Imposter Syndrome Isn’t in Your Head — It’s in the System
- Kirti Singh
- Nov 6
- 3 min read
There’s a quiet pain many high-achieving leaders carry — that feeling of being one step away from being “found out.” You accomplish, perform, and contribute with care and excellence, yet inside there’s a whisper: I’m not enough. You wonder when someone will realize you don’t belong here.
We call it imposter syndrome — but the truth is, it’s rarely a syndrome. It’s a story written by systems that were never designed with everyone in mind.
The Myth of the Imposter
The term “imposter syndrome” suggests a personal shortcoming — that something inside you is broken or unconfident. But what if what you’re feeling isn’t pathology, but pattern?
For women, BIPOC, immigrant, and gender-expansive professionals, the feeling of being an imposter often emerges not from lack of ability, but from a lack of mirroring — from being in spaces where brilliance, difference, or cultural ways of knowing aren’t fully seen or valued.
We internalize what’s around us. If the field doesn’t reflect your wholeness, it’s natural to question your right to belong.
In Gestalt terms, this is a field phenomenon — not an individual defect. The “imposter feeling” arises at the contact boundary between person and environment, shaped by collective norms, historical bias, and power structures.
When the field affirms only certain expressions of leadership — confidence over humility, assertiveness over listening, productivity over reflection — many leaders begin to self-edit to survive. The cost is subtle but deep: self-erasure masquerading as professionalism.
Awareness as Liberation
The first step isn’t to “fix” the imposter feeling — it’s to become aware of it as information.
In Gestalt practice, awareness is not analysis; it’s contact. We ask: What am I sensing, thinking, feeling, avoiding, or adjusting to right now? From awareness, choice emerges.
Awareness helps you notice:
When the feeling of inadequacy appears — and whose gaze it belongs to.
What stories about competence and belonging you’ve internalized.
When your self-doubt is not self-created, but systemically inherited.
This awareness is liberatory. It separates you from the false narratives you’ve absorbed.
Healing in Relationship
Imposter feelings soften not through isolation but through connection. When you’re met with authentic recognition — someone who reflects your full humanity — you begin to reclaim your sense of reality.
In my coaching work, we create space to:
Explore where the voice of “not enough” originates — in culture, family, or professional environments.
Recognize the external conditions that reinforce it.
Practice staying in contact with your competence, clarity, and grounded presence, even when the field doesn’t affirm it yet.
Together, we rebuild a new internal reference — one grounded not in external validation, but in awareness, embodiment, and truth.
Moving Forward: What Helps
If you notice the imposter voice, begin here:
Pause and Name It – Awareness shifts energy. Saying, “I’m sensing doubt” interrupts the old story.
Reframe It – Instead of “I don’t belong,” try “I’m in a space that hasn’t yet learned how to see me.”
Find Grounding – Through breath, movement, or reflection, reconnect with your body.
Seek Resonant Spaces – Communities, peers, or mentors who affirm your lived experience.
Practice Wholeness – Bring more of yourself — not less — into your leadership and relationships.
Imposter feelings often signal that you are expanding into a space that hasn’t yet caught up to your presence.
You are not behind — you’re simply at the edge of evolution.
A Reflection to Hold
Pause for a moment.
What if the part of you that doubts isn’t your enemy, but your ally — the one who refuses to forget your truth?
What might leadership look like if you no longer had to shrink to belong?
If this reflection resonates with you and you’re ready to explore how awareness and belonging can reshape your experience of leadership, I’d love to connect. You can reach out or book a complimentary consultation to begin the conversation.
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