By Kimine Mayuzumi & Riyad A. Shahjahan Worthy now. Not if. Not when. We are worthy of love and belonging now. Right this minute. As is. – Brene Brown In part I, we discussed how shame and imposter syndrome manifest in the academy. If you haven’t, please read it first. In part II, here we will share four strategies for navigating shame and imposter syndrome. 1. Get in touch with your shaming self First, we…
By Kimine Mayuzumi & Riyad A. Shahjahan Do you feel you’re not “enough” or “don’t belong” in the academy? Feel lost and wonder why you are in the academy? Do you have fear to speak ‘truth to power’? If so, you’re not alone! Through our workshops, coaching experiences, and personal interactions for the past few years, we have encountered over 800 people including faculty, postdocs, and graduate students who resoundingly say “YES!” to the above questions. Many…
By Soko Starobin I thought I took care of my body fairly well during my tenure-track years from 2008 to 2013. I went to the gym three times per week and cooked healthy meals at home as often as I could. During those years, I thought it was normal to experience some physical symptoms like a cold, sinus infections, and neck aches. Therefore, I paid little attention to these symptoms. As I reflect back to…
By Roilui Sin Feeling like an imposter is not new to me as a graduate student. I have felt it since childhood. I am the youngest of two, my parents had emigrated from China in the early 70s – first to Brazil and then settling in Canada in 1985 when I was a toddler. Growing up, I felt like an outsider, needing to fit in and protect myself from being revealed as a “phony” Canadian.…
By Kimine Mayuzumi Dr. Soko Starobin is an Associate Professor at Iowa State University. She identifies herself as a woman of color (a native Japanese and thus, non-native English speaker), a mother of two, married to a Russian man, and Jewish. She recently added another layer of identity as a cancer survivor. She finished her last radiation treatment last month and is currently on medical leave. After an inspiring conversation between me and my…
