Is AI fueling your imposter syndrome?
I’ve always loved being on a stage. Give me a mic, a whiteboard, and a room full of people, and I’m in my “zone of genius,” as they say.
Writing is a different story.
We all have those moments when we feel a little uncertain. For you, it might be…
Building workflows
Running formulas in Excel
Pulling together a crisp strategy deck
The stuff that makes you secretly think, I hope nobody notices I’m winging it.
Yeah, for me, that’s writing.
So imagine my excitement when AI came along and could… do it for me?! Say less.
Who doesn’t love a shortcut for un-fun things?
But here’s the problem: When AI does the heavy lifting, we don’t actually get stronger. And that gap between what we’re showing the world and what we know we can do widens.
And this gap is exactly where imposter syndrome creeps in and thrives.
Recently, I’ve heard it again and again from leaders: AI makes their outputs look polished, but they walk away feeling less confident, not more.
Which is why I want to invite you into a story. Ready to go down the yellow brick road? 👠
In the story of Wicked, we meet two very different women: Glinda and Elphaba.
The world labels Elphaba as the “Wicked Witch of the West,” but in reality, she’s gifted with true magical ability. Her power is messy, raw, and often misunderstood, but it’s real.
Glinda, on the other hand, doesn’t have magic at all. Much like the Wizard of Oz himself, she relies on appearances. She steps on a foot pedal to make her bubble “float,” uses mechanics to stage her “magic,” and leans on illusion to cover what she doesn’t actually have; true ability.
From the outside, Glinda looks impressive. On the inside, it chips away at her confidence, because she knows the truth. And in the end, Glinda is the one who loses...friendships, love, and even herself.
That gap between the shiny exterior and what lies beneath is exactly what fuels imposter syndrome.
That’s the same risk when we lean too hard on AI. It can make us look polished on the surface, but if the growth isn’t ours, the confidence doesn’t stick.
🫧 Glinda’s bubble might sparkle, but it’s fragile.
💚 Elphaba’s power may have been misunderstood, but it was authentic. And authenticity is what real confidence is built on.
So what do you do with this? You DECIDE.
Not everything needs to be mastered. You can outsource some skills and feel zero guilt. But for the ones that matter to you, the ones you want to get better at, you have to delineate.
When AI first exploded onto the scene two years ago, I thought I’d use it to outsource a lot of my writing. But I quickly realized that didn’t help me at all. If anything, it made me feel more disconnected.
I actually want to be a good writer, so I made the decision: AI won’t be my ghostwriter. It could be my editor and polisher, but the hard work of drafting is mine.
(and now I’ve even ditched it as my editor and joined the 10K email Club instead, an amazing community of other female entrepreneurs looking to improve their email writing abilities, led by super talented Emily!)
For you, the line might be different. Maybe you never want to master Excel formulas yourself, and that’s fine; let AI do the math.
But if you want to be a better:
Communicator...
Strategist...
Or leader...
YOU have to claim that work for yourself. Use AI to support you, NOT to step in for you.
That’s how you keep your bubble from popping and build the kind of confidence that leads to an unshakeable career.