Latinas are the fastest‑growing group of new business owners in New Jersey, outpacing men and women of every other racial and ethnic group — even while overcoming many of the traditional obstacles they face, starting with access to capital.
Despite that success, they continue to grapple with another challenge: overcoming imposter syndrome.
That was the message last week from panelists at The Art of Being a Modern Latina, an event sponsored by the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“Imposter syndrome is something that’s talked about a lot within our community,” moderator Raven Santana said.
While imposter syndrome in the workplace is often associated with people questioning whether they deserve their position — wondering why they were promoted or if they truly belong in leadership roles — Santana said it can begin much earlier for Latinas.
She pointed to networking events, a critical part of building relationships and growing a brand, as a common source of discomfort.
“We’re not really trained or taught how to network,” Santana said. “It’s just not ingrained in us.”
Victoria Sosa, an Emmy Award‑winning television host, said that sense of self‑doubt often surfaces during job interviews as well.
“It’s natural to ask, ‘Do I have the qualifications?’” she said.
The crowd of several hundred — most of them women — nodded in agreement. Many had experienced moments when something triggered their self‑worth.
Then they heard a panelist with the spirit of self-confidence.
Daniela Palacios was still in high school when she founded Para KIDS!, a company that publishes Spanish‑English bilingual children’s books designed to help kids build language skills while seeing their cultures and lived experiences reflected on the page.
Now 22, Palacios said challenging the idea of self‑doubt has been central to her early success.
“I don’t necessarily like to use the term imposter syndrome,” she said. “I don’t like to give it power.”
Palacios, however, acknowledged self-doubt can be there.
“Of course, it’s natural to feel a little out of place,” she said. “Trust me, I’ve often been the youngest person in the room at entrepreneurship conferences — and frequently the only Latina.”
Rather than allowing herself to feel inferior, Palacios said she approached those moments with curiosity and a desire to learn from leaders with more experience.
“I was a sponge,” she said. “I wanted to absorb everything.”
Anyelis Cordero, founder and CEO of Propel on Purpose, applauded that mindset.
Cordero said the term imposter syndrome wrongly places the burden on the individual. She said what many Latinas actually are facing is imposter phenomenon, the result of systems that were never designed with them in mind.
“You’re in a system that wasn’t built for people who look like you — and doesn’t help people who look like you succeed in a certain way,” she said. “So, when you hear ‘imposter syndrome,’ I want you to correct people and say, ‘There’s nothing wrong with me.’”
Cordero took it a step further, saying Latinas should learn to welcome discomfort.
“Any time you do something new, you’re going to feel uncomfortable — you’re going to feel like you don’t belong,” she said. “That’s normal. We need to normalize that feeling and understand that it’s part of the process — part of the evolution.”
Then she delivered the final takeaway.
“If you’re very comfortable,” Cordero said, “you’re not taking enough risks. You need to put yourself out there. Feel uncomfortable. Go through the discomfort — because on the other side of it is tremendous growth and success.”
The event, at the DoubleTree in Fairfield, attracted dozens of vendors, including Santos Flowers, which has become a go-to partner at business events across the state. /
Many of the attendees were featured on the BINJE’s Best: Top Hispanic Business Leaders list last fall. See a video of the event here.
