The Impostor Syndrome Files

Kim Meninger
  • 5.0 (26)
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  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Do you ever feel like a fraud? Struggle with chronic self-doubt? Wonder if you really deserve your role? You’re not alone. As a leadership coach who’s battled impostor syndrome myself, I created this podcast to provide a place where professionals can share their stories, shed the silent shame and feel seen. Each episode features honest conversations with professionals from all walks of life who’ve faced impostor syndrome and found ways to move through it. We’ll also hear from experts who share practical strategies for managing ourselves and shaping environments that reduce the threat of impostor syndrome. Let’s erase the stigma. Let’s stop pretending we’re the only ones. And let’s come together to share, support and rise above the fear that keeps us playing small.

  1. Exploring Vulnerability, Creativity and Community Through Film

    1D AGO

    Exploring Vulnerability, Creativity and Community Through Film

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we explore what it takes to express yourself fully and create spaces where people feel safe to be seen. My guest this week is Rayviation, a documentary filmmaker and creative who blends storytelling, comedy and immersive experiences into what he calls “media mixology.” Rayviation shares his journey into creative work and the vulnerability that comes with putting your ideas into the world. We talk about his documentary Loving Men, which brings together men and nonbinary participants in a facilitated circle to explore love, emotional expression and the barriers that get in the way. In our conversation, we discuss what happens when people feel safe enough to be honest, how shared experiences can shift our understanding of masculinity and why community plays such a critical role in helping us grow. Rayviation also shares simple but powerful ways to create more meaningful connection, including making space for disagreement and showing up with intention. About My Guest Rysam Donkoh-Halm, professionally known as Rayviation, is a Chicago-based video producer, editor, and creative strategist specializing in documentary storytelling and branded content. Often describing himself as a “media mixologist,” he blends production, post-production, and marketing strategy to craft compelling visual narratives that resonate with audiences and drive meaningful engagement. His work supports brands, marketing agencies, mission-driven organizations, and production companies seeking to communicate with clarity, authenticity, and impact. With a background rooted in both film and community-driven storytelling, Raysam has contributed to projects exploring social, economic, and mental health themes, including Days of Division, The Cookie Referendum, and the feature documentary Loving Men. In addition to his creative work, he is committed to using media as a tool for connection and education, bringing both artistic perspective and strategic insight to every collaboration. ~ Connect with Rayviation: Website: https://kinema.com/films/loving-men-dfzkrg LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayviation/ ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://www.kimmeninger.com

    34 min
  2. Why Great People Struggle in the Wrong Culture

    MAY 12

    Why Great People Struggle in the Wrong Culture

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we explore why great people struggle in the wrong culture. My guest this week is Julie Holunga, a fractional leadership and culture advisor who works with organizations to turn their stated values into everyday behaviors. Julie shares how her early work examining women in the workforce shaped her perspective on leadership and culture, and why focusing on individuals alone is not enough to create meaningful change. Using her “pickling” metaphor, she explains how even the healthiest individuals struggle to thrive in environments that don’t support them. This insight has guided her work helping organizations align culture, behavior and leadership in a way that creates sustainable success. In our conversation, we talk about why organizations often tolerate high-performing individuals whose behavior undermines the broader team and how that sends powerful signals about what is truly valued. Julie explains how these patterns erode confidence, psychological safety and long-term performance, even when short-term results look strong. We also explore how past experiences shape present reactions in ways many people don’t recognize. Julie shares examples of how a single piece of feedback can influence behavior decades later and how unexamined “hot buttons” can escalate everyday workplace interactions into larger conflicts. We discuss why most people are unaware of these triggers until they are activated and what it takes to build greater self-awareness. About My Guest Julie Holunga is a leadership advisor who develops professionals to amplify their influence and impact. She works with teams and leaders to instill her Trusted Voice Paradigm to increase effective communications, make conflict constructive, and develop leaders who lead with integrity. Julie is on a mission to rid the world of Lazy Leadership. Through these programs, leaders get out of their way, develop trusting relationships with key stakeholders, and positively impact the organization's bottom line. Her expertise lies within professional services: law, accounting, and investment firms, specializing in the careers of female leaders. Check out her TEDx talk on the power of leadership language! ~ Connect with Julie: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieholunga/ Website: https://www.julieholunga.com/ ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://www.kimmeninger.com

