Legal Imposters

What do you say to yourself when you've just been promoted or just starting a new role and your brain offers you thoughts like "I shouldn't be here" and "I'm going to be found out"? At times like this, it's tempting (and some people will recommend you do this) to remind yourself how hard you worked to get here. But this is not the answer to Imposter Syndrome. This does not give you the confidence...

Do you keep comparing yourself to others and despairing that you come up short? Do you tell yourself everyone else has it easy, but for you it's always hard? Everyone else is naturally confident, but you're overwhelmed with self doubt? Opportunities fall into other people's laps but you can't catch a break? Success comes easily for others, but for you it's always a struggle? This is overthinking a...

The Confidence Gap is the gap between the confidence you've earned and the confidence you feel when it's time to get to work. How wide is yours and what are you doing to bridge it? Here's why this matters: 1. The Confidence Gap is the measure of your unfulfilled potential - so the bigger the gap, the more you are capable of beyond your current performance 2. When you're doubting yourself, or not p...

When they constantly redline and correct your work, what do you do? What do you make it mean? The mistake I see you making is taking it to mean something about you- that you're not good enough, that you don't deserve to be where you are and that any minute now you're going to be found out. This is classic imposter syndrome and if you don't have a way to overcome it, it will undermine your confiden...

You think your success is down to luck. You fear that any minute now that luck is going to run out and you'll be exposed. This is a classic sign of Imposter Syndrome and it's holding you back from performing to your potential. It doesn't have to be this way. There's a way of viewing the role of luck in your success that is true, empowering and gives you the confidence to succeed: Own it. Listen to...

Do you umm and ahh over decisions? Do you spin in confusion about what to do? Does it take you weeks and months to decide? Do you only make decisions when things are critical or urgent? Have you ever gone to make a decision only to realise it's too late?  When you finally make decisions do you regret not having made them earlier? If any of these are you then youre in the right place. If you want t...

The most common mistake I see black lawyers making is thinking you have to work twice as hard as your white peers to progress. This thought may have got you this far. But it won't get you where you want to go. Working twice as hard sets you up as the workhorse and sends the message that you are a safe pair of hands. This is fine if you want to stay where you are. But if you want to progress to the...

How do you succeed in a white world without working twice as hard? Let me show you how. This week I bring you the answer to this million dollar question in a replay of today's Webinar: How to Succeed in a White World (without working twice as hard). Here's what you'll learn: The no.1 mistake that is holding you back from the success you deserve The 5 vital skills that are the only skills you need...

You know you want to progress your career. In fact, you're planning to join BE THE FIRST so you can learn how to do just that, but you're telling yourself now is not the right time - "I've got too much on" "I'll do it after this big project" "I'll wait until things quieten down" These are just some of the reasons I hear that you're not prioritising your career progression. If this is you, you're n...

One of the best things you can do to progress your career is to become more valuable . The more valuable you are, the more support you'll get, the more opportunities you'll attract and the more easily you'll progress your career. To become more valuable you could increase your knowledge. You could broaden your experience and develop your expertise. But these can be hard to achieve when you're work...

Showcasing your value isn't bragging. It's understanding your audience's problem and letting them know you can solve it. Showcasing your value is important. It's not enough to work hard. Keeping your head down and hoping the right people will notice isn't enough. You've got to show them: show people how valuable you are so you can attract the support and opportunities you deserve. You already know...

This week I bring you a replay of an interview with networking expert, Charlie Lawson. Previously published on the podcast in 2023, this topic is so essential and the advice he shares so valuable I'm bringing it to you again. "You don't have to like networking to be good at it " So says Charlie Lawson, the Unnatural Networker and my guest this week on the Legal Imposters Podcast. Charlie is the ex...

It's not enough to build relationships and grow your network. You've got to be able to take a relationship that isn't working and transform it into one that does. As a black lawyer, progressing your career doesn't hinge on you building relationships. It hinges on building relationships with people different to you. This is fertile ground for the type of stereotyping, misunderstandings, false assum...

The conditions are never perfect. You don't have to wait for the circumstances outside of you to change. You are resourceful. You will find a way. If you are working for a law firm or organisation that has reaffirmed its commitment to developing black talent, this is fantastic news. But what if you're not? Not everyone is working for a firm or organisation that is willing to invest time and budget...

Relationships are the cornerstone of every successful legal career. It's through the relationships you build at work that you attract the support you need, invite the opportunities that excite you, keep people on your side and enjoy and perform better in your role. But it's harder to build relationships when you're the only one. You have fewer obvious points of connection and the differences betwe...

You don't have to become someone you're not when you become Partner. You can do partnership YOUR WAY. One of the reasons you're hesitant to go for partnership is because of your fear of who you have to become to get there and how you'd have to behave to stay and succeed there. You worry you won't be able to be authentic. You worry you'll have to become a different type of leader You worry that bec...

You know you need to speak up in meetings. You know it's an opportunity to showcase your value, be visible and to advocate for yourself, your team and that important project you are championing. It also happens to be the one piece of feedback you're given over and over again. The problem is you hate it. You feel so anxious and stressed at the thought of it. You dread it in the days leading up to i...

In the final part of the Overwhelm Series I bring you: Adapt the plan - the essential follow on to planning the week that allows you to respond to the unknown and the unexpected and still feel in charge of the plan. Adapting the day should only take you a few minutes and can be done at the beginning of the day before you get to work. Resist the temptation to launch into fire fighting mode. Even fi...

Hello and Happy New Year! It's great to be back! Today I'm talking about setting your intention for 2025 so you create all the results you want this year. This isn't about setting new year's resolutions. It's about the thoughts BEHIND your new year's resolutions that are the difference between you giving up on your shiny new gym membership 3 weeks into January, and sustaining your new commitment t...

The better you are at managing overwhelm the more in control you will feel and the better you'll perform. This session is part 2 (Plan the week) of a 4 part series to help you manage overwhelm at one of the busiest times of the year (and any other time you need to). In it I teach you one of the simplest and most effective tools for managing your time so you stop feeling overwhelmed and so your exp...

Feeling overwhelmed? You're not alone. Almost everyone I've spoken to these past few weeks (clients included) has commented on the alarming speed with which time is passing and how little control they feel they have over it. Nobody said lawyering would be easy. But there are times when even the most efficient and resilient struggle under the weight of the pressure to deliver and the relentless see...

Hello and welcome to CONFIDENT Black Lawyers. In this session I explain what it is, who it's for, what you get when you sign up and why it's exactly what you need at this stage of your career. If you have any questions on the programme, DM me on social or via the comments below and I'd be happy to answer. INVITATIOIN TO JOIN: If you're a black lawyer and you're tired of self doubt holding you back...

This week on the podcast it's my pleasure to share the live recording of last Friday's live webinar: How to be confident. Where are you on your confidence journey? are you anxious and worried all the time? are you confident at home with family and friends, but a shadow of yourself when at work do you know you're good at what you do but something is still holding you back from showing up to your po...

You are capable of anything you set your mind to. The more you believe this is true the more confident you will be in who you are. The more confident you are the easier it will be to navigate the challenges of being black in a white world, the further you will go in your career and the more fulfilling it will be to get there. Right now "I am capable of anything I set my mind to" is not the thought...

When you have confidence in who you are, your whole experience of being a black lawyer is going to change. You won't just know you're capable of anything you set your mind to. You're going to believe it enough to keep overcoming Imposter Syndrome and perform to your potential. You're going to stop thinking of yourself as the only one and start believing you're the first. You're going to stop being...