Impostor Syndrome: My Story

I’ve spent my entire career in technology, leading marketing teams, creating new departments, winning new customers, and driving growth. From the outside, it probably looked like I had it all together. But behind that outward success?

Impostor Syndrome and plenty of it.

And if you’ve felt it too, you’re not alone. Studies suggest that up to 70% of people experience impostor feelings at some point in their careers. It affects people across industries, experience levels, and backgrounds, including some of the most successful leaders you know.

Where It Started for me

I didn’t go to university. I left school at 16 with fairly average results and no clear plan, just a determination to work hard and make a living. I was following in my parents’ footsteps; they’d worked tirelessly all their lives and taught me that showing up, giving your best, and getting stuck in was how you moved forward.

I started out in sales and found my way into marketing, always in technology. Along the way, I’ve worked both agency-side and client-side:

• In agencies, I won new clients, pitched go-to-market strategies, and developed creative campaigns.
• Client-side, I created new departments, delivered qualified sales pipelines, and helped build brands that stand out.

Even with those achievements, I often caught myself thinking:

• “I’m just a doer, not a strategist.”
• “I’m good at getting stuff done… but am I thinking big enough?”
• “How can I put my ideas on paper and get people to take them seriously? I didn’t even go to uni…”

Even when people meant it as a compliment, being called “a doer” sometimes felt like they were saying I wasn’t strategic enough, so that became a story I told myself for years.

The Different Faces of Impostor Syndrome

Over time, I learned that Impostor Syndrome shows up in many forms. Some of the most common types include:

• The Expert - Feeling like you should know everything before speaking up.
• The Perfectionist - Feeling like anything less than perfect is failure.
• The Soloist - Thinking that asking for help proves you’re not good enough.
• The Superwoman/Superman - Constantly pushing harder to prove you belong.
• The Natural Genius - Believing that if you can’t get it right first time, you’re failing
  
  

For me? I was a blend of The Expert and The Superwoman. Constantly thinking I needed to know everything before contributing, constantly pushing to do more to prove myself.

Reframing the Story

What made the biggest difference wasn’t gaining more experience or qualifications. It was learning to reframe the stories I told myself.

I reminded myself of what I do bring:

• I can build momentum. I make things happen. That’s not “just doing”, that’s leadership.
• I can pitch, present, and communicate clearly. Not everyone can do that, and I’ve worked hard to develop that skill.
• I can build teams, align sales and marketing, and deliver growth. That’s strategy.
• And I don’t need to know it all, I know how to connect the dots, how to learn, how to lead. And I’ve done that again and again.
  

I learned to catch the old thoughts and swap them for something more helpful:

Even Writing This…

Here’s the honest bit: even writing this blog made me feel like an Impostor.

That’s the thing about Impostor syndrome, it doesn’t disappear because you’ve achieved things, or because you’ve “made it.” It shows up precisely when you step into something slightly uncomfortable, when you share something personal, or when you lead.

But I’ve learned that you don’t have to wait until you feel perfectly confident to speak up or help others.

We don’t lead by being perfect, we lead by going first. Even if our voice shakes. Even if we’re worried about what people will think.

Bringing the Conversation to 5Y Technology

That’s exactly why I’m sharing my experience with the Women in Tech team here at 5Y Technology through an interactive training session on overcoming Impostor Syndrome. Together, we’ve been exploring the different types of Impostor thoughts, reflecting on our experiences, and practicing reframing techniques to break the cycle.

And while women in technology often feel this more due to being underrepresented, this isn’t just a women’s issue. Impostor Syndrome affects people of all genders, backgrounds, and experience levels. That’s why we’ll also be sharing this with our male colleagues too, because everyone deserves the tools and language to break free of those limiting stories.

Final Thought

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong or that you’re “not enough,” I want you to know:

You don’t have to be perfect.
You don’t have to be “qualified” by someone else’s definition.
You don’t have to wait until you feel ready.

You already have what it takes.