Fixable Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Fixable
Episode: How to beat impostor syndrome
Date: September 15, 2025
Hosts: Anne Morriss and Frances Frei

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the pervasive workplace challenge of impostor syndrome. Drawing on their expertise as leading leadership coaches, Anne Morriss and Frances Frei discuss what impostor syndrome actually is, why it’s so common, its historical origins, and—true to the show’s mission—practical, actionable strategies to “fix” it. They also introduce the “cousins” or variants of impostor syndrome, equipping listeners to spot these patterns in themselves and others.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Understanding Impostor Syndrome

• Why Focus on Impostor Syndrome?
  • Anne: "Up to 80% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their life." (04:11)
  • The phenomenon is widespread and deeply impacts individuals’ confidence, leading to self-doubt, anxiety, and sometimes burnout.
• It’s Not a True Syndrome
  • Frances distinguishes impostor syndrome as a "distortion field," not a pathological illness.
    • Frances: "It isn’t some psychological illness that defines who we are in the world." (05:28)
• Origins of the Term
  • The “impostor phenomenon” was first described in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes studying high-achieving women.
    • Anne: "There was this cognitive distortion that was a thread in the internal experience of these women." (06:37)
  • Today, the phenomenon is recognized as more common in women and people from underrepresented groups, but it can affect anyone.

Impostor Syndrome vs. Dunning-Kruger Effect

• Frances highlights the importance of perspective:
  • Some underestimate their abilities (impostor syndrome); others overestimate them (Dunning-Kruger effect).
    • Frances: "If we are underappreciating ourselves, there's another syndrome... where we overestimate our abilities." (07:54)
• Recognizing these are both unconscious distortions can help people move toward a more accurate self-assessment.

Recognizing Impostor Syndrome in Yourself

• Signs include persistent self-doubt, anxiety about being “found out,” and attributing success to external factors.
  • Anne: "If you are regularly experiencing self doubt, if there's a storyline that pops into your head in the form of anxiety about being found out..." (11:33)
• Suggestion: Ask trusted colleagues for their perspective on your self-assessment (10:13).

Fixing Impostor Syndrome: Strategies and Techniques

1. Tracking “In-the-Moment” Reality Check (Practical Data Recording)

• Keep a real-time record of your performance on whatever metrics matter to you throughout the week.
  • Frances: "If I do that for five days, by the end of a week, imposter syndrome can creep in. But if you let me open the book and say, what does the book say? Well, now there's no syndrome." (17:52)
• Real-time self-assessments are generally accurate; it’s only with time and distance that distortion increases.
• Score yourself soon after tasks or meetings—don’t let time pass, as memory will distort the truth.
  • Frances: "Time is not your friend. And the more time you spend in this distortion field…the more likely you are to believe that you're actually an imposter." (20:41)

2. Accountability Partners (Optional)

• If you find it helpful, score your performance with a colleague—but maintain “in-the-moment” immediacy (19:55).

3. Create Distance from Your Inner Critic

• Naming and dialoguing with your inner critic can help manage its influence.
  • Anne: "Figuring out what my relationship is to that voice...is a very empowering way to relate to this experience." (23:40)
• Approach the ‘impostor’ voice as one of many “parts”—borrowed from Dick Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems.

4. Reset Your Relationship with Failure

• Adopt a “growth mindset” and see setbacks as opportunities to learn—not evidence that you don’t belong.
  • Anne: "How do we treat setbacks as opportunities to learn, instead of [evidence] that I shouldn’t be in this room?" (23:52)

5. Accurate Leadership and Team Culture

• Leaders should foster environments of honest, learning-oriented feedback—focus on what’s real, not on perfection or caretaking.
  • Anne: "When I see leaders really creating environments where people like me...contribute more fully, they are creating a true learning environment..." (28:46)

The “Cousins” of Impostor Syndrome

(Adapted from Dr. Valerie Young’s research.)

