The coach and the imposter syndrome: where the real challenge lies
On the outside, everything adds up: results, recognition, respect.
But success feels different on the inside than it looks from the outside.
There’s no lack of competence, but there is a persistent self-perception:
“Am I truly enough?”
What we call imposter syndrome is not a flaw. It’s a systemic response. A brain that constantly tunes itself to external standards. And as long as coaching focuses on what someone does, the imposter mindset remains untouched.
Why reassurance doesn’t work
Praise, compliments, reminders of past success, they may seem helpful, but often reinforce the underlying belief:
“If I need to be convinced, then I must not be enough.”
The more someone tries to prove their worth, the more deeply the imposter system embeds itself.
What’s needed is not more reassurance, but a shift in awareness. Not a technique, but a way of observing, not what is missing, but how the system reinforces itself.
The shift: how to dismantle the imposter system
What if you didn’t ask what your client is feeling,
but how their internal system is functioning?
- Perfectionism as protection against rejection
- Tension in the body when their truth is being overridden
- Emotional suppression in the name of professionalism
Imposter syndrome doesn’t dissolve through denial, but through dismantling. By making visible how the system sustains itself. Then: practicing new self-observation.
Not to find a better version of yourself, but to relate to yourself in a new way.
What you’ll learn in the masterclass
In the Overcoming Imposter Syndrome masterclass by Maria Cussell, this work is explored in four compact video lessons plus an introduction. You’ll learn:
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How ego states (Parent, Adult, Child) shape self-perception
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How to identify imposter patterns systemically, in individuals, teams and organisations
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How to help clients revise their inner dialogue
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And how to avoid getting pulled into the same pattern as a coach
Where other trainings stop at insight, this one offers the tools to rewrite the inner architecture of imposter thinking. Step by step.
Accessible, applicable and deep enough to change the way you coach.
What this requires from you as a coach
You can’t guide this work from the sidelines.
If you want to help clients dismantle imposter thinking, it starts with clarity about your own position.
- Where do you seek validation?
- How do you respond to your own shortcomings?
- Can you interrupt the pattern, even in how you relate to your clients?
The coach who sees this works beyond behaviour. They work at the level of identity.
A reflection for your practice
What might shift if you stopped working on proof of worth, and instead focused on the deeper layers of self-perception, in yourself and in the systems your clients live in?
And: which inner dialogue of yours sounds like the one your client is having?
Break the imposter cycle and click here for more information
Further reading:
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