The Slow Disconnection From Your Own Light

You have created a business. You have a reputation, results, and reach.

But instead of feeling settled, you are quietly second-guessing yourself.

There is a part of you that wonders when someone will figure it out.

Not because you are not qualified, but because a gap has opened between your growth and your self-perception.

This is impostor syndrome in founders.

And it often shows up not at the beginning, but when things are already working.

You might be shifting offers, redefining your role, or preparing to lead in a new way.

On the outside, the business is progressing.

On the inside, you feel the pull of uncertainty.

It sounds like:

• “I built this, but I do not feel like I deserve it.”

• “What if it was just timing or luck?”

• “Everyone else seems more confident than I do.”

If this is resonating, you are not alone.

And you are not doing it wrong.

You are simply at a moment where the next version of you is asking to be claimed.

Let us look at a few of the most common narratives I hear from founders and how to shift them.

“I am not the expert anymore.”

You used to feel sharp in your delivery.

Now you are expanding or shifting your message and feel unsure about how you are positioned.

Instead of owning your evolution, you keep measuring yourself against who you used to be.

Try this:

Let your voice reflect where you are now.

The work has changed.

So has your lens.

That does not make you less of an expert.

It makes you a more embodied one.

“Everyone else has more figured out than me.”

You see other founders scaling, building out teams, launching new things.

And even if you are proud of your own work, you find yourself wondering if you are falling behind.

The comparison kicks in.

And so does the contraction.

Try this:

When you notice the comparison, pause. Then look at what you admire.

If you are drawn to it, it likely reflects something already alive in you even if it is still emerging.

Use it as insight, not as a reason to shrink.

“I do not deserve to be here.”

This one is more than surface doubt.

It is a deeper sense that what you built may not last.

You wonder if people will still want what you offer when you stop pushing.

You are not sure if your presence alone is enough.

Try this:

Ask yourself: “What am I tying my worth to?”

Often, it is old definitions of success. Numbers. External validation. Output.

These stories served you when you were starting out.

Now, they need to be updated.

Impostor syndrome in founders is not about a lack of capability.

It is a misalignment between your inner identity and your outer leadership.

And it tends to appear when you are entering a new phase that requires more of your presence, not just your performance.

You do not need to prove yourself.

You need to meet yourself where you are.

You are already doing the work.

Now it is time to let it reflect who you truly are.

Tanya Cross

Leadership Coach & The Coaches’ Coach

Master Certified Demartini Method Facilitator

BAppSoSc (Counselling)

The Coaches’ Coach (TCC)

Maximum Growth