Each cousin is a recognizable variant of impostor syndrome, coming with its own “lie” or cognitive distortion:

1. The Perfectionist (32:50)

• Sees only two states: flawless or failure, leading to avoidance of mistakes at all costs.
  • Frances: “The perfectionist thinks there are two states of nature, flawless or failure.” (33:17)
  • Anne: "It's more about escape from failure than pursuit of the perfect." (34:25)

2. The Soloist (35:50)

• Believes asking for help is a sign of weakness, insists on doing things alone.
  • Anne: "I cannot ask for help. Asking for help is a sign of weakness." (36:10)
  • Result: Mediocre performance ceiling due to isolation.

3. The Superhero (37:40)

• Measures self-worth by always working harder and doing more than others.
  • Frances: "By hook or by crook, they have to work harder than everyone else." (37:40)
  • Leads to burnout, “exhausted mediocrity,” and lack of strategic prioritization.

4. The Expert (40:20)

• Equates competence with knowing everything; values knowledge quantity over judgment or creativity.
  • Frances: "This is the person that is going to compete by having more knowledge on the topic than anyone else." (40:23)
  • Increasingly maladaptive in the age of AI and easy information access.

Memorable Quotes & Highlights

• Anne Morriss, on prevalence:

  “Up to 80% of people experience imposter syndrome at some point in their life.” (04:11)

• Frances Frei, on distortion:

  “I really do think a distortion field, at least that's what helps my brain understand it.” (05:28)

• Frances Frei, on self-perception:

  “If you are underappreciating yourself, there’s another syndrome, another distortion, that’s overappreciating themselves.” (07:54)

• Frances Frei, on the usefulness of in-the-moment assessments:

  “This blew my mind when we figured it out.” (16:16)

• Anne Morriss, on practical technique:

  “Let’s replace the story here with some actual data.” (19:13)

• Anne Morriss, on leadership:

  “Our job here is to be better tomorrow than we are today.” (29:37)

• Frances Frei, on accurate feedback:

  “We don’t distort reality to handle it. We just show reality. That's all people with impostor syndrome need." (31:10)

• Frances Frei, closing insight:

  “We've created a can do spirit to wanting to get out of imposter syndrome and a path to get out of it, which is it's a distortion from reality. And so that's all we have to do.” (42:10)

• Anne Morriss, challenging the term:

  “By the time 80% of us are experiencing it, it's a pretty normal experience of work and life... The sooner we can see it in ourselves, the sooner we can take action.” (43:29)

Notable Segment Timestamps

• [02:42] – Framing today’s topic: What is impostor syndrome, its cousins, and why it matters
• [04:05] – Prevalence and costs of impostor syndrome
• [05:28] – Definitional clarity and origins
• [07:54] – The opposite distortion: Dunning-Kruger Effect
• [11:33] – How to know if you’re experiencing impostor syndrome
• [15:20] – Start of practical strategies to fix it
• [17:52] – The “accurate record” technique explained
• [23:40] – The value of distancing from your inner critic
• [23:52] – Growth mindset in response to mistakes
• [28:46] – The leader’s role in supporting team members
• [32:50] – The “Cousins” explained: Perfectionist, Soloist, Superhero, Expert
• [42:10] – Reframing impostor syndrome as a fixable distortion, not a syndrome
• [43:29] – Final takeaways and encouragement

Key Takeaways

• Impostor syndrome is a highly common, but fixable, distortion in thinking—not a chronic psychological illness.
• The antidote is honest, in-the-moment self-assessment and cultivating a culture (or personal habit) of learning, feedback, and supportive self-dialogue.
• The “cousins” (Perfectionist, Soloist, Superhero, Expert) each offer clues to how impostor syndrome manifests differently, but all are rooted in attempts to protect ourselves—often with unintended negative effects.
• Normalize the experience: Most people have felt this way; you’re not alone or broken.
• Leaders can support others by fostering honest feedback, learning from mistakes, and modeling healthy self-assessment.

Final Thought

As Frances summarizes:

“If you have self diagnosed as impostor syndrome, I don’t want it to be your dirty little secret. You are in wonderful company… It’s ordinary enough that you don’t have to go to extraordinary lengths to overcome it.” (42:57)

And Anne adds:

“The sooner we can see it in ourselves, the sooner we can kind of take action… and bring people back to the safe raft of a healthy and honest relationship with our reality.” (43:29)