Wonder Women Series Episode 1 with Katrena Friel
Katrena Friel describes her purpose in life as "to transform, uplift, and be a laser beam of focus." As an activated life long learner she has been sharing her message of invigoration and spirit of transformation for over 25 years inviting others to explore and discover a place of learning, daring and doing.
The main topic we want to address is the “Imposter Syndrome” I recently did a poll asking what women in leadership found the most challenging the responses were as below: Imposter Syndrome 36% Ability to Communicate 29% Loss of Self Confidence 19% The Impact of others 16% I believe these are all connected. The ”imposter syndrome” was only described as a pathological term in the 1970’s after women reported second-guessing themselves, mild anxiety, and discomfort in the workplace, particularly in high-achieving roles. I want people to be aware, there are four universal fears: Fear of not being good enough, of failure/success, of not belonging, and of not being loved or liked. They are called universal for a reason, everyone experiences them. Even the most famous and inspired women have reportedly experienced ”imposter syndrome” despite outstanding professional achievements. Is this level of self-doubt a disease or condition as is described by assigning the medical term syndrome? Or is it a human response to a set of experiences underpinned by decades of patriarchy, stereotyping, and women fighting for rights, rights to work, to lead, to have a voice, to be respected, and valued alongside their male counterparts. Please understand, this is not a feminist rant against men, the ”boys club” is, of course, alive and well as men have supported one another throughout the ages. It’s also not about having women in leadership positions because of an imposed quota in workforce planning. It is about competent women supporting one another, as well as being supported by their male counterparts. It is about opening our eyes and minds to the potential of women in leadership and the value they bring to our growing business and economy. Leadership is not a gender issue it’s a behavioural issue. Women in leadership should be seen as part of the solution, not a threat to a biased and outdated social patriarchy or to one another. Instead of trying to fix Imposter Syndrome, let’s stop branding ourselves imposters, stop accepting the label of imposter and start recognising our own value and contribution.