Experts Don’t Always Have Certificates. They Have Results.

If Sharknado can be a franchise, you can be an expert.

Ever feel like you’re faking it and someone’s this close to finding out you have no idea what you’re doing?

Same.

But then again…

Someone pitched a movie about sharks flying through tornadoes…

and then they made NINE of them.

Seriously!! 

Let that sink in.

My Sharknado Moment (a.k.a. The Wake-Up Call)

A while back, I made the leap from managing people’s businesses to teaching them how to use AI to manage it themselves. 

Bold, right? 

Except I didn’t feel bold. I felt like I needed a badge, a certificate, a parade of robots chanting “She’s legit.”

So I spent $2,500 on an AI consultant program, thinking I was about to unlock next-level genius.

Plot twist: I watched the whole course on double speed… because I already knew the material.

The custom GPTs? Waaay more basic than the ones I’d made myself.

The “case study” strategy calls? I was teaching more in-depth strategy on the fly in casual convos.

That’s when it hit me: I wasn’t trying to be an expert. I already was one. I just didn’t believe it yet.

Imposters, Credentials, and Confidence.

Let’s get a few things straight:

1. Real imposters aren’t worried about being called imposters.

You know who spends zero time questioning if they belong?

The ones who actually shouldn’t be in the room.

The louder and more confident they are, the less they tend to know and the more duct tape and vibes they’re riding on. 

The very fact that you are worried you might be an impostor is an excellent sign you are NOT one!

2. Your value doesn’t come from a certificate.

Degrees and certifications are nice… but they’re not the only path to legitimacy. 

Your value comes from results.
From lived experience.
From caring enough to show up and do the work well. 

If you’ve helped people solve real problems, that is your credential.

(Not saying you should solve them “Pulp Fiction-style, but ya gotta admit that Winston knows he’s good at what he does!)

3. Time doesn’t equal expertise.

Just because someone’s been doing something longer doesn’t mean they’re doing it better. 

Some of us learn fast.
Some of us adapt quickly. 

You might already be miles ahead of someone who’s been coasting in the same lane for years.

So stop asking for permission to be brilliant.
Stop waiting to be certified in your own genius.

You’ve already got receipts. Time to own it!

The Weekly Challenge:

This week, I want you to name three skills you’ve been downplaying.

Then dig up evidence that proves you’re already good at them. Client wins, compliments, DMs from people thanking you for changing their lives. “Bring the receipts.”

You probably don’t need to “become” the expert. You just need to believe you are one already.

Got your Sharknado moment? Send me a LinkedIn DM and tell me: When have you felt like an imposter and what evidence says otherwise?

Go on. Be great. And maybe watch Sharknado tonight. For confidence research, obviously.