The Hidden Tax of Impostor Syndrome

It's not a disease, but it can hurt your professional growth

Dr. Faith Ngunjiri

Chief Leadership Coach

Global Leadership Development, LLC

You’re Not a Fraud: Understanding and Overcoming Impostor Syndrome

You just received the promotion. The applause in the room is real. And yet, a quiet voice whispers: “Sooner or later, they’ll figure out I don’t belong here.”

If you’ve ever heard that voice, you are not alone—and you are not a fraud.

The Origins

In 1978, psychologists Dr. Pauline Rose Clance and Dr. Suzanne Imes gave a name to something countless high-achieving women had been carrying in silence. They called it the Impostor Phenomenon, describing it as an internal experience of intellectual phoniness felt most acutely by people whose external accomplishments far outpace their internal sense of deserving them.

Despite outstanding academic and professional achievements, women experiencing this phenomenon persist in believing they are not truly capable, and that anyone who thinks otherwise has simply been fooled. Research since then shows this experience touches an estimated 70% of people—both women and men—at some point in their lives.

How It Shows Up

In my masterclasses and coaching, participants consistently recognize these patterns in themselves:

• “I over-prepare for everything because I’m terrified of being caught out.”
• “I stay quiet in meetings even when I know the answer. I don’t want to say something wrong and confirm what I already suspect—that I shouldn’t be here.”
• “Every success feels like luck. Every setback feels like proof.”

These are not character flaws. They are patterns—learned responses that once served as protection, and now quietly hold us back.

Confessions of an Impostor Syndrome Overcomer

I became an Impostor Syndrome-Informed Coach out of my own experience during a period of transition. I was a tenured academic, having successfully navigated the tenure and promotion process at two institutions. But in early 2022, after taking a sabbatical, I realized I was burnt out and needed a change. I quit my tenured position and embarked on entrepreneurship as a coach, trainer, and keynote speaker.

During this transition, I noticed something troubling: I was second-guessing myself to the point of paralysis. I was an otherwise confident woman—so what was happening? I went into research mode and discovered impostor syndrome.

It showed up as perfectionism—wanting whatever I was working on to be 110% before putting it out there. It showed up as debilitating fear of failure. It felt like self-doubt on steroids. I found myself signing up for every training session and masterclass while procrastinating on launching my coaching practice. My coach kept telling me to “just do it,” but I had excuses.

When I discovered Dr. Valerie Young’s work at the Impostor Syndrome Institute, I felt seen. Training under her helped me overcome my own impostor syndrome and strengthened my coaching practice.

The Impostor Cycle

What makes impostor syndrome so persistent is that it operates as a self-reinforcing loop. Clance identified this as the Impostor Cycle, and once you see it, you’ll recognize it everywhere.

It begins when a new task, opportunity, or responsibility arrives. Instead of engaging with quiet confidence, the person with impostor fears meets it with anxiety and self-doubt. That anxiety then drives one of two coping responses: over-preparation or procrastination.

• The over-preparer works twice as hard as necessary, driven by fear that any gap will expose her as a fraud.
• The procrastinator delays until the last possible moment, then rushes to finish in a frenzy.

Both paths lead to the same outcome: the task gets done. There is a brief sense of relief and accomplishment. But here is where the cycle turns cruel. Rather than internalizing success as evidence of ability, the over-preparer concludes: “I only succeeded because I worked so hard.” The procrastinator tells herself: “I got lucky this time.” In neither case does the success count.

When the next task arrives, the anxiety returns—often stronger than before. This is why high achievers can accumulate decades of accomplishments and still feel like frauds. The cycle does not resolve itself through more success. It resolves through interruption—through learning to witness our own competence differently.

For me, this realization was revolutionary. I had been experiencing these feelings more as my academic career progressed; no wonder I burned out. The sabbatical simply helped me slow down enough to catch up with myself. I was an anxious achiever, and it was unsustainable.

The Real Cost

Impostor syndrome is not just an uncomfortable feeling—it carries a very real price.

• When we downplay our expertise, we undercharge for our services.
• When we hesitate to raise our hand, someone less qualified steps forward.
• When we over-prepare and second-guess ourselves, we erode the energy that should fuel our vision.

“The cost of impostor syndrome is not just personal—it is professional, relational, and financial. It is the opportunities never pursued, the voices never raised, and the contributions never made.”

One participant in a masterclass shared that her impostor syndrome had delayed her seeking a promotion for three years—the cost equivalent to the price of an apartment. Impostor syndrome has tangible financial, professional, and mental health costs.

Moving Beyond It

The good news? Impostor syndrome is not a life sentence. Because the impostor cycle is a pattern, not a personality, it can be interrupted. Awareness is the first step: name the cycle, notice which path you tend to take (over-preparation or procrastination), and begin to separate the critical inner voice from the truth of who you are and what you have built.

There is also power in realizing you are not alone. In every masterclass cohort, women who appear confident and capable discover that they have all been wrestling privately with the same doubts. When Clance and Imes first ran group sessions, they found that the most transformative moment for participants was discovering that other high-achieving women felt the same way. Community, coaching, and honest conversations break the isolation that lets impostor syndrome thrive.

You were not given your seat by accident. Your experience is real. Your expertise is earned. The world needs you to show up fully—not despite who you are, but because of it.

— Dr. Faith Ngunjiri is a Leadership Coach and Principal Consultant at Global Leadership Development LLC, specializing in impostor syndrome-informed coaching, emotional intelligence, and leadership effectiveness. She loves coaching women to become authentically confident leaders.