Conquering Imposter Syndrome with Lisa Loeb

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Chances are, you’ve probably heard of Lisa Loeb, the Grammy-winning singer songwriter who started her career with the platinum-selling number one hit song “Stay (I Missed You)” from the film Reality Bites.

But what you may not know is that, like many of us, Lisa has experienced imposter syndrome - as a musician and a professional.  I had a chance to interview Lisa and below is a short excerpt from our discussion.

Andy Molinsky: You seem like a pretty confident person, but have you ever experienced the impostor syndrome?

Lisa Loeb: I’ve definitely felt that many times – feelings like “I shouldn't be doing this” or “That person is so much better than me.” Or even: “I should be able to get more followers on Instagram.”

Molinsky: And what do you do about it?

Loeb: When I start feeling over my head about technical things like getting more followers or cracking the code of YouTube, I look for experts — people who have more experience than I do, either by listening to their podcasts, or reaching out to friends and colleagues. And the funny thing is - sometimes they don't know either

Molinsky: And what if it’s not a technical question?

Loeb: On the psychological side, it’s about taking a step back to gain perspective. If I'm about to play a concert and I'm thinking “What if I'm not good enough?” or “What if they don't like me?” I'll just take a step back and try to ground myself in reality. 

Molinsky: It sounds like you temporarily lose your bearings in these moments?

Loeb: Exactly – I sometimes don't feel like a musician, wondering why I should be doing this? But then I snap right back and realize I am. I play concerts. I write songs. This is something I enjoy doing. I’ve done thousands of concerts and people tend to really enjoy it. These are the kinds of things I’ll tell myself, and it really refocuses me and puts everything into perspective. 

Molinsky: Any other tips for combatting the imposter syndrome?

Loeb: Once I had to perform in front of the entire Universal Music Group. It was probably a crowd of a thousand people and I'd just been signed to my major label deal. It was terrifying. But my friend's mom, who is also in entertainment, gave me this great piece of advice. She said: “Walk out there like you're a star. Act as if you were supposed to be there.” It sounds corny but it works.