Overcoming Imposter Syndrome and Self-Doubt at Work

In this episode of Little Moves, Big Careers, Caroline Esterson dives into the murky waters of imposter syndrome and shows you how to swim straight through it.

Because here’s the truth: imposter syndrome isn’t proof that you’re failing, it’s often a sign you’re actually doing something right. You’re stretching, growing, stepping outside your comfort zone... and your (prehistoric) brain is freaking out.

Caroline gets real about the evolutionary roots of self-doubt, the danger of confidence myths, and why your gremlin thoughts aren't red flags, they’re neon signs pointing to growth.

You’ll laugh, probably nod a lot, and definitely walk away with practical tools to stop the spiral and start moving, even when the voice in your head says, “Who let you in?”

No toxic positivity. No fake-it-till-you-make-it fluff. Just strategy, psychology, and the kind of real talk your career’s been waiting for.

Key Takeaways

• Confidence is not a pre-requisite, it’s a side effect of action
• Imposter syndrome isn’t a flaw, it’s survival wiring from your cave-dwelling ancestors
• Growth often feels uncomfortable because it’s meant to
• Your inner critic gets loudest right before the breakthrough
• You don’t need to be fearless. You just need to keep moving with the fear

Sound Bites

“Discomfort isn’t danger. It’s your stretch zone kicking in.”
“You’re not faking it, you’re just not fluent yet.”
“Confidence is earned. Coping is the real flex.”
“You don’t need a £400 cardigan to prove you belong.”
“If your gremlin’s shouting, good news, you’re doing something it hasn’t seen before.”

Quickfire Career Moves You’ll Learn

• Say it out loud. Interrupt the spiral. Shrink the shame.
• Revisit your receipts. Your Happy File has the evidence.
• Move with the fear. The wobble is the win.
• Ask the question you’ve been holding back, it might be your boldest move yet.

Tools + Extras

As always, you will find your Bold Moves Brief, transcript and Big Conversation Starter kit right here

Download the Gremlin Check-In , your brutally simple, fill-in-the-blank worksheet to help you name the thought, reframe it, and take a bold micro-move anyway.
(Perfect for when your brain’s doing the Cha Cha Slide of self-doubt.)

→ Grab it at inspireyourgenius.com/podcast

Listen if You’re:

• Newly promoted and wondering if it was all a mistake
• Secretly convinced someone’s going to “find you out”
• Tired of pretending you’re fine while Googling acronyms under the table
• Ready to stop spiralling and start owning your brilliance, even with wobbles

Want to bring this kind of truth-telling, high-impact energy into your organisation? Let’s talk. caroline@inspireyourgenius.com

#careertips #careeradvice #personaldevelopment

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

Not confidence. Not cleverness. Curiosity is your secret weapon.
The boldest, most unexpected careers aren’t powered by perfect plans. They’re built by people who stay curious - strategically, unapologetically, and often just a little cheekily.

What’s Inside:

• Why curiosity (not confidence) is your best career edge
• The 5 types of curiosity (and how to use them on purpose)
• Real-life story of Captain Sully and the 208 seconds that changed everything
• Listener dilemma: “Am I flaky if I want to try something new?”
• 3 Quickfire Career Moves to stretch your curiosity (without setting off alarms)
• This week’s Career Quote Crime: “Jack of all trades, master of none” gets the truth treatment

Big Idea:

Curiosity isn’t a fluffy trait, it’s a high-performance skill. It helps you:

• Adapt faster
• Spot the right opportunities
• Build influence without shouting

Most importantly, it helps you move—even if it’s messy.

You can take our 'How are You Curious?' Quiz here

Quickfire Career Moves:

1. Use Curiosity as a Visibility Strategy
   Frame your questions to show proactive intent, not flight risk vibes.
2. Ask Smarter Questions in Meetings
   Try: “What’s the one thing we’re assuming that could be wrong?”
3. Create a Curiosity Calendar
   Monthly 15-minute chats with someone outside your usual bubble.

Career Quote Crime:

“Jack of all trades, master of none”
Actually: “…oftentimes better than master of one.”
Versatility isn’t dilution, it’s dynamite.

Listener Dilemma:

“I want to try something totally different, but will it damage my ‘reliable’ reputation?”
Auntie Caro’s take? Stretch. Test. Pilot. Don’t quit, just investigate.

Words of Encouragement:

“You don’t need to be fearless. You just need to stay curious long enough to find out what’s possible.”

