spend your time with people who are moving at your current pace -- or slower -- those people may make you feel comfortable to be around -- they may not challenge you -- they may not push you or ask you tough questions -- and it is easy to relax and unwind. But guard yourself -- if you don’t protect your time -- you will slow down as a result. Why? Because as Coach John Wooden once said, you will never outperform your circle. You won’t -- it is just human nature. So you need to make sure the mentors you select are operating at a completely different level than you are currently at -- that you reach -- that you stretch -- that you get yourself into a group of people where you don’t currently belong. And then you work like crazy to not get left behind -- and in the process -- you will expand and grow -- and leap off your current plateau onto that next rung. And as Scott McKain recently taught me, “Stephen, you cannot reach that next rung, unless you are willing to let go of the current one you are hanging on to.” Very wise words, Onward Nation. Please recognize the imposter syndrome for what it is...it is nothing more than fear. Please also know that we all deal with it...you are not different because you feel it...you are not uniquely burdened or yoked. But what can make you unique and distinctive is your ability to refuse the status quo and to push past your fear -- to shove the imposter syndrome aside and to not let yourself be your own limitation. You were meant for greatness. You are a child of the most high God. You are instilled with an infinite abundance of talent and gifts. Please don’t let something so small as fear limit all you were meant to be. So with that said... I want to say thank you for taking the time to be here with me today. It is an honor to have you here -- thank you for tuning in -- your time is sacred and I am delighted you chose this episode to be what you listen to, study, and take with you on your morning run, or maybe Onward Nation has become part of your daily commute, or in some other way has become part of your morning routine. However our daily podcast fits into your daily routine -- I want you to know how much I appreciate you sharing some of your invaluable 86,400 seconds you have in your day with me and the strategies we learn and share each day from today’s top business owners. And please continue to let me know what you think of Onward Nation...good or bad...I always want your feedback. My direct email address is stephen@onwardnation.com -- and yes -- that is my actual Inbox. No fancy filters or filing system and I read and reply to every single email. So please let me know how you think we are doing. I look forward to hearing from you. We will be back tomorrow with an incredible interview with Rob Berger -- he is off the charts amazing. Don’t miss it. Until then, onward with gusto! You can also find us here: ----- OnwardNation.com -----