Is it imposter syndrome or are you just waiting for permission? In this solo episode, host Meghan DeFord breaks down the real difference between imposter syndrome and permission-seeking, why they get treated like the same thing, and why that mix-up keeps high-achieving women stuck.

Meghan opens with a tribute to Dolly Parton, who passed away on August 25th, and looks at how Dolly's life — leaving the Porter Wagoner Show, turning down Elvis Presley's request to record "I Will Always Love You," crossing from country into pop, film, and business — was really a lifelong practice of giving herself permission.

From there, Meghan dives into the research on imposter syndrome (technically the "impostor phenomenon"), starting with Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes' original 1978 study, a 2020 KPMG study of 750 executive women, and a 2024 meta-analysis of over 42,000 people from the Journal of Current Research in Behavioral Sciences. The data is clear: imposter feelings don't resolve with more achievements, more degrees, or more seniority, and the gender gap in imposter feelings hasn't closed in four decades.

But Meghan also pushes back on the "just believe in yourself" narrative, referencing the Harvard Business Review piece "Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome" to unpack how systemic factors — not just internal confidence — shape who feels like they belong in the room.

Then she gets practical: how to tell imposter syndrome apart from permission-seeking, why overworking is often a permission slip you're trying to earn through output, how to spot inherited goals you never actually chose, and a simple exercise to figure out exactly whose permission you've been waiting for and whether they actually have authority over your decision.

Whether you're still circling the decision or you already know exactly what you're building and just need a sharper partner to keep pace, that's what the free 30-minute strategy call is for. We'll get honest about what's actually stalling things and build a real plan, not just more reflection. Book at megdeford.com.

Follow along on Instagram and TikTok, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to Wait — What Do You Do Again?

Sources referenced: Clance & Imes (1978); KPMG 2020 study of executive women; Price, Holcomb & Payne (2024) meta-analysis, Journal of Current Research in Behavioral Sciences; Ruchika Tulshyan & Jodi-Ann Burey, "Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome" (Harvard Business Review)

⁠Dolly Parton's America ⁠(Jad Abumrad & Shima Oliaee)

Brooke Kaplan has run seven marathons and is training for her eighth in Berlin this September, while managing Type 1 diabetes on every single mile. For Brooke, that means constantly reading her body mid-run: is she spiking, dropping, fueling too early, too late, running too hot, too cold. Some runs end with her sitting on a curb for twenty minutes, waiting for a low blood sugar to pass before she can take another step.

In this conversation, Brooke, Director of HR Compliance at Worldwide Clinical Trials and a running coach with Team RunRun, talks about what it actually takes to keep showing up when the challenge isn't hypothetical. We get into her Boston qualifier at the Philadelphia Marathon, beating Diplo at his 5K, why she avoided racing for years after her first marathon, and what she tells her own athletes when a training run goes sideways.

We also talk about the discomfort women are taught to avoid, the difference between "I can't" and "I haven't yet," and why Brooke defines failure as data instead of a verdict. You start where you are, you build capacity, and the thing that once felt impossible becomes something you know how to do.

In this episode:

- Managing Type 1 diabetes mid-marathon, real-time blood sugar decisions

- Her Boston qualifier at the Philadelphia Marathon

- Why she quit racing after COVID, and what brought her back

- Coaching first-time marathoners through self-doubt

- Reframing failure: "first attempt in learning"

- Why women underestimate what they're capable of

- Starting small and building capacity for bigger goals

- Berlin Marathon prep and the six World Majors ahead

Connect with Brooke Kaplan on Instagram @Brooke_M_Kaplan, and find her for run coaching through Team RunRun, and on LinkedIn.

After 20 years in philanthropy, I learned that asking for what you want isn't just about the ask.

It’s about finding the right people, listening well, building real relationships, knowing the value you bring, being clear about why you’re there, and then actually saying what you want out loud.

In this solo episode, I’m sharing six lessons from two decades of asking people for money that apply far beyond fundraising, whether you’re asking for a promotion, an introduction, a client, support for an idea, or your next opportunity.

Because when you keep hinting, waiting to be noticed, or hoping someone connects the dots for you, you’re outsourcing your autonomy.

We’ll talk about how to make a clear ask without negotiating against yourself, what to do when someone objects, why a no can be useful information, and how strong relationships are built long before and long after the actual request.

Plus, I’ll leave you with one question to help you put this into practice immediately: What are you waiting for someone else to offer you that you could actually ask for?

Follow along at Instagram @megdeford, YouTube @megdeford, and visit www.megdeford.com

After nearly 40 years as one of New England's top employment attorneys, Charla Stevens knew exactly what burnout looked like from the inside because she lived it. In this episode, Charla joins the show to unpack what it really takes to build a healthier workplace, from why so many wellness programs miss the mark to what happens after an HR investigation closes.

We talk about:

• Why "leave your problems at home" was always bad advice — and what actually changes workplace culture
• The generational shift in how people talk about mental health, boundaries, and burnout at work
• Why employee assistance programs are so underused, and what leaders can do about it
• The double bind women still face between "not assertive enough" and "too much"
• How Charla knew it was time to leave a 40-year legal career at the top of her game
• What restorative work looks like after a workplace conflict or investigation

Charla now runs Charla Stevens Consulting, where she leads workplace investigations, leadership training, mediation, and HR strategy for organizations who want to do better by their people.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to have the hard conversation you've been avoiding, this one's for you.

