Get to know Jen
I listen before offering an opinion, ask questions to understand what you're facing, and make room for your perspective.
Here's a little more about how I think, the training behind my work, and what I'm learning about imposter feelings and performance confidence.
Jen Norton, CPC
Stop second-guessing. Start trusting yourself.
Updated
01 / How I think
These are some of the things that matter to me in a conversation.
I listen without interrupting, ask curious questions, and help clarify or reframe what you're saying. If I have advice or an opinion, I ask whether you want it before I offer it.
“We don't do hype motivation. A phrase can feel motivating in the moment and still fade after the conversation changes. I want the conversation to leave you with something more usable than a temporary lift.”
Jen Norton
I want you to leave with a clear understanding of your goal, what's blocking you, why it matters to you, and a clear next step forward.
I want research to be validated and backed by evidence. I want to connect what I learn with practical help for people experiencing imposter feelings, without guessing or making things up.
See how we work together02 / My training
My professional training sits alongside my own experience of questioning whether I could follow through.
For a long time, I doubted whether I could return to college and follow through. Completing an earlier life-coaching certification gave me evidence that I could finish something I'd committed to. I went back to study business administration, and that degree is still in progress.
Life Coach Training Institute (LCTI)
Advanced training completed September 19, 2026.
Listening, curious questions, and clarification are how I approach the work. Your perspective and decisions stay part of the conversation.
Certificate issued September 19, 2026.
Listed expiration: September 19, 2027.
Currently pursuing the degree. Graduation is still ahead.
03 / My bookshelf
Books on coaching, confidence, research, and business. This bookshelf is a work in progress. I’m always adding to the collection, exploring recommendations, and finding new perspectives to learn from.
Pauline Rose Clance
Donald Miller
Nate Zinsser
John Whitmore
Kristin Neff & Christopher Germer
Russ Harris
Ethan Kross
Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb & Joseph M. Williams
Julia Galef
Jonathan Baron
Katy Milkman
Jim Collins
Simon Sinek
Michael Hyatt
04 / Research, explained
Worrying about mistakes. Feeling out of place. Wondering what kind of support might help. Research gives us ways to look more closely at these experiences.
Below, each finding is connected to an everyday concern, with its limits and a question for reflection. The questions are conversation starters, not tested interventions or a diagnosis.
A 2025 review of 25 studies found that imposter feelings were more strongly linked with the pressure to appear perfect than with striving for high standards. Wanting to do well and feeling you must never fall short are different patterns.
What this does and doesn't tell us: The studies show a relationship, not which experience causes the other. They do not establish that lowering your standards will reduce imposter feelings.
If one mistake feels as though it would expose you, that is something specific to explore alongside your preparation and skills.
A question for you
Am I trying to do this well, or trying to make sure nobody can find a flaw?
Peer-reviewed review · Meta-analysis / Online July 16, 2025 · October 2025 issue
Andrew P. Hill & John K. Gotwals. A meta-analysis of multidimensional perfectionism and imposter phenomenon. Journal of Research in Personality, 118, 104639. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2025.104639.
Read the original sourceA 2020 research perspective argues that imposter feelings need to be understood in context. Stereotypes, underrepresentation, and how people are treated can be part of the picture, alongside their own thoughts about their ability.
What this does and doesn't tell us: This article develops an explanation from existing research. It does not test whether a particular change in an environment will reduce imposter feelings.
If your doubt changes around certain people or in certain settings, those differences are worth describing. The conversation can include what is happening around you.
A question for you
Where do I feel able to contribute, and where do I feel I have to keep proving I belong?
Peer-reviewed perspective · Conceptual article / November 13, 2020
Sanne Feenstra and colleagues. Contextualizing the Impostor “Syndrome”. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 575024. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575024.
Read the original sourceA 2026 review of medical-student studies found that estimates of imposter feelings varied greatly depending on the definitions and questionnaires used. An earlier review of four questionnaires did not establish a gold-standard measure.
What this does and doesn't tell us: A result from medical students is not a percentage for all adults. A questionnaire score is not a clinical diagnosis or a full explanation of someone's experience.
