How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome When You’re a High Achiever

You ever lay awake convinced that any day now everyone is going to find out you have no idea what you’re doing?

That tomorrow someone will finally expose you as the fraud you secretly believe you are?

If that voice just whispered “yep, that’s me”… keep reading.

I’m Lexie Loman, licensed therapist, and for years I sat across from client after client hearing the exact same sentence:

“I feel like such an imposter.”

“I’m just waiting for them to figure out I don’t belong here.”

“I have no idea how I’ve gotten this far.”

And then I realized… I was saying the exact same things to myself every single day.

That’s when I dove deep into Brené Brown’s work — especially The Power of Vulnerability — and finally understood what shame actually is. (I highly recommend checking out her work if you haven't)

Her research changed everything in my practice… and in my life.

It was so powerful I ended up writing my first self-help book about it: Gremlins & Goats: Shedding Shame.

What Are Shame Gremlins (and Why Do High Achievers Have the Loudest Ones)?

Shame gremlins are the little voices in your head that keep you small — telling you you’re not enough, you’re wrong, or you’re undeserving.

Every gremlin is a liar.

There are things that feed and water your gremlins (just like the 90s movie Gremlins) and make them multiply.

And there are things that destroy them for good — like exposing them to bright light: truth + laughter.

That’s where the goat comes in.

Meet Imposter Irving — The Gremlin Who Convinced Me I Was a Fraud (Even as a Therapist)

Imposter Irving wears a tiny detective hat and his favorite line is:

“Who do you think you are?”

I know him intimately.

When I finished my master’s, got licensed, and stepped into my first real therapist role, he screamed:

“You’re not a real therapist. School didn’t teach you how to actually help people. You’re going to get found out.”

After working in a psychiatric hospital for five years, he was still there.

Then, after I opened my private practice and he started the whole song again.

I’d get glowing feedback — “You changed my life” — and Irving whispered, “They’re just being nice. Wait till they figure out you’re winging it.”

I felt like the biggest fraud on earth… especially because I was secretly struggling with depression while trying to help others heal from theirs.

Talk about imposter syndrome on steroids.

The One Mindfulness Trick That Finally Shut Imposter Irving Up

Brené taught me shame is exactly like those gremlins from the movie — feed & water them after midnight and they turn evil.

Expose them to bright light (truth + laughter) and they melt.

So I created the goat.

The goat is a mindfulness tool: when the gremlin lies, you look it dead in the eye and bleat “Shaaa-ame!”

It feels ridiculous. That’s the point — shame cannot survive being laughed at.

Try it right now.

When Irving says “You’re a fraud,” bleat “Shaaa-ame!”

Then drop one truth bomb:

“I belong here — the proof is in the lives I’ve touched.”

“I’m a beginner, not a fraud.”

Feel silly. Laugh. Then feel the shift. That’s your goat getting stronger.

How Imposter Irving Shows Up for High-Achievers Every Day

• Someone compliments your work → you deflect: “Oh, it was nothing.”

• You know the answer in a meeting → you stay silent.

• You hit a big revenue month → “Total fluke.”

• You rehearse your intro 47 times → still feel fake.

Sound familiar?

You Are Already Enough — That’s the Truth

If Imposter Irving is the loudest voice in your head right now, you are not alone — and it doesn’t have to stay this way.

You are already enough, exactly as you are.

Want to know which gremlin is loudest for you (and get my free 7-day plan to starve him)?

→ Take the Gremlins & Goats Quiz here (100 % free)

Ready to go deeper and silence Irving (and the other four gremlins) for good?

The complete Gremlins & Goats mini-course + workbook + the full published book PDF is only $39.

→ Grab it here

Next episode: Too-Much Tina

(We’ll learn how she convinces you you’re a burden — and how to finally take up space unapologetically.)

P.S. If you loved this, share it with one high-achiever who secretly feels like a fraud.

They needs to hear they're not alone.

P.P.S. Listen to the full Thinking Out Loud episode here.