Most People Think Imposter Syndrome Reveals Your Gaps. The Truth Is It Reveals Your Growth.

That voice in your head whispering that you don’t belong? It’s not exposing your inadequacy—it’s shining a spotlight on your growth.

Imposter syndrome defies logic. Even the most seasoned leaders, creatives, and changemakers sometimes feel like frauds. That nagging belief that your success is just luck, that soon someone will “find you out”? It’s not rare—and it’s not a flaw. It’s a sign.

What If Imposter Syndrome Isn’t a Problem, But a Milestone?

Let’s flip the script: what if imposter syndrome isn’t something to overcome but something to appreciate?

It might just be your brain's way of announcing: You’re in new territory. And with new territory comes uncertainty. That tension between what you know and what you’re learning is fertile ground for growth.

Think of it this way—no one feels like an impostor while doing what they’ve already mastered. You feel like an impostor precisely because you’re expanding into something bigger. It’s less a red flag and more a green light.

The Courage Zone: Where Growth Lives.

As a coach, I’ve seen it again and again—people who are technically successful but feel stuck. They want to pivot careers, step into leadership, or try something bold, but they stay frozen in place. Not because they aren’t capable, but because they’re afraid of being seen as inexperienced or, worse, incompetent.

The irony? Staying in your comfort zone feels safe, but it’s often the very thing holding you back.

Growth isn’t a single, courageous leap. It’s a series of steps into the unknown. That sense of impostor syndrome? It's often just your brain adjusting to a new altitude. Here is a new way to reframe impostor syndrome and embrace the uncertainty that is your passport to growth and change.

The Three Phases of Mastering Imposter Syndrome.

Phase 1: The Tourist.

Think back to your first visit to an unfamiliar city. You likely experienced an emotional rollercoaster—equal parts excitement and apprehension because everything was new and unpredictable.

You probably overprepared, buying every guidebook and downloading numerous apps. Taking public transportation might have felt overwhelming—what if you missed your stop or exited at the wrong station?

The beautiful irony of being a tourist is that mistakes often transform into discoveries. That wrong turn that led you to a hidden "hole in the wall" restaurant, which turned out to be a local culinary gem, became a highlight rather than a failure.

As a tourist, you create list after list to ensure you use your time wisely, driven more by FOMO (fear of missing out) than by what genuinely interests you.

Phase 2: The Local

With time, you become familiar with the landscape and discover the shortcuts. The once-new environment becomes second nature, and your confidence naturally grows. You feel comfortable taking new risks because you've developed a foundation of understanding.

Activities that once paralysed you with fear—like navigating public transportation—become your new normal. You move through spaces with an ease that would have seemed impossible in your tourist phase.

You relax and allow each day to unfold naturally rather than planning every minute out of fear that you'll waste precious time.

Phase 3: The Guide

Eventually, you become the expert—the person others turn to for advice and direction on matters that once felt completely foreign to you.

As a guide, you can teach others and light the way. Your failures and experiences become your greatest teaching tools, allowing you to share wisdom that accelerates others' journeys.

You share knowledge openly and recognise yourself in those who are just starting out. You remember your own beginnings and can empathise deeply with their struggles.

In this phase, you empower and encourage others to venture beyond their comfort zones, offering your full support as they navigate their own paths of growth.

Applying This Framework to Your Career.

Reflect on your first role or when you began your current position. In the beginning, you were the tourist—everything felt overwhelming, and it seemed impossible that you would ever master the landscape.

Fast forward a few months, and you transitioned into becoming a local. You discovered more efficient ways to work, and as your comfort level increased, so did your level of responsibility.

With experience, you evolved into a guide. Perhaps you now lead a team, or colleagues regularly seek your guidance and advice.

You're Not an Imposter—You're a Tourist.

The next time you contemplate moving beyond your comfort zone or you get thrown into a new promotion, remind yourself: You're not an imposter; you're simply in the tourist phase again. This initial discomfort is temporary—you've already proven to yourself that with time and practice, what feels foreign now will eventually become familiar.

You're not deceiving anyone by being in a learning phase—you're actively growing. Feeling overwhelmed and out of your depth isn't evidence of fraud; it's the natural consequence of venturing into unexplored territory.

Eventually, you'll reach the guide phase, and today's insecurities will fade. You'll still experience self-doubt, but it will be the healthy kind that keeps you sharp, not the debilitating kind that prevents you from realising your full potential.

Embracing the Journey.

When those overwhelming days arrive, take a step back and identify which phase you're in. No matter how uncomfortable it feels in the moment, remember that nothing is permanent.

Give yourself permission to be a beginner again and enjoy the process, knowing what to expect from each phase.

The only path to the next phase is through the discomfort—there are no shortcuts around or over it.

When you move from a guide to a tourist, you are not starting from the beginning. You are taking all that knowledge and experience with you while you navigate this phase.

Focus on the process, not just the outcome. The real joy lies in the daily journey; if you could leap from tourist to guide overnight, you'd miss all the lessons that shape who you're becoming. Your mistakes, stumbles, and failures provide the rich substance of your experience and become the stories that help others accelerate their own learning.

As Seth Godin wisely observed:

"When we embrace impostor syndrome instead of working to make it disappear, we choose the productive way forward. The imposter is proof that we're innovating, leading and creating."

Here’s to being a proud tourist, again and again.

Warm wishes,

Lori