Overcoming Impostor Syndrome: Empowering Black I/O Professionals to Own Expertise and Thrive

Impostor Syndrome is a Signal, Not a Flaw: How Organizational Systems Manufacture Self-Doubt—and How I/O Psychology Can Disrupt It

This session reframes impostor syndrome as a predictable organizational outcome, not an individual pathology. Drawing on organizational psychology, qualitative research, and lived-experience data, the presentation introduces a systems-level model for diagnosing and interrupting impostor-producing cultures.

Key Takeaways:

• Why impostor syndrome thrives in high-performing, unstable, and inequitable systems
• How leadership practices, role ambiguity, and cultural misalignment reinforce self-doubt
• Practical diagnostic tools I/O psychologists can use to identify impostor-producing condition. 

Dr. Camille Valentine, PsyD is an Organizational Psychologist, speaker, and founder of Valentine Coaching & Consulting. She specializes in impostor syndrome, workplace culture, and organizationally induced trauma—helping professionals and organizations uncover how systems, not individuals, create self-doubt, burnout, and disengagement. With a background spanning higher education, mediation, leadership development, and behavioral research, Dr. Valentine blends psychological science with lived experience to deliver transformative, truth-centered insights. Her work empowers Black professionals to reclaim confidence, sovereignty, and impact while helping organizations build cultures where people can thrive without shrinking.