Have you ever had one of those moments in your business where you KNOW you’re qualified…
You know you have the experience.
You know you can help someone.
And yet there’s still that little voice saying, “Who am I to do this?”
I know I have—and I’ve been running my business for almost 25 years.
So why does imposter syndrome keep showing up, even after we’ve done the work and logically know better?
Today, we’re going beneath the surface with clinical hypnotherapist Laura Kate McHugh to talk about what’s happening in our subconscious when we feel like an imposter, why some of those old beliefs may actually be trying to protect us, and how we can start changing the patterns that keep us playing small.
And I have to tell you, there were several moments in this conversation where I found myself thinking about my own experiences very differently.
Let’s Recap: Overcoming imposter syndrome and showing up authentically
Email newsletters sound simple until you sit down to write one and suddenly everything feels high staHave you ever looked at everything you’ve accomplished and still thought, “Who am I to be doing this?”
You’re qualified. You have the experience. You’ve done the personal development work. And yet, that little voice of doubt still shows up when you’re raising your prices, putting yourself out there, taking on a bigger opportunity, or simply trying something new.
In this episode of Smarter Online Business, Carrie Saunders sits down with Laura Kate McHugh, a clinical hypnotherapist, RTT practitioner, and founder of Your Stellar Life, to explore what may actually be happening beneath the surface when imposter syndrome keeps holding us back.
Laura has spent 30 years doing wellness work and is fascinated by how powerful our minds are—and how limiting beliefs can keep us from moving toward what we really want.
Together, Carrie and Laura go beyond simply talking about confidence and mindset to explore the deeper beliefs, experiences, and patterns that can influence how we show up in our businesses.
Why Imposter Syndrome Doesn’t Always Go Away
One of the biggest questions in this conversation is: Why can imposter syndrome continue to show up even after years of personal growth?
Laura explains that part of the problem is that we may be doing the work at a conscious level while an older belief is still operating underneath.
For example, you might consciously know that you’re qualified to run your business, market yourself, or charge higher prices. But somewhere underneath that confidence could be a conflicting belief telling you that it’s safer not to be seen, that you’re not good enough, or that you’re going to be rejected.
Those conflicting beliefs can leave us feeling like we’re “speeding with the brakes on.”
Your Subconscious May Actually Be Trying to Protect You
This was one of the most fascinating parts of the conversation.
Instead of viewing self-sabotage, insecurity, or avoidance as your mind working against you, Laura encourages us to consider that your subconscious may actually be trying to protect you.
An experience from childhood—a moment of embarrassment, rejection, criticism, or feeling like you weren’t good enough—can create a belief that your subconscious continues to carry forward.
Laura explains that these patterns can have several purposes, but the most common is protection. Your subconscious may essentially be saying, “We don’t want you to experience that again, so let’s keep you from putting yourself in that situation.”
The problem is that what protected you years ago may not be something you need protection from today.
The Beliefs We Pick Up Early Can Follow Us Into Business
Our early experiences can have a significant influence on the beliefs we carry into adulthood.
Laura talks about how the things we’re exposed to as children can become deeply ingrained. Even seemingly simple comments or experiences can influence how we see ourselves later in life.
Carrie also shares her own experience with scarcity and abundance growing up, and how seeing very different beliefs around money influenced the way she thought about it herself.
This is particularly relevant for business owners because beliefs around money, worthiness, visibility, and success can show up in very practical ways.
Maybe you hesitate to raise your prices.
Maybe you feel uncomfortable selling.
Maybe you struggle to believe that people will pay you what you’re worth.
Or maybe you keep yourself busy with smaller tasks instead of doing the things that could actually move your business forward.
How Worthiness Can Affect Your Business
Carrie and Laura also dive into why raising your prices can feel so difficult—even when you logically know you should.
Laura explains that if you don’t genuinely feel worthy of charging more, simply being told to raise your prices isn’t necessarily enough. That underlying belief can still create hesitation, discomfort, or even self-sabotage.
This is such an important reminder:
Knowing what you should do and believing that you are worthy of doing it are two different things.