Connect with Charla:
Website: charlastevensconsulting.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/charlastevens

Some obstacles are real; money, time, health, caregiving. Others only feel real. In this episode, I break down an exercise I use with my coaching clients to separate the two: write down every roadblock standing between you and your goal, then sort them into real and perceived.

Real roadblocks need real responses - more resources, more support, a longer timeline. Perceived roadblocks need something different: discernment. Is this a stop sign, or a speed bump?

I dig into why our brains are so good at building a case against the thing we actually want to do, what The Odyssey (yes, really) can teach us about self-sabotage, and how to tell whether you truly lack what you need or you just lack certainty.

Ready is not the absence of roadblocks. Ready is deciding you trust yourself to meet them.

Coaching & speaking: megdeford.comInstagram & TikTok: @megdeford

Jeremy Swick was born in Guatemala City during the country's 36-year civil war, raised in Wisconsin, and went on to work at both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame before founding his own media company, Swick Media.

He's been a historian, archivist, museum curator, podcast host, entrepreneur, rugby player, and social media strategist — somehow, every chapter makes perfect sense.

In this episode, Jeremy shares his path from a childhood shaped by identity and curiosity to a career built on following interest rather than convention. We talk about imposter syndrome, museums, sports, entrepreneurship, and why the most meaningful careers are often the ones you never could have planned.

Whether you're considering a career pivot or just wondering how all the pieces of your own story fit together, this conversation is a reminder that there's more than one way to build a meaningful life.

Jeremy hosts the podcast Into the Unknown and runs Swick Media, a podcast production and social media company.

Find Jeremy at swickmedia.com

Instagram: @swickmedia414 | @theaveragehistorian

You've done everything "right." The degree. The career. The promotions. The relationships. The house. The life that looks great on paper.

So why does it sometimes feel like you didn't choose all of this?

In this solo episode, Meghan explores the difference between the life we build and the life we actually want. Drawing on the work of Jane Fonda, Brené Brown, and her own experience coaching women through major life transitions, we explore:

• Why checking every box doesn't always lead to fulfillment

• The hidden "checklist" women inherit from society

• Don't call it a midlife crisis, call it a developmental stage

• Jane Fonda's powerful "Third Act" philosophy

• Brené Brown's research on midlife as an unraveling toward authenticity

• The difference between renovating your life and burning it down

• A simple exercise to help you reconnect with what you actually want

If you've been feeling restless, disconnected, or like there's something more waiting for you, this episode is for you.

Show Notes / References/Resources MentionedMeghan DeFord is a women's leadership strategist, coach, speaker, and host of Wait - What Do You Do Again? She helps ambitious women stop waiting to feel ready, reconnect with what they actually want, and build intentional lives grounded in their values instead of everyone else's expectations.

www.megdeford.com
Instagram: @megdeford
TikTok: @megdeford

Jane Fonda

• Life's Third Act (TED Talk)
• Jane Fonda on Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus discussing aging, purpose, and the "third act" of life.

Brené Brown

• The Gifts of Imperfection
• Atlas of the Heart
• Daring Greatly

Additional References:

• Carl Jung's work on individuation and the second half of life.
• The Talking Heads song Once in a Lifetime

You did everything right. The career, the promotions, the money in the bank. So why does it still feel misaligned?

Kristin Gallatin used to measure success in dollars — until her husband's motorcycle crash and later cancer diagnosis forced her to rebuild her entire definition of a good life. She went from running three businesses, full-time caregiving, no time to stop — to selling the house, giving away almost everything, and hitting the road full-time in an RV, volunteering at national parks along the way.

In this episode, Kristin and Meghan talk about what actually happens when you stop performing success and start building your life around your real values: the freedom, the isolation, the courage it takes to ask for help, and why "starting over" is the wrong frame entirely. Expect zero vision-board energy, real talk about money and self-worth, and one seriously good hiking-trail metaphor for finding your way back to yourself.

If you've ever felt like nothing is technically wrong but something still feels off, this conversation is for you.

Topics covered: redefining success after crisis, values-based living, burnout recovery, courage and self-trust, life after caregiving, the myth of starting over.

You can find Kristin at https://savvylivingnetwork.com/

Ever wonder why the goal you were SO excited about three weeks ago is now sitting untouched in your notes app? You're not lazy. You're not undisciplined. You just built a system for a version of you that doesn't exist yet.

In this episode, Meghan unpacks the difference between goals built in isolation and goals built around your real, current life. She shares the coaching questions she uses with clients to figure out what's actually possible (versus what's just perceived as impossible), plus a simple 48-hour action exercise to help you stop negotiating with reality and start building momentum today.

Amanda Reece spent more than a decade living with debilitating pain before finally being diagnosed with cervical cancer and stage 4 endometriosis. After years of being dismissed by doctors, questioning her own intuition, and simply trying to survive, Amanda rebuilt her life from the ground up.

In this conversation, we explore what healing really looks like, why manifestation isn't about wishful thinking, how grief is an essential part of transformation, and why the version of yourself that survived deserves compassion instead of criticism.

If you've ever felt stuck, disconnected from yourself, or wondered whether it's too late to change your life, this episode is for you.

In this episode we discuss:

• Living with undiagnosed endometriosis and chronic pain
• Self-advocacy in healthcare
• The realities of healing after trauma and illness
• Manifestation vs. intentional action
• Rebuilding your identity after survival mode
• Why grief is part of creating a life you love

More about Amanda at:

https://www.amandafesting.com/

https://www.instagram.com/aimandalign.amandafesting/

https://www.youtube.com/@Amandafesting