Imposter syndrome is something we often don’t talk about openly, and the standard advice - build your confidence, reframe your thinking, remember your achievements – rarely addresses the real cause.

In this Quick Dip, Rachel shares a piece of feedback she received years ago that still stings and uses it to unpick what imposter syndrome really is: it’s not a confidence gap, it’s not a skills deficit, but something much more personal.

She talks about why working on your confidence alone will never be enough, what's actually driving that voice that says you're about to be found out, and the one thing that actually shifts it.

Key Takeaways

• Imposter syndrome isn't always about competence or confidence - it can be the system gaslighting you, impossible self-imposed standards, or just the very human experience of feeling not good enough.
• A 2025 meta-analysis found that 62% of healthcare professionals experience imposter syndrome - this is a profession-wide pattern, not a personal failing.
• What actually moves the needle is saying it out loud to someone who responds with empathy and recognition.

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If you constantly find yourself picking up tasks that nobody else will do, staying late to cover gaps, or slowly absorbing more and more without anyone asking you to - this episode is going to name exactly what's happening.

Occupational psychologist Leanne Elliott joins Rachel to unpack why over-responsibility isn't a personality flaw; it's what happens when you don’t have absolute clarity on what tasks are definitely part of your role – and, more crucially, what tasks aren’t.

They explore why conscientious professionals in under-resourced settings are most at risk, how the 'if I don't do it, who will?' question keeps people stuck, and what you can actually do this week to start auditing what belongs on your plate and what doesn't.

Key Takeaways

• Role clarity is a recognised psychosocial risk factor, and when it's absent, taking on extra work feels like the only option, even when it's pushing you towards burnout.
• A simple daily audit - writing down tasks that drained you, that weren't in your role, or that you did out of fear rather than responsibility – can give you the data to have important but calmer and less personal conversations with your team about your roles.
• Rest and recovery are not the same thing. Knowing your recovery activities and protecting time for them is a skill, not a luxury.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Twenty Questions: How do I know if I’m a workaholic?

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You know something needs to change, but you just have no idea what, how, or where to begin, and your lack of a plan may be starting to feel like failure.

In this Quick Dip, Rachel unpacks why the belief that you need everything mapped out before you're allowed to move is the very thing keeping you stuck, and introduces the AB-Z method: a simple framework that replaces the impossible task of knowing your whole future with a far more manageable one.

This episode is about how to craft your work, not how to leave your job completely or blow everything up, but how to get a genuine say in the shape of your working life - one honest step at a time.

Key Takeaways

• You don't need the whole career plan - you need A, a sense of Z, and B - the very next step.
• Z is not a job title. It's how you want to be: internally, and with the people you love.
• Recovering from burnout is not the same as arriving at Z. The absence of burnout is a step, not a destination.
• Comparing your Z to someone else's is one of the most reliable ways to stay stuck.
• Crafting your work and career can happen alongside your current role, not instead of it - and it can start at any grade, any stage.

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