From Imposter to Inner Knowing

From Imposter to Inner Knowing: How I Overcame the Voice That Said I Wasn’t Enough
By Coach Michael Taylor

There was a time—not too long ago—when every step I took toward my dreams felt like I was walking through quicksand. I had this burning desire to speak, to write, to share the message that had been growing in my soul for years. But no matter how many words I put on paper or how many stages I stepped onto, there was a voice inside whispering, Who do you think you are?

That voice had a name: imposter syndrome.

For me, imposter syndrome wasn’t just about feeling unqualified professionally—it was deeply personal. As a Black man who has always carried a profound sense of optimism and hope, I often found myself caught between two worlds. My worldview didn’t always align with the dominant narrative of Black struggle, and because of that, I was sometimes told I wasn’t “Black enough.” That phrase cut deep.

I carried this unspoken question around like a shadow: Do I belong?
Not just in rooms filled with white professionals, but sometimes even in rooms with people who looked like me.

Then layer onto that the fact that I was a high school dropout. No college degree. No fancy credentials. Just a man with a story, a message, and a calling. I used to sit at my computer typing words that came straight from my soul, only to be gripped by fear. Why would anyone listen to a guy like me? What authority do I have to write books, to speak on stages, to guide others when I don’t have the paper to prove I’m worthy?

But what I’ve come to understand on this journey of healing and awakening is that my authority doesn’t come from external validation—it comes from within. It comes from what I now know as the Big S Self.

You see, for much of my life, I was living from the little s self—the part of me shaped by trauma, by society’s expectations, by shame, by fear. That self was always trying to prove something. Trying to be accepted. Trying to be enough.

But through my own spiritual work, emotional healing, and countless nights spent in quiet reflection, I met someone else within me.
A deeper presence. A wiser voice.
The Big S Self—the part of me that was never broken, never not enough, never in need of approval. That Self knew the truth: I was born worthy. I was born powerful. And I was born to share a message that only I could deliver in my own unique way.

As I began to live more from that Big S Self, everything changed. I stopped shrinking myself to fit in. I stopped worrying about how others might perceive my optimism or spiritual worldview. I stopped apologizing for not having a degree. I started showing up fully—just as I am—with confidence and clarity.

Now, I write books not to prove I’m smart, but to pour truth onto the page.

Now, I speak not to be admired, but to be of service.

Now, I share my story not to get validation, but to liberate others from the illusion that they are not enough.

And the beautiful thing? I no longer feel like an imposter. Because I’m not pretending. I’m not performing. I’m not playing a role.
I’m simply being who I was born to be—connected, whole, and free.

To anyone who has ever felt like they didn’t belong because they were too different, not credentialed enough, or not Black enough—I see you. I am you. And I want you to know that the world doesn’t need a more polished version of you. The world needs the real you—the Big S Self that’s been waiting to shine.

Because once you meet that part of you, the imposter disappears.
And what remains is truth.