Harnessing Your Inner Strength

What's in this episode

In this episode of The Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about harnessing your inner strength to overcome self-doubt. My guest this week is Dr. Jenn Donahue, an engineer, retired U.S. Navy officer and author of the book, Becoming the Warrior: Harnessing Your Inner Strength to Silence Self-Doubt. Jenn’s journey spans ocean engineering, seismic design and military leadership across some of the most high-pressure environments in the world, including Iraq and Afghanistan. But her most powerful transformation has been personal: learning to quiet the voice of self-doubt and lead with authenticity, even in the most high-stakes arenas. Jenn shares how her early confidence gave way to self-doubt as she pursued advanced degrees and navigated toxic workplace cultures. We explore what it feels like to be the only woman in the room, the cost of trying to lead like someone you’re not and how finding the right mentor helped Jenn embrace a leadership style grounded in empathy and trust. She also introduces her warrior framework, a science-backed, practical system built from her military and engineering experience to help others reframe their inner dialogue and lead with greater confidence. About My