Sabotage! Is your greatest enemy...you?

Almost half of professionals (47%) have admitted they're experiencing imposter syndrome. That startling figure from this KornFerry research isn’t about real danger - it’s about the stories our minds tell us when we stop pausing to question them.

Your fear - is it real?

Irrational fear is the uninvited guest in every board meeting, job interview, or crucial conversation. It shows up as that nagging voice saying “You’re not ready,” “They’ll judge you,” or “What if you fail?”. These aren’t emergency alarms - they’re echoes from past moments: a cutting remark in school, a project that didn’t go as planned, a lesson in playing it safe. Over time, these fragments cement into mental roadblocks that shrink our world and hijack our choices.

What does carrying irrational fear look like day to day? It can be the hesitation to raise your hand in a meeting, the endless revision of an email you never hit “send” on, or the career pivot you postpone “just until conditions are perfect.” Fear convinces us that caution equals wisdom, and that avoiding discomfort is the safest path. The irony is that these fears rarely protect us—they confine us.

So why do we haul them around for years? Because we’re busy. In the rush of deadlines, personal commitments, and “should-do” lists, there’s rarely time to inspect our own thought patterns. We mistake repetition for truth. We confuse habit for certainty. And without a deliberate pause—a moment to ask “Is this belief still serving me?”—fear quietly remains in control.

I saw this recently in a coaching session when a client paused after I asked him to consider whether his dread of public speaking was grounded in reality or an old story he’d never questioned. After several moments he realised that the fear had nothing to do with his abilities and everything to do with a single criticism he’d carried for years. That insight didn’t erase his nerves, but it shifted his path from hesitation to action.

In coaching, we reclaim the ground. We sit with the fear, not to indulge it, but to understand its origin and purpose. We unpack the evidence for and against it. We explore what happens when we reframe the narrative. Instead of “They’ll judge me,” it becomes “What contribution do I want to make here?” Instead of “I’m not ready,” it becomes “What small step can I take today?”.

These aren’t abstract exercises - they’re the mechanics of transformation. If irrational fear is still calling the shots in your work or life, know this: it doesn’t have to. You can meet it with curiosity instead of surrender. You can unearth the story behind the story and decide whether it deserves a place in your life today.

At YouAndMeCoach.com, I guide leaders, professionals and other folks through this very process - turning whispered doubts into clear direction. If you’re ready to pause, reflect, and rewrite your fear script, let’s talk. Your first 30 minutes are on me. Contact James to set up a meeting.

Transform. Thrive. Together. YouandMeCoach.com