Freeing Your Radical Hero: Fighting the Impostor Mindset is a little book about a vast topic.
It is filled with honesty, answers, and exercises.
The book was inspired by Lou Solomon’s TEDx Talk, “The Surprising Solution to the Impostor Syndrome.”
Her purpose, in an accessible, down-to-earth way, is to help others fight the impostor mindset—a journey that can be both humbling and exhilarating.
Talk about bang for your buck! This juicy little gem is full of wisdom as well as thought-provoking exercises. Plus, it is a visual delight. I came away thinking, 'how did she know this about me?'
The Impostor Mindset:
What It Is, and What To Do About ItSuccessful people in the “imposter mindset” feel insecure and anxious about not being as competent as others perceive them to be.
They are undeserving of their position because they haven’t earned it. They don’t have a sense of entitlement and will never feel justified in their behavior or what they believe is their place in life.
Imposter syndrome is such a widespread phenomenon that 70% of all successful people will experience it at some point in their lives.
Freeing Your Radical Hero:
Fighting the Impostor Mindset
Since the early research, dozens of peer-reviewed studies have involved more than 14,000 participants in documenting the impostor syndrome.
These elements dominate discussions on the symptoms of the Imposter Mindset:
- Inability to enjoy success
- Chronic worry over mistakes
- Painful perfectionism
- Feelings of phoniness
- Attributing success to luck
- Feeling guilty about the trappings of success
- Not sharing accomplishments with friends and family
It's beautifully logical - the questions in the exercises are sharply introspective, and it all leads to a meaty conclusion. I also loved the design - it very much supported your content with its open floor plan feel for thinking about what the author had written, and harvesting it for implementation.
Imposter Syndrome Triggers
Some people temporarily experience the Impostor Mindset when triggered by an event they consider a test of competence, such as public speaking.
At Interact, we see this all the time. People come to our on-camera classes worried that when they stand to speak, others will see that they don’t know what they’re talking about. Other triggers include your first day on a new job or big project, running your first Board Meeting, or any kind of public performance.
Lou Solomon
Author, Freeing Your Radical Hero: Fighting the Impostor Mindset
I grew up in a strict military family. My father was demanding and shamed everyone around him when they made mistakes. His parents raised him the same way.
Being smart was very important in my home. The rules were to make straight As and always finish first. From schoolwork to how we kept our rooms–it all had to be perfect.
Somewhere along the way, I confused my self-worth with outer achievement. And if I made a mistake, I was afraid it would reveal my incompetence. So I devoted my life, schooling, and early career to proving my value.
I had a great career in broadcasting, and I was promoted several times and was on the fast track to a spot with Cox Broadcasting. But no matter how far I climbed the ladder in life, I couldn’t feel my success on the inside, and I felt like I was only “posing” as a successful person.