…The more action I took the more skills I developed, and the more confidence I had in my ability to do what needed to be done. I had to develop mastery and the only way to do that was to commit to being the absolute best, and then doing the work to make that happen.
As a part of our series about how very accomplished leaders were able to succeed despite experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kelly Roach.
Business strategist Kelly Roach transforms overworked entrepreneurs into seven-figure CEOs, by teaching them how to leverage timeless business principles, employed by billion-dollar corporations, with the speed and agility of the most powerful online marketing strategies of today. Prior to starting her own company, Kelly spent years in corporate America, rising through the ranks of a Fortune 500 to become the youngest VP in the company. Kelly is not only a best-selling author but is also an ongoing television business expert.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
Growing up just above the poverty line, in a family of 5, I decided early on that things would be different for me and my children. I worked hard growing up, scrubbing toilets to pay for dance lessons, and working multiple jobs in college. After graduation, I got an entry level job in sales, for a Fortune 500 company. In eight years, I was promoted seven times to become the youngest VP in the company. I led my team through the recession of 08’-10’, without letting a single person go. In fact, we had record breaking sales that year. As I was climbing the corporate ladder, I realized that I was making millions of dollars, working 60+ hours a week, for OTHER people. When I thought about what I wanted in terms of lifestyle, that was not it. So, I started my business on the side, while continuing to work my corporate job, and built that company for two years before quitting. I relied on lots of hard work, my sales skills, and an unstoppable mindset to help me build what is now a multimillion-dollar business coaching company with over 500 clients, across the globe.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
So, this technically happened just before I started my career, but was a defining moment for me. At the time, I was a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader, and the year I joined, instead of doing their traditional swimsuit calendar, they decided to do a lingerie shoot instead. I knew that I wanted to build a career in business and that this shoot could do long-term damage to my career, so opted-out. The consequence? Missing out on an incredible trip to a tropical location, and all kinds of media and opportunities that came from the shoot (for the other girls). While I did not know exactly what my future career would look like, I knew that this was not a smart long-term play for me. That decision shaped how I made decisions for the rest of my career. I was able to handle the consequences and am now so thankful I made that choice, way back when!
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
I think the thing that makes my company stand out is that we are obsessed with getting out clients’ results. A lot of coaches in the online space are more concerned with making things easier for themselves. Our company is willing to go above and beyond to make sure our clients have what they need for absolute success. We are not willing to let go of human interaction for the sake of ease and automation. We are there for our clients and constantly improving the program so they will never need to go anywhere else.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My first mentor in the Fortune 500 world challenged me beyond belief. He was the toughest coach and hardest “boss” you could ever imagine. He saw the potential in me before I saw it in myself and pushed me to be my absolute best. He was the first person to encourage me to think big and begin to chart my own path to greatness. Many others who had the same opportunity to coach with him mistook the high bar he set for them as “unreasonable” and “too tough”, For me, he was a catalyst for achieving my highest potential and for that I will forever be grateful.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the experience of Impostor Syndrome. How would you define Impostor Syndrome? What do people with Imposter Syndrome feel?
Imposter syndrome is that feeling like you do not belong. It is feeling like people are going to find out you are a “fake” despite having experience and are accomplished in an area. Imposter syndrome can leave you with a pit in your stomach and a sense of anxiety around being “found out!”
What are the downsides of Impostor Syndrome? How can it limit people?
Imposter syndrome keeps people from acting, which ultimately keeps people from developing skills and confidence. It keeps people playing small, and never allows them to develop the mastery that comes from doing.
How can the experience of Impostor Syndrome impact how one treats others?
Imposter syndrome leads to either a sense of resentment towards others who are achieving the things we want to achieve, or a constant feeling of unworthiness around those who have accomplished big goals. It hinders your ability to connect with people in an authentic way.
We would love to hear your story about your experience with Impostor Syndrome. Would you be able to share that with us?
When I was still working full time and building my business on the side, I was getting my clients superior results, but always had this pit in my stomach, like I wasn’t really an entrepreneur because I wasn’t doing my business full-time. I would ask myself if I was really qualified to lead people this way. At that point I had been in a coaching program for about two years. When I looked around, I realized my business and brand was growing faster than those working full-time in their business even though I was only spending a couple of hours per day on mine. That’s when the switch flipped for me and I realized that it’s not about how much time you have but about how you spend the time you have and the results you get your clients. That realization is what made me absolutely obsessed with getting my clients the best possible results and it helped me deal with the imposter syndrome I had been experiencing. Having to work full-time and really focus on efficiency turned out to be one of the best experiences ever because it forced me to focus on only what grew the business. I didn’t have the luxury of working 40–50 hours a week, so I had to make it work in the little bit of time I did have. That truly played a huge role in catapulting my company to success.
Did you ever shake the feeling off? If yes, what have you done to mitigate it or eliminate it?
Yes! The more action I took the more skills I developed, and the more confidence I had in my ability to do what needed to be done. I had to develop mastery and the only way to do that was to commit to being the absolute best, and then doing the work to make that happen.
In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone who is experiencing Impostor Syndrome can take to move forward despite feeling like an “Impostor”? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Set a clear goal for yourself. Who do you want to be and what big things do you want to accomplish?
- Determine what skills and experience you are lacking.
- Do the work to learn those skills and take action to gain that experience.
- Do not allow small failures to derail you. They are normal. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off, then get back to work.
- Celebrate the incremental improvements and the milestones you accomplish on the way to your big goal.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to see more entrepreneurs leveraging their earnings to give back. Last year I moved my coaching company to a 1:1 giving model. For every new client we add to one of our coaching programs, we donate to the foundation I started, that has three core focuses for philanthropy. I believe that if people are equipped to find financial freedom for themselves, that they can leverage that freedom to make a huge impact on the world. So, as I coach entrepreneurs, my hope is that more of them will adopt this model and leave a legacy that goes far beyond making lots of money.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them 🙂
Oprah Winfrey is the most fascinating businessperson that is ever lived. There’s been almost no unpacking of how she became what she is. This is something that should be studied for generations because clearly, she has an understanding of business building and brand, and authenticity, and reinvention, and overcoming obstacles, and determination that the average person can’t begin to comprehend. I would love the opportunity to explore, and uncover and understand her perspective on business specifically, and learn from her and her success.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can connect with me inside my free Facebook group: The Tribe of Unstoppables where my team and I go live with highly valuable weekly trainings on everything from social selling to messaging, to packaging and pricing you online offers. You can also check out my podcast, The Unstoppable Entrepreneur Show, wherever you listen to podcasts! I have got 5 years of weekly episodes available for binging!
You can also follow me on:
Instagram — @kellyroachofficial
TikTok — @kellyroachofficial
Twitter — @kellyroachlive
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Author Kelly Roach: How One Can Thrive Despite Experiencing Impostor Syndrome was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.