Or, it would go like this in my previous incarnation as a barrister: “Right Miss. Deb, you’re in the Companies Court tomorrow at 10AM. They want you to make an urgent application for a validation order so they can make some urgent payments,” with the accompanying pile of papers crashing onto my desk at 4PM the day before the 10AM.
“I can’t do this. If I don’t get the validation order, they’ll go under, they won’t be able to pay their suppliers, or their staff who will all lose their jobs and their homes, and their children will starve and they won’t be able to go to school anymore. And it’ll all be my fault. How can I possibly do this overnight. I can’t do this.”
Every. Single. Time.
Then, for at least five minutes, I would have to give myself time to “freak out and panic”.
Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt
High-performing professionals are often the people most likely to experience imposter syndrome - which can rear its head in multiple different ways.
Sometimes it’s when we jump to the conclusion that we can’t do something difficult. Other times it’s seeing an innocuous message from a boss, co-worker or client, and immediately assuming the worst.
It can be judging ourselves against an internal standard of how or where we think we should be “by now”. Other times, it’s comparing ourselves to other people - co-workers, friends, or people we see online - and deciding we somehow fall short. Or, it can be attributing our success to luck, chance, a fluke or something else external.
It may sound counterintuitive to say that professionals experience imposter syndrome. Surely self-doubt belongs to the underprepared, the inexperienced, or the unqualified?
But in reality, imposter syndrome frequently appears in environments where expectations are high, visibility is increasing, and the stakes matter. Which is precisely why so many lawyers experience it - even when you are objectively capable, experienced and successful.
Objective of this Viewpoint
In this Viewpoint, I share 5 tools with you that work for my clients as part of my Mental Reset Method™. These techniques will help you identify and combat feelings of imposter syndrome.
How Imposter Syndrome Can Show Up
Imposter syndrome can show up quietly.
Perhaps you hesitate before speaking in a senior leadership meeting despite knowing the answer. Maybe you overprepare for presentations because you fear being “caught out”, or you worry you’ll suddenly go “blank”.
For some lawyers, imposter syndrome emerges after promotion into a more strategic role. For others, it appears when moving sectors, changing jurisdiction, joining a new organisation, or stepping into leadership for the first time.
The irony is that many people experiencing imposter syndrome are already performing extremely well.
Why lawyers are particularly vulnerable
Legal professionals are trained to identify risk, spot weaknesses and avoid mistakes. Those are valuable professional skills - but when turned inward, they can become psychologically exhausting - and damaging.
Counsel also operate in environments where:
- You are expected to advise confidently across multiple business areas.
- Commercial decisions often need to be made quickly.
- Comparison with peers can sneak into your thinking.
- Perfectionism can be quietly rewarded.
- There can be little external validation despite carrying significant responsibility.
Up to date research into imposter syndrome supports the environment factor. Earlier thinking framed it almost entirely as an internal confidence issue. Modern research recognises that workplace culture, identity, bias, unrealistic expectations and chronic stress can all contribute.
In other words: imposter syndrome is not simply about mindset. Environment has an impact too.
What Doesn’t Work - The Problem With “Fake It ’til You Make It”
One of the most unhelpful pieces of advice I hear is: “fake it ’til you make it”.
Many lawyers already feel they are performing a version of themselves professionally. Encouraging someone to “fake it” further deepens the disconnection between competence, authenticity, and self-perception.
A far healthier approach is authenticity combined with evidence.
You do not need to become louder, more extroverted or more polished to belong in senior spaces. You need to develop more trust in your existing capabilities - something that is built through repeated evidence - which you already have.
Five Approaches That Genuinely Help
1. Stop treating confidence as a feeling
One of the biggest misconceptions about confidence is that confident people feel confident all the time. They do not. I’m a Confidence Coach, and I can assure you - I do not feel confident all the time.
Confidence is often behavioural before it becomes emotional - without faking anything.
Many experienced professionals still experience self-doubt before major meetings, presentations or decisions. The difference is that they have learned not to interpret discomfort as evidence of incapability.
A useful question to ask yourself is this:
“What would I do in this situation if I trusted my experience - what I already know, and what I have already achieved?”
This behavioural reframe shifts your brain away from attempts at predicting an outcome based on emotion, and back towards evidence-based thinking.
2. Create a “competence file”
Most people with imposter syndrome have a distorted memory bias. They remember criticism vividly and minimise achievements quickly. One practical technique supported by cognitive behavioural approaches is to create a written “competence file”.
This is not a gratitude journal or motivational exercise.
