Allison Macalik, Director of Solutions and imposter-syndrome workshop leader, and Hannah Bloking, Senior Manager of Pre-sales at AWS and co-founder of 4Under3, share practical approaches to imposter feelings. They explore why it’s universal, reframing it as a phenomenon, the lighthouse speaker mindset, naming negative self-talk, and embedding conversations into company culture.
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insights INSIGHT
Imposter Feelings Are Universal
Imposter feelings are universal and persist even with promotions and recognition.
Hannah reframes it as an ongoing phenomenon tied to change, not a defect to fix.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Overpreparing For Promotion
Allison described over-preparing for a management role with a four-page doc of testimonials.
She used that experience to drive deeper exploration and later leadership changes.
insights INSIGHT
It Shows Up Differently For Everyone
Imposter phenomenon affects all genders and career levels but shows up differently.
Many people don't name it or share it until given a safe space to do so.
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In this episode, Jack Cochran and Matthew James are joined by Hannah Bloking, and Allison Macalik, co-founders of 4Under3. They discuss the universal challenge of imposter syndrome in the pre-sales profession, exploring how it manifests, why it affects nearly everyone, and practical strategies to address it. Hannah and Allison share insights from their workshops, including powerful techniques like the "lighthouse speaker" mindset and the importance of naming your imposter to take control of those negative thoughts.
Thank you to Storylane for sponsoring this episode.
The textbook definition: "The persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills"
Why it's being reframed as "imposter phenomenon" rather than syndrome
How it manifests differently for everyone
The discovery that it affects people of all genders, levels, and backgrounds
The Presales Connection
Why imposter syndrome is particularly prevalent in pre-sales roles
The challenge of being asked to be an expert when you're still learning
Why internal demos to your own team are the hardest presentations to give
The adrenaline rush of presenting and how it relates to imposter feelings
Breaking the Silence
Why people suffer in silence with imposter syndrome
The power of creating space for vulnerability before major initiatives
How company culture needs to embrace these conversations
The importance of repeat workshops and ongoing dialogue
Practical Techniques
The Lighthouse Speaker vs. Spotlight Speaker: Thinking of yourself as lighting the way for others rather than being under scrutiny
Naming Your Imposter: Giving your negative self-talk a name (like "Todd") to externalize and control it
Reframing: Documenting what happens to realize most failures aren't actually about you
Finding Your Person: Identifying someone who can hold you accountable when your imposter is talking
The Workshop Impact
Why companies become repeat customers
How addressing imposter syndrome improves productivity and retention
The connection between soft skills training and embracing new frameworks
Creating internal communities (like AWS's "The Nest") for ongoing support
Looking Forward
The personal nature of addressing imposter syndrome
The importance of daily practice and repetition
How workshops facilitate conversations but individuals must do the work
The evolving nature of imposter syndrome as AI and change management accelerate
Presales Podcast by Presales Collective