Imposter Syndrome Coaching

It often gets louder after a promotion, not quieter

Many leaders expect imposter feelings to fade as they become more senior. In practice, each step up brings a bigger stage, more visible decisions and more people who might notice a gap. The thought “they will realise I am not good enough” simply follows you into the new role.

It can be especially strong when you are the first, the youngest or the only one: the first woman on a leadership team, the youngest director in a family firm, the first national to lead a function previously held by expatriates, or the only person in the room without a particular degree.

What imposter syndrome quietly costs you in the role

Each of these is exhausting, and each limits how much you can lead. Imposter syndrome coaching aims to give that energy back to you.

• ✦Hours of over-preparation for meetings you could handle with half the effort
• ✦Avoiding delegation because you fear others will see you do not know everything
• ✦Saying yes to everything to prove you deserve the seat
• ✦Staying silent in senior meetings unless you are completely certain
• ✦Turning down stretch opportunities or applying only when you meet every criterion
• ✦Dismissing positive feedback as luck, timing or kindness

My approach looks at the belief, the habit and the system

I work on imposter syndrome at three levels, because each one keeps the others going.

Your first session: naming what you think you are hiding

We begin with a simple but often uncomfortable question: if you were found out, what would people discover? Most leaders have never said it aloud. Once it is named, we can look at the evidence for and against it with some honesty.

We also look at your current role and where the feeling shows up most. You leave with one habit to notice before our next session, such as how you respond when someone praises your work.

Imposter syndrome coaching moves at your pace. Some of what surfaces in that first conversation can feel exposing, and confidentiality is absolute, so you can say what you have never said at work.

How the coaching is structured

Sessions are usually weekly at the start, while we are uncovering the pattern, then every two weeks as you practise new habits at work. We meet online or in person in Manama, in English or Arabic.

There is no fixed package. Some leaders want to work on imposter syndrome alone; for others it is one thread in wider executive coaching. Between sessions you do short mental fitness exercises and observe the situations that trigger the old fear, so each session starts from real experience.

Coaching for imposter syndrome is not mental health care

Imposter syndrome is a common experience, not a medical condition (see what imposter syndrome is for a plain definition), and coaching works with your performance, thinking habits and behaviour. It is not therapy or medical treatment.

If self-doubt comes with ongoing anxiety, low mood or difficulty sleeping, please speak to a doctor or a licensed mental health professional. Coaching can sit alongside that care, and I will always be honest if I think other support would serve you better.

Why I take this work personally

Early in my career, one leader challenged everything I believed about myself, and working with a coach showed me my own blind spots and triggers. I co-authored *Seen Yet Silent: Coaching Arab Women to Lead* with Amal Kooheji, a book about the challenges Arab women face in leadership and how coaching helps them lead.

I am an ICF PCC coach with more than 4,500 coaching hours, a certified Positive Intelligence® coach and an NLP Master Practitioner.