INSPIRING QUOTE

A Quote That Cuts Both Ways

Think about that surge of panic before a big presentation.

Your palms sweat, your heart pounds in your chest. Maybe no one notices, you think.

Then you speak, and your voice quivers. That voice in your head screams you do not belong. No one will think you’re a good speaker.

Most of us hide from it. But what if that feeling of being an imposter could fuel your creative edge?

It’s a timeless struggle that echoes through history, from ancient philosophers to folk-rock anthems. Turns out, the idea of “faking it” has always carried a hidden spark, one that’s fueled breakthroughs for centuries.

As far back as the 4th century BCE, Aristotle hinted at something similar, focusing on how repeated actions, even if initially unnatural, can lead to genuine habits and virtues.

Fast-forward two millennia and Simon & Garfunkel’s 1968 song “Fakin’ It” gave voice to the flip side: success as a mask while wrestling with self-doubt. Even in pop culture, “faking it” was never about deception, it was about surviving the fear of not being enough.

Why has this morally slippery concept survived 2,000 years? And which is it? A dangerous façade, or a hidden source of fuel? History suggests the second. Again and again, impostors have turned their insecurity into the engine of breakthroughs.

Self-doubt, it turns out, can be rocket fuel for creativity. And the story in the spotlight ahead proves it.

CREATIVITY SPOTLIGHT

Impostor's Edge, Lessons Learned From Rise And Reflection

What happens when a brilliant mind suddenly can't remember her own IQ score?

In 1992, social psychologist Amy Cuddy was driving cross-country when her car flipped multiple times. The traumatic brain injury left her with a shattered sense of self. And a 30-point drop in IQ. After years of being told she was "gifted," she suddenly felt like an intellectual imposter in her own life.

Most people would retreat. Cuddy did something different: she got curious about her insecurity.

🎭 The Imposter's Laboratory

Returning to graduate school, Cuddy felt like she was "faking" being smart every single day. But instead of hiding this feeling, she began studying it. Her self-doubt drove her to dig deeper into questions other researchers hadn't explored: What if our bodies could teach our minds to feel confident? What if we could literally embody the confidence we wish we had?

This "fresh eyes" approach, which was born from her own sense of being an outsider, led her to influential but controversial research on power posing. While established researchers focused on how confidence affects body language, Cuddy flipped the question: How does body language affect confidence?

🌟 Doubt Meets Discovery

Cuddy unconsciously tested this theory on herself for years, using expansive postures to feel less like an imposter in academic settings.

Her research suggested that standing in a “power pose” can boost self-reported feelings of power. People could literally fake confident body language until they began to genuinely feel it.

When she shared her findings in a 2012 TED talk, she also shared something very personal: she revealed her own imposter story. "I don't want to leave here giving you a talk that we should all just fake it till we make it," she said. "I want to leave you with this: fake it till you become it."

The result? Over 65 million views and a complete reframe of how we think about confidence.

🔍 The Scientific Reckoning

However, Cuddy's research faced intense scrutiny during psychology's "replication crisis." When other scientists tried to reproduce her findings, they couldn't replicate the hormonal changes (increased testosterone, decreased cortisol) that made her work famous. Multiple studies found no evidence that power posing creates measurable physiological or behavioral improvements.

The controversy reached its peak in 2016 when Cuddy's own co-author, Dana Carney, publicly disavowed their joint research, stating "I do not believe that 'power pose' effects are real." This left Cuddy defending work that even her research partner had abandoned.

Today, the scientific consensus is mixed: some evidence suggests power posing may boost self-reported feelings of confidence, but the dramatic claims about hormonal changes and improved performance have been largely discredited. What remains is a cautionary tale about the difference between feeling powerful and actually being more effective.

🌱 The Hidden Gift and Risk of Feeling Like a Fraud

Amy Cuddy’s journey shows that feeling like an imposter isn’t a flaw, it’s a spark. But her scrutinized research reminds us that faking it fuels growth only when paired with honest effort. Confidence without substance can collapse.

So, don’t fake it too much!

That nagging voice of self-doubt can be your guide, pushing you to question the status quo, dig deeper, and uncover insights others miss. Cuddy calls these moments “growth signals,” or flashes of discomfort that signal you’re on the edge of something new.

💡 ‘Fake It Till You Make It’ In Real Life

What might faking it actually look like in real life, your life?

• Show up as the person you’re becoming: practice the behaviors and standards now, and let the results catch up.

• Build before you’re “ready”: act like a maker by shipping small, real versions until the thing exists.

• Do the job you want: present yourself at that level and start doing that work today.

So, the next time you feel like an imposter, ask yourself: What is this feeling trying to teach me that confidence might miss? Embrace that feeling as your invitation to innovate, just like Cuddy did.

BLINKS, THINKS & LINKS

Curiosity Candy

• This BBC podcast explores what it feels like to think you’re an imposter.
  

• An art-based therapeutic practice to reframe self-doubt and imposter syndrome.
  

• Did You Know: Even Albert Einstein thought of himself of as imposter?

  • Einstein wrote about this, "The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler"

ACTIONABLE PROMPTS

Dance With The Imposter

Your biggest breakthroughs are hiding behind the feelings you're trying to avoid. Amy Cuddy's story shows us that imposter syndrome isn't a weakness to defeat us, but instead a weakness to confront with strength.

This week, instead of hiding your uncertainties, let's use them as your competitive advantage.

These two exercises will help you transform self-doubt into genuine confidence and fresh insights:

• 1) The Beginner's Courage Challenge

  • Volunteer for something slightly outside your expertise this month.

  • Document how your fresh perspective and willingness to ask questions leads to different approaches than seasoned experts might take.

• 2) The Vulnerability Experiment

  • In your next team discussion, admit one thing you're unsure about instead of pretending to know.

  • Notice how this authenticity affects the conversation quality and others' willingness to share uncertainties.

The goal isn't to eliminate imposter feelings, it's to dance with them. Every time you feel like you don't belong, you're standing at the edge of chaos.

Thanks for reading,

V.C. Hanna
Founder, Kreatio