Ali, a highly accomplished Company Director, came to me for help with imposter syndrome. She was in a really desperate place, on the verge of burnout and feeling really lost in her business. By the end of working with me, her imposter syndrome was non existent, she was really confident dealing with stuff in her business where she’d previously felt out of her depth, and she’d manifested really great opportunities in her business, because she was being more creative, trusting her intuition and taking the initiative she previously wouldn’t have done. This case study is all about how this major transformation came about.
What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a phenomenon where individuals doubt their achievements, abilities, or talents, and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud or a “fake.” Despite evidence of their competence, people experiencing imposter syndrome often feel that they have not earned their success and attribute it to luck or external factors. This feeling of being a fraud can cause significant distress and anxiety, leading to self-doubt, a lack of self-confidence, and a fear of failure. Imposter syndrome can affect anyone, regardless of their level of success, and is commonly seen in high-achieving individuals, such as professionals, artists, and academics.
Despite her success, Ali felt like she had stumbled into her role and that her achievements were not deserved. That was of course not true. She is an extremely talented, intelligent and creative woman, and had been put in charge of a global business by a parent company who could recognise her abilities. Yet she felt that they’d made a mistake and they were soon going to realise she was a fraud!
How Imposter Syndrome was affecting Ali in her business
This belief caused her to feel extremely nervous and anxious in big meetings, as she was afraid of being exposed as a fraud. The constant fear and insecurity resulted in self-doubt, and Ali became increasingly afraid of making any real decisions, fearing that she might guide the business down the wrong path. As a result, the company felt adrift, and her inability to trust her own judgment resulted in crippling fear, preventing her from making any real progress.
She began working longer hours, which eroded her weekend pleasure time and reduced her productivity. Ali found it impossible to relax, always on hyper-alert, waiting for the “other shoe to drop”. She felt on the verge of burnout.
Ali’s imposter syndrome had a significant impact on her self-esteem and ability to function effectively as a Company Director, second-guessing every decision, she was constantly worried that she would make a mistake. The constant anxiety was taking a toll on her mental health and causing her to become increasingly isolated from her colleagues.
She felt like she was living a lie, and believed that it was only a matter of time before she was exposed. Despite her success, Ali couldn’t enjoy it as she believed that it was not deserved. The longer she lived with her imposter syndrome, the more it impacted her ability to function effectively as a leader.
All of this was going on in Ali’s head! It was her reality even though other people saw her differently
As Ali’s mindset coach, I helped her let go of imposter syndrome for good. We rewired her mind with positive beliefs, developed strategies to manage anxiety and take clear action, and celebrated her successes. Through our work together, Ali became more confident, pursued new opportunities, and improved her relationships.
When I took her into hypnosis it was very clear and understandable why she felt like an imposter.
Hypnotherapy to get to the root cause
Hypnotherapy can be helpful for eradicating imposter syndrome because it can help individuals identify and address the underlying beliefs and thought patterns that contribute to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt.
During hypnotherapy, I guided Ali into a state of deep relaxation, where her subconscious mind was able to show her where the imposter syndrome came from. In this state, she became more receptive to positive suggestions and new ways of thinking, so we were able to reframe the memories that came up for her about how she viewed and felt about herself and install positive beliefs through affirmations, visualisation, and cognitive restructuring, to help her transform her beliefs about herself.
We explored and resolve past experiences and traumas that were contributing to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. These down to how her parents spoke to her, and how she was treated by peers at school.
By addressing these underlying issues, Ali developed a much more positive and confident self-image, and ultimately, overcame imposter syndrome.
Then the manifesting
There were a number of goals that Ali had other than getting rid of imposter syndrome. She wanted to start mentoring others, she wanted more creative projects to come her way, she wanted to be more guided by her intuition. We worked on strategies to achieve these things, and I used my manifestation loop method on her to align her to her dreams.
Very quickly things started materialising for Ali. The imposter syndrome completely disappeared. she no longer had the fears speaking in meetings and asking for help – she just did it and it was easy.
Then someone asked her to mentor them – they just appeared, ‘seemingly from nowhere’ …of course it was the manifestation loop at work.
Then she started pitching creative project ideas to clients and the reception was very positive and led to lucrative contracts. All in all it was win win win!
The Manifestation Loop
I use the Manifestation Loop with my Metamorphosis coaching clients. I developed this manifestation method after seeing how people can fall over with manifesting and get ‘stuck’ when they’re transitioning through many life changes all at once, wanting to achieve their goals but getting blocked.
It involves removing subconscious blocks, whilst taking forward action, with manifestation practices, and then revisiting deeper subconscious blocks which appear after one block is removed.
In the case with Ali, we removed the imposter syndrome which was blocking her from taking action, then we removed the self belief block which was preventing her from trusting herself and listening to her intuition. Then we removed abundance blocks, before revisiting the self belief block as she had found a new way to ignore her intuition.
Do you want to smash imposter syndrome?
If you have nagging feelings of imposter syndrome or things you want to manifest but feel you’re stuck like Ali – I’d love to work with you.
If you want to let go of imposter syndrome ASAP, consider enrolling in my Metamorphosis program. Let’s chat and get the ball rolling.
My Metamorphosis program is a great way to transform your life through upgrading your beliefs, removing blocks and manifesting your goals. Whether you know what you want to do and need help removing the blocks that are in your way so that you can finally take action or you need help discovering what makes your heart and soul light up, this program is for you.
Read more about my signature Metamorphosis program.
Don’t put it off, start today. We can work together to transform your life for the better.
*Ali’s name changed for privacy reasons