You don’t have an imposter syndrome problem.

There. I said it.

Not because the feeling isn’t real — it absolutely is. But because the way we’ve been talking about it, labeling it, and living with it may be the very thing that’s costing you your most important decisions.

In this episode, we go straight to the heart of a moment every executive woman knows: that split-second before you speak, decide, or act — when something quietly whispers, who are you to do this?

That moment is not a diagnosis. It’s a fulcrum point. And what you do with it shapes everything.

What We Cover in This Episode

The myth worth busting first. “Imposter syndrome” was never a clinical syndrome. It was originally called the imposter phenomenon — a pattern of thoughts and feelings first observed in high-achieving women. That distinction matters more than you might think.

Why 75% of executives feel this — and why that’s actually useful information. Feeling like an imposter tends to show up right at the edge of your competence — or your perception of your competence. That edge? It’s growth. The problem isn’t the feeling. It’s the decisions you make because of the feeling.

The “quiet decisions” that cost you most. Softening your position. Over-explaining. Waiting. Deferring. These aren’t random habits — they’re what imposter thoughts look like in action. And they have a direct impact on your authority and your ability to influence at the highest levels.

The choice moment. Between the trigger and the action, there is a fulcrum — a moment of choice. This episode unpacks how to access that moment, slow it down, and choose a different move. Not from a place of bravado. From a place of self-trust.

Self-trust vs. confidence — they are not the same thing. Confidence can be performed. Self-trust is built from the inside out. We talk about what that actually looks like in practice, including how to strengthen it before you’re in a high-stakes moment.

Human Design as a leadership tool. One of the most powerful tools for building that inner authority is understanding how you’re uniquely wired — not just your values or your strengths, but how you’re actually designed to make decisions, especially under pressure. We introduce the role of Human Design here, with a deeper dive coming in Episode 4.

“Take the risk or lose the chance.” This simple phrase — borrowed from an unexpected place — is the invitation at the heart of this episode. Because every avoided decision is a lost opportunity for impact. And leadership isn’t about certainty. It’s about trusting yourself enough to move forward anyway.

Key Takeaways

* Imposter feelings are a signal of growth, not evidence of inadequacy — and they are not your identity

* The real issue is never the feeling itself; it’s the decisions that feeling quietly makes for you

* Self-awareness + self-regulation = the pathway back to choice

* Ask yourself in the moment: “What decision am I about to make because of this thought or feeling?”

* Building self-knowledge in advance — through tools like Human Design, values clarity, and knowing your inner authority — is how you show up ready when it counts

* Move from avoidance to approach: step toward the thing, not away from it

* Leadership isn’t about certainty. It’s about trusting yourself enough to take the next step.

A Note From Carrie

If you have a real conversation coming up — a negotiation, a high-stakes decision, a moment where you know these patterns tend to show up — I’d love to support you in working through it in real time.

I have a Negotiation by Design Strategic Lab coming up: a small, intimate group container where we spend 2 hours working through the actual conversations you’re navigating. Grounded in your voice, your leadership, and your design.

You don’t need to get rid of the feeling. You just need to stop letting it make your decisions for you.

→ Learn more and register here: Negotiation by Design Strategic Lab

Connect & Continue the Conversation

If this episode landed for you, I’d love to hear from you.

→ Drop me a note: Book a chat with Carrie

→ Subscribe to The Tall Poppy Revolution™ Radio on Substack: Subscribe here

→ Leave a rating or recommendation — it means the world and helps more executive women find this community: [YOUR PODCAST REVIEW LINK]

About Your Host

Carrie Gallant is the founder of the Gallant Leader Institute and host of The Tall Poppy Revolution™ Radio — a show for executive and C-suite women who dare to stand tall, think big, and lead on their own terms.

Carrie helps executive and C-suite women trust their own judgment so they can navigate high-stakes conversations, power dynamics, and negotiations with clarity, integrity, and decisive authority.

→ Learn more: Gallant Leader Institute

About The Decision Series

This is Episode 2 of a 4-part series exploring the forces that shape, stall, and strengthen executive decision-making.

Episode 1: The Quiet Decisions That Are Shaping Your Executive Power (link to Episode 1)

Episode 2: It’s Not Imposter Syndrome. It’s a Signal. (you are here)

Episode 3: Coming soon — How You’re Uniquely Designed to Make Decisions

Episode 4: Coming soon — Human Design and Decision-Making in Your Team and at the Executive Table

The Tall Poppy Revolution™ is where executive women come out of the isolation of being the only — or one of the few — to explore groundbreaking strategies, navigate the unique challenges of high achievement, and redefine success on their own terms.

Like a tall poppy with its head above the rest: you risk a lot by standing out. Our revolution is about making sure you never have to do that alone.

Four conversations on the decision patterns that shape leadership, influence, and negotiation.

This series is not a framework or a checklist.

More a lens.

Because once you see these patterns, you can’t unsee them. And that’s when things start to change, quickly.

This first conversation is The Decisions That Quietly Undermine Powerful Women in Leadership.

You’re not lacking capability.

You’re not lacking experience.

And you’re not lacking confidence in the way we’ve been taught to define it.

And yet… something isn’t translating.

In this episode, I break down what I see again and again in my work with executive women:

Not the big decisions that shape your career.

The quiet ones.

The ones happening in real time, in the moments before you speak, how you frame your position, and what you decide is “worth pushing for.”

Because these are the decisions that shape how you are actually experienced in the room.

In this episode, we explore:

• The subtle decision to soften what you already know, and how it signals uncertainty even when you’re clear

• Why over-explaining can dilute your authority instead of strengthening it

• How waiting for the “right moment” quietly costs you visibility and influence

• The impact of deferring when you already have internal clarity

• The hidden cost of prioritizing being well-received over being clear

A key shift to listen for:

• This isn’t about personality.
• It’s not about confidence.
• It’s about decision patterns.

And once you can see them, you can change them, in real time.