You don’t need anything groundbreaking to get unstuck. What you need is Awareness.
Most people underestimate it. Writing it off as too simple and too obvious. But awareness is one of the most powerful tools you’ll ever use — because it’s the only thing that turns a problem you can’t see into a problem you can actually solve.
Once you can name something, you can anticipate it, avoid it, prepare for it or even solve it. Before that, you’re just reacting to something you don’t fully understand.
I learned this with my own imposter syndrome. From the moment I named it, I started to recognise it. I noticed how and when it showed up. This led to an understanding of what was actually causing it: I’d forgotten who I am. Once I understood that, I stopped chasing quick fixes. I solved it at the level it actually lives — identity. I remembered who I am. I’ve watched the same shift happen for clients.
I’ve watched the same shift happen for clients.
One Be The First 1:1 client, a partner navigating firm politics, was pulled into a conversation with another partner that felt like being told what to do by an equal. Her reaction was instant and reactive — she shut down, refused to engage. Once she became aware of that pattern, she did something completely different. She reached out.
Another client, inside Be The First Membership, felt anxious walking into every meeting. Awareness told her something simple: it’s normal for this to be there. Her body doesn’t know the difference between real danger and a boardroom. So she stopped resisting it. She remembered who she is. She showed up, spoke up, and contributed.
That’s the power of awareness.
In this episode, I walk through what awareness actually is, how it works, and exactly where to start.
You’re not looking for a magic wand. You’re looking for the first step. It’s closer than you think.
Listen to Episode 142 now on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
P.S. If you’re a Black lawyer wondering whether imposter syndrome is quietly running the show, grab the free download — the secret signs of Imposter Syndrome every black lawyer should know — and start exactly where this episode leaves off: aware, not stuck. Click here to download