You can describe the doubt in your own words: when it appears, what you tell yourself, and what it makes harder to do. Those details matter in a conversation about support.
A question for you
What happens when I start doubting myself, and what does it get in the way of?
Peer-reviewed review · Meta-analysis / March 9, 2026
Yusof Mohamed Omar and colleagues. The impostor phenomenon construct in medical education: a meta-analysis of its prevalence and a critical appraisal of its measurement. Advances in Health Sciences Education. doi: 10.1007/s10459-026-10513-3.
Read the original sourcePeer-reviewed review · Measurement / April 5, 2019
Karina K. L. Mak, Sabina Kleitman & Maree J. Abbott. Impostor Phenomenon Measurement Scales: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 671. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00671.
The review covered 18 validation studies and four questionnaires. Its search ended in February 2018.
Read the original sourceIn a 2023 randomized trial involving 1,017 women physician trainees, a four-month online group coaching program reduced self-reported imposter scores compared with the control group. Imposter scores were a secondary outcome: the main focus was burnout.
What this does and doesn't tell us: Participants volunteered, follow-up responses differed between groups, and longer-term effects were not measured. The findings are specific to this program and population; Jen's services were not evaluated. Reviews of the wider evidence still find uneven study quality.
When considering support, ask what it involves, who the evidence comes from, and how progress will be reviewed. A study can inform that choice without making it for you.
A question for you
What would useful support look like for the situation I am facing?
Peer-reviewed study · Randomized trial / October 4, 2023
Adrienne Mann and colleagues. Online Well-Being Group Coaching Program for Women Physician Trainees: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35541.
Read the original sourcePeer-reviewed review · Scoping review / March 28, 2024
Emma Para, Philippe Dubreuil, Paule Miquelon & Charles Martin-Krumm. Interventions addressing the impostor phenomenon: a scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1360540. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1360540.
This review mapped 31 sources. It describes the range of approaches; it does not calculate an overall treatment effect.
Read the original sourcePeer-reviewed review · Umbrella review / Online October 28, 2025 · June 2026 issue
Mia Gisselbaek and colleagues. Rethinking the impostor phenomenon: An umbrella review of concept, context and interventions. Medical Education. doi: 10.1111/medu.70076.
This review combined eight systematic and eight scoping reviews. Its search ended in December 2024, so it does not include the newest studies.
Read the original sourceMany papers call this the “impostor phenomenon.” The term began with Clance and Imes's 1978 account of women who struggled to take credit for their accomplishments and feared being exposed. The original paper was a starting point for later research.
Foundational paper · Clinical observations / 1978
Pauline Rose Clance & Suzanne Ament Imes. The impostor phenomenon in high achieving women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 15(3), 241–247.
A foundational clinical account centered on high-achieving women, not a representative population survey or a randomized intervention trial.
Read the original source05 / New & ongoing research
New studies can add to the picture. A published finding and a study still underway tell us different things.
Newly published / September 2026
A September 17, 2026 study asked health professional students to map ideas about imposter feelings. Their responses included self-doubt and possible support through social connection, reframing, and changes in how they approached learning.
Twenty-five students at one institution generated ideas; 18 grouped and rated them. They worked from a fictional case. The suggested responses were not tested as interventions.
This adds detail to how students describe the experience. Whether a particular response helps still needs to be tested.
Peer-reviewed study · Concept mapping / September 17, 2026
Isha Hariname and colleagues. Conceptualising impostor phenomenon in health professional students using concept mapping and case-based tools. Advances in Health Sciences Education. doi: 10.1007/s10459-026-10583-3.
Read the original sourceRegistered study / No results posted
The PREGNANT Coaching Project at Massachusetts General Hospital is testing a four-month program for physician trainees who are pregnant or up to three months postpartum. Its main outcome is burnout; imposter feelings are also being measured.
This study concerns a specific transition and population. It is a question being tested, with no posted answer yet.
These are estimated completion dates, not promised publication dates. No results were posted when checked.