#careertips #careeradvice

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

In this episode of Little Moves, Big Careers, Caroline Esterson gets gloriously real about the messy truth of career paths, emphasising that success is not linear, no matter what the old-school career ladder crowd wants you to believe. Instead, we’re talking zigzag moves, surprise sliding doors moments, and the wild power of zigging when you're told to zag.

Caroline takes aim at the myth of the straight line and hands you a better map, one where detours, pivots, and “Wait, how did I end up here?” moments are actually rocket fuel for personal and professional growth. If you've ever felt like you took the long way round, good news: you’re not lost, you’re levelling up.

You’ll walk away with practical advice, a dash of cheek, and full permission to define success on your own (gloriously unpredictable) terms.

Key takeaways

• Careers are not straight lines; they are weather systems.
• Success is often found in unexpected pivots.
• Recognising sliding doors moments can change your career trajectory.
• The traditional career ladder is becoming obsolete.
• Zigzagging through your career can lead to valuable experiences.
• Chase experiences rather than titles or positions.
• Curiosity and awareness are key to spotting opportunities.
• It's important to trust patterns over rigid plans.
• Don't let conventional wisdom limit your potential.
• Progress is not always perfect, but it is still progress.

Sound Bites

"Progress doesn't always look like sunshine."
"Chase experiences, not jobs."
"Start trusting pattern over plan."

Quick Fire Career Moves You’ll Learn

• Stop asking “Is this the right move?”, start asking “What will I learn?”
• Trust the pattern over the plan. Your instincts are wiser than your CV.
• Ask people how they really got where they are. Note to self: it’s never the five-year plan.

Listen if You’re:

• Second-guessing a job change that doesn’t look neat
• Tired of chasing titles and ready to chase truth
• Trying to explain your zigzag to your Dad, your boss, or your inner critic
• Ready to make the brave, weird move… and own it

Resources + Extras

Download the Bold Moves Brief for this episode

Download The Career Story Prompt Pack

Run the Big Conversation session with your team

Want to bring this energy into your organisation? Let’s talk. caroline@inspireyourgenius.com

Subscribe + Share
Love this? Forward it to someone who’s quietly plotting a bold pivot.
Please rate & review so the algorithm sends it to the brave ones.

Because success doesn’t come from staying put, it comes from knowing when to zag.

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

The Tiny Career Moves That Build Massive Momentum
Welcome to Little Moves, Big Careers, where we stop waiting for the big break and start spotting the real moments that move careers forward.

In This Episode:
Do you ever feel like you're doing all the right things but still getting passed over? The truth is, it's often not about effort; it's about what (and when) you notice. This episode pulls back the curtain on:

• Why the best opportunities don’t come with bold font or a formal invite
• How to train your brain to notice patterns that others miss
• What Zara, Daniel Kahneman, and your annoying colleague Greg all have in common
• The difference between action and insight, and why one of them gets you promoted

You’ll Learn:

• How to spot the tiny, invisible cues that signal big career shifts
• Why being too reactive kills momentum, and how to get back in control
• How to clock the unspoken invitation (before Greg does)
• The difference between being “solid” and being seen

Quickfire Career Moves Inside:

• Replay your week with a curiosity filter
• Ask this one question in your next meeting to shift your status
• Turn vague “loop ins” into your next big leap

Listener Dilemma:
A quietly brilliant team member keeps getting pulled into “extra” work, no recognition, no clarity. Is it a test? A trap? Or a breadcrumb trail to something bigger? Caro unpacks what to do when you’re being noticed... but not yet acknowledged.

Career Quote Crime of the Week:
“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
🤨 Really? The small stuff IS the stuff. If you don’t sweat it, someone else will, then walk off with your credit.

This episode will tune your radar, sharpen your strategy, and remind you that momentum doesn’t come from waiting, it comes from noticing, then moving.

👀 Listen now on your favourite podcast platform or wherever you get your strategic sass on!

For show notes, free career tools, and cheeky extras:
www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

How invisible power networks shape your career (without you even knowing.)
Ever had that sinking feeling that something important happened… and you weren’t in the room for it? Or that a decision was made before the meeting? Or even that someone less capable got the opportunity, and you’re still “being patient”?

That’s The Club in action. No badges. No invites. But plenty of power.

In this episode of Little Moves, Big Careers, host Caroline Esterson lifts the lid on the informal influence networks that quietly shape who gets picked, praised, and promoted at work, and what to do when you're left circling outside the velvet rope.

