Growing Lean

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: A Conversation with Coach Dr. Camille Valentine

• Ethan Halfhide

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Have you ever experienced a crisis of confidence, a sense that you're not as competent as others perceive you? We've all been there, and it's more common than you think; it's called Imposter Syndrome. In this captivating conversation, we have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Camille Valentine, an Imposter Syndrome Coach who specializes in helping executives, particularly women of color, navigate these mental health challenges. Sharing her personal journey and encounter with Imposter Syndrome during her grad school years, Dr. Valentine illuminates how she helps clients build self-esteem, avoid burnout, and reach a state of mental peace.

Our discussion doesn't stop there though. Dr. Valentine shares her experiences of starting her business amidst the 2020 pandemic, providing us with a fresh perspective on work culture and the necessity to disconnect from work. Notably, learn about her innovative D-M-A-V-Punch program, which utilizes Imposter Syndrome questionnaires and basic assessments to measure her business's success. We also delve into recognizing and addressing Imposter Syndrome in the workplace and strategies for mental health and well-being. The insights are invaluable, and you don't want to miss out! Tune in and embrace the chance to learn more about achieving mental peace and wholeness in your professional life.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome back to another episode of the growing Lean podcast sponsored by Lean Discovery Group. This is your host, dylan Burke, also known as Deej. I'm happy to be here with Dr Camille Valentine, an Imposter, syndrome Coach, organizational Psychologist, consultant and the founder and CEO of Valentine Coaching and Consulting. Welcome, dr Camille.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, dylan. I really appreciate this opportunity to talk with you and your audience. I appreciate you introducing me and I look forward to today's talk.

Speaker 1:

Amazing Thanks for being here. Just to get started, can you tell us what exactly is an Imposter Syndrome Coach.

Speaker 2:

An Imposter Syndrome Recovery Coach is someone that helps a person who has a hard time internalizing their own successes and elevates them, motivates them and guide them back to a state of mental peace and wholeness without burning out. So I typically work with clients who are in the executive space, c-suite and above. Particularly, I specialize in many women of color who are suffering from Imposter Syndrome in a workplace, and my goal is really to assist those who are suffering from such a place of deficit when they obviously have the achievements. It's just a psychological space where you get beaten down over time by way of particular triggers. The triggers can be anything from starting a new job or a new position. It could be an elevated position. You just feel like you're not qualified, although you really are. So it's about building up the self-esteem, building up the confidence and helping people relieve that stress that they put on themselves in these types of situations. So, definitely, my goal is to help my clients avoid burnout and lead themselves back to a state of wholeness within their wellness journeys.

Speaker 1:

Amazing. I love that. And how did you get started in this? What motivated you to get into this line of business?

Speaker 2:

So you know, short of the long deal in that, I didn't even know that I was someone who suffered from imposter syndrome until I was in graduate school and I thought I was going to be doing a dissertation on, like, how to help people in the workplace feel self-esteem after having organizational trauma, you know, and I realized very quickly that all of the things that I was studying was really just like a healing modality or something that was really not getting to the root cause.

Speaker 2:

And so once I discovered imposter phenomenon was a psychological another word for phenomenon I would say it's just a psychological occurrence within a person's self, their own mind, after having achieved great successes.

Speaker 2:

You know, this was something that came across the desk of a clinical psychologist and what they realized was that there are people who have a hard time recognizing and accepting compliments and successes and promotions and things of that nature, because they feel like they don't deserve it or they feel as if, you know, they're not qualified and that causes anxiety and because the anxiety causes them to feel like they're a fraud, and they're feeling like a fraud just kind of gets them in this downward spiral.

Speaker 2:

And that resonated with me and I'm like, wow, you know, I've been an African American executive. You know, in certain positions where I was the only one and feeling as if I didn't belong or I wasn't qualified, even though I felt I was qualified, but after some time in the position I also succumbed to the feelings of imposter syndrome. So, learning of these stories, I totally backed myself into it and discovered it and felt like, oh, this is the space that I really want to be in and that's really in helping people to maximize their human potential. So I didn't intend on it to just happen. So I guess it was destiny Amazing.

