From Imposter to Empowered

A development programme for courageous women
stepping up to caring leadership

From Imposter to Empowered

Who do you want to be?

How do you want to show up in the world?

I hear so many women tell me that, when the opportunity to speak up is right there in front of them, they freeze. Sometimes their mind goes blank and they don’t know what to say. On other occasions they lose courage and stay silent, later reflecting “I wish I could just get over myself” as their Inner Critic takes over.   

I see women who are experienced and at the top of their game defer to someone who seems more confident or self-assured. A part of them knows they know their stuff, another part of them is not quite as certain so defers to others. 

People who are affected by Imposter Syndrome feelings frequently don’t feel quite good enough, often assume others know more, sometimes wonder do they really know enough to be in this job or role. Research shows they often over-work or over-prepare for many tasks reporting higher levels of stress and anxiety. Even though they are well-respected by colleagues, they may hold back, hesitate to go for promotion or new job positions.

Are you ready to change these habits?

In this programme we will explore how you can become fully, confidently present – no longer doubting your every decision or questioning your contribution. 

You will develop clarity about who you are, the value you contribute, the difference you make.

You can show up, not as “superwoman”, not pretending, but as yourself, a confident and authentic woman who knows what she wants and yes, how to get it without dominating or imposing on others.

This is a 12 session programme that can be accompanied by recorded video content to explore the following themes: 

  1. What is Imposter Syndrome? Where does it come from? Who is affected? Is it really just me?
  2. Why do Imposter Syndrome feelings matter? Understand the price you are paying and why you want to change.
  3. How our thinking makes things worse. Habitual, unhelpful thought patterns can be retrained. We can learn how to manage our Inner Critic.
  4. You want tools for sustainable, long-term change. Simple, time-tested tools to overcome your Imposter feelings, find your voice and be your best self.
  5. Creating positive models to balance, power and flexibility. What do you need most? You can learn how to set better boundaries, how to say “No” positively or even prioritise your workload.

Using the tools in this programme you will gain the confidence to step-up, to work with others and make change happen. You will have the strength to be humble, to listen, to be vulnerable and still get the job done. At home, at work or at play, you will come to understand your strengths and to use them in ways that will genuinely get the results you want to see.

The tools and techniques we use will allow you to step forward with confidence in your own vision and your ability to contribute to the world around you. You will no longer play small or be the victim of a ruthless inner-critic.


“Work feels more relaxed. I feel like my direction is clear and stable. There has been a big shift in my being able to articulate – to myself and to others – who I am and what I do, and a deep feeling that I have a valuable contribution to make.”

Ruth

Who signs up for this programme?

All women are welcome but the women who sign up for this programme often see themselves in one of these groups:

OVERSTRETCHED: You’re tired, overworked and stressed, uncertain, insecure. You may feel that you’re pretending, that you should know what you’re doing. The people around you probably think you’re doing a great job, performing well, yet you feel like you’re always playing “catch-up”, juggling roles in work and out of work, always too much to do and you’d like to feel as competent as other people seem to think you are.

OVERACHIEVING: You’re doing a good impression of being superwoman, working hard, playing hard, getting results and blazing trails. Nobody can keep up with you. You can barely keep up. You’re so “switched on” you might find it difficult to switch off, slow down, relax – you’re seriously worried that you’re heading for burn-out or maybe you’ve already done your share of “crash and burn” on the corporate career ladder.

OVERLOOKED: Perhaps you’re somewhere in between. You know you’re good enough at what you do and you want to get better, yet somehow you seem to be invisible. You feel caught in the gap. Taken for granted. Naturally quiet, when you finally find the courage to speak up you struggle to get people to hear your opinions and value them. It feels as if people listen to others while overlooking you and your contribution.

Many of us feel all three hats would fit at times – we can sometimes be confident and effective while in other situations we’re unsure or even completely paralysed. You may be in a role where you are using management or leadership skills or perhaps that’s where you’d like to be in the future. As you look up that career ladder you might wonder whether that’s a lifestyle that you really want. It’s possible that you simply want to create a better life for yourself, to grow in confidence and to follow or even discover your passion.

“I had so many lightbulb moments where things about my life or why I feel certain ways suddenly made so much more sense. It was very liberating to develop that understanding and is going to make a huge difference to me in the future. Thank you.”

Claire

This programme provides tools to get women working more effectively, making their difference and experiencing more satisfaction and more fun whatever their role in life.

For years women have been promised that yes, they can have it all, and there is no doubt that we have more freedom and more choice than women of our parents’ generation. Yet still women encounter obstacles as we walk the tightrope between the personal and professional. There may be fewer glass ceilings but barriers are still a real experience for many of us in work, even if we can’t quite put our finger on the problem and worry that it must be us…

And women who rise to the challenge of leadership in any professional role are more likely to carry a significantly greater burden of care for children or for parents in comparison to men. Compared to our male peers, women experience higher rates of stress-related burn out and significantly worse mental health outcomes. 