We’re talking unspoken rules, invisible handshakes, and the subtle but brutal difference between being relied on and being recognised.

What you’ll learn:

• Why effort doesn’t equal visibility, and what to focus on instead
• How “The Club” forms (Please know it’s not always evil, it’s often emotional)
• The neuroscience of exclusion and why it literally hurts to be overlooked
• How to decode informal power at work and stop blaming yourself for broken systems
• 3 bold career moves to build influence without needing to be loud, fake, or pushy

Segment Highlights:
Are YOU in The Club?
A cheeky, scarily accurate quiz to help you spot the signs.

Real or Rubbish?
Decode whether that weird workplace moment is Club Code or just corporate chaos.

What Would Caro Do?
A listener from Preston is DONE being overlooked. Auntie Caro gives them the rally cry (and the strategy) to reclaim their power.

Quickfire Career Moves
3 bold-but-doable actions to reposition yourself as a strategic player (not just a helpful extra.)

Career Quote Crime
“If you work hard, you’ll be recognised.”
Seriously! You won’t. Caroline debunks this bedtime story with facts, fire, and a much smarter reframe.

BONUS TOOLS:
Download your Informal Influence Mapper
This episode’s free tool helps you spot hidden power players and map your own influence strategy, so you can stop shouting into the void and start whispering in the right ears.
DOWNLOAD IT HERE

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t know what else I can do…”
You’re not the problem.
But you might be playing by rules no one explained to you.

This episode will help you flip the script and help you start making moves that actually get noticed.

For more tools, transcripts, and cheeky extras:
inspireyourgenius.com/podcast

Send your bold career dilemmas to:
caroline@inspireyourgenius.com

Subscribe to Little Moves, Big Careers - the podcast for brilliant-but-overlooked people who are DONE waiting to be picked.

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

If you've ever felt like your manager was more “in the way” than “in your corner,” this one’s for you.

In this sharp-tongued but clear-eyed bonus episode, Caroline takes us on a safari through the modern workplace zoo, spotting characters like The Deflector, The Bouncer, The Squirrel, The Chameleon, and yes, even the elusive Amplifier.

It’s not about moaning. It’s about naming the pattern so you can stop internalising the chaos and start working around it like the savvy human you are.

Learn how to:

• Handle managers who deflect, dodge, and disappear
• Respond (not react) to dodgy leadership
• Use E + R = O (Event + Response = Outcome) to take back control
• Amplify yourself—even if no one else is

You’ll laugh, wince, and probably recognise a few of your former line managers… but most importantly, you’ll leave equipped with cheeky scripts, smart strategies, and a whole lot more control over your career than you thought you had.

Because waiting to be noticed? That’s a system that’s failed you before.
This time, you’re moving first. With style.

Listen now and reclaim your agency, one bold move at a time.
Full show notes, transcripts, and resources: inspireyourgenius.com/podcast

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

Or "Why Hard Work Alone Doesn’t Get You Noticed at Work"

You’ve been told to keep your head down, work hard, and wait your turn. Sound familiar? This episode reveals why that advice is holding you back and what to do instead.

From laugh-out-loud real talk to smart shifts that boost your visibility, I’ll show you why capability means nothing without clarity and how to start showing up like you mean it.

Quickfire career moves included. Slightly savage, encouragement guaranteed.

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.

Little Moves, Big Careers is the no-fluff podcast for brilliant people who feel stuck, overlooked, or like their potential’s going unnoticed. Hosted by Caroline Esterson — learning designer, career strategist, and unapologetically honest about what actually works — each episode brings bold insights, real talk, and practical moves to get your work seen and your voice heard.

Whether you’re mid-career and invisible, full of ideas but unsure how to get noticed, or just tired of working hard with little to show for it, this podcast is your shortcut to smart, sustainable career momentum.

Expect cheeky stories, surprising research, unfiltered truths, and creative strategies you can try straight away. This is for the doers, the thinkers, and the quietly brilliant — the ones who want to grow a big career without selling out.

New episodes drop every Tuesday from June 10th. Subscribe and head to www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast for extra treats, tools, and the good stuff we don’t say out loud.

Ready to make your next bold move? Grab the free Bold Move Audit at www.inspireyourgenius.com/podcast and join the insider crew.

Stuck, simmering, or onto something juicy? I want to hear it. Drop me a line at caroline@inspireyourgenius.com - I read them all.