A month ago, I met a spectacular woman and emerging entrepreneur who—frankly—is a cut above the rest. Not only does she live an enviable freedom-focused lifestyle that anyone would kill for, she does it with 100% authenticity. Nevertheless, she does not get paid what she’s worth.
Why am I sharing this? Because despite being incredibly accomplished and well-respected in all the career paths she’d had thus far, Jen suffers from a severe case of imposter syndrome and it’s stopping her from charging good money.
‘Imposter syndrome’ is a frequently misunderstood concept. So, instead of explaining it to you in textbook terms, I’m going to demonstrate with Jen’s story.
It starts with a vicious cycle of continuing education.
Jen and I got to talking because she’s in the process of launching her own freelance medical writing business. Her website is built, she has a strong portfolio, her brand is one of the most well thought out I’ve ever seen, and her writing ability is ON POINT. The problem? She isn’t making enough money.
A big reason for this is that Jen has fallen into a vicious cycle of continuing education. When she doesn’t feel good enough about herself or her accomplishments, she takes another course or buys another program. She tells herself “This will help me bridge the gap and feel good enough!”. But, what happens? She feels no different afterwards, and the cycle repeats.
To put this into perspective, let’s look at some of the educational achievements Jen has under her belt:
- 2 years of medical school,
- a Bachelors degree,
- 3 Masters degrees,
- an MBA, and
- several health writing courses.
Unsurprisingly, every time Jen starts another course, the instructor always says “Don’t spend any more money on courses! What you have is good enough to get started in business.”
But it’s easier said than done.
It continues with bigger challenges and major life events.
Now, let’s throw all of Jen’s other accomplishments into the mix.
This is a person who’s spent decades of her life pushing boundaries in her career, and even managed to prioritize family life when the time called for it. Some of Jen’s other major accomplishments include:
- buying a farm house on a Portugese island,
- volunteering in Africa for children’s welfare,
- writing and managing content for travel blogs,
- advocating for health equity in LGBTQ communities,
- raising a child single-handedly,
- caring for her sick mother in her time of need, and
- offering women’s empowerment coaching.
This is not a woman who needs hand-holding in life.
This is not a woman who has had anything handed to her.
This is not a woman who is afraid to do the work.
This is simply a classic case of imposter syndrome, which has prevented her from being paid what she’s worth.
A tell-tale sign of imposter syndrome is the expression “I know I’ll get there eventually on my own”. You set your own limits.
It ends with a true recognition of self-worth and value.
If the answer isn’t more education, how can Jen get paid what she’s worth?
What can she do to reduce the overwhelm and anxiety around finding new clients, putting herself forward for opportunities, and charging in line with her expertise?
As someone who’s invested ~$50k on coaching over the years (most of which has been focused around self-worth, self-acceptance, and sales) and built 2 thriving businesses, here’s what I think:
Jen needs to start seriously challenging some of her own limiting beliefs around the value she has to offer clients.
She has to surround herself with like-minded people who:
- are equally as driven and ambitious,
- don’t hold back on expressing and chasing their dreams,
- won’t sugar coat their feedback,
- will challenge her thought processes to help her grow,
- demonstrate integrity,
- share (and live by) similar core values,
- cheer her on when times are tough,
- celebrate her successes, and
- are genuinely happy for her when she succeeds.
This will help Jen shift her deep-rooted beliefs and start turning the pages in the stories she can’t stop telling herself (e.g. the “I’m not good enough” story, or the “I need to prove myself” story). Nip that sh*t in the bud. After this shift, Jen will be able to recognize her true value and begin to get paid what she’s worth.
Personally, I’ve had more luck finding such people in the coaching world because it’s full of them.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
A lot of coaches can’t find “their people”, so they end up building communities of their own. This gives them a safe space to authentically express their thoughts, ideas, progress, setbacks, and so on.
The result? Instant access to everything you need to get unstuck and gain some serious momentum in your business!
Right now, I’m working with 2 coaches and 2 mentors to keep me on track (yes, I’ve suffered from imposter syndrome my whole life and it needs constant attention):
- one does inner child healing work to help me prioritize my own wellbeing above others’,
- one makes custom audio files that re-program my brain to instil newer beliefs about my self-worth,
- one reminds me of the “little piece of steel” that lives inside me, when I’m feeling attacked by others, and
- one gives me a sounding board for business ideas and validates my emotions when I feel inadequate.
I also fit into the “I can’t find my people so I’ll make my own Community” demographic. The Prospologers Community is an incredibly rare and unique mix of physicians, nurses, scientists, therapists, writers, strategists, designers, entrepreneurs, travellers, and all-around movers and shakers.
You know that phrase “You become like the people you spend the most time with?”. It’s true.
The biggest shifts I’ve seen in my personal and professional life, and why I’m sitting here right now talking to ~1,500 people about freedom-focused entrepreneurship, have been because I chose to continuously invest in my own personal growth and wellbeing.
I chose to be happy. I chose to succeed. And I chose to do it in a way that felt 100% aligned with who I am at my core.
Investing in yourself doesn’t equal instant success.
Now, I want to be very clear on something: By invest, I do not mean that the amount of money you spend is directly proportional to the results you’ll get. It’s most definitely not. Just because something’s expensive doesn’t mean it’ll help. And just because something’s cheap doesn’t mean it won’t.
The top 5 things to look out for in choosing a coach and/or community to help you boost your self-worth are:
- Integrity, consistency, and a genuine passion for their line of work.
- ACTUAL, tangible results that their clients get in their life/business.
- Good vibes—will you enjoy working with them? Do you trust them?
- The flexibility & customization of the offer/package itself—will it suit your needs? (If they’re not willing to adapt, is there a good reason for that?)
- Their area(s) of expertise—do they check all of the boxes in all of the right areas? (Note: this isn’t about qualifications; it’s about skillsets).
If you follow these checklist items when seeking out a coach (or several!), you won’t go far wrong.
Don’t rush it. It’s a big decision and it has to be the right one. If you aren’t 100% aligned and on board with the investment, despite normal fears that come along with taking a big financial risk, you won’t get results. But—dive into a coaching program that’s perfect for you, head first, and you’ll be getting paid what you’re worth in no time!
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