Speaker 1:

I think that's the best kind of business to be in, is something that you kind of stumbled upon and experienced yourself and you're trying to get a solution and help people deal with it from your own experience. I think that's amazing.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, thank you, it's been definitely an eye-opening journey.

Speaker 1:

I can imagine. So when did you launch your business and what was the point at which you knew you wanted to make a business of this?

Speaker 2:

So in graduate school, what they teach us is to find the gaps in the market, and what I realized was that every demographic had been studied and researched. From, of course, you know, western culture. We kind of focus on Europeans and their experiences, whether it's in a workplace or in school or wherever, and what was happening is that there was very little research that was coming from African Americans, diasporans and let alone professionals in this space. So I realized that we didn't really have anything for myself, someone like myself, who was in corporate America, and I quickly realized that I needed to create some services, some support groups, and start off with executive coaching. I was already in the coaching space, more so as a life coach, as a business strategist and, coming from peacemaking and conflict studies, I'm kind of like the peacekeeper.

Speaker 2:

So, coming from that space, it was natural for me to fall into the organization development space and I felt that it was time for me, after graduating, to make this a focus. To make this a focus and I really see myself really providing like retreats, destination retreats where we can actually get away from the workplace. You know, everybody you know in this day and age are swamped with multiple roles in their jobs and they hardly ever you know as of what 2020, have been respecting the space, the psychological safety and the, I guess, given their employees a chance to graciously disconnect away from work when you're not working. So I realized that this was something that I needed to do, and so, as of 2020, this became my focus and, after graduating this year, I've launched my business and have been doing lots of podcasts and really looking for funding. So it's been a journey.

Speaker 1:

Okay, amazing. And you say 2020, does that have anything to do with COVID and the lockdowns? And people like being alone with their thoughts.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, because the ways in which the world operated prior to 2020 was very much different, and I feel that you know there was some negative things that we all can, that we can just all surmise right, everybody has their list of negatives, but for me, I kind of like to focus on the positive. You know, positive psychology really helps to determine our current reality, and so I realized that the ways in which people were doing business, it was an opportunity to shift, to shift into hybrid schedules or remote work entirely, and I I sense that corporate America was able to see that they were able to also save a lot of money on buildings and you know all the costs associated with operating as a brick and mortar but also see those same returns of not hiring better morale in their employees workforce, with them being able to have an option as a blade, you know, to continue working remotely or have a hybrid schedule or, for those who are tired of being at home, they can come in to work. So I feel that it was such a perfect time to allow the ways in which we saw working allow us to reimagine what the work looks like, with us being healthy and that's happened in time with our family and still being able to get our work done. So it was a huge opportunity for me. I saw, and I just took advantage of it.

Speaker 2:

Dylan, if you had a question, I didn't hear you. Dylan, you're on mute.

Speaker 1:

Sorry about that. I just wanted to say it might be a bit of a loaded question here, because your business is far from conventional. Can you speak of any metrics or KPIs that you use to measure the success of your business?

Speaker 2:

What I'm using is the imposter syndrome. There is a questionnaire that the original founder created Suzanne Burke and Pauline Pauline Eims. What they have created is an imposter syndrome matrix. Well, it's really a questionnaire. That's an assessment. So, based on how you feel coming into my coaching practice, whether you feel like you are at a one or a two, and by the end of it, how do you feel afterwards. So I use just very basic assessments personality assessments and feedback testimonials from my clients at the D-M-A-V-Punch program.

Speaker 1:

OK, great, and who would you say should be taking this questionnaire? Like, what are some symptoms that would get people to think about this?

Speaker 2:

Some of the symptoms are, as we would say, the pain points that particularly my clients experience is burnout, having high workloads and really not allowing themselves to put any type of boundaries on those workloads that they're receiving from work.