It is a factual record of:
- Successful outcomes.
- Positive feedback.
- Difficult situations handled well.
- Leadership moments.
- Problems solved.
- Other evidence of growth over time.
The brain responds powerfully to repeated evidence. Particularly when under stress, having objective proof available immediately to hand can interrupt the automatic narrative of “I am not good enough” or “I can’t do this”.
Many lawyers keep detailed records for clients and cases - yet very few keep evidence for themselves.
Compile your competence file, making it as long as you like. Then, be sure to have a version of your competence file on a one-page sheet in bullet points. This can be folded into your pocket or purse, or it can be a note in your phone. Be sure to add to your list at least once a week.
The next time you experience self-doubt, pull out your abbreviated competence file and remind yourself of your evidence-based capabilities. Interrupt the “I can’t do this” thought loop.
3. Watch for comparison distortion
Comparison is rarely objective. Most professionals compare their internal uncertainty to another person’s external presentation. You may see someone speaking confidently in a boardroom and assume they feel entirely secure. In reality, they may simply have become more comfortable managing uncertainty publicly.
Social comparison theory suggests that repeated upward comparison - particularly in high-achievement environments - increases dissatisfaction and anxiety.
The question is not: “Am I as impressive as them?” but a more useful version, which is: “What can I learn from them without diminishing myself?” In other words, what about them do I admire, which I may wish to add to my skill set?
That subtle shift changes comparison from threat to information.
4. Regulate your nervous system - not just your mindset
This is the area most imposter syndrome discussions ignore. Self-doubt is not always purely cognitive. Sometimes it is physiological. If your nervous system is chronically stressed, overwhelmed or dysregulated, your brain becomes more threat-focused. You are more likely to interpret ambiguity as danger, and more likely to underestimate your own capabilities.
This explains why imposter syndrome often intensifies during:
- Burnout.
- Organisational change.
- Periods of lack of sleep.
- Excessive workload.
- Or when there’s a prolonged period of uncertainty.
Modern neuroscience increasingly supports the connection between stress regulation and confidence. Simple interventions can make a significant difference:
- Taking short pauses before high-stakes meetings.
- Slowing breathing to reduce physiological threat responses.
- Reducing cognitive overload.
- Improving recovery time outside work.
- Limiting constant “always on” behaviour.
Without even realising it, you may be trying to think your way out of imposter syndrome whilst remaining physiologically overwhelmed. That causes you to continue to be hard on yourself, when what you really need is self-compassion.
My most popular nervous system regulation technique amongst my clients is my Three-Breath Technique. Breathe in for a count of 4, breathe out for a count of 6, repeat this three times, or as many times as you need to feel a little calmer.
You can do this seated, with eyes shut whilst meditating. Equally, you can do this mid-conversation, with your eyes open. No one needs to know that you’re using my Three-Breath Technique.
5. Separate growth from inadequacy
There is a difference between:
- “I have more to learn”
and - “I do not belong here”.
High-performing lawyers often collapse those two ideas into one. But growth is not evidence of fraudulence. In fact, feeling stretched usually means you’re developing. When you’re in the “stretch zone”, and you feel slightly uncomfortable, that is actually an indication of learning and growth.
The most effective lawyers and leaders are not the ones who know everything already, but the ones who remain adaptable, curious and willing to learn - without attaching shame to the process.
A final thought
In my experience, imposter syndrome is rarely cured through external achievement alone.
Promotions, qualifications and praise may provide temporary relief, but unless the underlying relationship with yourself changes, the self-doubt often simply relocates to the next level of responsibility.
The goal is not to eliminate every moment of uncertainty, but to stop interpreting uncertainty as proof that you are somehow inadequate.
Most often - the people questioning themselves the most are the very people bringing the greatest level of thought, care, consideration and responsibility to the work they do and to the people around them.
Next Steps
I’ve created a special guidebook on self-confidence, The Confidence Shift, designed to help you elevate your confidence to the next level - regardless of where you are now.
I work with groups as a Coach either at your office if you’re in London, or online regardless of your location. I also work with people one-to-one. You can book in with me here.
I’m a qualified Shamanic Reiki Master and I hold distance healing sessions via Zoom. For more information, or to book a session with me, please go to the Sessions page on my website.
Or, if you prefer a self-paced approach to learning, I have an 8-module course on self-confidence with an accompanying workbook and exercises designed with you in mind, Own It: Transform Self-Doubt Into Self-Confidence.
Thank you for reading, and I hope the tools I’ve offered here help you to be the brightest version of you!
