Do you feel like you’ll never measure up?

If you have a God-shaped dream, maybe you’re familiar with the quiet voice in your head whispering, “Who am I to do this?” That’s imposter syndrome. And it’s likely been hanging around longer than you’ve known.

IF YOU’VE EVER SECOND-GUESSED YOUR ABILITY TO LIVE OUT YOUR CALLING, THIS IS THE EPISODE FOR YOU!

In this episode, I’m revisiting one of the most impactful solo messages I’ve shared about imposter syndrome. You'll learn how this subtle voice of doubt might be sabotaging your progress without you even realizing it and what you can do to stop it.

Whether you’re just starting out or already walking in your dream, this conversation will help you tune in to truth and shut down the lies.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
🧠 A visualization exercise that helps you spot imposter syndrome creeping in
🎭 What imposter syndrome actually sounds like (and why it’s sneakier than you think)
🚀 Why identifying these lies early gives you back your momentum

Imposter syndrome doesn’t need a loud entrance to derail your dream. It often hides behind over-preparation, self-doubt, comparison, and fear. But once you know how to recognize it, you can interrupt the cycle and get back to the work God has called you to do.

Press play on this episode and be reminded: You’re not behind. You haven’t missed your chance. And your dream doesn’t depend on you being “ready”—just willing to trust the One who called you.

This one is for the woman who believes she is “not enough” to go after the dream God put on her heart. If that’s you, pay attention when I talk about Dreamers Unleashed, my live course/group coaching experience that will help you overcome perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and fear so you can walk in your God-given identity and purpose. It’s coming later this month and you don’t want to miss it!

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Becoming Confident in Your Calling

Free Workshop on May 20th. RSVP here to save your spot.
Join me at 9am PT / 10am MT / 11am CT / Noon Eastern

Get on the waitlist for Dreamers Unleashed and join us this summer for freedom from the fear, imposter syndrome and comparison that’s currently standing in the way of your God-shaped dream.

CONNECT WITH MERRITT:

Website || Facebook || Instagram || Book a Call

Scripture:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
~ John 10:10 (NIV)

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
~ John 15:4 (NIV)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
~ Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

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**The unedited transcript for this episode of *The Devoted Dreamers Podcast* follows:**

Hey Dreamer — before we jump in, this is a special replay from the Devoted Dreamers archives. This summer I’m kicking off the next cohort of Dreamers Unleashed – my course on Exchanging Imposter Syndrome for God's Promises – so I’m bringing back some of my most relevant episodes about overcoming fear and imposter syndrome because naming these challenges is the first step toward walking in freedom with a God-shaped dream.

If you’re feeling stuck, doubting your abilities, wondering if you’re really cut out for this dream God has given you... these episodes are for you!

And if you want to go deeper, Dreamers Unleashed is opening soon — keep listening all the way through to the end for more details about how you can join us this summer to start experiencing the freedom for which Christ has set you free.

And now, here’s today's episode!

You are listening to the Devoted Dreamers podcast and I'm your host, Merritt Onsa. I believe God has an unfolding plan for your life. A God shaped dream just for you. But so much gets in the way, right? Fear, comparison, imposter syndrome. What if I mess this up?

You are not alone in those feelings and I'm so glad you're here. Keep listening to gain some transformational tools that will help you release the lies so that you can freely show up in the world offering your gifts, leaning on God and your weaknesses, and serving his kingdom with the dream he's given you.

And in this solo episode today, I am going to be talking about imposter syndrome, what it is, and how to know if you have it. But before we get into all of that, I hope you'll indulge me for just a minute.

As long as you're in a safe space to do this, like you're not driving a car or on a run, could you please just close your eyes and take a seat, wherever you are, if you're home—I hope you're at home—because that's a great place to work through this. We're going to do a little visualization.

And I want you to take a deep breath and just center your body on the chair where you're sitting or wherever you are. And just listen. Listen to your breath. Breathe in and breathe out.

And I want you to think for just a moment about the dream God has given you, your purpose for this one life that you have. Bring it to mind, bring it to this moment right here. And maybe for you, your dream is just the beginning of a feeling, of an idea. Or maybe you have a clear vision of what it could ultimately be.

Or maybe you're taking steps right now to pursue that purpose in your life. Whichever of these describes you, just be all there in this moment, with no judgment, with no shame, just present in the thought of your dream.