Speaker 2:

So they might say, yes, I can do that job, knowing that they have 15 other things that they were trying to do.

Speaker 2:

But because they're trying to impress their employers, or they're trying to be the overachiever, or they don't want to be looked at as being soft, or they don't want to, they're hiding.

Speaker 2:

They're hiding the fact that they feel a certain type of way about themselves, and so they might manifest as them overworking themselves to the bone or to burnout, or they might feel like they don't belong, or their morale might diminish, or their engagement with other employees might continue to lessen because they don't feel as if they are a part of the team, and so things of that nature. When you start to feel as if you don't belong, you don't feel a part, the morale is low, you're overworking and you're leading to burnout because of stress, then what that does is costing the companies and organizations a whole lot more money when their employees are going out on stress leave, or when their employees are having an irritability, or perhaps they might be experiencing some micro-regressions and HR might have to intervene in. So now you might be entering into a lawsuit where you need to have some conflict resolution. So there's a lot of different unforeseen circumstances that becomes a detriment to not only the employee but also to the employer if not handled and dealt with correctly.

Speaker 1:

OK, 100%. I wish I had this conversation a couple of years ago, because I've been in some pretty toxic work environments previously. I wish I had the tools to deal with it, so I definitely put myself in an overworked position. But we learn from these things, am I right? Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely. It is a learning experience and, more importantly, like for managers, I really like to focus on training managers so that they can see and recognize when their employees might be suffering from imposter syndrome, or when they too might be suffering from imposter syndrome, because my research had shown that even managers who saw some of their own characteristics would then promote those who were feeling like them, or they would identify or pick on those who they felt that also had similar qualities as themselves, and so you might be having the blind leading the blind, when there should be some diversity on the team diversity in thought, diversity in color and class, and so it brings about a very innovative and welcoming experience for everybody who works with one another. So the managers definitely have more of an opportunity to recognize when they see these things in their employees and to have a conversation to initiate it, which is the way to pull back the lid and let some steam out. If something is brewing, it's a chance to catch it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, 100%. I definitely agree on that. So back to the business side of things. So do you share any specific tactics or tools that have been particularly effective for growing your business?

Speaker 2:

Well, tactics and tools that have been particularly effective in growing my business really has been social media. That's been the number one saving grace for me throughout graduate school that had maintained, you know, a certain number of clients that I was able to continue to help throughout my journey. I really like networking. Networking with other people and working through people is a huge success as well. Knowing how to plug into the local Chamber of Commerce is networking with people of like mind, joining meetups and, you know, being really really, I guess, intentional about who you're connecting with, whether it's in person or online, but definitely using social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook and other social media platforms. You know there's lots to choose from these days, but really using that as a way to collaborate with others and kind of like get yourself out there without having to spend so much on ads as of yet, especially a new business yeah, 100% for sure.

Speaker 1:

And I can imagine, like you, must have pretty good organic content, because or at least for me, it's not something that I think people think about imposter syndrome, or maybe they just don't know how to identify. I don't know if that's coming from just my beliefs, but is your way of using social media, is it like an educational way? Because that's my initial thought there.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely.

Speaker 2:

You know, a part of my work right now is to bring awareness, not only to individuals who might be suffering from it because remember, I was one who suffered from it and did not even know that I was suffering from imposter syndrome or their imposter phenomenon, let alone how to help myself through it. But I learned by way of trying to figure out how do I boost my self-esteem. So I learned tools and tips and things of that nature, especially coming from a spiritual perspective. I was able to help myself overcome these things and also to ward it off when I feel it arising.

Speaker 2:

But for the most part, the organic content that I share is new, is raw and it's educational, because I have to both educate the client and corporate America, like the managers who are hiring and CEOs who might be looking at their organization trying to figure out how can they maximize profits and boost morale or boost engagement. These are some of the things that they would be most likely overlooking. But until you hire someone like myself to do a diagnostic of their organization or, depending on their goals, what is that they're wanting to fix? You know there's always a problem somewhere. Whatever the problem is, my job is to try to help them identify what it is, provide some strategies and to help them implement it if they're social.

