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Ever stepped into a new role or opportunity and thought, “What am I doing here?”

In this episode of Courage Loading, leadership coach and career transition strategist Alicia Noble unpacks why imposter syndrome often shows up during career transitions, and how it can actually be a sign that you’re growing, not failing.

Alicia explores the origins of the impostor phenomenon, first identified by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, and explains why high-achieving women are especially vulnerable to it. She also introduces William Bridges’ Transition Model, which breaks change into three stages:

1. Ending – letting go of an old identity
2. Neutral Zone – the messy middle of uncertainty
3. New Beginning – when the new identity starts to feel natural

If you’re feeling stuck, uncertain, or questioning your worth, you might simply be in that neutral zone — the space between who you were and who you’re becoming.

Alicia shares her simple coaching framework, Spot – Soften – Stretch, to help you move through imposter feelings with more ease and confidence:

1. Spot the imposter thought
2. Soften it with curiosity
3. Stretch by taking one small action

Because confidence doesn’t come from waiting to feel ready. It comes from gathering evidence.

1. You’re not faking it. You’re becoming.

Links:

1. 🔗 Free BRAVE Life Audit — The BRAVE Life Audit
2. 🔗 Book a free discovery call — https://link.noblearc.co.uk/widget/bookings/discovery-call-id

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe and leave a review — it helps more women find this conversation.

Links:

1. 🔗 Free BRAVE Life Audit — The BRAVE Life Audit
2. 🔗 Book a free discovery call — https://link.noblearc.co.uk/widget/bookings/discovery-call-id

Tell me about yourself.

If your first instinct is to reach for your job title, your company, your qualifications - you're not alone. Most of us have spent years building our sense of worth from the outside in. And when a career transition comes, it doesn't just feel professionally uncertain. It feels like an identity crisis.

In this episode, we start where all real change begins — with identity. Using the acronym OWN (Origin, Worth, Narrative) we explore where your sense of self came from, where you've been sourcing your worth, and what story you've been telling yourself about who you are and what's possible.

Three questions to sit with this week:

1. What do I actually value right now — not what I've been told to value?
2. Where have I been sourcing my sense of worth — and is that still serving me?
3. What story am I telling myself about who I am — and where did it come from?

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe and leave a review — it helps more women find this conversation.

Thinking about a career change — even though everything looks successful on paper?

Courage Loading is a podcast for high-achieving women navigating career transitions, leadership growth, and professional reinvention. If you’ve done everything “right” but quietly wonder what comes next, this show is for you.

In this trailer, you’ll hear what Courage Loading is about, who it’s for, and what you can expect in future episodes — from imposter syndrome and the proving trap to leadership confidence, identity shifts, and the messy middle of change.

Drawing on coaching psychology, behavioural science, and over 20 years of experience across Big Four firms and FTSE 100 companies, Alicia Noble brings practical insight and honest conversations to help you navigate your next chapter with clarity and courage.

If you’re navigating a career transition or quietly wondering whether it’s time to redefine what’s next, start by taking the free BRAVE Life Audit — a powerful self-reflection tool designed to help you get honest about where you are and what you want.

The BRAVE Life Audit

Follow the show now so you don’t miss the first full episode.

Because every story of change begins with a single moment of courage.