When imposter syndrome is anything but.

Our conflict and resilience workshop series help leaders find the support they deserve.

Author

Nicole Cardoza
June 17, 2025

News and insights to reimagine how we work and thrive.

Happy Tuesday and welcome back! Over the past six months, I’ve been facilitating three coaching programs for underrepresented leaders. In one, I’m consulting at a tech company to lead a six-month program with a cohort middle-managers. The organization is facing complex and challenging business needs, and I'm inspired by how they've prioritized this program regardless, and it’s been wonderful to watch the perspectives of the participants grow. 

In our last session, we tackled a topic that resonates deeply with many underrepresented leaders: imposter syndrome. Here are some resources we found helpful in our discussion. We’ll be exploring this further in our Spark Resilience workshop later this month.

Warmly,

Nicole

When it comes to being underrepresented in a modern workplace, I've found that most feelings of imposter syndrome are not solely the underrepresented leader's burden to carry. In fact, imposter syndrome is less of a diagnosis for the individual and more of an antenna or a mirror for the organization around them.

Imposter syndrome, also known as imposter phenomenon, describes high-achieving individuals who, despite their objective successes, fail to internalize their accomplishments and have persistent self-doubt and fear of being exposed as a fraud. People experiencing it struggle with accurately attributing their performance to their actual competence, often attributing successes to external factors like luck while viewing setbacks as evidence of their professional inadequacy.

We internalize workplace tensions, looking at data that tells us we don't belong: different schools, fewer resources, limited representation. We make judgments based on internalized stories from a society that wasn't built for us. When we feel external signals that we don't belong, we turn inward, trying to fix ourselves by working harder, seeking external support, or finding coping mechanisms.

When we experience imposter syndrome, it's an opportunity to invite our workplace to support us. Instead of shifting the blame onto ourselves, we can put collective responsibility on our community – creating moments to foster connection and belonging, and strengthening workplace bonds.

Research shows imposter syndrome is actually "a stronger predictor of mental health issues than minority status stress" among marginalized groups. A study in Harvard Business Review argues organizations should "stop telling women they have imposter syndrome" and instead create environments where diverse leadership styles are valued.

So, the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by projects and worried you can't handle as much as colleagues, reach out to a manager or peer in a similar role instead of questioning your capacity. If you feel your colleague dismisses your ideas because you’re not the right “fit” for the organization, consider: how does that colleague treat others? Instead of turning inwards, think about who you reach out to to gain perspective.

By reframing imposter syndrome from an individual failing to an organizational opportunity, we can create workplaces where everyone truly belongs—not just survives, but thrives.

Questions for reflection: What patterns do you notice in when imposter syndrome shows up for you? What would it look like to approach these moments as data about your environment rather than evidence of your inadequacy? How might your organization benefit from addressing the systemic roots of imposter syndrome?

Spark Resilience

Thursday, June 26 | 3-6pm EST

Navigating workplace dynamics while facing systemic barriers requires real resilience. This workshop gives you practical tools to maintain your energy, manage stress, and thrive—not just survive—as an underrepresented professional in any industry.

Conflict Evolution 101

Tuesday, July 22 | 3-5pm EST

This two-hour intensive session focuses on navigating moments of tension and conflict as they arise in professional settings. Participants will learn practical, real-time strategies for de-escalating situations, intervening effectively, and rebuilding trust after moments of rupture.

Through hands-on practice and scenario work, we’ll develop a personalized toolkit for addressing workplace tensions while maintaining cultural awareness and psychological safety.

Conflict Evolution 201

Wednesday, July 23 | 3-6pm EST

Conflict Evolution 201 is designed for practitioners who have completed our foundational workshop and are ready to deepen their practice.

This advanced session provides sophisticated tools, case studies, and extended practice opportunities to develop mastery in conflict transformation in complex professional settings.

Effective Facilitation

Self-paced, always available

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential components of a healthy and productive workplace. In this online, virtual, and self-paced series, we will discuss facilitation techniques for equity and inclusion that can help promote these values by providing participants with practical tools and strategies to create an inclusive and equitable workplace.

The Racial Equity Advancement and Defense Initiative (READI) Legal Support Fund, a fund hosted at the Tides Foundation, is inviting organizations to request funding to support any legal and/or security threats due to DEI, racial equity, or racial justice grantmaking and/or programming. 10 -12 grants of up to $75,000 to eligible applicants in August of 2025. Learn more >

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We turn workplace disagreements into your company's invitation to foster inclusion and build psychological safety. Instead of just putting out fires, we help your teams see conflict as a powerful tool that strengthens relationships rather than damages them.

A typical engagement includes an assessment of your current conflict patterns, a hands-on workshop with real-world scenarios, and follow-up coaching to make sure these new approaches stick when things get tough.

Book a free, 15-minute consultation to see how we can help.

Learn is the consultancy arm of Reclamation Ventures, an award-winning venture studio that’s created well-known brands like Reimagined, Banned Books Book Club, and the RV Fund. Over the past five years, we’ve helped organizations create more inclusive and equitable spaces through trainings, workshops and hands-on consulting.