Interview with Priyanka Karan: You Belong in the Room

Priyanka's story travels across every dimension of imposter syndrome simultaneously: gender, culture, socioeconomic background, immigration, perfectionism, and the specific weight of being first. She grew up between two worlds, never fully belonging to either. She earned scholarships to one of Atlanta's most elite private schools while shopping at thrift stores. She walked into a stem cell research lab with zero biology background and taught herself. She managed teams of people twice her age before anyone thought to ask whether she was qualified.In this conversation, Priyanka talks about the moment she stopped performing and started belonging. About letting excellence be your currency. About setting boundaries not as self-protection but as a form of professional respect. And about the daily practice she returns to every morning, looking herself in the mirror and saying the words most high achievers find hardest to believe:You belong. You are enough. You deserve what you have.