You Deserve to Be Here: Battling Imposter Syndrome in Voiceover
As voice actors, we’ve all had those moments. You know, when things are going well and instead of celebrating, you tell yourself you just got lucky. Or when bookings slow down and suddenly you start wondering if you’re even good enough for this. That little voice starts creeping in: "Do I really deserve this? Was that last job a fluke? Am I falling behind?"
Yeah. Imposter syndrome is real, and it happens to everyone, even the most seasoned pros.
The trick isn’t to make it magically disappear. It’s about learning how to deal with it when it shows up.
One thing I’ve found super helpful is keeping a list of my voiceover wins. This can be cool projects you’ve worked on, positive reviews from clients, emails that made you feel good, or even a simple note about how a session went well. That list is a reminder of your worth and your progress, especially on those days when your brain is trying to convince you otherwise.
I was reminded of this recently when I booked a role in a video game. Like always, I was excited to get the "You booked it!" email (a win is a win, no matter what!), but since I have a send-and-forget mindset with auditions, I had to go back and look up what I even submitted for. 😅
This time, the follow-up email hit me a little differently.
The casting director told me that over 170 people auditioned for this role. And not only that, they reviewed all the auditions again with the audio team before deciding they wanted me.
That genuinely made me pause.
So many times in the past, I’ve found out I booked a project where maybe 30 people auditioned and I would tell myself, "Oh, it was only 30 people, not that impressive." (By the way, that’s such a toxic mindset. Whether it's 30 or 300 people, you still earned that spot.)
But hearing that I was chosen out of over 170 other talented actors was incredibly validating. It reminded me that yes, I do have what it takes. It gave me that little boost of confidence to keep pushing, keep improving, and keep believing in myself.
In voiceover, we rarely know how many people we’re up against. Sometimes it's 10, sometimes it's 1,000. But the truth is, none of that should determine our sense of worth. Booking a job means you connected with the team. Your performance, your sound, you, that’s what stood out.
Imposter syndrome will show up. That's just part of being human. But don’t let it sit in the driver’s seat. Collect your wins, remind yourself that you’ve earned them, and remember, you deserve to be here.