Kara Irwin (lawyer and qualified executive coach) and Jaimie Sarah (executive coach and fractional CMO) moderated a Platforum9 session with guest Charmian Johnson (former global law firm partner and somatic trauma-informed coach) that reframed imposter syndrome from a purely personal confidence issue into a practical performance and leadership challenge in legal teams—showing up in preparation habits, willingness to speak up, decision-making, and ultimately time, energy, and productivity—while underscoring a simple core message: these experiences are common, workable, and far easier to shift when leaders create psychological safety.
What we covered
Irwin set out three guiding questions:
- What is imposter syndrome?
- How do you recognise it in yourself?
- How do you spot it in colleagues, and what can you do as a leader?
Throughout, the conversation balanced two complementary approaches:
- Somatic (body-based) regulation, led by Johnson, calms the nervous system to reduce the intensity of threat responses.
- Thought-based reframing, led by Sarah: notice “imposter thoughts”, challenge them, and choose more empowering beliefs.
What “imposter syndrome” looked like in practice
Johnson described imposter syndrome as a persistent sense of being a fraud despite evidence of competence. In her own legal career, it surfaced as:
- Over-preparing for meetings, presentations, and seminars
- Perfectionism and fear of being “found out.”
- Holding back from opportunities, or saying yes and then “paying” for it in rumination
- A constant background loop: last thought at night, first thought in the morning
Irwin explored how to distinguish imposter syndrome from shyness or perfectionism. Johnson answered that these labels often overlap because they can be different “parts” of the same protective system. The key is awareness and curiosity: noticing what shows up and when.
The nervous system lens: why it feels so real
Johnson’s central point was that many “imposter” moments are threat responses. Not a threat in the literal sense (no lion in the room), but a perceived threat: judgment, rejection, humiliation, failure, exclusion.
In that state, the brain prioritises survival over performance:
- The body ramps up into fight/flight (or freeze), and we feel it first
- Then the mind tries to explain the feelings with a story—often harsh, inaccurate, or catastrophising
- When the emotional brain is running the show, communication and decision-making suffer
Her practical emphasis is on regulating the body to regain the front-of-brain clarity needed for speaking, negotiating, and client work.
The thought lens: “imposter thoughts”, not an illness
Sarah encouraged the group to move away from treating imposter syndrome as a fixed pathology. The word “syndrome” can make it sound medical and permanent. Instead:
- Notice the thought (“I’m not good enough for this”, “I don’t deserve this”, “I don’t know enough”)
- Reframe to a belief that fits the facts (“I’ve done this work for years—this is just a new context”)
- Watch how the belief shift changes physiology and emotion
A beneficial insight: fear and excitement can feel identical in the body. The difference is the label. If the body is activated before a new challenge, the choice becomes: “I’m not ready” versus “I’m stretching”.
Practical tools discussed: what helps in the moment
Johnson emphasised fast, repeatable techniques to settle the nervous system before high-stakes moments—especially presentations and big meetings. She shared an example of a client who was considering medication due to intense pre-presentation anxiety; after applying a brief regulation technique (including bilateral stimulation), the client experienced a noticeable improvement in steadiness and confidence.
The broader principle: the more you practise regulation, the more quickly you return to calm focus, building resilience rather than relying on avoidance.
Leadership: why partners should care (and what to do)
A key intervention came from Ron Given, who asked the blunt, commercially relevant question: if associates are spending time in “unbillable anxiety time”, should leaders treat this as a performance issue—and what can they do?
Both Johnson and Sarah argued that leaders have an outsized influence. The actionable leadership themes were:
1) Look for patterns, not labels
Possible signals include:
- A dip in billable time around visible work (presentations, pitches, client-facing moments)
- Excessive preparation for routine tasks
- Avoidance of stretch opportunities
- Silence in meetings, reluctance to volunteer
- Overcompensation: defensiveness, aggression, or arrogance masking insecurity
2) Replace judgment with curiosity
Instead of “lazy” or “not engaged”, try “something feels unsafe here”. Johnson’s rule of thumb: focus on what happened to them rather than what’s wrong with them.
3) Create psychological safety through real leadership behaviour
Regular check-ins, calm feedback, and an explicit invitation to discuss concerns make it easier for people to raise vulnerable truths. Johnson stressed that the leader’s tone and assumptions matter as much as the words.
4) Model vulnerability and growth
Sarah highlighted the power of senior lawyers acknowledging they are works-in-progress. When leaders normalise nerves, learning, and support-seeking, it punctures the “I’m the only one” isolation that fuels imposter thinking.
5) Notice how you’re showing up as a leader
Johnson warned that unaddressed stress can push leaders into micromanagement, indecision, or reactivity—behaviours that amplify team anxiety and reduce confidence.
A cautionary example: how leaders unintentionally reinforce imposter dynamics
Johnson shared a formative experience from early in her career: she declined to volunteer for a major conference because she knew it would ruin her holiday with anticipatory worry. A partner responded by calling her a “disappointment”, rather than asking what was behind the hesitation. The takeaway was not about blame, but about impact: without a safe space, people suppress concerns, avoid opportunities, and carry the stress alone.
Takeaways you can use this week
- If you notice imposter thoughts, name them as thoughts, not truths.
- Before a high-stakes moment, regulate first, then reason.
- In teams, prioritise curiosity, context, and safety over snap judgment.
- Leaders: share one real example of your own learning edge—done well, it permits others to grow.
- When the inner critic shows up, Johnson’s closing advice was to befriend it: ask what it’s trying to protect you from. Suppression tends to increase the volume; compassion tends to turn it down.
