In 2015, Shanita Liu experienced burnout in a major way, and it changed her life forever.
“I found myself sobbing on the New York City subway on my way to work one morning. I’d had enough. And I had the awakening that the pace at which I was going was no longer serving me.”
She sought out the help of a coach and started the hard work of transformation that led her to her calling—helping women and entrepreneurs confront fear and become their most courageous selves.
Her story is one that resonates deeply with military spouses diving into entrepreneurship, often after multiple moves, employment gaps, and years at home raising kids. The challenge, she says, is to learn how to shed ingrained cultural conditioning that often leads to people pleasing and feelings of self doubt.
Shanita recently sat down with Moni Jefferson—host of AMSE’s podcast Owning Up—to share her tips on overcoming imposter syndrome, learning to trust yourself, and owning your courage in your business.
Confronting your inner critic
Like so many of us, Shanita’s journey from a full-time job to motherhood to an entrepreneur often looked messy, mainly due to noise from her inner critics.
“I had a whole squad of inner critics who were pulling me down and I was like, oh no, you're not doing me any good. I had to do the work. I had to address all of them. Otherwise, the inner critic will just beat you up.”
The inner critic can take the form of anyone from the past—a teacher, a colleague, a parent—but that voice often holds us back from moving forward in our businesses and lives, Shanita believes.
“Your inner critic will tell you, ‘You can't do that.’ ‘You shouldn't do that.’ ‘Who the hell do you think you are?’ It’s 24/7, and it’s berating you a lot.”
Dealing with it, she says, is a process of slowing down, practicing regular self-care, and checking in with yourself and the people in your life that you trust.
“Ask someone close to you if you seem busy all the time,” says Shanita, “and ask yourself, ‘What do I really need?’”
When you’re first building your business and you’re hyper-focused on growing your client list and establishing yourself, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and overworked.
Stopping to take a pause and reflecting on that overwhelm is the best way to prevent burnout and prioritize rest.
Working through imposter syndrome
“Imposter syndrome can be sneaky,” says Shanita.
“It can show up as a lot of things besides just burnout and self-doubt. It shows up as analysis paralysis. It shows up as avoidance and procrastination, and compare despair. It also shows up as panic. Imposter syndrome isn’t just in our heads. It’s in our bodies. It can make you physically sick.”
It can also crop up at any point in your journey, especially at times of big growth and even when you think you’ve dealt with it.
Shanita confessed that even with all of her success, reaching out to AMSE was a big source of fear to her.
“I was really scared to reach out in the very beginning. I was like, these women are incredible. They've established this amazing network and who am I to even connect with them? Will what I have to say matter?”
Fortunately, there are ways to deal with imposter syndrome before it stops your forward momentum. Shanita shared several strategies to work through it:
Trust yourself
Trust that you’re being called to serve in this way, even if it’s different than you expect. Trust what you know, and your experience, because it’s uniquely yours. You’re being called to serve in this way, even if it looks different than you thought.
Activate your courage
You have the inner strength you need to assure yourself when you need it and remind you that life isn’t perfect.
Remember your why
Remind yourself of the impact you have on others, the connections you’re making, and the big why that drives you in your business. Tap into the essence of who you are.
Finally, says Shanita, “Give yourself permission to make mistakes and lean into joy while you’re doing it. Remember that we’re all human and we all have moments of insecurity and doubt.”
Courage comes from the heart
To learn more about tapping into your courage and overcoming fear, visit Shanita’s website for a free gift and 30-minute consultation; she also offers 20% off her 1:1 coaching packages for military veterans and families! Catch her recent Tedx Talk, How to Activate Courage, below.
Heather is a fellow military spouse, conversion copywriter and digital marketing strategist. She helps small businesses and entrepreneurs grow their online presence through persuasive website copy and a solid SEO strategy. She’s currently stationed in Fort Leavenworth, KS, with her spouse and twin boys, who just started Kindergarten. You can learn more about her work at her website, HD Copywriting.
