Introduce Yourself

My name is Jessica Sinarski. My Background is in mental health. I'm a licensed mental health counselor. I recently gave up private practice in order to spend more of my time training and writing, especially about trauma, the brain, and resilience.

Introduce yourself how your "best friend" would introduce you.

She would say something like "This is Jess, she is a rockstar at everything she does" She actually does have to introduce me sometimes because I do some trainings for her company/agency. So she'll say things like "you're going to get a lot out of this training."

Define Imposter Syndrome/Phenomenon through a real life example.

One of the big ones for me is, I do a lot of work in the world of education now, like teaching teachers and Imposter Syndrome has been a big force I've had to work through.

The voice in my head is "how dare you think that you have anything worthwhile to say here"

The shift out of it [Imposter Syndrome] partly has to do with recognizing my role in the space. I'm not coming in to be a teacher. I'm coming in with a little piece to this puzzle that is mental health, trauma and resilience, and how the brain works with attachment. And that's not what teachers are getting taught in school, but it absolutely is affecting their job satisfaction or the kids that they're working with, and the other staff, and all of these pieces.

And so I feel more confident knowing "this is my role" and "we're in this together".

How would you define success?

It's a tricky one. I think for me I've always been drawn to helping professions. And I think sometimes it's hard to know what your metric of success is. For me, I write books about really specific topics that aren't gonna be #1 Best-Sellers. So I wrestle sometimes with what my interpretation of success is.

I feel like to feel successful I want to make a difference. And not in the "weird white saviourism I need to go fix the world" way, but, Show up. Use my talents the best way that I know how to come alongside whatever spaces are open to me. That's how I'd define it.

Would you say you're successful?

Well, yes. I know rationally that I am. But it's still difficult emotionally at times.

Define the line between confidence and conceit.

I think confidence lets you show up well and take up the space that you are meant to take up. I think conceit dips into taking up other people's space. Or twisting the way in which you really would show up best. Like overpromising or miscalculating what your piece of the puzzle is.

Would you say that you're confident?

Yes, with an asterisk. [Yes*] I would say yes and I'm also aware that my brain still needs help sometimes holding what's true. So I know for myself that the negative voices get very loud that aren't necessarily rational. Like every marker says I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing and showing up the ways I'm supposed to be showing up... and yet those feelings, especially if I'm tired, or doing the [work] and not getting the feedback, while I can rationally know that it's true, the emotional part kicks in with fatigue.

Do you believe with proper counseling anyone can overcome Imposter Phenomenon?

I think you can overcome it. Well, I think like anything you can learn to manage it where it becomes less. And when it shows up you know how to move through it. Just like a lot of the ways that our brains and bodies try to protect us. I think Imposter Syndrome in some ways is an overactive protection mechanism like "don't fail" or "don't put yourself out there" or "don't be vulnerable". And if you're part of a population that's had lot's of being squished and being told not to show up and not put yourself out there or it's dangerous to, that's [Imposter Syndrome is] super adaptive! It makes sense that it shows up. And so, it's not the goal for it to never show up but to notice what it is when it happens and know your way through. I feel like i'm in a better spot with that now and I think it's possible for everyone. For sure.

Last remarks?

I think it's an important topic and just like with many things related to mental health or emotional well-being, it can be easy for the person in the midst of it to feel like they're broken, or weak, or inadequate, for having those feelings. But I think that anytime we can name it and move through that we sort of take back our power. So i'm glad it's getting talked about.