
From Imposter to Empowered: Ditch self-doubt and live a life without limits
Sarah Farmer
Sarah Farmer is a Global Executive Coach, author, and founder of Bright & Brilliant Ltd., a leadership development firm specialising in supporting C-suite executives, leadership teams, emerging senior leaders, and business owners.
With a degree in Applied Chemistry and a lifelong interest in psychology and human behaviour—sparked early on by exposure to her mother’s work as a psychologist—Sarah combines analytical rigour with deep insight into what drives people. Her coaching is grounded in a practical understanding of how the brain works, helping leaders manage themselves more effectively and create lasting behavioural change in others.
- Recording: Yes
- Language: English
- Duration: 45 min / 15 min
Session Summary
At the heart of bold decisions and breakthrough results is a confident, emotionally intelligent inner world. When self-doubt takes over, even high performers hesitate, hold back, or undermine their own success, and that ripple effect can shape team culture and business results. This fast-paced masterclass breaks down what Imposter Syndrome really is (and isn’t), why it affects top talent the most, and how it shows up in everyday behaviours. You’ll leave with a practical “brain-rewiring” technique from SPARK Step 3 to shift your thinking, strengthen your confidence, and take stronger, more decisive action.
Interaction
During the expert session, Sarah Farmer engages the audience through visuals, interactive Q&A, and live polling.
Key Learnings
- Clarity on what Imposter Syndrome is and isn’t: why it matters for performance (personally and professionally), and how it quietly derails decision-making, productivity and progression.
- Using a practical brain-rewiring technique to interrupt unhelpful thinking and behaviours: boost confidence, which will improve ‘executive presence’, resilience, effectiveness and impact at work.
Detailed session description
At the heart of every great career, bold decision and breakthrough result is one thing: a confident and emotionally intelligent. When your inner world is steady, clear and grounded, your actions follow: you speak up, you step forward, you take opportunities that move you and your organisation forward. But, when self-doubt takes the wheel, even the most talented people slow down, shrink back or sabotage their own success.
That’s the hidden cost of Imposter Syndrome.
It doesn’t just affect how someone feels, it shapes what they do. It influences decisions, communication, risk-taking, innovation, collaboration… and ultimately, the results an organisation is capable of achieving. One person’s hesitation creates a ripple. A whole team’s hesitation creates a culture. And when you realise how widespread this is, and how many brilliant people are quietly held back by it, you start to see why addressing it is no longer optional, but essential. This masterclass is designed to break that cycle.
You’ll discover what Imposter Syndrome really is (and isn’t), why it affects high performers the most, and how it shows up in everyday behaviours that limit personal and organisational success. And you’ll learn a practical, brain-rewiring technique from SPARK Step 3 that helps you shift your thinking, strengthen your confidence, and create the kind of empowered mindset that fuels better actions, better decisions and better outcomes at every level.
Objective:
Learn how to take control of unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns that block progress – personally, professionally and organisationally.
Other Sessions by this Speaker
Difficult Conversations: How to Have Them and Keep Relationships Intact
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Change & the Brain: How to Lead People Effectively Through Uncertainty
Leading people through change becomes easier when leaders understand how the human brain reacts to uncertainty. Change disrupts safety, predictability and control, putting the brain on high alert. These reactions are not resistance but natural neuroscience. When leaders understand this, they can anticipate responses, interpret behaviours more accurately and support people with less stress. This practical masterclass explains how the brain deals with uncertainty and how to guide people through transitions effectively.
Communicating Change: Increase Trust and Reduce Fear
When change occurs, communication can either calm people or create panic. Leaders often focus on what is changing rather than on how people emotionally and psychologically experience it. Humans don’t resist change itself; we fear the unknown, triggering protective responses like fight, flight, freeze or fawn. This reaction can last from seconds to years but improves when core needs — Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness — are supported. When communication fails, the brain fills gaps with fear-driven thoughts. When it succeeds, trust increases, resistance falls and people adapt faster. This masterclass shows how to communicate change clearly and safely.
Fearless & Female: Improve Executive Presence - Lead with Impact
Highly capable women often hesitate at key moments at work, not due to a lack of ability or confidence, but because they are navigating multiple expectations, responsibilities, and pressures simultaneously. This constant mental load can lead to overthinking, second-guessing, and delayed decision-making, particularly in high-stakes or high-visibility situations. This International Women’s Day session explores why overthinking is so prevalent for women in the workplace, how it affects confidence, executive presence, and leadership impact, and what practical strategies women can use to think more clearly and act decisively under pressure. Participants will gain insight into how to reduce mental overload, strengthen self-trust, and lead with greater clarity and effectiveness in complex environments.
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