Every time I level up, I feel like a fraud

Because that's how I doubled my income in 12 months

Imposter syndrome is my secret weapon

An unexpected self improvement hack

Weekly round-up

Hey friends, welcome back to Frugal Chic - where financial intelligence meets luxury. Ready to build wealth together this week?

In this letter, we’ll discuss

• Why imposter syndrome is actually your competitive advantage

• How to rewire your brain for success

• Practical actions to increase your luck and opportunities

If you want a new outcome, you will have to break the habit of being yourself, and reinvent a new self.

Dr. Joe Dispenza

But first, things I’ve consumed over doomscrolling:

1. Consumerism is the Perfection of Slavery - Prof Jiang Xueqin

2. Matt Gray show on Spotify - episode on Instagram and Manychat

3. How I saved and invested £100k on Alpha Girl Podcast

Why You Don’t Think You Belong

Imposter syndrome is the price of entry to a better life.

In the last year, I:

• Doubled my income

• Became my own boss

• Got invited to Downing Street

• Won an award

A year ago, I hadn’t even envisioned any of this.

When I started gaining traction, bigger creators invited me to events filled with people who’d been doing this for 5+ years—people with finance degrees and impressive backgrounds. I felt completely out of place. Unqualified. Undeserving.

I remember feeling so lucky that someone took a chance on me.

Now? I’m one of those creators. I don’t have a million followers, but I can feel the eyeballs on me. And here’s what I’ve realised: they weren’t superior to me. They had just been doing it longer.

Sometimes you’re the youngest in the room. The only woman. The only non-white person. And you feel out of place, not because of how anyone treats you, but because of how you see yourself.

That’s imposter syndrome: a psychological pattern of chronic self-doubt where you believe you’re a fraud despite clear evidence of your achievements.

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I Used to Think Imposter Syndrome Was a Bug. It’s Actually a Feature.

For months, I thought it was something to fix or overcome.

I was wrong.

Imposter syndrome isn’t a barrier to success, it’s the price of admission.

That discomfort you feel in rooms you never imagined yourself in? That’s not weakness. That’s your brain recalibrating to a new version of you. That’s growth happening in real time.

So I stopped trying to silence it. I started chasing it.

Every uncomfortable invitation. Every opportunity that made my stomach drop. Every moment I thought “they’re going to realise I don’t belong here.”

I said yes.

And here’s what I discovered: those “big” creators I was intimidated by? They probably felt the same way once. They just kept going.

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The Truth No One Tells You

You’re supposed to feel that way.

• If you feel comfortable everywhere, you’re not growing

• If you belong in every room, you’re not pushing boundaries

• If everyone looks like you, you might just be playing it safe

My mission has always been to help more young women, especially those who look like me, take control of their finances. To help you realise you do belong in conversations about money, investing, and wealth building.

To everyone who voted for me in the Finfluencer Awards, who shows up in my comments, who shares my content: thank you. You gave me permission to keep going when imposter syndrome was screaming loudest.

And to everyone reading this who’s achieved something but can’t shake the feeling they got lucky:

You didn’t get lucky. You had courage.

Why Discomfort = Growth

When I embraced this realisation, something shifted. I started recognising that discomfort meant I was physically becoming someone else. My brain was literally recalibrating to see my new identity as a full-time creator.

I became addicted to this feeling. I started placing myself in the deep end each week (yes, I’m tired now, but it was worth it). Short-term exposure to discomfort accelerated my growth exponentially.

Imposter syndrome is a good thing. It means you’re doing something right.

Action points

• journal one instance where you felt imposter syndrome and how you feel now, did you shake off the feeling or do you still have work to do?

• start small talk with a stranger once this week, if you’re a little bit introverted or socially rusty like me - think of it as practice for when you have to do more socialising.

• reach out to one brand and ask if they do gifting, partnerships - why not? All they say is nothing or no.

• share an achievement online, it’s icky but opportunities compound, sharing online = visibility AKA more people to invite you to things

• consider investing, it can be scary but with XTB who are giving new users one free Rolls Royce Stock when you sign up and make a deposit this can give you that boost at the start. Your capital is at risk. The value of the stock may fluctuate. Limited availability. T&Cs apply

That’s it for this week.

As always, thanks for being here.

Mia xx

Resources

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