Have you ever felt like you just weren't good enough?

Like maybe you don't deserve to have a seat at the table?

And sometimes does that feeling make you think you're going crazy?

I mean, what is that feeling anyway?

This is NPR's Life Kit, I'm Diana Opong.

On this episode, we're going to explore the imposter phenomenon.

I'm on a mission to better understand the factors

that contribute to experiencing this feeling.

We'll explore what it is, why it happens,

who tends to be affected, along with the impact

of societal messaging.

And to be completely honest, this is a slightly selfish mission,

because the thing I want to know most of all is there a cure.

We are recording, perfect.

Great.

The voice you just heard is my mentor, Catherine.

She worked at the New York Times for 18 years,

but now she has a new gig.

I'm Catherine St. Louis, and I am an editor at Neonham Media.

I'm a podcast center.

One of the things that happened is you helped me get

to the place that we're at today, which is not something

...