How Do We Know We're Doing It Right?: Essays on Modern Life

by Pandora Sykes

Like so many women, I feel the pressure to stand out – but assimilate. To be visible – but unseen. It’s a feeling closely connected to Imposter Syndrome, which two-thirds of women in the workplace are said to experience.

A friend recently sent me a text bemoaning how flaky her friends were being. I don’t mind people flaking on me, I admitted. I used to mind – but that was before I had a pile of books I was desperate to read and a boxset list as long as my arm. When someone cancels on me, I am relieved.

‘The woman who does not require validation from anyone is the most feared individual on the planet,’