I recently watched an interview with Janica Kostelić on the show “(Un)success of Champions” with Slaven Bilić, in which the most successful Croatian athlete discusses her career, achievements, and the decisions that shaped her life. I was intrigued by the manner and tone in which she spoke about her medals and phenomenal accomplishments. It was as if they happened on their own, almost incidentally: she skied because she skied, she was often cold, the equipment was heavy, sometimes it was all just a game. At one point, she said: “My medals do not define me.” When asked by the host if she was aware of what she had achieved, she simply replied: “I don’t like exaggeration.”
More than the words themselves, something beneath them caught my attention. That detachment. That way of keeping one’s own success at a distance.
For a long time, I lived with the feeling that I didn’t deserve my achievements. That things somehow just happened, that I was lucky and circumstances worked in my favor, and that it was only a matter of time before someone realized I wasn’t good enough. That persistent, quiet feeling that I don’t have the right to occupy the space I’m in—that’s imposter syndrome. While others saw me as a queen, I saw myself as a pawn.
As I listened to Janica, I first recognized familiar patterns: that tone of downplaying, that detachment from one’s own success. But then I realized that there are two completely different internal positions that can sound almost identical from the outside.
The first position is imposter syndrome. This is not modesty. Nor is it a realistic assessment of the situation. It is a constant internal tension, that quiet feeling that you don’t have the right to be visible, to take up space, or to receive recognition, that you are an intruder and a fraud who will be exposed at any moment. Success brings not peace but pressure, a constant need to prove oneself, as if every moment must confirm that you are good enough.
The second position is a healthy non-identification with the ego. There is no fear or anxiety here. No internal struggle. Success is not perceived as proof of worth, but as a natural part of your journey. Medals and accolades exist, but they do not define who you are at your core.
From the outside, these two positions can sound almost identical. And that is precisely why it is easy to confuse peace with suppression, or modesty with insecurity.
I don’t know which of these two stories is Janica’s. And honestly, it doesn’t matter. She was just a trigger for my reflection.
The real question is: where do you stand in this story?
Many objectively successful people internally live with the feeling that their achievements do not belong to them. Imposter syndrome does not disappear with diplomas, titles, awards, or medals; often, it becomes louder precisely then. Interestingly, people like Agatha Christie (“I still don’t fully perceive myself as an author; I still feel like I’m just pretending to be one.”), Michelle Obama (“I still have a little imposter syndrome. That feeling that you shouldn’t take me seriously never completely goes away. What do I even know?”), Tom Hanks (“ How did I get here? When will they discover that I am, in fact, a fraud and take everything away from me?” ). The list is long.
Dr. Valerie Young, a leading expert in imposter syndrome research, identified five types:
1. The Perfectionist – sets impossibly high standards and feels like a failure if even small goals are not met.
2. The Expert – feels they must know everything before starting a task and fears being exposed as inexperienced.
3. The Natural Genius – believes everything should come easily and struggles when effort is required.
4. The Soloist – prefers to work alone, as asking for help is perceived as a weakness.
5. The Superhero – pushes themselves to work harder and longer than everyone else to prove their worth, often at the expense of their own well-being.
If you wish to check how prevalent imposter patterns are in your life, there is also a professional article offering self-assessment questions: 🔗 Confronting Impostor Syndrome — Medscape
What I have learned through my work and personal experience is this: imposter syndrome is not a problem of reason. It is not something that can be resolved with affirmations or a realistic assessment of facts. It is an identity and somatic pattern, a learned feeling of who is allowed to take up space, who is allowed to be visible, and who is allowed to succeed.
RTT® (Rapid Transformational Therapy) and imposter syndrome:
RTT® (Rapid Transformational Therapy) is a method that uses hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, NLP, and behavioral-cognitive techniques to go to the place where, when, and why these patterns originated. It helps to raise awareness, transform, and replace old patterns with new, supportive beliefs and feelings, so that the body and subconscious accept what the intellect already knows: success is not accidental, you have a right to it, and it is safe to be visible and recognized.
When that happens, success ceases to be the judge of your worth. It becomes a record of your journey and your growth. In this game of life, you are not a pawn. It is okay to take up space, to see and acknowledge your own worth and achievements, to be a queen or king who knows their power.
