From Imposter to Authentic: Why the Gap Exists and How to Close It

You know what you're doing. You've got the skills, the experience, the results to back it up.

And yet.

You hesitate before posting on LinkedIn. You undercharge because asking for what you're worth feels impossible. You have ideas that could transform your business, but they stay safely in your head because putting yourself out there feels too risky.

You've tried the mindset work. You've done the affirmations. You've read the books about imposter syndrome and told yourself you're good enough, smart enough, capable enough.

And still, the gap remains. Between who you know you are and how you actually show up. Between what you're capable of and what you allow yourself to claim. Between the business you could build and the one you're actually building.

Why does the gap exist?

Because imposter syndrome isn't what you think it is.

It's not a confidence problem. It's not a character flaw. And it's definitely not something you can positive-think your way out of.

Imposter syndrome is your mind following rules you don't consciously know you're running.

Rules like:

• "Being seen is dangerous"

• "Asking for money makes you greedy"

• "Confidence means you're arrogant"

• "I am not good enough"

• "Failure is dangerous"

These rules weren't chosen by your adult, rational mind. They were learned early - often in childhood, sometimes in a single moment, sometimes over years of subtle messaging. They got stored in your subconscious as protection mechanisms. Your mind's job is to keep you safe, and at some point, staying small became the safest option.

The problem with mindset work

Traditional mindset work operates at the conscious level. You tell yourself "I am confident. I deserve success. I'm allowed to charge what I'm worth."

But your subconscious isn't listening. It's too busy running the old rules, the ones that keep you safe, according to it's set of rules.

Conscious positive thinking cannot override subconscious protective rules. It's like trying to change your computer's output without changing the code.

You can want to show up authentically. You can believe you should be more visible, charge more..... But until you identify the actual rules your mind is running and work through them at the subconscious level where they live, you'll keep hitting the same wall.

What it costs you

This gap between imposter and authentic isn't just uncomfortable - it's expensive.

You undercharge because the rule says "Being judged is dangerous, I will look greedy" Lost revenue: thousands, maybe tens of thousands annually.

You avoid sales conversations because the rule says "I am not good enough" Lost clients: the ones who actually need what you offer.

You stay quiet on social media because the rule says "standing out is dangerous." Lost visibility: the connections, opportunities, and momentum that come from being seen.

You keep your best ideas to yourself because the rule says "who are you to think you know better?" Lost impact: the work that could actually change things.

The gap isn't just costing you confidence. It's costing you your business growth, your income, your influence, and ultimately, your ability to do the work you're here to do.

What authentic actually means

Here's what authenticity is NOT:

• Performing vulnerability on Instagram

• Sharing everything about your personal life

• Being the same in every context

• Never feeling uncertain or scared

Authenticity is knowing your own rules and choosing which ones still serve you.

It's recognising "I learned to stay small because standing out felt dangerous as a child" and deciding "that rule doesn't apply to me or my business anymore."

It's understanding "I avoid sales conversations because I watched my parent struggle with money and learned that asking is shameful" and consciously updating that belief.

It's identifying YOUR specific protective mechanisms and doing the deeper work to shift them - not just override them with positive thoughts, but actually resolve them at the subconscious level.

When you show up authentically, you're not performing or pretending. You're operating from updated rules that actually support your growth rather than ancient ones designed to keep you safe and invisible.

How to close the gap

Closing the gap from imposter to authentic requires three things:

1. Identify your specific rules

Not generic imposter syndrome - YOUR actual subconscious beliefs. What did your mind learn to keep you safe? When did staying small become the smart choice? What are the specific rules running your show?

2. Work through them at the subconscious level

This is where hypnotherapy, NLP, timeline therapy, and somatic techniques come in. We're not trying to positive-think our way past protective rules. We're going to the source, understanding why they formed, and updating them.

3. Practice authentic visibility in a regulated state

Once the rules shift, you need to practice showing up differently. Not forced, not fake - but from a nervous system that feels safe being seen. This is where the body work supports the mind work.

This isn't a weekend mindset makeover. It's deeper work that creates lasting shifts in how you show up - in your business, in your visibility, in your pricing, in your sales conversations, in everything.

The intensive

This is exactly what we do in the From Imposter to Authentic half-day intensive.

We identify YOUR specific protective rules. We work through them using hypnotherapy, NLP, and somatic techniques that address the subconscious level where they live. And you leave with practical tools to regulate your nervous system so authentic visibility feels safe, not scary.

Not generic advice. Not surface-level strategy. The actual root work that closes the gap.

Two options:

In-Person Intensive - Brighton Thursday, May 1st, 9am-12pm | £100

Online Intensive - Google Meet
Thursday, May 1st, 2 pm-5 UK | £75

Maximum 15 participants for both.

Early bird pricing available until March 12th. Then they go up to £125 for in person and £100 on-line.

Want a taste first?

Join the free one-hour webinar on Monday, March 10th at 7pm UK where I'll show you why imposter syndrome is a nervous system response, what it's really costing your business, and give you one practical technique to start shifting the pattern.

Register for free webinar here

Book for the May intensive here.

The gap exists because you're running rules you didn't choose. Let's identify them, work through them, and close that gap for good.