You already know enough…
When did we start believing we’re not ready?
When did we start believing we needed someone else’s permission to back ourselves?
When did we decide that lived experience wasn’t enough? That running a business, showing up every day, making decisions, wearing all the hats, and figuring it out on the go didn’t qualify us to be seen as experts?
It’s a belief I see far too often, especially among women.
Women who are quietly, consistently doing brilliant things in their business, but still hesitate to say, “I know what I’m doing.”
Because it’s one thing to do the work. It’s another thing entirely to own your expertise out loud.
And yet, the truth is that most of us already know way more than we give ourselves credit for.
You don’t need another certificate to be taken seriously
We’ve been conditioned to think that qualifications are what make us credible. That the more acronyms we collect after our name, the more valid our opinion becomes.
Now, I’ll be the first to say I’ve got a fair few letters after my name, PAMI (CPM), CMktg, MAICD, and I’m proud of them. But I didn’t collect them because I thought I wasn’t enough.
I’ve always been curious. I like learning, and I believe in keeping up with the world around me, especially when things shift as quickly as they do in marketing and business.
But those qualifications don’t define me, and they’re not the reason I get asked to speak. They’re one part of the story, but not the most important part.
Because what I know has come just as much from lived experience as it has from structured learning. And that counts.
Yet, some of the most capable, knowledgeable, impactful women I’ve ever met still second-guess themselves.
Not because they’re not good at what they do. But because they’ve been taught to wait until they’re “ready.” Until they’ve ticked every box. Until someone else tells them it’s okay to be seen.
But that moment rarely comes. Because the people who feel the need to constantly prove themselves? They’re usually the ones who already know enough.
Being an expert isn’t about knowing everything.
It’s about knowing your business
I’ve always found it interesting that we refer to ourselves as “small business owners,” as if the word “small” somehow downplays the size of our knowledge base.
Running a business teaches you how to make decisions, manage people, respond to pressure, solve problems, understand customers, lead change, and deal with failure. Often all in the space of a single week.
That’s not small.
It’s an incredible combination of resilience, learning, and intuition. And it deserves to be recognised.
Rebecca’s story is one I often come back to
Rebecca O’Brien, founder of Brie Corporate, spent years in a high-pressure environment, chasing someone else’s version of success. The company she worked for was fixated on hitting million-dollar targets, constantly growing, constantly pushing. And it didn’t align with the life she wanted.
So she left.
She started her own business and decided to do things differently. She stayed small on purpose. She built a business around her values and her family. She made a conscious choice not to chase endless growth, but instead to create a business that felt good to run.
And it’s working. Her business is award-winning. Her clients love her. And she gets to live a life that’s in sync with what matters most to her.
That’s what owning your expertise can look like. Quiet confidence. Clear boundaries. A deep trust in what you already know.
You don’t need to be louder.
You just need to be firmer in your knowing
There’s a particular kind of self-doubt that creeps in when you’re doing business your own way. It’s the doubt that says, “Maybe I should follow the experts.” “Maybe I need a better system.” “Maybe I’m missing something.”
Sometimes that voice is worth listening to. Afterall, we don’t know everything and staying open to options is part of the work.
But often that voice is fear dressed up as logic.
And what it really needs is for you to gently remind yourself that no one knows your business like you do. No one else has walked in your shoes. No one else brings the same combination of perspective, skill, and instinct.
Knowing your worth, knowing your abilities, knowing your ability to contribute and make a difference. That’s not arrogance. That’s leadership.
If you’re ready to help your team or audience trust their own knowledge, I can help
This is one of my favourite conversations to have in rooms full of businesswomen, helping them stop waiting, stop apologising, and start recognising that what they know already has value.
Because imposter syndrome isn’t a fixed identity. It’s a symptom of the systems we’ve grown up in. And once you name it for what it is, you can start to shift it.
Through keynotes and workshops, I help women reconnect with what they already know, and build the confidence to show up fully in their business.
Not after they’ve “earned it,” but now.
If you’re creating an event, conversation, or experience where women in business are ready to step into that space, I’d love to support it.
Remember… You already know enough. And when you truly believe that? Everything changes.
If this message resonated with you, or if you’d like to explore it further with your team or community, I offer a workshop called You already know enough. It’s designed to help women recognise their value, own their experience, and back themselves in business.
Feel free to get in touch if that sounds like something you, your business, or group would benefit from.
