Published
June 13, 2025
Do you ever feel like you’re not quite enough?
Even when things are going well, that quiet voice pipes up.
It tells you you’re winging it, and one day you’ll be found out.
Yep. Me too.
I reckon imposter syndrome is just part of the territory when you run your own business. And while there’s no shortage of tips to overcome it, some helpful, some exhausting, the trick, I’ve learned, is making it less mysterious.
A few years back, Deb Ager (writing coach) introduced me to the idea of the ‘mean brain voice’, those doubts that you have that stop you moving forward. This week, I came across another useful concept at a workshop by AJ Lauer (who helps geeky leaders learn how to lead people). She called it: the Imposter Monster.
The idea’s simple. Give your doubt a shape. A name. A bit of personality. Then, next time it shows up, don’t ignore it or fight it, have a word. Turns out, you can reason with monsters once you make them less abstract.
There are five common types of Imposter Monster:
1. The Perfectionist, never satisfied, always chasing flawless 2. The Expert, won’t feel ready until they know everything 3. The Soloist, allergic to asking for help 4. The Superhuman, stuck in overdrive, proving their worth 5. The Natural Genius, expects ease, struggles when things take effort
Which are you?
My syndrome is The Soloist. I’ve named my monster Julian (sorry to any Julians out there, but he’s also a character in my book). Always sounds right, never asks for help, full of confidence but laced with BS. Meanwhile, I’m just getting on with it, not asking for help when I should.
Julian shows up when I think I’ve got to do it all alone. Showing off. Full of his effortless cool. But naming him has made it easier to spot that what I’m doing is better than that, more relevant, more helpful.
I’ll never be the monster, Julian, but it helps to talk with him.
What’s your imposter monster called?
Enjoy your Quick PINT
Nigel
Big thanks to AJ for the talk.
If you want to learn more (and maybe name your own Imposter Monster), start here
https://www.thrivingibis.com/imposter-monsters
Imposter* US spelling