    34 min
  3. How to Spot & Manage Burnout

    MAY 5

    How to Spot & Manage Burnout

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about how to recognize and address burnout. My guest this week is Garrett Wood, founder of Gnosis Therapy, whose work helps high performers understand and treat the effects of chronic stress and burnout. Here Garrett shares how his own experience with chronic pain and overwork changed the way he understands burnout. What looked like isolated physical symptoms were actually signals of a nervous system under constant strain. That insight reshaped his career and now informs how he helps others address burnout at its root. In our conversation, we talk about why high achievers are especially prone to burnout, how pushing through stress can shrink our window of tolerance and why so many people suffer in silence while assuming everyone else is doing fine. Garrett explains how stress blurs physical and emotional symptoms and why managing stress in place is often more effective than making drastic life changes. We also explore practical tools for regulating stress, including simple nervous-system-based techniques that can be used in real time. Garrett shares how small interventions can widen capacity, restore balance and make it easier to function without adding more pressure. About My Guest Garrett Wood, NBC-HWC, is a clinical hypnotherapist and executive functioning specialist helping high-achievers turn burnout into breakthrough with his A³ Framework for sustainable success.  ~ Connect with Garrett: Website: https://www.gnosistherapy.com/about Assessment: https://gnosistherapy.scoreapp.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gnosistherapy/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gnosistherapy/ ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://www.kimmeninger.com

    36 min
  4. Action Before Readiness

    APR 28

    Action Before Readiness

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we explore a powerful reframe of impostor syndrome and what it looks like to build confidence without waiting for self-doubt to disappear. My guest this week is Joy Rowland, a leadership and business coach who brings a deeply personal and neuroscience-informed perspective to overcoming impostor syndrome. Joy shares her journey as a solo immigrant who moved to the UK at age 25 without family or community support and spent more than two decades navigating corporate life while quietly wrestling with impostor syndrome. For Joy, self-doubt was not theoretical. It was lived. She opens up about how her background, identity, and early experiences shaped the beliefs she carried into her career and how she eventually learned to stop treating impostor syndrome as something that needed to be eliminated before she could succeed. In our conversation, we talk about why impostor syndrome often intensifies during periods of growth and why its presence can be a signal that you are stretching into something new rather than proof that you do not belong. Joy explains how our brains are wired for survival, not confidence, and why understanding concepts like negativity bias, neuroplasticity, and the role of the prefrontal cortex can completely change how we relate to self-doubt. Joy also shares practical tools she uses with her clients, including how to build an evidence bank to counteract harsh inner narratives, how community accelerates confidence by giving our brains proof of what is possible, and why waiting to feel ready keeps so many capable women stuck. We walk through simple practices like brain dumps and reverse engineering desired outcomes to help listeners take back agency over their thoughts, emotions, and results. About My Guest Joy—known as The Neuro Reset Success Coach—is a transformational coach who helps high-achieving women break through impostor syndrome, dissolve subconscious blocks, and step into their next level of success with confidence and clarity. After battling her own cycles of overthinking, perfectionism, and chronic self-doubt, she discovered that impostor syndrome isn’t a mindset problem—it’s a nervous system pattern. Today, she blends neuroscience, identity work, and practical strategy to help women rewire their beliefs, expand their capacity for success, and create results that feel authentic and sustainable. ~ Connect with Joy: Free $10k Months Blueprint - https://explore.joyrowland.com/10k-months-blueprint/  Connect on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joy.rowland_/ ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://www.kimmeninge