Now, begin to entertain taking a next step toward realizing that dream or a bigger part of the dream. I want you to see yourself as in looking in at you from the outside. And I want you to see or look for any others who might be involved in this with you, either walking alongside you, participating in some way. Maybe there are people who are learning from you or being served by you. I want you to recognize within you the light of the world that God put in you to do this very thing, to do this dream.

If it's a book that you want to write, see yourself writing it. Or see yourself sitting at a table at the book signing, see the front cover, even if it's a little fuzzy. If it's public speaking, see yourself on that stage passionately sharing your message.

If it's leading and serving others, see the impact your vision will have on them. See the faces of the people who will read your book or hear your words, or be led and served by you and be blessed as a result. See the joy, the excitement, the enthusiasm.

See yourself living it out, hopeful and full in abundance. Abundant life, like scripture says, right?

And breathe in and breathe out.

And before you come away from this exercise, I want you to kind of shift yourself back to the present time, keeping your eyes closed if that's still comfortable for you.

I want you to be where you are right now, looking towards the day when you feel hopeful and full of promise for what God is bringing about in your dream. And I want you to walk into the next step required to get there from where you are today.

Even if you don't really have a clear picture of what the next step is or of where that's going to take you. I just want you to see yourself being willing to take that next step, and then I want you to consider telling someone about your dream. Consider sharing about your dream on social media. Consider asking someone for support, whether that be financial or coaching or advice or sharing your ideas, helping spread the word, or prayers.

Consider taking that next step, filling out paperwork for the nonprofit you want to launch, buying a domain name, buying a microphone if you want to start a podcast, putting down a deposit for a physical space or an event you're planning.

Walk far enough into that where you begin to feel a little bit of your own resistance.

And then I want you to be curious about what's happening inside you right now. I've done this exercise with other women who describe what they're feeling as murky or scattered or it's a tug of war. The feelings that they're feeling, right, as they begin to experience that resistance to taking a big step or making a commitment, to sharing it or putting down a deposit, whatever it is.

And there are some common phrases that people identify with imposter syndrome that maybe you're hearing right now: I'm not enough. I'm just pretending at this. Or if I'm doing it well, it's not because I'm any good at it. I don't have what it takes for people to take me seriously. What if no one wants this? I can't do this. I got here by chance. Someone else could do this or is doing it better than me. I'll never be good enough. Or if I just tried harder, or if I just were more like her. It's already been done. I don't have the education, skills, training, degree.

Are you hearing any of that imposter voice within you right now as you consider your dream?

When I feel it or when I hear it, it causes me to do a few things: Procrastinate, put things off, like delay, starting like, oh, kind of busy today, I'll do it tomorrow. Or I get busy with something that doesn't really push my dream forward.

And it's like this huge, enormous task that, you know, maybe next week or the week after, next month, I can actually take that next step. Or sometimes I don't even notice that the voice is happening within me. It is so subtle. And that's a big part of why I wanted to talk about this today.

Okay, so now, if you haven't already, you can open your eyes, come back to the present moment.

At this point, I hope you have a little bit of clarity on whether or not imposter syndrome is a struggle for you. If it is, there's no shame, please do not hear that from me at all. So many people struggle with this.

But the first step towards healing is awareness, right? Like, we actually have to know we have a problem in order to seek some healing for it.

And while I suspect that imposter syndrome has been around for much longer than just the last few years, it's really only been in the last three to four years that I've heard this term coming up in online spaces.

Maybe you relate to this. At first, I did not understand what imposter syndrome was, and I felt a little bit like an outsider because this terminology didn't really make sense to me on the surface.

Imposter. Okay, that's kind of a funny word. I mean, it's not a word that I use really frequently in everyday conversation, but I looked it up, and the dictionary definition is: a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain. Okay. So that makes me think of a criminal or somebody maybe with a fake ID or I can associate that term with, like, a crime show or a movie I've seen where there's an evil character who's trying to pull a fast one over on the protagonist.

Still, that just does not feel super personal to me. Like, that's why it's confusing. I don't feel like I'm a criminal or I'm not really impersonating anyone for fraudulent gain. So what is imposter syndrome, and why is everyone talking about this struggle all the time on social media?

***

Hey friend—can I ask you something personal?

Have you ever felt that inner prompting to do something more with your life…to pursue a big dream like writing, or speaking, or starting your own business… but you’re still hesitating, second-guessing yourself, or wondering, “Who am I to do this?”

If you can relate, you’re invited to a free live workshop I’m hosting called:
Becoming Confident in Your Calling: A Biblical Path to Pursuing Your Dream.

This is for the woman who knows God’s given her a dream, but imposter syndrome, fear, or comparison keep getting in the way.

