Sh*t I Got Over Impostor Syndrome

“Am I fooling everyone? When will they realize I am not as good as they think, or I don’t know anything, or I’m not good enough?” If these thoughts are familiar then you, like many of us, also suffer from impostor syndrome. Now, I’ve talked about impostor syndrome a lot of times in my lifetime. There is so much research behind this phenomenon - everything from how society has created it and why women suffer from it more than men to how it is not a “syndrome” and we should stop pathologizing it. The truth is, whatever it is - lack of confidence, a feeling of not belonging, or just plain self-doubt - it is a very common experience. I have known this week’s guest for a long time, and if you had told me she had at any point felt these things, I would have been very surprised. Jennefer Witter is a public relations professional and entrepreneur. She’s had a long career and I’ve always known her to be confident, comfortable in any setting, and always ready to help or give advice. She’s certainly been a huge support for me throughout the years. And yet, during our conversation Jennefer openly shared her experience with impostor syndrome. For many years after starting her career, Jennefer had to navigate the feeling of not belonging. She did it by working harder than anyone else, taking the clients nobody else wanted to work with and in the end, burning herself out.I sit down with Jennefer to talk about her experience. We go into burning bridges, reputation, the importance of “fuck you funds” and what you have to think about when you’re considering starting your own business. About Jennefer:Jennefer Witter is the chief executive officer and founder of The Boreland Group Inc., a 21-year-old boutique public relations firm headquartered in New York City. The agency specializes in women-led and minority owned businesses. It was selected by TheStreet.com as one of five Black-owned businesses “making a buzz” nationally.Jennefer was named one of the country’s“10 most successful Black CEOS and entrepreneurs” by Madame Noire Magazine, and her company was recognized a Black-owned businesses to be “loved by its community and beyond” by ThriveGlobal.Jennefer is an active public speaker, with presentations to military, trade and academic organizations on implicit bias; inclusive leadership; gender-based workplace conversation; personal branding; inclusive and thought leadership; public speaking; and networking. Venues include: TedX Albany; Tishman Speyer; The Pentagon; The Brookings Institution; Pennsylvania Conference for Women among others. Jennefer has also presented at York Correctional Facility on personal branding to incarcerated women to assist them in business opportunities upon their release.Jennefer is the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Quick Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed,” published by Amacom/HarperCollins. Her opinion piece on name bias has received, to-date, over 21,000 views on social media platforms. She has appeared in The Wall Street Journal , MTV News , the Associated Press, Bloomberg Radio, MarketWatch Radio Network, Fox5 DC , and WJLA . Her op-ed and articles have appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, New Thinking, Medium, HuffPost and numerous small business publications. Previously, she was the public relations expert for Inc.com TV and a contributor to AOL Small Business. Jennefer is an active member of Ellevate Network, a global networking organization for professional women, and serves as the co-president for the NYC Chapter. She sits on the advisory board for Women inPower, a 92 nd Street Y led venture that seeks to support and promote senior level professional women to C-level positions. She is a mentor to many women in various professional fields. She recently joined the board of directors for Women Owned Law, a non-profit for legal professionals.Jennefer was formerly a vice president at Ketchum, an award-winning global communications firm. There, she launched a sub-practice that generated one million dollars in revenue in its first year. She represented numerous corporations from Silicon Valley start-ups to Fortune 500 companies such as IBM and FedEx.Jennefer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications (Print Journalism) from New York City’s Fordham University. She received a Regents Diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the country’s premier STEM schools, graduating with an A average. Jennefer holds certificates in DEI and racial equity from, respectively, Cornell University and Northwestern University.This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit maricellaherrera.substack.com