Speaker 1:

And would you say your client base is more of a corporate level or an employee level?

Speaker 2:

So my client base is more on the employee level and I was just kind of, I guess, doing like a brain dump, if you will, strategizing on how I can get into corporate a little bit more to do more workshops and trainings and things of that nature. So I'm pretty much hired from doing one-on-one coaching for individuals who have suffered from imposter syndrome or, more so, a lack of organizational safety, organizational trauma, workplace trauma, things of that nature, and they're just really burned out and so most of my work has been focused on that. But I would really like to get more into the corporate world. But I think that once I write my book and things of that nature, maybe I can break into that space a little bit more easily, write some more articles. So I'm kind of focusing on publishing more articles in the organizational development network journals and other publications that might be able to reach my demographic and audience.

Speaker 1:

Okay, amazing what do you think about that? Yeah, for sure. And so in this age of information and technology, where people have so much information readily available, where do you see the industry heading in terms of coaching and psychology? Basically, because I'm assuming a lot of people would like look on the internet or chat, gpt and self-diagnose themselves and look for self-problems. Do you see this becoming an issue at all in your industry?

Speaker 2:

Well, I don't know about self-diagnosing.

Speaker 2:

What people in my industry are looking for is more sacred spaces to have psychological safety, to be able to unpack the things that they are dealing with, the things that they've been stuffing and hiding and really not addressing over long, long, long periods of time.

Speaker 2:

So my hope is really to provide this space for them to deal with it in a very constructive way. But what I'm seeing people do really these days is find communities that they feel resonates with them and, whether it's in person or virtually, some people may not have the ability to travel, and if they do have the ability to travel or may not be for far distances, they can get to their local events, but maybe not an international event. So the ability to tap in to these organizations and communities online, I think, has been the trend, a new way. But coaching is definitely different. The one I'm coaching, attracting coaching. I'm learning that there is a method to the madness. You have to have a strategy, and so finding out what that strategy is and what best fits for the entrepreneur moving forward based on their lifestyle, their schedule and the income that they're wanting to make, it really does help to stay focused.

Speaker 1:

Okay, 100%, 100%. Yeah, there's some things that AI just won't be able to replicate, and I'm hoping my job is one of them as well.

Speaker 2:

Right, right, right. I mean I really like AI for its ability to assist in writing some content, even perhaps editing. Coming from a dissertation space took me two years like early mornings, late night working on writing and things of that nature. So working through the AI tools, I'm like, oh my God, where were you two years ago?

Speaker 2:

You could have told me you saved tons and tons of time, so we can use AI to our advantage as an assistant to help us with our ad copy and perhaps come up with some ideas, and things like that can be helpful, but don't totally rely on this stuff. We want to be able to keep our own minds sharp in the process.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, 100%. I agree with you. We also use it quite a lot and it's a super great tool. But that's just what it is. It's a tool. It's not a replacement. It's a tool, it's a tool.

Speaker 1:

That's what people need to understand. Yeah, yeah. So, dr Camille, we are running out of time, but before we go, what is the best way for people to get in touch with Dr Camille Valentine? If you have any offers for them that they can take advantage of, or if they are seeking some guidance and help within their career, what's the best way they can?

Speaker 2:

reach out, absolutely. I also have fall specials, so I'm really super excited about that. I have an eight week coaching program that I've been advertising for, so they can reach me by way of LinkedIn Dr Camille Valentine on LinkedIn or they can feel free to just send me an email, camille, at imposter syndrome recovery coachingcom.

Speaker 1:

Okay, amazing it's very amazing. Well, thank you so much for being on the show, Dr Camille.

Speaker 2:

I really enjoyed this conversation. I appreciate the invitation. I enjoyed it as well, and best of luck to you and the other interviews coming down the way.

Speaker 1:

Amazing, and best of luck with your business too.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, ciao, for now Bye.