{"id":597532,"date":"2025-03-26T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=597532"},"modified":"2025-04-03T10:43:24","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:43:24","slug":"how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"I Was 39, Leading GLAAD. And Riddled with Imposter Syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In the image above, I&#8217;m 39 years old. The photo was taken just before my first day at GLAAD where I accepted a position as the Executive Director. I might look calm and confident, but that expression was a decoy. I was riddled on the inside with imposter syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-is-imposter-syndrome\">WHAT IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dorothy and her three friends find their way to meet the \u2018great and powerful\u2019 Oz. Lo and behold, Toto reveals that Oz is a meek fellow behind a black curtain. This meek fellow is riddled with imposter syndrome and is mortified when he is unmasked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, Oz is quite something and offers insights and wisdom that empower each of them and, in so doing, grants each of their requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Imposter syndrome is an epidemic in the nonprofit sector, regardless of an organization\u2019s size or profile of visibility. Leaders are expected to be all things to all stakeholders\u2014from explaining the ins and outs of a balance sheet to making a six-figure ask to delivering a gala speech that leads to tears and goosebumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are a leader riddled with insecurity, waiting to be unmasked and certain that nearly anyone can do a better job, you may suffer from Imposter Syndrome. Here is an infographic that tells the story:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"gb-block-image gb-block-image-d48c1664\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gb-image gb-image-d48c1664\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdGjm4MOgOr5jRCcZcY9kCHUXqjt2R7PX5jDQ8imsIsekIE6Z5kocBhWhYbXuQh_IHCW36a6xJ7xzvHR6OStYP_cJR5KpnVYg1AMnJszNuPB4_Rmjf9xYOAYCsVQcfPzhRtQOx80g?key=9Cu8TCOhlozbcL7yi2OQPyNU\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I asked a few clients and the members of our Nonprofit Leadership Lab to share with me how imposter syndrome presents itself and what the symptoms are. Well, I hit a nerve and was barraged with an array of symptoms that are now part of an assessment. <a href=\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/imposter-scorecard\/\">Take the quick self-assessment<\/a> and see how you score. We will send your score to you, along with a few remedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Ready?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-tf-live=\"01JMN8FH2DH8WT01G6DYYBYHQ8\"><\/div><script src=\"\/\/embed.typeform.com\/next\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the image above, I&#8217;m 39 years old. The photo was taken just before my first day at GLAAD where I accepted a position as the Executive Director. I might look calm and confident, but that expression was a decoy. I was riddled on the inside with imposter syndrome. WHAT IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME? Dorothy and &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"I Was 39, Leading GLAAD. And Riddled with Imposter Syndrome\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome\/#more-597532\" aria-label=\"Read more about I Was 39, Leading GLAAD. And Riddled with Imposter Syndrome\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":597533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-597532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nonprofit-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.9 (Yoast SEO v24.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How To Overcome Imposter Syndrome<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many nonprofit leaders struggle with imposter syndrome. Take a FREE self-assessment and get valuable guidance to overcome imposter syndrome.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I Was 39, Leading GLAAD. And Riddled with Imposter Syndrome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many nonprofit leaders struggle with imposter syndrome. Take a FREE self-assessment and get valuable guidance to overcome imposter syndrome.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Joan Garry Consulting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JoanGarryConsulting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-26T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-03T14:43:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Imposter-Syndrome-Joan-Looking-Calm-and-Confident.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"593\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joan Garry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@scott\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@joangarry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joan Garry\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joan Garry\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa2f3fe71a6e1b94f996aa9891f124e\"},\"headline\":\"I Was 39, Leading GLAAD. 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