The day I stopped feeling like a fraud (and the question that changed everything)

For most of my professional career, I felt like an imposter.

I had the drive. The discipline. The credentials. The results.

But I didn't believe I deserved to be at the table.

I remember getting my first management position. I was shocked. Even though I'd been with the company for years, had my degree, exceeded expectations, and built strong relationships—I couldn't believe they chose me.

Part of my role was managing volunteers across different communities. Most of them were older white women. And I? I was a young Black woman who still felt like a girl playing dress-up in a professional's clothes.

The questions consumed me:

Would they accept me?
Would they take direction from me?
Would I meet expectations?

Here's what I wish I'd asked instead: What evidence do I already have that I belong here?

Because the evidence was there. I just wasn't collecting it.

I produced results. Yes, I made mistakes—but I was successful. My volunteers showed up. The work got done. Relationships deepened.

Yet I still felt like I needed to prove myself.

So I went back to school. Got my master's degree. Chased another credential. I told myself it was about ambition and determination. And it was—but it was also about seeking validation from anywhere except the place that mattered most: within myself.

I carried this belief system for years. Until a future boss said five words that shifted everything:

"Chanel, you are a leader."

Those words hit differently than all the degrees and performance reviews. Not because they came from someone else, but because they challenged me to look inward. To actually examine the evidence I'd been ignoring.

So I reflected. I read. I journaled (a practice I'd done for years, but never with this lens).

And slowly, I began to see what had been true all along.

Here's what I learned: Your self-perception won't shift through achievement alone. It shifts through evidence collection.

The leadership skills you're looking for? You're already using them. You just haven't been taught to recognize them.

That time you navigated a difficult conversation? Leadership.
The way you make others feel heard? Leadership.
How you keep showing up even when you doubt yourself? Leadership.

Take a moment right now:

Think of one time in the past month when you influenced an outcome, supported someone, or made a decision that moved something forward.

What did that require of you?

What does that reveal about you?

That's evidence. And that's where your new story begins.

If you're ready to stop waiting for permission to see yourself as a leader—if you're ready to collect the evidence that's been hiding in plain sight—The Hidden Leader Reflection Kit was created for you.

Six weeks of guided prompts, self-paced coaching and resources designed specifically for introverted women who don't see themselves as leaders yet. Not abstract exercises. Real questions that help you recognize what you're already doing and shift how you see yourself in the process.

Because the leader you're looking for? She's already here.

The Hidden Leader Reflection Kit

What evidence are you overlooking about your own leadership? Hit reply and tell me. I read every response.

Collect evidence. Reflect on your leadership. Learn more about The Hidden Leader Reflection Kit.