Celebrate your successes

"People who struggle with impostor feelings tend to brush off their successes, which can only exacerbate the experience," The APA reported. "If someone congratulates you, don’t move on too fast. Pay attention to how you respond and aim to speak more positively about yourself."

Lisa Orbé-Austin, a New York–based psychologist, executive coach, and coauthor of "Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life," said, "taking time to applaud yourself, whether you gain a new credential or publish a paper, or just have a good client session, can help you internalize your success."

The APA report says you could simply reflect on your efforts, but external, concrete reminders are also important. For example, if you receive an email with positive feedback, save it or print it. Vanderlan said she keeps a few emails from reviewers and past supervisors near her desk so she can look at them and remember how others see her. The accomplishments don’t have to feel significant. “It can also be little things that, taken together, show you to be an incredibly competent, high-functioning professional,” Cokley said.

Let go of perfectionism

It's important to know here that you don’t have to lower the bar, but adjusting your standards for success can make it easier to see and internalize your accomplishments, the APA reports. Vanderlan suggests focusing on progress rather than aiming for perfection. “In clinical work, there may not be a perfect way through a patient scenario, but we have to be OK with being good enough,” she said.

And when you don’t meet your standards, resist the urge to see your failure as an exposure, according to the APA. Instead, Orbé-Austin suggests reframing failures as opportunities to learn and grow, which will ultimately move you toward the success you’re seeking.

The APA also suggests it may help to release yourself from rigid roles. For example, Orbé-Austin said "people with impostor phenomenon often see themselves as helpers − people who come to the rescue. “Breaking free from those roles so you can be someone who doesn’t know it all or someone who can’t always help can allow us to be more robust people and professionals,” she said.

Cultivate selfcompassion

Self-compassion, as Ervin describes it, using mindfulness to shift from an external locus of self-worth to an internal one — can help you let go of perfectionism. Try to observe when your impostor feelings surface and how you respond to them. “Whereas the impostor phenomenon is unconscious and mindless, mindfulness can help you move in a different direction,” Ervin said. “It’s about learning to recognize those feelings of fear and learning to truly be OK as you are, without your accomplishments.”

Share your failures

Hearing what other people think of you isn’t the only way to grow out of impostor phenomenon.

Richard Gardner, an assistant professor of management, entrepreneurship, and technology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said discussing failures in a group can help paint a realistic portrait of what other people are struggling with.

For example, you can look at your resume and see all the accomplishments you've made, but when you see another colleague's accomplishments, you can feel rejected. Seeing your worst and someone else’s best can spark comparison, which can aggravate impostor feelings.

The APA says that to combat this, Gardner and other junior professors in his field occasionally share their failures in a Facebook group. “These things happen to every single person, even if they’re top of their field,” he said. “Sharing the learning moments in those failures can be a really good organizational culture practice.”

Accept it

The APA reports that as you learn to work through the impostor phenomenon, it will probably interfere less with your well-being. But taming impostor feelings doesn’t mean they’ll never show up again. APA reported that Vanderlan said it’s common for them to arise at any career shift.

“We’re always going to be faced with new experiences or roles, and that’s when this will really come out,” Vanderlan said. “So it’s good to recognize even if you’re making progress, you might be in a position next year where these things come up again.”

Remember that impostor feelings can arise at any career shift, especially if the people you are surrounded by have different achievements. So take the time during professional and casual gatherings such as the American Hair Loss Conference HairNow 23 to meet new friends, find a mentor and find your strength.

It's reunion time — that time when scores of people gather for the hair loss industry's annual conference at the American Hair Loss Council's HairNow 23, this year at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

From Sept. 16-18, AHLC members will have an opportunity to attend educational breakout classes ranging from advanced technical how-tos to practical business and marketing insights from over 20 vendors. Conference ticket includes trade show floor, break out classes and meals. Our event is a unique opportunity to exchange ideas with your peers. during the event and during breaks, breakfast, lunch and dinner.