During the workshop, we’ll talk about what real confidence looks like (hint: it’s not about trying harder), and how you can take the next faithful step into your dream, with clarity and peace of mind.

This workshop is for Christian women who are ready to stop second-guessing and start moving forward with gospel truth and a renewed mindset.

It’s happening Tuesday, May 20, 2025 and you can save your seat now at merrittonsa.com/confidence.

Register today, then be sure to show up on the 20th. I can’t wait to see you there and watch you come to believe that God put you here in this time and this place for a reason!

Don’t forget. The link again is: merrittonsa.com/confidence

***

So let's look at another dictionary definition.

The Oxford Dictionary defines imposter syndrome as the persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills. I'm going to repeat that for you so you don't have to rewind. Imposter syndrome is the persistent inability to believe that one's success— So your success—to believe that it's deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills.

So if I have imposter syndrome, I'm struggling to believe that I deserve any success I might be having or that my success isn't really legitimately based on my skills. Like, possibly it's just luck if I'm having success.

So if I'm trying to pursue a dream, this is probably something new to me that I've never done before. It feels wild and outside the box of my current life. What if I try it and someone sees me as the fraud I feel like?

Because isn't that sometimes what it feels like when you do something that you have never done before?

Okay, that definition actually makes more sense to me. It's reasonable to think that you might struggle doing something new, something brand new to you. Right?

So I want to start with an example that feels a little bit benign. Like, what if you've always wanted to make those beautiful sourdough bread boules that people started posting on Instagram in the spring and summer of 2020?

Confession I'm one of the people that has been baking bread during the pandemic. But I did start doing it a year or two before the pandemic even started. So, you know, I'm not trying to be cliche here, but at first my loaves looked nothing like what you would see on Instagram. They were flat, they were poorly risen, they still tasted pretty good.

I mean, it is sourdough, after all. But I hardly ever would have offered them to someone outside my family. Though I can say my husband would stay up late at night with me on baking days just so he could slather some butter on a fresh, hot piece of bread before bedtime.

But all in all, my bread was nothing super special. Nothing that I would have been excited to share online or publicly in any way. And I think this was mostly because I was in a learning phase. I was trying something new. I found myself a rhythm and it was good enough for us at the time.

I mean, life obviously, super busy. The fact that I had a chance to make bread once a month, you know, I felt pretty good about that. And I felt less like an imposter with bread making because it's not like I was trying to open up a bakery with this. I wasn't attempting to convince someone that my bread was better than the bread they could get at a local boulangerie. I am not an expert. Am I trying to make you think I am? No, of course not. So not so much imposter syndrome here. Like, this is just bread.

It's something tangible. It's fairly objective. At least in my opinion. It either looks attractive and edible or it doesn't. Or I've put a little bit of work into it and I don't care that it doesn't look that attractive. I'm going to eat it anyway. Because if you didn't know, I've been gluten free for a really long time. And for some reason sourdough bread is something that my body can digest.

So I'm not saying it's not possible to feel imposter syndrome if you are pursuing something like making bread, it is; it is of course possible. But something like this that you're doing for your family or just for your own interest, it's less public. So therefore, I've got a whole lot less to lose and I can pretty much quit anytime.

But trust me, imposter syndrome gains traction the more you branch out in terms of who you give access to, your work or your creation. If your mom or your husband in my case, is the only one eating your bread, you might feel okay about it, you know? Hubby buttering bread hot out of the oven pre-pandemic. Yeah, I feel pretty fine about it. Like he loves me, he doesn't care that my bread looks flat.

But during the pandemic I had some time finally to study up and figure out a few things. I had to switch up my process a bit. And let me tell you, in the last several months I have gained some skills and I have figured out how to create one of those beautiful dome-shaped bread boules with the pretty designs on the top.

And when that bread comes out of the oven, my currently intermittent fasting keto diet husband is still chomping at the bit to cut into it. His response to my increased bread making skills has been proportional to the work I've put into creating something bigger and better than before. And that encouraged me to begin to share those pretty loaves with friends and family outside the walls of our home. And the response has been incredible.

The texts I get when I drop off a loaf of bread to somebody's house, wow. I even have some friends that have encouraged me that they would pay me for a steady supply of my bread.

And now all of a sudden, the stakes are a little bit higher. Before it was just humble bread for my family. Today someone who might invest their funds, even if it's just bread, even if it's just a friend, they could have an opinion. Is the crumb too tight? Is the crust too dark? Is the delivery not on time or not on the right day? Or, or, or. And this is just bread.

