PICTURE THIS:You’re the only woman of color in a meeting with a bunch of men with the exact same credentials as you when you feel a thought creep in… “Am I in over my head?” “I’m only here because *insert rude thing you would never tell a good friend but only say to yourself* (I got lucky, they needed a woman to check the box, there weren’t any other good candidates, etc. )”. You start to feel doubtful in your abilities, like a fraud, and are nervous you’ll be found out that you’re not really “cut out for the job”. Because of these thoughts and feelings, you decide not to speak up, you make yourself small, and you just want to do whatever you can to not draw attention to the idea that you might not belong in this room.
YUCK! Why is this happening?
Today we talk about how imposter syndrome might show up for female entrepreneurs of color in business: what it is, how we’ve experienced it, the context in which imposter syndrome lives, a reframe of imposter syndrome, and more.
“Imposter syndrome,” according to an article by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey in the Harvard Business Review, is doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. This article goes on to criticize imposter syndrome as “...a problematic diagnosis often given to women whose development in the 1970s excluded the effects of systemic racism, classism, xenophobia, and other biases.” They argue “...the development of ‘imposter syndrome’ took a fairly universal feeling of discomfort, second-guessing, and mild anxiety in the workplace and pathologized it, especially for women.”
WOW RIGHT!
Hearing this alternative perspective of what imposter syndrome could be framed as and the context in which it lives, turned the definition for Yesica on its head and made her reconsider what imposter syndrome means for her in her life and in her business that we think could be relatable for other businesswomen.
This definition by Tulshyan and Burey in their HBR article, helped Yesica reconsider taking on the burden of feeling shame about experiencing imposter syndrome and trying to change herself. When in reality, she could instead take another hard look at the room and realize that it’s not something for her to take on or change about herself, but a commentary about why the room looks like it does and why she might feel uncomfortable in it.
Yesica also shared why she feels imposter syndrome as a result of her cultural background.
In a traditional Mexican household, women are not money managers and men traditionally take on this role. Yesica found herself making her own financial decisions, while managing financial plans for over 200 households. She has the proper training, licenses, tools and resources as a financial advisor, but imposter syndrome still shows updo in part to how she was socialized growing up. She also knows that part of it is because she pursued a role that is not typical for Mexican women, which is why it’s part of her mission to help women, especially women of color in business, feel comfortable, confident, and competent to take on the role of making financial decisions for themselves
Considering the cultural context for Yesica while analyzing her feelings about imposter syndrome gave her a better understanding, while at the same time not taking it on as truth, but knowing it could be a factor in her feelings and moving through it anyway.
When it comes to your personal finances, some ways people cope with feelings of imposter syndrome is by trying to become the expert and being perfectionistic before seeking help, or just choosing not seeking help at all.
Yesica and I encourage you to learn as much as you can with the resources you have about how to reach your financial goals. Then, identify when it’s time to reach out to a financial professional who is intentional about meeting you where you are in your financial journey considering your cultural context and money trauma. It’s important your financial advisor knows your full picture and that you feel safe sharing with them and showing up imperfectly.
MOVING FORWARD:
How can female entrepreneurs of color deal with thoughts and feelings of imposter syndrome in the moment to propel themselves forward?
As Burey and Tulshyan put it, how do we “channel our healthy self-doubt into positive motivation”? They suggest that this is best fostered within a supportive work culture. The good thing about entrepreneurship, and probably why many of us landed here, is that you can set the foundation for a supportive work culture in your space of work now. That might not be in the case for your industry and with colleagues in your line of work, but being the leader in your shop and in your business allows you to create the supportive work culture you may not have gotten in your corporate job. Be the change you want to see!
We want to equip you with tools on how to deal with imposter syndrome when thoughts and feelings of it can creep up.
3 STEPS TO DEAL WITH FEELINGS OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME:
- Understand your context as a neutral circumstance.
- Identify your thoughts of doubt in your head as it creeps up.
- Try not to be too hard on yourself that you are having thoughts of doubt and feelings of fraud.
- Have compassion for yourself for the context in which you’re trying your very best to move about in the world.
- Reframe imposter syndrome.
- Think about this: if you are the only one in the room that looks like you, talks like you, dresses like you, you are likely breaking barriers and remember that you can keep the door open behind you for more people to come through who wouldn’t ordinarily feel like they belong in the space you’re in.
What do you think about this reframe? With our clients and our community of female entrepreneurs of color, Yesica and I hope to encourage this kind of conversation and provide tools to thrive as a community and a reminder that you are not alone in your journey of entrepreneurship.