The Moment That Changed Everything: From Impostor Feelings to Reigniting Purpose

I still remember the moment vividly.
I was walking down the hallway one ordinary afternoon when I overheard one of my brilliant colleagues — someone I deeply respected — say she wasn’t a “real dietitian.”

That simple sentence stopped me cold.

She was compassionate, knowledgeable, and deeply dedicated to her students and the field. But in that moment, I heard something that I had felt myself many times — quiet self-doubt.

She didn’t feel “enough.”

And if I was honest, neither did I.

Discovering a Name for What We Feel

Not long after that, someone mentioned a term I’d never heard before: impostor phenomenon.
The idea that high-achieving people often doubt their abilities, discount their success, and live in constant fear of being “found out.”

Something in me clicked.

I started reading everything I could find on the topic, and the more I learned, the more I saw it reflected all around me — in my students, my colleagues, and myself.

It was the spark that shaped my dissertation and, ultimately, my mission: to help nutrition professionals rediscover confidence, fulfillment, and alignment in their work.

Why So Many of Us Feel Like We’re Not “Real” Dietitians

For so many of us in nutrition and dietetics, our professional identity is wrapped up in service — in being competent, prepared, and evidence-based.
We’ve built our careers on the idea that if we work hard enough, learn enough, and prove enough, we’ll finally feel enough.

But here’s the truth:
Confidence doesn’t come from perfection or constant achievement.
It comes from connection — to your purpose, your values, and the difference you make in people’s lives.

And that’s something no credential or job title can give you.

What That Moment Taught Me

That single hallway conversation reminded me that our self-doubt doesn’t mean we’re unqualified — it means we care deeply about getting it right.

It’s the empathy and responsibility that make us good at what we do.
But when left unchecked, those same qualities can turn inward and chip away at our confidence.

Through my research and work with dietitians over the years, I’ve learned that you don’t overcome impostor feelings by working harder.
You overcome them by remembering why you started.

By reconnecting with your strengths.
By surrounding yourself with others who understand.
By giving yourself permission to grow — not perfectly, but purposefully.

From Research to Reignite

That hallway moment didn’t just lead to a dissertation.
It led to Reignite — a program created to help dietitians reclaim their confidence, realign their careers, and rediscover the purpose that brought them into this field in the first place.

Because when you reignite that spark inside you, you don’t just show up differently at work — you show up differently in life.

And maybe, someday, another dietitian will overhear you — and be reminded that she’s enough, too.

Reflection for You:

Have you ever caught yourself thinking you’re not a “real” dietitian — or not “enough” in your career?
What might change if you saw that thought not as a flaw, but as a sign that you’re ready to realign with your purpose?