So the question I want to ask you, when you think about your God-shaped dream, is this: how tender is your identity that the fear of the response might impact your willingness to share your creation or your dream? And what if you have bigger dreams? Like something that is currently a bit more ambiguous, less tangible, less figureoutable than a loaf of sourdough bread?

This is where imposter syndrome can really gain a foothold. And as you might have guessed I do have big dreams. Some of those dreams I've kept really close to the chest and not shared them very widely. It feels safer that way because they feel too big. It's a little too scary to be more public about some dreams and a little too outside of where I am right now or what I am currently doing. And of course, some of those dreams I might never pursue. Maybe that's part of the reason I haven't shared them yet. They're just ideas in my head. Possibly not even a complete thought yet.

Just hopes, ambitions, ideas, thoughts I'm toying around with and the incompleteness of the idea, whether that's for time or money and just because I'm kind of working through, like, what if my excitement begins to fizzle out as I consider what it would really take to bring a dream to life?

Yeah, there's reasons we don't share, but there are some other someday dreams that most certainly pull on my imposter syndrome. And I'm wondering, does any of this ring true for you?

Have you figured out: do you struggle with imposter syndrome?

Is imposter syndrome keeping your dream at bay?

That's really helpful to know the answer to that question. So here are a few ways you can know if that's happening. You might be wrestling with imposter syndrome specifically related to your dream if you're constantly looking around and comparing yourself to someone else and feeling like you can't measure up to what they're working on.

You might be struggling with imposter syndrome if you feel like you're not enough, or like you're just pretending to do this thing you're dreaming of.

You might have imposter syndrome if you're constantly striving to get more training or education or maybe even an extra degree before you can actually do the thing you've been dreaming of for years. You fear people won't take you seriously once you start following your dream.

Once you step out and really tell people about it, or you believe there's this secret path to doing what you dream of that others know about, but somehow that secret has been hidden from you. Like maybe you've been left behind. You might be wrestling with imposter syndrome.

And I want to acknowledge these are very real feelings. In fact, in the course of the last four years of talking to devoted dreamers on this podcast, I have heard women use this kind of language and terminology on a regular basis as they consider the big dreams God has put on their heart.

And I have to believe there's a difference between following a set of instructions to reach a predetermined end goal, like a pretty loaf of bread, like, okay, you need sourdough starter and you need this certain equipment and you've got to have flour and water and the right temperature, et cetera, et cetera. Those are just a set of instructions and steps to take.

And even though you could feel imposter syndrome about following those instructions, a dream, a dream that you can't even start because you either feel like a fraud considering it, or you fear what would happen if you do take those first steps and it goes poorly, or you honestly struggle to believe that you do have what it takes to get it done.

This is imposter syndrome.

And you've heard me say this before on the podcast about fear, that it's really common, especially when you pursue something bigger than yourself. Lots of us feel it.

It's the same with imposter syndrome. Lots of us feel this, even people you would not suspect. And some might even call it normal. But I don't want to use that word because I believe there's freedom to be had from feeling not good enough or not enough, period. Or from feeling like a fraud or deceptive as you pursue your dream.

And I believe you do not have to put your dreams aside or let them go altogether to avoid feeling like an imposter.

I have a vision of God's women, His daughters, of you, living in freedom, fighting back against these lies, not overestimating yourself and not underestimating yourself, but living in the identity that God has given you and in the purpose and passion he has placed within you.

I envision you abiding in the Lord, resting in his perfection, especially so you don't have to feel the pressure to be perfect yourself and then flourishing in your dream even when you don't have it all figured out.

I see you empowered to move forward, excited about what lies ahead, connected to God and inspired by the good he's put in you to share with the world. I really believe this is possible for God's women, and this could be you.

If today’s episode stirred something in you — if you recognize yourself in the struggle against fear or imposter syndrome — You don’t have to stay silent, sidelined, or playing small.

Dreamers Unleashed will shift everything for you. It’s part live-teaching and part group coaching designed to help you silence the voice of self-doubt and imposter syndrome with powerful truth grounded in God’s Word, so you can begin taking bold, faithful action on the whispers of the dream God has given you.

Enrollment for Dreamers Unleashed is opening later this month — and we start the live course together the first week of June.

Come to my free workshop on May 20th --- Becoming Confident in Your Calling --- to get a dose of what the course is like (and you’ll walk away with a little victory over imposter syndrome to get you started down this road).

I’ll see you next week!

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