Be The First: People of Colour, Imposter Syndrome and the Struggle to Succeed in a White World

by Caroline Flanagan

Imposter Syndrome is different for people of colour. You don’t just feel like an imposter, you are one. You’re the only one in the room. There are no leaders who look like you. The system is broken and has to change. But in this book, Caroline Flanagan challenges you to step up and play your part too. Caroline has always been an imposter. She knows what it’s like to feel like a fraud and fear being found out. From being the only black girl at an all-white school, through to being the only one in meetings at a top City law firm and beyond. She has faced bias in all its forms - but she’s learned how to win. After years of battling Imposter Syndrome, Caroline transformed it into a strength. She devised a powerful tool that gives her courage in the moment and builds lasting confidence. That tool is the Imposter Speech. This book teaches you how to create your own Imposter Speech so that you can truly succeed. Not only will you rise to challenges differently, your whole relationship with yourself will also shift. You’ll stop waiting for an unjust system to change. You’ll no longer be the only one in the room. This book will empower you to be the first.

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2021