Having impostor syndrome as a coach is often quieter than we think. It does not always look as dramatic as what most of us imagine when we hear the term. Sometimes it looks as simple as over-preparing for a meeting, staying silent when you have the answer, or turning a compliment into a joke.
For a client, it might show up as starting a new job and thinking, “They picked the wrong person.” For a coach, it often hits when you step into bigger work and suddenly feel like you are not qualified enough to be in the room. You might spend your morning helping a leader own their worth, then spend your afternoon doubting your own.
Let’s peel back the curtain and look at what impostor syndrome means in a coaching context, why success rarely cures it, and how to break the cycle. You will also find simple, coach safe exercises you can use in a session or for your own self work.
Table of Contents
Note: This is coaching education, not a medical diagnosis. If you or a client feel unsafe, or cannot function day to day, prioritize licensed mental health support.
What Is Impostor Syndrome in Coaching?
In coaching, it helps to view impostor syndrome as a pattern of stress and behavior, not a fixed trait. It often shows up when the stakes feel high, such as starting a new role, presenting to leadership, or coaching a high visibility client.
You may also hear the term impostor phenomenon. This older phrase, coined by researchers Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978, is more accurate. They described it as when capable people who cannot internalize their success. Even with real evidence of competence, like degrees, awards, or promotions, they fear being “found out.”
Why the Label Matters
The word syndrome can sound like a permanent medical condition. And experiencing impostor syndrome as a coach is not a medical condition. If you treat the feeling as proof you are not good enough, the usual response is to hide, overwork, or seek reassurance.
If you treat it as a predictable pattern, you can work with it. You can spot the trigger, name the rule behind the fear, and choose a response that matches your values.
That brings us to the next question. If someone is capable, why do wins not fix the feeling?
Why Success Does Not Fix It
The hardest part of impostor syndrome is that achieving more does not always make it go away. In some cases, success can even feed it.
This often happens because of an attribution problem, meaning how you explain outcomes. When things go well, the impostor part of the mind credits external factors. “I got lucky.” “They were just being nice.” “Anyone could have done it.” “I only pulled it off because I worked nonstop.”
When things go badly, the blame becomes personal. “I am not cut out for this.” “I knew I was not good enough.”
If you never take in the wins, they cannot build confidence. They just feel like close calls.
The Impostor Cycle
This creates a loop that keeps resetting fear.
- Trigger: A new assignment or opportunity shows up.
- Anxiety: Fear spikes because the new level feels risky.
- Response: You cope by overpreparing or procrastinating.
- Relief: You get through it and feel temporary relief.
- Discount: You dismiss the win, so it does not count.
Once you can see this loop, you can stop waiting for confidence to appear and start interrupting the pattern.
Next, it helps to know when the loop tends to kick in, and how it looks for clients versus coaches.
What It Looks Like: Clients vs. Coaches
Impostor feelings rarely show up out of nowhere. They tend to spike during transitions, such as new teams, new titles, or higher visibility. The mind reads the new context as threat.
For Your Clients
Clients often self sabotage right when they are leveling up.
- Dismissing praise: A compliment feels like politeness rather than truth.
- Needing to know everything: They stay silent because speaking up feels risky.
- Fear of exposure: The fear is not only of failing. It is being unmasked while doing the work.
Sometimes the pressure is not only internal. Bias, discrimination, and lack of representation can create real scrutiny. This is sometimes called impostorization, meaning a system treats someone like they do not belong, and the person starts carrying that message inside.
For You, the Coach
Coaches can fall into an expert trap. You start believing you need the perfect question, the perfect framework, or the perfect story to be valuable.
- Invisible results: Coaching impact is often subtle. It can look like a shift in perspective or one better decision. When you cannot “prove” value fast, doubt fills the gap.
- Credential chasing: You keep signing up for courses, thinking, “I will be ready once I have the next certification.”
- Comparison: You see other coaches’ polished highlights and assume they feel confident all the time.
If any of this feels familiar, the next layer to look at is the hidden rules you might be living by.
The Hidden Rules of Competence
Under the anxiety, there is often a strict rule about what competence should look like. These rules set a standard that no one can meet for long.
Dr. Valerie Young described five common patterns. Naming the pattern can be beneficial because it turns vague shame into something specific you can work on.
- The Perfectionist: Competence means being flawless.
- Trap: One typo feels like total failure.
- Coaching question: What is the difference between excellence and perfection for you?
- The Expert: Competence means knowing everything.
- Trap: You refuse to start until you feel 100 percent ready.
- Coaching question: What does it cost you to wait until you know everything?
- The Natural Genius: Competence should be effortless.
- Trap: If it takes work, you assume you are not good at it.
- Coaching question: Where did you learn that struggle equals incompetence?
- The Soloist: Competence means doing it alone.
- Trap: Asking for help feels like weakness.
- Coaching question: What would change if support counted as a strength?
- The Superperson: Competence means winning in every role.
- Trap: Trying to be perfect everywhere, then burning out.
