Am I Good Enough? YES! OWN IT.

05/18/21 • 46 min

Imposter syndrome disproportionately impacts high achieving people. The more accomplished you are, the less deserving you often feel. Why?
Ashley and Kimberly deconstruct the workplace and review why we don't see as many female leaders. Furthermore, becoming a mother can impact feelings of belonging.
Anywhere in the world, men tend to think they're smarter than women. However, arrogance and over-confidence is inversely related to leadership talent. Confidence does not equal competence.
Sometimes we get these feelings in the office, but other times it surrounds motherhood. Overcoming imposter syndrome is possible. Ashley and Kimberly talk about times they've felt like an imposter and how they moved forward and how you can, too.
References:

Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome, by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey
Imposter Syndrome Is On The Rise: How To Stop Feeling Like A Fraud And Own Your Success (You Earnt It) By Dr. Margie Warrell
The hidden upside of imposter syndrome By Peter Rubinstein

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Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome, by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey
Imposter Syndrome Is On The Rise: How To Stop Feeling Like A Fraud And Own Your Success (You Earnt It) By Dr. Margie Warrell
The hidden upside of imposter syndrome By Peter Rubinstein

Support the show

Previous Episode

Is it Time to Go Back to the Office?

Are you ready to hang up your WFH status and head back to the office?
People are having a lot of feelings and opinions regarding our ability to work from home versus a need to return to the office. Ashley and Kimberly review the pro's and con's of getting back into the office and some research behind the advantages and disadvantages of both options.
What policy shifts would make sense in this new normal? Ashley and Kimberly researched what changes have been made in the medical industry to support employees through the pandemic and how Corporate America can follow their lead.
Although we are getting things under control here in the U.S., we want to send our hearts out to India. Via Susanna Barkataki:
"Right now India is experiencing an exponential and devastating COVID 19 surge. [Provided here] are some organizations that do work on the ground with those most impacted. This is an open source list created with resources from Indians in India and in the diaspora with the intention of getting as much aid to India as possible so please share."

References:

Does Going Back to the Office Freak You Out? By Amy Silver
COVID-19: a heavy toll on health-care workers The Lancet
Caring for our caregivers during COVID-19 The American Medical Association
India COVID-19 Relief Organizations

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Next Episode

Childcare in America: Where We Are and How We Got Here

Beyond seeing history repeat itself time and time again, people advocating for the quality and affordability of childcare has been occurring since the early 1900's.
Instead of childcare, the idea of mother pensions came about so that women could stay at home with their children. It quickly gained popular support because it did nothing to challenge traditional gender roles. By the 1930's, every state in the union passed some level of a mother pension law, but by doing this, childcare was pushed further into the shadows. However, most mothers found themselves ineligible for pensions and had no choice but to find work and some form of care for their children.
The Children's Bureau worked to strengthen mothers' pensions instead of shifting the focus to childcare. At the urging of prominent early childhood educators, programs were established called emergency nursery schools (ENS) because more women were being recruited to do defense-work due to WWII. Nonetheless, several thousands of these schools closed down because teachers left for better paying jobs. As ENS's closed, women had no choice but to leave their children alone at home or allow them to sleep in cars while they worked night shifts. The media capitalized on these situations and reported "selfish-wage earning mothers" and "children in group care may suffer the effects of maternal deprivation."
By 1946, the Maternal and Child Welfare Act was proposed and not passed. It would have allowed the continuing of federal funding for daycares. Instead, the government allotted a Child Tax Deduction. No government administration has been able to push through a universal childcare policy.
In the 1980's, for-profit childcares began to emerge as more women began to re-enter the workforce, however there were issues with quality and affordability. This is the underlying theme to this day.
So, what does good childcare reform look like?
Employing teachers who have knowledge in early childhood education and seeing education and care as a necessary combination is essential. Care providers are early educators.
Even if policies are passed on a federal level, each state can take that legislation and alter it accordingly, which excludes specific socioeconomic classes and limits the ability for it to truly be universal. It also perpetuates the achievement gaps between people from high and low income families.
Ashley and Kimberly have an extensive discussion on where we go from here, including an overview of the American Families Plan proposed by the Biden administration. They review the facts from a bipartisan perspective with bipartisan resources.
Resources: