Last week I had the privilege of speaking to Julie Lythcott Haims about her experiences of imposter syndrome. Julie is an acclaimed writer, speaker, advocate, host of the TED Course “How to become your best adult self,” and most recently, Palo Alto City Councilmember-Elect. Julie is also a member of the international advisory for the Legacy of Sir Ken Robinson.
I wanted to speak to Julie about the theme of imposter syndrome for a few reasons – not only is she professionally very impressive, but she also seems to be unafraid of swapping paths, adding new hats, and trying new roles, which I imagined meant that she must have had her own experience of imposter syndrome along the way. Another reason is that I had the honour of interviewing Julie shortly after George Floyd was murdered in 2020. We spoke about Black Lives Matter and how to talk to your children about race, and I knew from that conversation, and the personal relationship that we have built since, that talking to Julie is like witnessing a masterclass – she has an ability to be open, vulnerable, sincere, kind and yet very honest and direct, and I was keen to learn what her take on this theme is. I wasn’t disappointed – this discussion was full of insight, practical advice, and personal anecdotes and I could have sat and talked to her for hours.
I hope you get as much out of it as I did. Let me know what you think in the comments.
