Earlier this year, I was asked to give a presentation on impostor syndrome at HomeDadCon Milwaukee, which is a conference for The National At Home Dad Network.

HomeDadCon Milwaukee took place this past weekend, and my colleague Amy Dell and I attended.

In this blog, I’m going to share about our experience at HomeDadCon and my experience with impostor syndrome.

TLDR version:

HomeDadCon is an awesome event and The National At Home Dad Network is an awesome organization.
You can experience impostor syndrome when presenting about impostor syndrome.

HomeDadCon Milwaukee

Prior to earlier this year, I had not heard of this conference or organization. However, I am so grateful to have been introduced to them.

The conference itself was a great experience. I was able to sit in on a support group, and the men in attendance seemed to feel incredibly safe with one another.

They shared their stories and opened up about struggles they have had or were currently having, and they supported each other as they shared.

A common struggle shared was that of loneliness and isolation that often comes with being a stay at home parent.

With that in mind, the support and fellowship experienced at this conference were even more meaningful.

For men, in particular, it can be difficult to find this kind of support, especially from other men, and it was amazing to witness.

I also learned that they have ongoing weekly support groups, which seems like an invaluable resource for them to connect and support each other from across the country.

After the support group, it was time for us to present.

Impostor Syndrome About Impostor Syndrome Presentation

Impostor syndrome is something I am very familiar with both personally and professionally.

Impostor syndrome is very common among therapists, especially new therapists, and I have certainly experienced it throughout my career.

I have also helped many of my clients identify and work through thoughts and feelings related to impostor syndrome.

Although I have the experiences of helping myself and others overcome impostor syndrome, I still felt that old familiar feeling of impostor syndrome creep up on me regarding this presentation.

It sounds silly to be experiencing the very thing that I was presenting about, but with an understanding about what impostor syndrome is and where it comes from, it makes a lot of sense.

What is Impostor Syndrome?

In a nutshell, impostor syndrome is doubting yourself or feeling inadequate in an area of your life, even with proof of success, and feeling like any success you have is due to luck rather than skill.

Impostor syndrome is more common for people who are high achievers and perfectionists.

As a high achiever myself, I relate and know how hard it can be to be in a position where you are unsure of your skills and abilities.

I have not presented or done public speaking since graduate school.

Public speaking has never been my favorite thing, but I wanted to participate in this event and also to push myself outside of my comfort zone.

As you may have guessed, because you are here reading my blog, writing is my preferred medium.

I am much more comfortable, confident, and naturally skilled with writing than I am with speaking.

But I strongly believe in continuing to learn and grow by doing new things and things that may be uncomfortable, as that is the only way to become more comfortable with doing them.

So, I believe impostor syndrome showed up for me because this was an uncomfortable experience for me, and I was also facing a challenge by public speaking for the first time in 8+ years.

Learn more about impostor syndrome and how to overcome it with my *Overcoming Impostor Syndrome* e-book.

Check it out **here**.

Final Notes

Impostor syndrome is a very common experience across all walks of life. Even people who you may perceive as successful can experience impostor syndrome.

You may work through impostor syndrome in one area or at one point in your life and it may show up in a different area or point in your life. That doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. It means that you might be facing a new challenge or growth in some way, such as a promotion.

It can also mean that you care about whatever it is that you are doubting yourself about. If you didn’t care about your performance at work, you likely wouldn’t worry about how well you do or how your performance is perceived.

Remember to remain open to growth, failure, and mistakes. These are all normal parts of the human experience and are necessary for self-acceptance and self-improvement.

If you have experienced impostor syndrome and want to learn more about how to manage and overcome it, check out my Overcoming Impostor Syndrome e-book.