5 Australian women share how they overcame career imposter syndrome
Image via @maddisonsullivanthorpe/Instagram
WORDS BY Joahanna Wickramaratne
“Success in our industry is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Ever experienced the nagging feeling that perhaps your achievements are a fluke? That any moment now, someone will confirm those deep-seated insecurities you’ve always had about your abilities and out you as a fraud? Welcome to the phenomenon known as imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome can take many forms and it can be one of the biggest challenges women (and even more so for women of colour) face in their careers. The doubt it casts upon our own capabilities can prove to be a colossal block on our journey up the career ladder.
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Whether you’re stumbling across imposter syndrome for the first time, or you’ve been entangled in its web for years, don’t fret. Discovering your own incredible potential and recognising your achievements as authentically yours is a total journey. This pervasive uncertainty might seem like an unsurmountable challenge in your career, but with hindsight, you’ll find it’s merely a hiccup on your way to success.
We’ve rounded up some wisdom from women we’ve interviewed in our How I Got Here series who shared their experience with imposter syndrome and how they’ve managed it.
Maddison Sullivan-Thorpe, she/her, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at Mecca Cosmetica
From the shop floor to the head office, Maddison brings a wealth of knowledge when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder. No stranger to career change, Madison originally had her heart set on mergers and acquisitions, but found her way to the top of brand marketing.
It can be tough trying to find your footing in a new industry, let alone find the confidence to believe in your place there. Maddison’s experience with being one of the youngest people in a room was enough to cast self-doubt. “I’ve spent a lot of development time working with my managers and mentors to remember that age doesn’t always correlate to experience and to value my seat at the table.”
She says it’s important to remember that you’ve been hired for a reason. While faking it ’til you make it can be a good mentality, “it can be crippling to your confidence to feel as though you’re not worthy of your seat,” Maddison shares. Instead, she advises leaning on mentors and wielding your strengths which is what helped her use her voice in moments of doubt. “As a great manager once told me, ‘You don’t need to know everything – you just need to be willing to admit it and learn from whoever’s willing to coach’.”
Read the rest of the interview with Maddison here.
Sigrid McCarthy, she/her, Sustainability Specialist at David Jones and Country Road
It can be easy to get lost in a sea of experts and professionals who bring something new to the table. The fashion industry, or any industry for that matter, is constantly evolving. The fight to stay relevant in your own career is a daunting one. But Sigrid McCarthy is here to tell you this fear could be stopping you from embracing everything you are and have to offer a job.
For Sigrid, her role in sustainability was not always mainstream, and that brought some challenges. “Speaking to my peers (again, mostly women), it seems those of us who got into this work before it became a recognised and specialised career often question their expertise,” she says.
Each and every one of us brings a unique set of experiences and should see emerging industries as “exciting time[s] of transformation.” Sigrid learnt to trust her expertise, regardless of how her field has been shaped over the years. So our takeaway is this: You can future-proof your work and grow into the role of your dreams, ebbing and flowing with change rather than letting it bring you down.
It’s all too easy to believe you don’t know enough or you’re not smart enough, but eventually, it comes down to following your passions. “I’ve made a conscious personal effort to acknowledge the unique value I bring and remind myself that my knowledge is specialised and not held by most fashion professionals. When being approached with opportunities, I need to remind myself of this and channel the type of energy men seem more comfortable exuding.”
Read the rest of the interview with Sigrid here.
Claudia Mahoney, she/her, Head of Content at The Outnet
Claudia Mahoney is all too familiar with the old paradox of career choice. Having landed a role as the executive fashion and beauty director at Glamour before finding her way to The Outnet, she says building contacts and staying confident helped her find her way through imposter syndrome.
It can be hard to feel validated in an industry you did not start out in. But you can be the youngest person in the room and contribute just as much as the most experienced person in there. “I suffered from imposter syndrome. I worried that I hadn’t got a suitably ‘fashion’ background”. But with age, comes more clarity in the career path you’re destined to follow.
Her top practical tip for finding confidence in your work is to “imagine yourself as the brand. What do you want to say about yourself, how do you want to be perceived, who do you want to be associated with, and apply that to your public-facing platforms in terms of writing, your social channel images and the people you surround yourself with”.
Read the rest of the interview with Claudia here.
Ella Petite, she/her, Director of People and Projects at Positive Feedback
Ella Petite’s music career has taken her to London and back, working with the likes of Vance Joy and the DMAs. But it’s not all glitz and glamour. Ella has worked hard to know that “success in our industry is a marathon, not a sprint” and is not ashamed to admit her struggles with imposter syndrome.
Sometimes we can become our own biggest obstacle; the war that rages inside our minds can set us back. Ella says that it’s self-doubt, fear of failure and imposter syndrome that have the power to throw her off guard. Learning how to back herself is a process she has committed to for as long as it takes, even if that means forever. Challenge is vital for growth and “teaches you something new about yourself and your job that you didn’t know you were capable of achieving.”
As far as comparison goes, there might always be someone better than you in the industry. Ella says that “equality in all of its forms is a challenge we all must own and strive to correct. No one person is more valuable than another”. It should be our duty to strive to be better, for with kindness and compassion we can build collective confidence.
Read the rest of the interview with Ella here.
Fiona Murchison, she/her, Head of Creative Content and Social at The Iconic
Fiona dreamt of being in fashion ever since she was a little girl. When she went on to study English literature, it was no surprise she found her way to a job with one of Australia’s largest online retailers, The Iconic. Starting as a content writer, she eventually landed a role as the Head of Creative Content and Social. If Fiona has taught us anything, it’s that it’s okay to not know what you want to do and that confidence is key.
She says that overcoming imposter syndrome as someone who might be naturally shy is about finding your inner voice and learning to focus on your strengths. Imposter syndrome is something you can learn to overcome and it doesn’t define your capabilities. “I’ve become confident with knowing where I can add value and comfortable communicating my opinions, trusting my gut and experience.”
You don’t have to be the most outgoing person in the room to feel like you have a place in your field. Fiona suggests that “if you’re not comfortable with IRL networking, try to overcome shyness through the digital tools we are all so accustomed to now – DM people, comment on posts, email follow-up questions. Being open to conversations in the various forms they come in and taking that step to speak up for your ideas is the first step to overcoming your fears of self-doubt.”
Read the rest of the interview with Fiona here.
Read the rest of the How I Got Here series here.
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