Words of Wisdom - Imposter Syndrome
Roundtable event
The term imposter syndrome was coined in the 1970s by Suzanne Imes and Pauline Rose Clance. It’s that nagging feeling that you don’t deserve your success – that you’re winging it, not good enough, or about to be exposed as a fraud.
Rather than being a personality trait, it’s a reaction to circumstances, and was originally thought to impact predominantly high-performing women. In reality, it affects most of us from time to time – from intern to CEO.
Imposter syndrome is closely related to self-doubt, perfectionism and the fear of failure – and it can hold you back if you don’t get it in check.
It’s often responsible for the self-limiting beliefs and lack of confidence that keep you firmly in your comfort zone, stop you taking risks, and prevent you from grasping opportunities to grow as an individual and as a business owner.
Join this panel discussion where ABM Director and Regional Head, Gary King, will interview guest experts Sarah Townsend, Deborah Ogden and Phil Fraser on this important topic.
Joining the panel are:
As a freelance copywriter for more than 20 years, Sarah Townsend helps purpose-led businesses discover the power of persuasive copy.
In 2020, she published Survival Skills for Freelancers, to help business owners around the globe tackle the day-to-day challenges of self-employment.
Described as “better than a business coach, the Amazon #1 bestseller busts the myths about being your own boss to help you ace self-employment without burnout. It distils 20 years of experience – plus quotes from over 100 freelancers – into 200 unputdownable pages.
Since then, Sarah has combined her copywriting work with delivering mentoring, training and events to help the self-employed community tackle the ups and downs of freelance life.
Deborah Ogden is a nationally respected expert on personal branding and impact, speaker, and host of the Podcast, ‘On Brand With…’, sharing stories of personal brand in the real world.
Whether it’s building profile, winning more clients or pitching and presenting with confidence, Deborah’s expertise has delivered breakthrough results time after time for businesses and individuals across the UK.
With over 30 years of extensive experience working on the brand and image of some high profile names Deborah has made an impact with organisations and individuals up and down the country including: Tesco; Ernst & Young, CILEx, the University of Law and Polypipe.
Her approach centres around building profile as a visible expert, and increasing personal impact using her Impact Method: ‘Clarity, Communicate, Capitalise’.
Having trained as a solicitor, Deborah has a strong background in professional services giving her an in-depth and real world understanding of the importance of backing up content with strong presentation.
Deborah is a regular commentator for BBC Radio and the press, featuring in national publications including Daily Mail, Express, Essentials and Stylist magazine and had her work published in Your Success, a personal development book. She is frequently booked as a motivational speaker for both businesses and educational institutions to advise on positive impact and personal brand in business.
Visit www.deborahogden.com or call 07786 928577 for further information.
Phil went from a kitchen table start up all the way to multi-million pound sale to a PLC.
A failed Angel Investment pitch led him to accidentally pivot to focus on a comparison website for Online Bingo, called WhichBingo. With zero investment and initially working from home with just his wife, this ‘accident’ grew to become a market leader, a 10-time industry award winner and ultimately a sale to a plc in 2018.
Phil now works with SME-owners as a Business Sounding Board (positioning himself somewhere between Business Mentor and ‘personal NED’). In simple terms, he’s ‘a pair of ears and an extra pair eyes’ for SME Owners helping them to be better business owners.
As a Business Sounding Board, he offers SME Owners the time & space to regularly discuss their challenges and opportunities, with no sense of judgement or bias, and in complete confidence. The aim is for them to explore their options in full, ending up with a list of issues to address/clarify, clear targets in mind, a roadmap to success, and a renewed enthusiasm for their business.
Phil is also a volunteer Mentor with a number of organisations including The Prince's Trust, CareerReady and Young Enterprise, and is an active Angel Investor. He also mentors start-up businesses.