And we won’t change these things if we simply carry on doing things the way they’ve always been done. We need to find a new way. The change we need will involve both empowering individual women and changing the structures within which we work.

“This programme is changing my life, for the better.
I am amazed at how powerful the exercises are and I can’t quite believe the progress I am making.”

The best way to change ourselves is to show up, fully, authentically, not pretending…

Showing up authentically can feel really scary if you’re always feeling guilty that you’re not doing the job as well as you should – your Inner Critic always present to remind you what you’re not doing.

I have coached many women who wanted to hide away from the limelight unsure about the value they have to contribute! Together we learned that we are strong and resilient, we can be flexible and creative, confident and graced with humility, owning our power to change our corner of the world.

Many were sceptical that they could change the habits of a lifetime yet surprised themselves with the ease with which they made real changes to the way they showed up as quietly confident women, courageous leaders in their lives.  

 

To change our world we need to step forward and be seen;
we need to recognise our own potential, to believe in who we are
and the gifts and strengths we bring to the world.

We need to move from Imposter to Empowered…

“Obviously I was familiar with the term Imposter Syndrome as it’s quite bandied about but I didn’t really think I had it. However having done your free course, it resonated with me and I had an ‘Aha’ moment that “this could be me”. I loved the detailed explanations of things. It’s lovely to have the video and workbooks to review/refer back to the content again in my own time.”

Mary

What does the programme look like?

We always begin with an introductory call to explore the fit of this programme for your needs and commitments.

There are three ways to experience this content:

  1. A one-to-one programme with supporting online content.
  2. A one day VIP intensive – for women who don’t have the time to wait.
  3. An online programme with group coaching. (Coming soon!)

Typically the programmes contains 12 modules delivered over 3 to 6 months as agreed at the outset. There will be integration opportunities between sessions and some flexibility to include a week off to fit around busy schedules.

We meet each week or two, using telephone or Zoom software for audio/video calls. Each call will address elements of teaching, introducing new content or ideas and space for individual personal coaching throughout the programme. The key ideas and activities may be supported through access to pdf or audio files containing additional information at key points.

In our opening sessions we build the foundations for our work together, uncovering your hidden drivers, deepest values and your intentions for our work together.

We explore why trying to be “Superwoman” doesn’t work. At best this supercharged energy gets stuff done, she is focussed and driven. At worst Superwoman is the best version of a man that a woman can be and she really doesn’t have an “off switch”. For most women that results in stress, frustration and burnout. It can be the reason that tempers flare, egos get bruised and relationships are broken.

Sometimes it helps to unhook from the relentless drive for unhelpful perfectionism, to understand why we are so inclined to say “yes” without thinking or become anxious at the thought of disappointing others.

We admit that sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. Particularly when we’re taken by surprise or experiencing a stressful situation. At these times we can find ourselves doing the things we hate most, whether that’s screeching at the children, snapping at a colleague or secretly scoffing a slice of chocolate cake – we sadly find we do that which we don’t want to do. To get out of this trap for we learn to recognise when our “buttons are being pushed” and make sure that we get the things we need to keep us in a really good mental, physical and emotional state.

To develop our strengths and flexibility in different situations we learn from five, strong, feminine archetypes, using our intuitive knowledge of their energies to develop our own self-knowledge and self-confidence. We learn how to get results whilst staying in flow, building great relationships and caring for ourselves and those around us. We develop communication skills that really get our message across with a calm confidence and great presence.

We end our programme creating a plan for the year ahead and mastering the tools we need to make this happen.

And each and every week we work together you set yourself the challenge of doing something simply because you love it and deserve it!

When you complete this programme, you will hardly believe the changes you have made, with ease, while having a great time on the journey.

“I am getting work things done faster with greater motivation and lightness – get it done and move on. It’s an attitude and skill I have admired in others for a very long time but always felt at a loss as how to emulate/embody it.”

So what is your investment?

Your major investment is effort – you need to decide that you are ready to change. This requires work. It may not feel like work but change will only happen to the degree with which you engage with the content.

I will provide between 10 and 15 hours coaching time over a three to six month period. You will receive a personal Women’s PowerTypes profile assessment, supplementary resource files and powerful tools to facilitate growth and change. These will be yours for reference, long after the initial coaching period.

The financial investment you make for the programme will typically be £2,797 (payment plan available). The changes you experience will surprise and delight you as you really experience feelings of confidence and achievement, free-from that persistent inner-critic, no longer being driven to achieve more with less.

Do book a consultation call where we can discuss what best meets your needs. 


Margaret is a natural, she just gets it. She has helped me identify significant limiting beliefs and by utilising these tools, has helped me to release those one by one. I feel truly blessed to have the best of both, amazing course content and a naturally gifted and intelligent coach.