The Impostor Syndrome Files
Do you ever feel like a fraud? Struggle with chronic self-doubt? Wonder if you really deserve your role?
You’re not alone. As a leadership coach who’s battled impostor syndrome myself, I created this podcast to provide a place where professionals can share their stories, shed the silent shame and feel seen.
Each episode features honest conversations with professionals from all walks of life who’ve faced impostor syndrome and found ways to move through it. We’ll also hear from experts who share practical strategies for managing ourselves and shaping environments that reduce the threat of impostor syndrome.
Let’s erase the stigma. Let’s stop pretending we’re the only ones. And let’s come together to share, support and rise above the fear that keeps us playing small.
The Impostor Syndrome Files
How Perception Shapes Our Confidence
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we take a closer look at a topic that quietly shapes every professional interaction we have: perception. My guest this week is Shira Abel, keynote speaker, marketing expert and creator of the Perception Formula. Shira brings more than 25 years of experience in marketing, sales and teaching to show us why understanding how others see us is essential to building stronger relationships, communicating with clarity and showing up with confidence.
Shira breaks down her perception formula, which includes heuristics, hormones, history and heritage. We explore cultural and socioeconomic differences, the role of social conditioning and how much of our daily communication happens on autopilot. Shira also shares practical strategies for preparing for conversations, reading the room and navigating the nuances of communicating online.
Here we talk about the growing influence of AI on communication and personal brand, including how to use AI tools responsibly without losing your own voice. Shira also opens up about confidence, what it really means and why it has less to do with fearlessness and more to do with self-trust and the willingness to get back up after failure.
About My Guest
Shira Abel is the go-to-market expert trusted by category-leading enterprises including Siemens, Samsung, AXA, and Allianz. As the founder of Hunter & Bard and creator of The Perception Formula, she helps companies reshape how they’re seen, so they can close bigger deals, earn trust faster, and grow with intention. Her perception work has doubled sales for tech companies and enabled clients to land enterprise deals they previously thought were out of reach.
Shira holds an MBA from Kellogg, has taught at UC Berkeley, and is recognized globally as a keynote speaker and business mentor. She’s driven over a billion dollars in economic impact and scaled her own agency to seven-figure revenue, an accomplishment fewer than 2% of female founders achieve.
~
Connect with Shira:
Website: https://shiraabel.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shiraabel/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/shiraabel
~
Connect with Kim and The Impostor Syndrome Files:
Join the free Impostor Syndrome Challenge:
https://www.kimmeninger.com/challenge
Learn more about the Leading Humans discussion group:
https://www.kimmeninger.com/leadinghumansgroup
Join the Slack channel to learn from, connect with and support other professionals: https://forms.gle/Ts4Vg4Nx4HDnTVUC6
Join the Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadinghumans
Schedule time to speak with Kim Meninger directly about your questions/challenges: https://bookme.name/ExecCareer/strategy-session
Connect on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimmeninger/
Website:
https://kimmeninger.com