Impostrix Podcast: Helping You "Be Validated"

 One signal that a podcast is ear worthy and worth its weight in words is that it defies genre categorization. After listening to multiple episodes of the Impostrix podcast, the show could be classified as a business podcast, a self-improvement podcast, a career development podcast, an anti-racism podcast, a psychology podcast, and a BIPOC podcast. 

Amazingly, creator and host Whitney Knox Lee has managed to brew up a podcast with all of those genres and has excelled at every one of them. 

I think Impostrix is so compelling because Ms Knox Lee has focused on Imposter Syndrome as one major consequence of centuries of chattel slavery, a century of exclusionary and vitriolic laws like Jim Crow, and the continuing undeclared campaign against BIPOC racial, cultural, and economic equality.

 

 Here's how Ms Knox Lee introduces herself: "I'm a proud Black American mom to two Black boys, a wife, an attorney, mediator, and anti-racism and DEI consultant. I'm also the host of Impostrix Podcast, where we share real talk about what it's like to navigate the professional world as a person of color. From imposter syndrome to racial toxicity, we cover it all. So join me and some amazing guests as we unpack the challenges and triumphs of being professionals of color."

Think about Knox Lee's self-portrait. She is a DEI consultant at a time when DEI is under attack by many politicians, social media trolls, and wealthy corporate leaders such as Bill Ackman and Elon Musk who have made posts on social media that decried diversity programs.

Since 2023, 81 anti-DEI bills that target programs at colleges have been introduced in 28 states and in Congress, according to a tally by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Eight have been signed into law, in states like Texas and Florida.

To Whitney Knox Lee's credit, she is undaunted in the face of these challenges. Read her mission statement: "Impostrix Podcast affirms the lived experiences of (smart, talented AF, and often over-qualified) people of color by challenging imposter syndrome narratives and validate people navigating racial toxicity in their career."

"Here, we will talk self-advocacy. You will learn ways to overcome and leverage imposter experiences, and you will be better able to identify when and why your work culture is working against you. Find support, resist gaslighting, own your space"

The Impostrix podcast began one year ago and is into its second season. 

One of my favorite episodes is the August 1, 2023, show called "What is Imposter Syndrome, Anyway?" In a solo episode, Knox Lee draws on her personal experience to give examples of how imposter experiences show up for her and how it intersects with race. She goes on to detail the five types of imposter syndrome identified by Dr. Valerie Young: the perfectionist, the expert, the natural genius, the soloist, and the super person. Listen to the episode to learn more about these five types in more detail. It's fascinating and instructive.

Another episode of note is a recent one with Alexandria Miller of the Strictly Facts podcast. Miller is a compelling guest who enlightens listeners about "the Caribbean diaspora" who have shaped and enriched Black American culture. Alexandria speaks on the significant contributions of Caribbean people, such as historical figures like Marcus Garvey, Shirley Chisholm, and Malcolm X, whose roots and activism have been instrumental in the fight for equality and justice. 

In the show, even Ms. Knox Lee admits that she didn't fully comprehend the nuances of Black identity with respect to Caribbean culture.

In December 2023, Ms. Knox Lee presented a crossover episode with Tanya Ambrose from the Tea With Tanya podcast.  The show is an engrossing interplay with two successful Black women digging deeper into the imposter syndrome narrative, self-doubt and self-sabotage. They both share their experiences navigating and reframing imposter syndrome and overcoming self-doubt to enjoy their personal and professional lives.

My favorite episode -- and the one in which I learned the most -- was the November 2023 show called White Dominant Culture in Every Seat: Navigating Complicity and Liberation. Here, she welcomes Kerrien Suarez, the president and CEO of Equity in the Center, and they delineate the definitions of white dominant culture, white supremacy, and white supremacy culture. It's an episode that spotlights Ms. Knox Lee's mastery as an interviewer, advocate, workplace advisor, and role model.

The episode models the key takeaways from the Impostrix podcast and Whitney Knox Lee's philosophy, which is, "Find support, resist gaslighting, own your space, and prepare to lead. Be Validated."

Ms. Knox Lee also actively engages with her listeners. She advertises an upcoming event on her podcast, and it is listed prominently on her website.
 
"Join Whitney and fellow Impostrix Podcast listeners monthly to discuss the theme of the month. This is a space for fellowship, and to relate to and learn with one another. We will draw from Impostrix Podcast conversations released during the given month. You are encouraged to listen to these episodes before attending, but this is not a requirement."

I like the bifurcation of discussions for BIPOC and white folks. It is a realization that white-person empathy and actually living through the tribulations of being Black in America are divergent experiences.

  As the host, Whitney Knox Lee excels as a storyteller, lecturer, interviewer, and mentor. Perhaps it's her legal training and experience. Ms. Knox Lee can explain complex historical, cultural, racial, and socioeconomic concepts so they are relatable to her listeners. 

Her skills as an interviewer and as a solo narrator are rare in the podcasting world, where hosts tend to excel at only one of those skills.

When I asked how did she become so adept at hosting a podcast, Whitney Knox Lee responded with unvarnished humility. "Am I?! Trial and error, I suppose. I am not a huge podcast listener, and I do what hosts are told NOT to do... I consider myself as my audience. So my conversations are very much aligned with what my personal interests and challenges are, and what my journey is."

When asked, "What’s the hardest part of indie podcasting?" Ms. Knox Lee answers immediately and like many indie podcasters who wear multiple hats. "Doing EVERYTHING. Any one part of podcasting is difficult for me. Combining everything together feels like a full-time job without the pay. I task I like the least is social media marketing!"

 

When asked why she developed the podcast, Ms. Knox Lee explains, "Podcasts provide great eavesdropping space. An opportunity for people to sit in on conversations that they normally may not be privy to and just listen."

She continues: "Here, there is no pressure to respond a right or wrong way. There are no expectations around my or your feelings, which also means it is a space where we (in this instance, BIPOC people) don't have to worry about caretaking white people. We also get to learn answers to questions we may be too embarrassed, afraid, insecure, or self-conscious to ask."

Check out the Impostrix podcast. While the target audience may be Black women, the intellectual vigor of creator / host Whitney Knox Lee makes the podcast compelling listening for anyone --race, gender, political affiliation -- with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and an eagerness to make life better for everyone.

As Whitney Knox Lee stresses many times on her podcast, "Be validated."