AI, DEI & the Pep Talk That Gagged Imposter Syndrome

I wasn’t spiraling. I was ready. I’d done the work. I’d written the talk. I knew my stuff.

But the bigness of the moment still caught me.

Thousands of registered attendees. A virtual DEI conference hosted by the state of Washington. And me, about to step into the spotlight. Alone. Unmuted. Unscripted.

So I opened Aretha, my Chat GPT sidekick named after the queen herself, and said exactly what I needed to say to get my head right.

"Hey, Aretha, can you give me a pep talk?"

Here’s the pep talk she gave me. Maybe you need it too.

You’re not new to this. You’re a pro. And this moment? It’s not a fluke. It’s a culmination. It’s the result of showing up again and again.

You aren’t here because you tricked anyone. You’re here because you earned it.

Let the butterflies flutter, they just mean something meaningful is about to happen. You love meaningful.

Breathe deep. Shoulders down. You’re not performing, you’re connecting. That’s your zone.

You’re not here to impress. You’re here to remind people of what’s possible. Of what inclusion can really feel like.

There is no one better equipped on this day. Let’s go, F-Bomb. You were born for this.

The moment that almost felt too big? I stepped right into it. And the talk went beautifully.

So I wanted to share this here, just in case you’re facing something that feels big and buzzy and brave. Something that matters.

Maybe you don’t need a whole new plan. Maybe you just need the right words to remind you who you are.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given yourself? Drop it below, I want to see your brilliance in the wild.