Everyone Else Is Smarter Than Me ...

Everyone Else Is Smarter Than Me (Apparently): A conversation about imposture syndrome

The Plasticity Podcast di Santina Duarte
E20
23 feb 2026
31:52

Note sull'episodio

Hi, it's me, Santina, a 20-something-year-old woman who forcibly took you away from your cat parents and brought you into a tiny, cold apartment, and you kind of like it because she gives you churus. This week, we're talking impostor syndrome because oh boy do I (and most people I know) have it. Imposture syndrome is everywhere in academia, but it’s rarely talked about honestly. In this episode, we explore why so many capable scientists feel like they don’t belong—and how competitive systems, peer review, and chronic evaluation wire the brain for self-doubt.

As per usual, I release a new episode every Monday at 7:00 am EST. You can find me on all podcast platforms and on Instagram at @theplasticitypodcast. Thank you so much for another week of listening, and remember that as the horrors persist, so do you!

Parole chiave

Neuroscience
Academic Journey
Neural Networks
Coming of age
Graduate School
University
Science communication
grant writing
science and tech
knowing your audience
dissemination
women in science
cognition
pseudoscience
experimentation
relationships
neurochemistry
neural encoding
reward pathways
depression
mental health
in vivo
in vitro
research
human research
health
womens health
womens research
publishing
peer review
burnout
imposture syndrome
academia