How Imposter Syndrome Is Stopping You From Achieving Your Goals
lisatarkingtonSometimes we allow our imposter syndrome and fear to dictate our decisions. In this episode, we sit down with former NFL player turned entrepreneur and engaging TEDx speaker, Jacob Brown. He shares his story of how he overcame fear and imposter syndrome to be where he is today. Tune in to this empowering discussion and learn how to let go of fear, achieve your goals, and make your dreams a reality.
Continue to read on for the key points of this conversation with Jacob!
Jacob's Journey: From NFL Player to Motivational Speaker
Lisa: Jacob, can you share a little bit about your journey that led you to where you are now, where you’re eliminating imposter syndrome and getting over fear?
Jacob: Yeah, yeah. So, I’m a former NFL athlete who went to the University of Central Michigan, went to the NFL for a short period of time, was cut by the Oakland Raiders after a couple of months of being through camp, came home, had to find a job, and that’s where my fail-forward journey started. For those who don’t know much about me, my name is Jacob Brown, from Bridgeport, Michigan, a small town. I was a creative director for about 16 years. I helped lead design and development teams for a long time. But around 2018-2019, I realized I really wanted to dive into speaking, motivating people, encouraging them, coaching, and mentoring.
Lisa: You mentioned fear being a significant obstacle for many people. How did you personally deal with it?
Jacob: I realized that most people had this thing called fear. They had fear in the back of their mind, fear all around them, and before they did anything remarkable, they always had that imposter syndrome telling them, “You’re not smart enough, you don’t have enough experience, the family you come from doesn’t do that.” All of those voices. I had to put that behind me and move past it. And, you know, Will Smith says that success or happiness is on the other side of fear. A lot of times, that fear is self-brought or something that might’ve happened when we were younger. Once we get past that, that’s when we experience the beauties in life.
Lisa: Can you take us back to a time when you felt stuck because of imposter syndrome? How did you overcome it?
Jacob: I did my first keynote probably in 2014, and my first real, real keynote around 2017-2018. I was afraid that I didn’t have enough knowledge or stage presence, and I was worried about being seen as a copycat of other speakers. Finding my authentic voice was tough because I didn’t know if it would resonate with people or if I had enough experience. But I remember a turning point in my career when someone came up to me after a talk and said, “What you said changed my life today.” At that moment, I realized that if I could touch just one person, I had done my job. That’s when I started to get past the imposter syndrome.
Lisa: Even after overcoming those initial doubts, do you still experience imposter syndrome?
Jacob: Every time I step on stage, I always have a voice that comes in right before I step on stage and says, “Jake, do you really know what you’re doing? Are you really prepared? Do you know this audience? Do you have enough education?” But I’ve learned that imposter syndrome only shows up just before something amazing is about to happen. If you push past that voice and the fear it brings, on the other side is something remarkable. So, when the imposter shows up, I actually get excited because I know something great is coming.
Lisa: Why do you think people struggle with showing their authentic selves, and how can they overcome this?
Jacob: Some of my favorite people that I follow, like Mel Robbins, are so authentic. Mel takes videos from her phone in bed, in pajamas, and doesn’t care. Often, as content creators, we’re worried about everything being perfect—the audio, the 4K clarity—but the people we look up to don’t care. They show their true, authentic selves. So, it’s about embracing your authenticity and not being afraid to show it.
Lisa: How does this mindset help with fear and imposter syndrome?
Jacob: As you go through life, understand that whether something is good or bad, it’s happening for you, not to you. This shift in perspective can change everything.
Lisa: We’re all prone to playing the victim mindset, but when we flip that and get out of it, our lives become healthier and more positive. It’s also a great way to combat imposter syndrome. I remember a time when I was feeling unsure about my path and called a friend for advice. She asked, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” I realized that the worst-case scenario wasn’t as bad as I imagined, and that helped me to refocus on what I could do to succeed.
Jacob:That’s a powerful exercise. Another approach is to not allow yourself to think of anything outside of success. Myron Golden, a speaker I follow, talks about not giving space in your mind to anything but success. Even if things don’t go as planned, he manifests the outcome he hopes for. It’s about speaking what you seek until you see what you’ve said.
Lisa: I love that. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come by speaking our dreams into existence. It’s a reminder that if there’s something you want in life, you have to speak it, seek it, and expect it. What’s the final takeaway you’d like to leave with our listeners?
Jacob: You know, if you follow me anywhere, my title behind my name is human being, because one thing that I’ve realized is that, no matter how high I climb the ladder in corporate America, no matter how many stages I step on, no matter how much money I make, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, I just want to be a good human being. And one thing that I’ve learned is that all human beings, no matter how high they are, no matter what their title is, they all have the same fears, right? We all have that same fear of not feeling good enough, not being accepted, messing up or stumbling over our words.
Everyone you come in contact with I don’t care who they are they struggle with those thoughts and they also struggle with imposter syndrome, right? So some of the tools we’ve given you guys today, I want you to understand that we’re working those tools. Those people you might look up to are also working those tools because they too are susceptible to fear imposter syndrome not feeling good enough and feeling as though they might either mess up or miss the mark. So just know that they’re human too. They put their pants on one leg at a time they bleed and they cry. They think, just like you do.
Lisa: Amen to that.
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