Taming Imposter Syndrome with Sydnea Lewis

Hint of Hustle with Heather Sager

Imposter syndrome can strike anyone, leading to battles with self-doubt and an inner voice who notices every fumble so it hisses unhelpful things like, “you don’t know what you’re doing” or “you’re an idiot.”
After 20+years as a speaker, I know first-hand that voice never quite goes away. But, I’ve also learned there are plenty of ways to shush it.
And that’s what Sydnea Lewis, a Signature Talk Accelerator alumni, joined me to discuss.
Sydnea is an experienced brand and marketing strategist and college professor, yet a year ago she found herself sharing her ideas and avoiding social interactions with peers and on social media.
Yep, imposter syndrome had Sydnea in its grips, but her experience in the Signature Talk Accelerator gave her practical tactics to embrace the fear of speaking and move forward despite it.
Fair warning: As always, you’re in for a real discussion. None of us has it all together. We’re all works in progress, but the insights you’ll take away from our conversation will propel you forward on your journey to becoming a more confident speaker.
In this episode, Sydnea and I discuss:

• The imposter syndrome struggle experts face
• One mindset shift which hugely dials down your nerves
• The messy middle of getting your first talk done
• A strategy to keep your talk focused even when you go off on a tangent
• To script or not to script
• Why critiques are a crucial part of improvement, even though they feel scary
• The joy of the speaking snowball effect
• How getting comfortable with discomfort leads to growth in your personal life

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1. Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Seeking Feedback (00:00:00)

2. Overcome Social Anxiety, Speak Publicly (00:09:17)

3. Overcoming Nervousness in Public Speaking (00:19:01)

4. Overcoming Self-Focus in Public Speaking (00:22:24)

5. Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in Public Speaking (00:27:19)

6. Overcoming Fear and Taking Small Steps (00:37:44)