- Coaching question: Which ball can you put down for a moment without everything breaking?
A Practical Exercise: Rewrite the Rule
Here’s how it works:
- Identify the rule: Write a sentence that starts with, “If I were truly competent, I would…”
- Friend test: Would you hold a capable friend to that same standard?
- Rewrite it: Create a fair, realistic rule you can live by.
Once you name the rule, the next step is noticing the voice that keeps enforcing it.
Positive Intelligence “Saboteurs” That Fuel the Doubt
Positive Intelligence is a mental fitness framework that gives simple names to common stress patterns. It calls these patterns saboteurs. In simple words, these are the inner voices that push you into fear, shame, or avoidance.
If you are new to this, this page explains the saboteurs and includes the assessment: Positive Intelligence Saboteurs.
The main voice is the Judge, which looks for what is wrong with you, others, or the situation. It often teams up with voices like:
- The Stickler: Demands perfection and order.
- The Hyper Achiever: Ties self worth to output and wins.
- The Avoider: Escapes discomfort by delaying hard tasks.
A Quick Reset You Can Use: Positive Intelligence (PQ) Reps
If you catch the spiral starting, try a short PQ rep. Stop for ten seconds and focus fully on one physical sensation, like your breath or your feet on the floor.
This is useful right before you speak up, hit send, or start a hard task. The point is not to feel amazing. The point is to get out of panic mode so you can respond with choice.
Now that you can spot the rule and calm the stress spike, you can use a few practical exercises that change the pattern over time.
Practical Exercises You Can Use
The goal is not to talk yourself into confidence. The goal is to change how you process evidence, and to act even when fear is present.
1. Facts vs Feelings Check
Separate facts from fear. This is the fastest way to stop a scary thought from turning into a story you live inside.
- Facts: What actually happened, such as outcomes, feedback, and what you completed.
- Feelings: What you fear it means, such as “I am a fraud” or “They hate me.”
Then ask: If you had to prove the feeling is true in a court of law using only the facts, would you win?
Most of the time, you will see the fear is loud, but the evidence is thin.
2. Give Yourself Credit for Wins
Do not let “luck” be the whole story. If you keep calling every win an accident, confidence never gets a chance to build.
When you succeed, list the specific actions you took, like preparation, asking questions, or following up. Then name the skills you used, like staying calm, explaining clearly, or making a good decision.
This trains your brain to recognize agency and let wins count.
3. Take One Small Brave Step Based on Values
Confidence usually comes after action, not before. Waiting to feel ready is how this pattern keeps you stuck.
Pick a core value, like service, courage, or growth. Ask, “Am I willing to feel this discomfort for the sake of this value?” Then take one small step while the fear is still there.
4. A Group Exercise: The Failure Resume
Impostor feelings thrive in secrecy. In a group coaching setting, try a short failure resume share.
- Share one professional miss or insecurity.
- Share one lesson learned.
- Share the next step you took.
Keep it short. No fixing each other. The goal is to normalize learning. People feel better fast when they realize they are not the only one who doubts themselves.
Boundaries and When to Refer Out
This part matters because it keeps coaching safe. Impostor syndrome can sit in the normal range of nerves and self-doubt. It can also overlap with depression, trauma, or anxiety that needs clinical care. Your job is not to guess a diagnosis. Your job is to know the line.
What Coaching Can Do
Coaching is a good fit when the client can function day to day and the main issue is confidence, decision making, performance, or follow-through. You can work on goals, habits, thinking patterns, and small actions.
If you want a quick refresher on coaching standards, Coachilly has a guide to the ICF Core Competencies.
What Therapy Is Better For
Therapy is a better fit when the client is dealing with deeper mental health issues, trauma responses, or symptoms that are getting in the way of basic life. Therapy can treat conditions, not just support growth. Don’t think you can ‘wing it’ – this is unethical and can lead to irreversible consequences. So, how do you determine when the line to therapy would be crossed and when to refer the client to counseling?
When to Suggest Therapy
Suggest therapy when you see any of the following:
- The client cannot function in daily life.
- The client feels stuck in hopelessness for weeks.
- The client mentions self-harm or suicidal thoughts.
- The client is having trauma-like reactions, such as flashbacks or panic that is hard to control.
- The client is not improving even after trying the exercises above.
How to Bring It Up Without Making It Weird
Keep it calm and practical. You can say something like.
“I can support you with goals and actions. But part of what you are describing sounds like it may benefit from a licensed therapist. We can pause coaching you while you get that support, if you want.”
ICF has a clear guide on referral conversations here.
A Sign You Are Growing
Impostor feelings are often a sign you are stretching your capabilities. Overcoming impostor syndrome as a coach does not mean that you have to silence the voice completely to move forward. You only need to lower its volume or redirect its instructions so it stops driving your choices.
Your next step is picking up one exercise from this article and use it this week. If you want the simplest start, begin with the facts vs feelings check. If you keep discounting wins, begin the “give yourself credit” list after your next success.
Small, consistent actions are how the pattern changes.