Last week we talked about imposter syndrome, that nagging feeling that sneaks into your brain at the most inconvenient times. Today I want to go one layer deeper, because imposter syndrome doesn't show up out of nowhere. It's fed by something. It's fed by the self-doubt underneath it, the negative self-talk running in the background of everything we do. I can tell you with absolute certainty this is true, because I lived it this week.

Last week I walked into a room full of finance and human resources professionals. Smart people. Experienced people. The kind of room where you'd think, after 21 years in this field, I'd walk in and simply belong. Instead, I felt that familiar flash. Quick, sudden, gone almost as fast as it arrived, but it still landed. A pang that told me everyone else in that room already had more of what it takes than I did. Not a long drawn out thought. Just a flicker of doubt, there and