Imposter syndrome — the persistent feeling that you'll be 'found out' as not really qualified — is real and well-documented in high-achieving women. It's also become an over-applied label, used for any career discomfort, including the discomfort of genuinely being in over your head temporarily. Telling the two apart is important.
What real imposter syndrome looks like
You have objective evidence of competence (qualifications, track record, recognition) but feel you've fooled people. The feeling persists even after promotions and successes. Attributing achievement to luck or timing rather than your own work. Discounting positive feedback while believing negative. Fear of being 'exposed'.
What's often mislabelled as imposter syndrome
Genuine skill gap, temporarily
New role, new technology, new domain. You don't know what you don't know yet. The right response is learning, not therapy.
Being underprepared
If you took a role hoping to grow into it, there's a period where the skill genuinely isn't there yet. Acknowledge it, get help, build the skill.
Being in a role that doesn't suit you
Sometimes the discomfort is signal, not noise. You may be in the wrong job.
Working with people who actively undermine
If you're getting consistent negative feedback that doesn't match objective performance, the issue may be the environment, not your psychology.
Strategies that work for real imposter syndrome
Track objective evidence — keep a 'wins file' for review when feelings get loud. Therapy specifically experienced with high-achiever patterns (CBT or ACT). Peer group with similar trajectories — Lean In Circles, sector-specific women's groups. Mentor who can reflect your actual capability back to you.
What doesn't help
Being told 'everyone feels like that'. Generic confidence-building courses. Self-help books that don't distinguish real imposter syndrome from situational skill gaps. Avoiding stretch roles to escape the feeling — it usually reappears in any new role.
If you're in a role you objectively earned and still feel like a fraud, that's imposter syndrome and treatable. If you're in a role you stretched into and don't yet have the skills, that's normal and resolved by learning, not by therapy.