Stacey Dooley felt like an imposter at the beginning of her career.
The 32-year-old television presenter – who fronts a number of shows about hard-hitting topics and current affairs – didn’t take the traditional route into journalism and admits it left her feeling like she had something to prove.
She said: "I work in current affairs and I make lots of documentaries often about very highbrow issues I suppose. I left school at 15, no GCSEs, no qualifications. When I started my career, I remember walking into this very foreign, daunting environment and thinking, ‘I don’t sound the same, I don’t look the same, I didn’t study in any of these guys’ places.’ But you either let that cripple you and there’s that temptation to conform and behave the same, mimic their behaviour, or you think, ‘Actually, I’ve got to really take ownership of it here, work really hard and prove myself.’"
And Stacey admits it isn’t always "easy" to "silence" that voice of doubt.
Speaking in a video for Natwest bank, she added: "It is not always easy always silencing that voice of doubt in your own mind … I’ve certainly struggled with imposter syndrome, yeah, there’s no doubt about it. I suppose at the start, current affairs is very typically middle aged, middle class, male heavy, it’s very serious, quite highbrow, and I walked in as a 20-year-old girl from Luton. I sounded different, looked different, and didn’t study where they went to school. You do question whether or not you belong and I think there is that temptation to mimic their behaviour and conform. But I think that’s the worse thing you can do, I think you’ve got to celebrate how unique you are and take hold of those differences, make it work for you!"
Stacey Dooley’s imposter syndrome