    29 min
  5. Building a Life That Feels as Good as It Looks

    APR 21

    Building a Life That Feels as Good as It Looks

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we explore what it takes to build a life that feels as good as it looks. My guest this week is Brandi Hudson, a performance coach who works with senior leaders in tech and finance to help them navigate pressure, redefine success and reconnect with internal fulfillment. Brandi shares her remarkable journey from being relentlessly driven by external achievement to realizing that success on paper didn’t automatically translate into happiness. Raised by teenage parents who equated success with safety and stability, Brandi learned early to meet every metric and exceed every expectation. From Ivy League acceptances and elite athletics to leading multimillion-dollar sales organizations, she did everything she was taught would guarantee fulfillment. And yet something was missing. In our conversation, we talk about Brandi’s relationship with pressure and worry, including how she once believed anxiety was the price of success. She explains how dense emotions often signal misalignment rather than motivation and why learning to hold pressure lightly can transform how we perform and lead. We also dig into the patterns high achievers develop early in life and how those patterns can quietly shape careers long after they stop serving us. Brandi walks us through powerful reflection practices she uses with her clients, including how to document success across your lifetime, re-train your brain to notice what’s going right and build internal validation instead of chasing external proof. We explore why self-awareness is the gateway to breaking unhelpful patterns and how understanding the root causes of our behaviors creates space for lasting change. We also discuss why personal growth doesn’t need to feel like a second full-time job, how intentional inner work creates more ease rather than more effort and why the most effective leaders learn to operate from clarity instead of fear.  About My Guest Brandi Hudson is a Performance Coach, speaker, and former executive who helps accomplished professionals create sustainable results through a repeatable process for success, grounded in alignment, not force. Her work blends strategy, systems, and emotional intelligence to help people trust their power—and know their success is inevitable. ~ Connect with Brandi: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandibhudson Substack: https://substack.com/@brandibhudson ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://kimmeninger.com

    30 min
  6. Communicating More Clearly at Work

    APR 14

    Communicating More Clearly at Work

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about improving communication. My guest this week is Yosi Kossowsky, a leadership coach whose journey from engineering and technology to emotional wellness and behavioral neuroscience reshaped not only his career but his relationships, communication and impact as a leader. Yosi shares how early feedback about his leadership style forced him to confront a gap many high performers experience but struggle to name. While his technical abilities came easily, leading people exposed blind spots around self-awareness, emotional regulation and perception. Rather than dismissing that feedback, Yosi leaned into it, eventually immersing himself in emotional wellness therapy, behavioral neuroscience and leadership coaching. In our conversation, we talk about why communication breaks down even when we believe we are being clear, how our brains filter meaning based on past experience and why confirmation, not assumption, is one of the most powerful leadership tools available. Yosi offers a simple yet underused practice that can dramatically reduce misunderstanding, rework and frustration at work. We also explore why resistance to self-reflection remains strong, how stress and cultural division have intensified defensiveness in the workplace and why emotional education remains largely absent from how we develop leaders. Yosi offers practical ways to experiment with new communication behaviors without feeling awkward or confrontational. And he shares why treating leadership growth as a series of small experiments creates lasting change. About My Guest Yosi Kossowsky is a seasoned executive coach with over 18 years of experience and a background as a Chief Technology Officer and Senior Director of Talent Management. Yosi specializes in leadership development, personal growth, and effective communication, leveraging neuroscience and organizational development principles. He’s helped leaders across the globe navigate complex challenges, build high-performing teams, and drive meaningful change. Get ready to learn actionable strategies to enhance your leadership skills and foster a culture of trust and collaboration. ~ Connect with Yosi: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ykossowsky/ ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://kimmeninger.com

