The Quiet Battle Within: Taming Impostor Syndrome and Owning Your Worth

Who hasn’t faced that internal voice whispering, 'Am I worthy? Do I really belong here? I’m not as good as they are.' These little 'critters' may seem small, but they can have an outsized impact on how we behave and show up—in our professional, social, and personal lives.

I won’t lie—it comes and goes for me quite often, depending on the context. But I have to admit, I’ve made significant progress. I can see my continuous improvement, especially when I face new challenges. I've made a conscious decision to step outside my comfort zone, put myself out there, and then see how it goes. And you know what? Growth happens. Every time, I learn a bit more and take another step forward.

Nonetheless, this post isn’t really about me or how I’ve managed it. I wanted to share my latest experience, as this week I had the luck and privilege of being around a few remarkable people discussing resilience. You see, we weren’t talking about the usual topics tied to work or office environments.

Instead, the conversation delved into societal 'storms' and major crises—like Covid—and the extraordinary challenges faced by those who were given the responsibility to navigate some of the toughest moments of our time.

In the Irish context, Niamh O’Beirne, the HSE’s National Lead for Testing and Tracing, and Dr. Ronan Glynn, Ireland's Acting Chief Medical Officer during the crisis, shared invaluable insights on resilience. They were refreshingly open and honest about their career progression, sharing plenty of personal stories from their journeys. Most importantly, they emphasized—and openly admitted—the impostor syndrome they experienced during some of their most challenging moments.

Reflecting on my notes from the discussion, if I had to summarize three key takeaways on impostor syndrome, they would be as follows.