Imposter Syndrome as a Principal and How to Silence Your Inner Critic
Do you ever think, “If they really knew me, they’d realize I’m not ready for this”? You’re not alone. In this episode of The Principal’s Handbook, Barb dives into the reality of imposter syndrome—the self-doubt that makes you question your skills, experience, and belonging.
Drawing from her own journey as a young administrator and seasoned principal, Barb normalizes these feelings and shares practical strategies to quiet your inner critic. You’ll learn:
- What imposter syndrome looks like for principals at every stage of leadership.
- Three tools to silence self-doubt: naming your inner critic, reframing with the TEA cycle, and building evidence of your wins.
- How to strengthen your confidence so you can lead with clarity and calm.
By the end, you’ll walk away with mindset shifts and daily practices to push past self-doubt and step fully into your role as a leader.
Listen to episode 3: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
Get the 8 to 4 Principal Planner
Listen to episode 3: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome
Get the 8 to 4 Principal Planner
Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:
We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.
We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.
If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time.
These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.
We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL.
IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:
- Simplify and streamline technology
- Save teachers’ time
- Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
- Improve student performance on state assessments
🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.