    43 min
  7. Harnessing Your Inner Strength

    APR 7

    Harnessing Your Inner Strength

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about harnessing your inner strength to overcome self-doubt. My guest this week is Dr. Jenn Donahue, an engineer, retired U.S. Navy officer and author of the book, Becoming the Warrior: Harnessing Your Inner Strength to Silence Self-Doubt. Jenn’s journey spans ocean engineering, seismic design and military leadership across some of the most high-pressure environments in the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. But her most powerful transformation has been personal: learning to quiet the voice of self-doubt and lead with authenticity, even in the most high-stakes arenas. Jenn shares how her early confidence gave way to self-doubt as she pursued advanced degrees and navigated toxic workplace cultures. We explore what it feels like to be the only woman in the room, the cost of trying to lead like someone you’re not and how finding the right mentor helped Jenn embrace a leadership style grounded in empathy and trust. She also introduces her warrior framework, a science-backed, practical system built from her military and engineering experience to help others reframe their inner dialogue and lead with greater confidence. About My Guest Jenn Donahue, PhD, PE is an international keynote speaker, retired U.S. Navy captain, business coach, and one of America’s leading experts on leadership and personal growth. Her mission is to walk alongside leaders, quiet the voices holding them back, and show them how to become the leaders they were meant to be. Because leadership isn’t about the spotlight—it’s about service, courage, and building others up. Over her twenty-seven-year military career, Jenn built a bridge across the Euphrates River during the Iraq War, commanded an eight-hundred-personnel battalion in Afghanistan, and led the construction of combat outposts in hostile desert terrain. In her inspiring debut book, “Becoming the Warrior: Harnessing Your Inner Strength to Silence Self-Doubt,” Jenn draws from her experiences on the battlefield to build a framework that helps readers combat their inner critics, achieve their goals, and uncover the warrior within them. ~ Connect with Jenn: Website: www.warriorframework.com ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://kimmeninger.com

    32 min
  8. When Life Interrupts: Leading Through Caregiving

    MAR 31

    When Life Interrupts: Leading Through Caregiving

    In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we explore caregiving. My guest this week is Cynthia Iorio, founder and managing director of Monarch Solutions, who shares how her own experiences of how caring for her terminally ill parents disrupted and reshaped her 25-year career and how this ultimately led her to redefine what leadership looks like. We talk about the invisible burden millions of professionals carry as they juggle work and caregiving. Cynthia opens up about the moment her identity shifted, not just as a daughter but as a caregiver, without even realizing it at the time. From project management to emotional survival, she breaks down how her professional skills translated into deeply personal leadership, and how self-compassion became her most powerful tool. Cynthia also shares why companies need to do more to support caregivers in their workforces and what actionable steps they can take to retain and empower professionals navigating caregiving responsibilities. We talk about the pressure high achievers face to hold it all together, the career impact of caregiving leaves and the mindset shifts needed to survive the uncertainty of caregiving without losing yourself in the process. About My Guest Cynthia Iorio is a Certified Caregiving Consultant™ and Program Management Professional based in Montreal, QC with over 20 years of experience working in Tech, Media, and Aerospace.  Her life has been shaped by what she calls the privilege of caring for both of her late parents through their untimely illnesses, and she has a deep understanding of the sacrifices and triumphs of taking on an informal caregiving role. Through her business Monarque Solutions and Top 100 podcast Love.Transform.Evolve, which explores the caregiver’s experience, Cynthia is transforming perspectives in caregiving while empowering organizations to partner with their working caregiver demographic, turning a perceived liability into a competitive advantage. ~ Connect with Cynthia: Website: https://www.monarquesolutions.com/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/2p8WGa38RZUT0fSnzX836L?si=bbdd6c889ae34df3 ~ Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files: Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge: https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group: https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6 Join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/ Website: https://kimmeninger.com

    34 min
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5
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

Do you ever feel like a fraud? Struggle with chronic self-doubt? Wonder if you really deserve your role? You’re not alone. As a leadership coach who’s battled impostor syndrome myself, I created this podcast to provide a place where professionals can share their stories, shed the silent shame and feel seen. Each episode features honest conversations with professionals from all walks of life who’ve faced impostor syndrome and found ways to move through it. We’ll also hear from experts who share practical strategies for managing ourselves and shaping environments that reduce the threat of impostor syndrome. Let’s erase the stigma. Let’s stop pretending we’re the only ones. And let’s come together to share, support and rise above the fear that keeps us playing small.

Information

  • Creator
    Kim Meninger
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    320
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Impostor Syndrome Files
  • Show Website
    The Impostor Syndrome Files

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