In this section of The Link magazine, vendors that serve our industry show you what you can expect when you attend the conference. Not only will the vendors present some of the classes, but they will also host booths on the trade show floor inviting you to meet one-on-one and learn about the latest products and strategies for your success.

We can't wait to see you in Nashville!

If you haven't already, go to AHLC.org and click on the HairNow 23 tab to register.

Early-bird rate extended until August 1!

Just $449

Group room rate is just $229 (+ taxes and resort fee)

Amani Hair will introduce new products during the American Hair Loss Council's HairNow 23 gathering in September in Nashville.

Among the products to be featured will be Amani's new 2-in-1 top piece. The topper will seamlessly blend with your own hair to develop a flawless look, completely undetectable. It will be part of our Signature line and comes in several different lengths up to 12 inches.

Natural Gray virgin hair — Amani incorporated 100% virgin natural gray hair into our two collections, the Signature and Berlin Collection, as well as pre-colored gray in our Ready to Wear Collection. You will find light to medium gray hair in our top pieces like the T-Zone as well as in our Lily wig from the Berlin Collection to our Franka wig in the Ready to Wear Collection for a long-term solution for your clients.

We also extended our ready-to-wear collection and the signature line to provide you with the continuation of the same outstanding products that you have known and trusted over the years. Amani Hair is well known for using only 100% European unprocessed virgin hair. These new products will continue to bring you excellence in beauty as demonstrated in Amani's current lines.

During the conference, you have the opportunity to attend Nazy Curtis' seminar. She will present "How to have Inventory for Every Budget," where she will talk about how to expand your inventory without having to pay for it until needed, allowing you to guarantee the pieces you want when you want them.

Learn the importance of working with a supplier who doesn't want to compete with you and why you need to be a smart, strategic, and long-term investor in your own business to be successful in the future.

Be sure to visit us at our booth on the main vendor floor.

The focus of our class this year will be on helping business owners set, measure and track sales and marketing goals to grow their company. Together we will build a clear road map to success for your business.

Sales and marketing are the engines that drive business growth. Some companies fall into the trap of thinking they’re too small to advertise effectively or that their budget isn’t enough to make a real difference, but we all have to start somewhere.

Our “Metrics That Matter” class will go through important key performance indicators that you can track and measure to help understand your starting point and guide you as you grow. Whether you’re a one-employee company or a multimillion dollar business, there are strategies for everyone that can help take your company to the next level.

Be sure to find us at the American Hair Loss Council’s annual conference this year in Nashville to help build a custom metric tracking strategy for your business, or simply just to brainstorm ideas about how you can use advertising and analytics to see real results.

President of Atlas Digital, Lenny Ventimiglia IV’s family has been in the hair restoration industry for more than 50 years. Growing up around a salon, Ventimiglia's first experience in online advertising and marketing was focused on growing the family business. After helping them reach record sales and revenue numbers, Atlas Digital was founded as a way to help other small business owners find similar success.

their specific needs. Every company in this industry is different, and there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to your marketing strategy. Digital marketing can be confusing, so we believe that simplicity is key. By simplifying marketing and advertising analytics, we make it easy for you to see results and business growth.

right marketing solutions

Colleen Camp, education director for BosleyMD, will lead a 1-hour session discussing the different types of hair loss during the American Hair Loss Council's HairNow 23 coming in September to Nashville, Tennessee.

“I find being involved in the thinning hair space is the most rewarding point of my career," Camp said. "The professional industry has never been better equipped to treat and prevent hair loss than ever before. Now is the best time to provide your clients with the most comprehensive approach due to technological advances, medical information, and exceptional educators sharing their knowledgeable background and handson experience”.

The workshop will offer insight into the different types of hair loss including COVID shedding and why it is still affecting more women than men. Camp will also share highly effective ways to navigate the conversation when it comes to talking to clients about hair thinning, as sometimes opening the conversation can be the most challenging.

She also will be sharing the “Thinning Hair Expert” certification program that offers six comprehensive training