Sometimes the next step isn’t another business strategy. It may be examining the belief that’s making the strategy so difficult to implement.
How to Use Affirmations Without Feeling Like You’re Lying to Yourself
If you’ve ever tried affirmations and thought, “Yeah…I don’t actually believe that,” you’re not alone.
Laura shares a simple approach: the affirmation has to feel believable.
Instead of choosing a statement that feels completely disconnected from your current reality, start with something simple that you can actually accept.
She recommends using short phrases such as:
- You are enough.
- You matter.
She also suggests using visual reminders, such as putting affirmations on sticky notes, your phone, or places you see throughout the day.
The goal is repetition—changing the internal conversation little by little.
Try the “Looping Thoughts” Exercise
Laura also shares a practical exercise for identifying how a thought influences your feelings and behavior.
Here’s the basic process:
- Notice the thought you’re repeating.
- Pay attention to how that thought makes you feel.
- Notice what you want to do when you feel that way.
- Identify the behavior that follows.
- Flip the original thought into something that feels believable and empowering.
During the conversation, Carrie uses the thought “I don’t have enough time” as an example.
That thought made her feel overwhelmed and unworthy, which led her toward easy “busy work” rather than the bigger activities that could actually move her business forward.
Together, they flipped the thought into something more tangible: “I have an extra hour I didn’t think I had today.”
The difference was immediate. Carrie described feeling relief, being able to breathe, and feeling more capable of focusing on meaningful work.
It’s a simple exercise, but it demonstrates how changing the thought can change the emotional response—and ultimately influence what we do next.
What Does Root Cause Work Actually Look Like?
Laura also explains what happens during her hypnotherapy and RTT root-cause work.
And if the word hypnotherapy makes you picture someone clucking like a chicken on a stage, Laura wants to clear that misconception up!
She explains that we’re naturally in trance-like states throughout the day, such as when we’re daydreaming or driving and suddenly realize we’ve traveled several miles without consciously remembering every moment.
In a root-cause session, Laura uses that relaxed state to explore the memories, emotions, and beliefs connected to a particular fear, insecurity, impulse, or pattern.
The goal isn’t simply to retell an old story. It’s to uncover the belief that was created from that experience and ask:
Is this belief actually still true?
And perhaps even more importantly:
Does this belief still serve me today?
Stop Judging Yourself and Get Curious Instead
One of Carrie’s biggest takeaways from this conversation is the importance of curiosity.
It’s easy to judge ourselves when an old pattern comes back.
“I should know better.”
“Why am I still struggling with this?”
“I’ve already done so much work on myself. Why am I still feeling this way?”
But that judgment can add another layer of shame to the problem.
Instead, what if we became curious?
Where did this belief come from?
What am I telling myself over and over?
Why might my brain be holding onto this?
And most importantly:
Does this belief still serve the person I am today?
Carrie and Laura also talk about how we can lose some of our natural curiosity as we get older. Bringing that curiosity back can help us become more open to learning, experimenting, and challenging the beliefs that tell us we’re “not good at” something.
Change the Words You’re Using With Yourself
Laura leaves business owners with a simple exercise: pay attention to the words you’re using.
Instead of saying:
“I’m terrible at tech.”
Try:
“I can learn this.”
Instead of:
“I hate being on video.”
Try looking for something you genuinely enjoy about showing up—such as connecting with the people you’re able to help.
Laura explains that changing the language we use can make difficult things feel less like something we’re fighting against and more like something we’re learning to navigate.
And that brings us back to curiosity.
What if instead of deciding “I’m not good at this,” we asked:
“What could I learn about this?”
That small shift can open up a completely different possibility.
Connect with Laura Kate McHugh
Laura Kate McHugh is a clinical hypnotherapist, RTT practitioner, and founder of Your Stellar Life, where she helps deeply self-aware people uncover the subconscious beliefs and fears that keep them stuck in patterns of doubt and self-sabotage. Today, we’re going to talk about why imposter syndrome can persist even when you’ve done all the inner work—and what it takes to finally shift those patterns at the root.
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Grab her guided meditation for imposter syndrome here!
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