Latest / She Speaks to Scale / 29.How To Work Through Self-Doubt and Speak With Confidence.
Transcript
- Sarah Collins: Hello and welcome to She Speaks the Scale with me, Sarah Collins. the podcast that empowers women in business to own their voice, be heard and create impact, one communication insight at a time. a former senior television producer for ITV and ITN. It's my mission to bring the communication skills we need to thrive in today's world of business to the generation of women who simply weren't taught them. Whether it's scaling your authority and stepping into thought leadership, scaling your impact on camera on stage and beyond, or scaling your revenue through speaking opportunities, this podcast will help you use your voice to be heard so you're trusted and remembered when it matters most. I recently gave a talk to a room full of women in business where I shared a statistic that shifted something in me and the audience too. A 2025 Ugov poll, a research study for HSBC, claimed that over a third of women who run their own business say that feelings of self-doubt are preventing them from growing and scaling. To put that into context, women now represent one in three entrepreneurs in the UK. That's a 36% increase in business ownership by women since 2015, which I think is incredible. According to the Office of National Statistics Labour Force Survey 2025, there are 1.8 million women now running incorporated or self-employed ventures across the UK. This is the highest number on record. And older women, and they class that as 50 plus. Are the fastest group of growing entrepreneurs now accounting for one in four female business owners? These figures highlight the incredible growing role of women in the UK economy. And yet, one third of those are holding back scaling and growing their business due to the fears and doubts they experience. That's 600,000 women who are potentially letting self-doubt hold them back. And this isn't just defined to women running their own businesses. I went on the search for statistics relating to women in professional roles and found that. A study by Hayes UK Research published in 2025 that surveyed over 8,000 professionals found that 70% of women had experienced imposter syndrome at some point. And almost half of women, that's around 47%, said these feelings had become more frequent as their career progressed. Now you've heard me say we are a generation of women who weren't taught the skills we need to thrive in business and the workplace today. And these statistics support this. When we were in the education system, podcasts didn't exist, networking for women didn't exist, and social media didn't exist. And yet here we are building businesses and speaking within our roles in organizations, and it requires so much more of us than we were ever taught. and that is one of the reasons why these doubts and fears creep in. So if we look at imposter syndrome specifically, the feelings can often make us feel not worthy, like we're going to get found out, like we don't deserve to be in a room, and that we're not good enough. But I know from speaking to women that listen to this podcast and speaking to women in general that we are capable, we have brilliant backgrounds, full of expertise and experiences that others can learn from. But what happens when those feelings of self-doubt follow us into the rooms where we're expected to influence, to lead, to sell, or even to share our expertise? So what does that look like? You're sitting in a meeting with an idea that could make a difference, but you don't speak up. You're pitching for a new client but struggling to articulate the real value you bring. You're standing on stage, being interviewed on a podcast or networking with people and a little voice in our head is questioning whether we really belong there. Self-doubt doesn't just affect how we feel in those moments, it also affects how we communicate and in turn how others perceive us too. And that is why I believe that speaking skills for our generation matter so much. Because they are skills and that means that they can be learned. And when you develop your speaking skills, you learn to communicate your value without feeling like you're bragging. you learn to speak with authority without feeling you have to become someone else. And you learn how to organize your thoughts so you don't go blank when you're nervous or under pressure. Before we go any further, let me explain what imposter syndrome actually is, because it's a term that gets used a lot. But isn't always fully understood. It was first identified in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Klantz and Suzanne Immes, who noticed the pattern in high-achieving women who, despite their success, persistently believed they weren't as intelligent or capable as others perceived them to be. They lived in fear of being found out of someone realizing the truth that they didn't really deserve to be there. and while the term has broadened significantly since then, that core feeling remains remarkably consistent. The sense that you've somehow got here by luck rather than ability, that your credentials aren't quite enough, and that it's only a matter of time before someone notices. I know this feeling because despite spending over 20 years producing for ITV and ITN, working alongside some of the most respected names in broadcasting, when I launched my business, the imposter syndrome came almost immediately. Who was I to set up on my own? Who would invest in working with just me rather than the organizations I'd always have behind me? And I avoided showing my face on social media for months, talking myself out of opportunities because I didn't feel quite ready, And what I've come to understand is that imposter syndrome doesn't discriminate. Look at the numbers. 600,000 women feeling like they're holding back and they can't scale and grow their businesses. It doesn't care how qualified you are, how long you've been doing this, or how much evidence you have that you're more than capable. As that Hayes study shows, for almost half of women, the feelings actually get more frequent as their career progresses, so as they're climbing up the ladder. It seems the bigger the stakes, the louder the voice, And from the guests I've spoken to on my podcast, I know that this is the case too. Almost every single one that I have spoken to has felt this way at some point or other during their career. The qualified coach in me knows that the first step is self-awareness, and I want to take you through a series of questions now to help you understand where you are and what steps you can take to help you move forwards. Write down your answers on a piece of paper, or if you're out and about, use the notes app on your phone. And if you're driving whilst listening to this episode, take time later to complete this exercise when it's safe to do so. When those fears and doubts creep in, what is it specifically that you are telling yourself? What is the situation you find yourself in when that happens? What evidence do you have for feeling that way? How does this translate into or come through in the way you communicate? Think about a time you've communicated well and those fears or doubts haven't surfaced. What skills could you take from that situation and how can you apply them now? What have you learned to see as ordinary about yourself that other people consider valuable? How might your business scale or grow if you were willing not to hold back anymore? What's one step you could take towards making that a reality? Now return to the fear or doubt holding you back. Knowing what you know now, what could you say to yourself instead in that situation? I've shared these coaching questions because I genuinely want women to recognize what they bring, understand what is holding them back, and enable them to move forwards. Being able to communicate effectively is such an important part of progressing in the workplace or scaling your business. Your awareness of any fears or doubts is truly the foundation, and then developing your speaking skills comes swiftly afterwards. So let me leave you with this. You are good enough, you are worthy, and you do definitely deserve to be in the room. If you would like to explore one-to-one coaching with me so that you can speak confidently on social media, podcasts, panels, and stages, then do reach out. Thank you for listening to this episode of She Speaks to Scale. If you liked the episode or you think it will be useful for someone else, please follow and leave a review. Don't forget there's a link to my speaker identity quiz in the show notes. It takes just two minutes to find out where you are now on your speaking journey and what your next move should be. Remember to speak with intention, not hesitation and let your voice be heard.