This week’s impostor archetype is a tricky one—the natural genius.

You know this person. They coasted through school, immediately landed a sweet job and have an uncanny ability to draw from various wells of knowledge in conversation. But when faced with a topic or role that is out of range or uniquely layered, they tend to shut down, hide or freak out.

This coping mechanism is tied to the fear of failure or being viewed as incompetent.

If you’re a natural genius, you might relate to this:

Let’s say you’ve recently been promoted. No surprise, you knocked it out of the park in your last role and fully expect to soar in this new one. You’re in your first team meeting and your colleagues are speaking in unrecognizable acronyms. The diagrams on the screen are Greek to you, and you realize this new position is going to require you to learn a new software—and you’re NOT technical. At first you’re like, I got this, but as you dig into the training materials, it’s not coming together for yo...

Happy International Women’s Day, Fam! In the spirit of waking up to a beautifully wrapped gift…we give you Battle Cry!!

• To the queens who straighten our crowns and raise the bar…thank you!

• To the women holdin’ it down in the community…I see you!

• To ALL of you who inspire me to dream bigger, work harder and see possibilities—I’m deeply grateful.

Today and everyday.

THE VIDEO AND POEM

*Battle Cry is a commissioned piece written by Dasan Ahanu and visually produced by TR Laww Production.

The incredible women featured are Reinvention Road Trip Alumnae & Friends (in order of appearance) Kezia ‘Kate’ Goodwin, Shawna McKinnon, Tiffany Roach, Lucia Grandison, Lisa Guckian, Nicholé Morgan, Nicky Charles, Dasan Ahanu

Ya’ll brought it!!

Watch Battle Cry on the Jes Averhart YouTube channel.

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Deconstructing impostor syndrome is like planning for battle. Once you discover the chinks in the armor, you can take that monster down with a swift arrow to the exact right spot.

In the last two weeks, we discussed the best way to counter the superwoman / superman and the soloist impostor archetypes. Today we’re going to equip you with everything you need to counter the expert archetype.

How do you know if you default to the expert? Well, you probably lean hard on credentials and believe more letters behind your name validate you. Here’s how it shows up in your everyday life.

Let’s say you’ve been plotting to make a career change. Your strategy is to demonstrate your value through knowledge because you don’t think your experience will cut it.  So, you earn a new certification, but after crossing that milestone, it still doesn’t feel like enough. No worries, you’ll just enroll in another degreed program and proudly frame the diploma behind your de...

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Hey we tried, but we can’t cover impostor syndrome in 500 words. It just can’t be done! Over the next six weeks we’ll zoom in on the what, why and how of it all. So let’s dig in so we can kick it to the curb.

Sweet Mary, impostor syndrome is getting a lot of attention these days. And while I have my opinions about why (which we’ll address in a later issue) it’s important to get the ball rolling on the topic by explaining the “what.”

Here’s the quick and dirty: impostor syndrome is the chronic feeling of inadequacy that, if not checked, can drive you off the road and into a wall of poor decisions, potentially stunting your forward momentum—like vying for that promotion, starting a new business or pursuing your master’s degree.

Turns out 70% of Americans admit to experiencing impostor syndrome. (And that’s just how many people admit to feeling this way.) JLo, Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks and even Maya Angelou have publicly admitted to falling prey to i...

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Last week we touched on energy. I reminded you that we all go through ebbs and flows and it’s important to take advantage of the ebbs to recharge. Today we’re going to dive deeper into two things that might sap your energy, and are unexpectedly connected to your goals.

Let’s take a hard look at the canary in the coal mine. Is your energy high or low these days?

If you’re like three out of five Americans, you shouted, “Low, Jes. I’m tired!”

Yes, it’s hard out here, folks. It seems like everything is pulling on our energy. Let’s take a minute to zoom in on “the why” so we can turn a corner on this phenomenon.

Energy sapper number one: your goals drain you. They lack inspiration and might be missing passion—there’s no sizzle pop!

Here’s some examples you might recognize: Sitting on boards just for the “exposure.” Working for the paycheck, but lost sight of your why. Keeping up with the Joneses… you know what I’m talking about. Makes me tired just t...

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

January is in the books, and I’ve got two cohorts of the most extraordinary women off on the Winter 28 Day Reinvention Road Trip.

At the same time, I’m changing gears a bit and taking time to recharge. And this shift is connected to a comment one of our current cohort travelers made during the kickoff call.

Here’s what she said: 

“I struggle with being envious or jealous of people versus being inspired by them.”  

What an important observation! I’ve been thinking about it all week. And honestly, I know exactly what she’s talking about, and I’ll bet you do, too.

Sometimes instead of feeling inspired and energized when we meet someone who’s “got it goin’ on” we might feel jealous, maybe even envious.

Why does this happen, and how can we nip it in the bud?

Here’s what I’ve noticed. I’m most likely to be envious or jealous when I’m tired, overscheduled, and low on energy.

Why? Because when my energy is low, my capacity to reach higher and want mo...

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Last week we talked about the Say:Do ratio—in other words, do you do what you say you’re going to do? Are you known for your reliable follow-through, or do you get lost along the path to getting it done?  How you answer these questions is critical because walking around with a low Say:Do ratio can wreak havoc on your personal and professional relationships – eroding others’ trust and confidence in you.

Now, to be fair, most people with low Say:Do ratios are good-hearted and well-intentioned. The challenge arises when they forget that saying yes to one thing means saying no or compromising another. This misstep lands them squarely in an overcommitment minefield, disappointing those around them and creating unnecessary tension. And let me tell you, it’s hard to escape this territory unscathed.

So the question is how do we recover?  Better yet, how do avoid falling into the low Say:Do ratio trap?

Below are 5 practical tips to instantly increase your ...

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Believe it or not, January is almost a distant memory. But it’s the perfect time to check in on your Say:Do ratio. Not familiar with the term? Here’s a better way to reframe it: Do you do what you say you’re going to do?

We often hear people say:

• “I’ll believe it when I see it!”
• “They’re all talk, no action.”
• “Talk is cheap.”

When people say these sorts of things, someone’s Say:Do ratio is being appraised. This week let’s do a self-examination to better understand the big impact this little idea has on our lives. The outcome might just predict how successful or unsuccessful you’ll be with your goals and dreams this year.

I’ll start.

There was a time when my Say:Do was in the basement. I said yes to everything and didn’t take the time to think about how I was going to honor my commitments and other’s expectations. If you wanted to pass something off, I was your girl. On any given day you might hear me say a variation on any of the below ove...

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Lately it feels like our dreams and goals are getting sidelined by the headlines. We’ve been frozen in a game of COVID freeze tag…Omicron freeze tag…pick-the-next-variant freeze tag for almost two years. I can’t turn around without someone telling me how I should feel based on the breaking news of the moment. Collectively we’ve been holding our breath for the “other” shoe to drop; meanwhile, while we turn blue…time is ticking away.

Today, I want to remind you that you have a choice to grow and evolve. You can forge ahead and design a year that feeds your soul, challenges your intellect and taps the shoulder of your curiosity…OR you can simply repeat.

Last Saturday, I hosted our second annual Reinvention Summit. Women (and a few good men) from across the country tuned in to kick off 2022 and get serious about what’s next. To recap, I wanted to share a few key takeaways that might help you get unstuck or keep your mojo going into this new year.

Firs...