E67: Why You Shouldn’t “Fake It Till You Make It” (And What to Do Instead)

In today’s episode, we’re flipping the script on the age-old advice to “fake it till you make it.” I’m sharing why I’ve never believed in this mindset and how pretending to be someone you're not can actually slow you down, lead to burnout, and create deep misalignment in your business journey.

If you’ve ever felt the pressure to look more polished, more confident, or more “ready” than you really are, this episode is your permission slip to stop faking it... and start building real confidence instead.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• Why “faking it” is rooted in fear, not confidence
• How pretending can damage your growth, trust, and business integrity
• The hidden cost of skipping steps and performing instead of progressing
• Why belief + intention + action is more powerful than perfection
• How to build trust with your audience by being real, not “ready”
• The exact mindset shift I used when launching this podcast...imperfectly but powerfully

✨ Key Takeaways:

• You don’t need to fake confidence. You build it, brick by brick.
• People connect with truth, not perfection.
• You’re allowed to grow in public. Taking people on the journey with you builds trust.
• Set an intention, bring aligned energy, and take one real action...that’s how you grow into your future self.
• You’re not behind. You’re building something real. Just go and make it.

🔥 Reflective Prompts:

• What version of me am I becoming?
• What energy do I want to bring into my business today?
• What aligned action can I take, something that stretches me, without forcing me to pretend?

📣 Final Message:

Let’s ditch the mask. Let’s ditch the pretending. And let’s grow into our dream business and life by showing up with belief, integrity, and aligned action.

No more faking it till you make it. Just make it.

Want to connect? Find me here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamemmahine

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-hine

Website: https://www.emmahine.co.uk

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/@EmmaHineStrategy

Transcript

Hello & welcome to Dream Business Dream Life, helping ambitious people, like you, to grow a business they love.

 I’m Emma Hine and I’m on a mission to show you that it is possible to grow a business without sacrificing your life.

 Having experienced the rollercoaster of making millions of pounds, but feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and totally unsuccessful, I know first-hand the importance of growing a business on your terms.

 On this podcast I'm going to share with you lots of tips and advice that will enable you to grow a business that gives you the financial freedom to live the life of your dreams while sharing with you some inspirational growth stories from other fabulous business owners.

 Ready to live the dream? Then let’s get stuck in…

Hello & Welcome to today’s episode of Dream Business Dream Life.

Today we’re diving into a phrase I know you’ve heard before… maybe even tried to live by…

“Fake it till you make it.”

Let me tell you right now I don’t believe in it. I never have.
And in this episode, I’m going to tell you why that mindset is not only unhelpful but actually holds you back from building a business and life that feels truly aligned.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to pretend to be more confident, more successful, more ready than you really are this episode is for you.

Let’s get real most people don’t choose to fake it because they want to lie. They fake it because they feel like they’re not enough as they are. Not experienced enough. Not qualified enough. Not polished enough. And somewhere along the line, they got the message that in order to be taken seriously, they had to act like they were already ‘there.’

It’s rooted in fear…fear of being judged, fear of failing publicly, fear of not being respected. We live in a world where highlight reels are everywhere. Everyone’s showing their “after,” but rarely their “during.”

So we start thinking If I show the messy middle, people won’t trust me. They won’t buy from me. They won’t take me seriously.

And that’s when the mask goes on. And that’s why it feels safer in the moment to fake it.

But what does it even mean to “fake it till you make it”?

It means pretending. Acting like you’ve got it all figured out, even when you don’t.
 It’s putting on a version of yourself you think people want to see.

And the problem with that is it’s exhausting.

When you’re faking it, you’re living out of alignment.
 You’re constantly questioning yourself. You’re afraid people will “find you out.” And instead of building real confidence, you build a mask. A fake version of you.

And here’s the twist  faking it doesn’t speed up your growth. It actually slows it down.

Because when you’re pretending to be further along than you are, you don’t ask for the help you need. You avoid learning the basics because you're busy trying to look advanced. You say yes to things you’re not ready for not because you want to stretch yourself, but because you don’t want anyone to see where you’re really at.

So instead of building a strong foundation, you’re building a fragile structure on shaky ground.

And long-term? That always cracks. That’s when the burnout happens. That’s when the doubt gets louder. Because deep down, you know you skipped steps you needed to take. And now you feel even more like an imposter than before

 And it gets harder and harder to maintain this fake you as your audience grows because now you have to keep the act going.

So let me be really clear…you do NOT need to pretend to be someone you're not in order to grow into the person you're becoming.

And then the little oopsie moments start to kick in…you forget what you are supposed to be pretending to be for a spilt second and say the wrong thing ,which people hear, and then sover time they will start to doubt your integrity and the growth you thought you’d get would start to stop and in time decline as nobody trusts you anymore…even when you are not pretending.

So What Should You Do Instead? As you want people to believe in you right?

Be honest…take people on the journey with you.

Instead of faking it…Believe it’s possible. Set the intention and show up with integrity.

You don’t have to fake confidence. You build it. Brick by brick.
 Through action, repetition, and reminding yourself that you’re capable even when you’re scared.

When you set an intention, for example “I’m learning how to become a coach.” “I’m stepping into my next level as a business owner.”
“I’m showing up even when it’s messy.”

You give yourself permission to grow without pretending you’re already there.

It’s not about lying to yourself or your audience. It’s about believing in where you’re headed and aligning your actions to match.

If you pretend for too long, you may actually start to believe it and then the actions you take will not be the right ones.

Let me give you an example.
 
 

When I started this podcast, I wasn’t ready.
 I didn’t have everything figured out. I didn’t have the perfect setup, the biggest following, or the clearest strategy. But I had the belief. The intention. And the willingness to show up.

I told everyone that I was winging the launch but I acted like someone who believed in their vision and people bought into that…they supported it and they cheered me on and that is what kept me going, that is what made this podcast go live.
There’s a big difference.

People don’t connect with perfection they connect with truth.
And when you lead with honesty, growth, and grounded belief in your future you become magnetic. People want to spend time with you, people believe in what you say and they love watching you grow.

People will work with you even at the start of your business journey as you are still ahead of your ideal client regardless of being in the early stages of your business journey.

Hand on heart do you buy into someone who always says ‘nearly sold out’ when you can see they have no engagement on any of their content…probably not but you do buy into someone who keeps saying I am working hard to make this happen…and when it comes to you making a buying decision you are going to buy into the person that you feel is open and honest as you trust that they can deliver their thing as they do not fake it.

So if you’re feeling that pressure to “fake it,” here’s what I want you to do instead

I want you to ask yourself: What version of me am I becoming?

Then I want you to set the intention: What energy do I want to bring into my business today?

And finally Take one aligned action: Something that stretches you, but doesn’t force you to be someone you’re not.

Remember: You don’t have to know everything. You just have to trust that you’re capable of figuring it out.

So let’s ditch the faking. Let’s ditch the mask. Let’s grow into our future self with belief, intention, and action.

Because that’s how you create a dream business and a dream life not by pretending, but by becoming.

Do not fake it until you make it…just go and make it instead!

You’re not behind. You’re building something real. And you don’t need to fake it you just need to trust yourself.

Until next time, keep dreaming big and keep showing up as you.

Thank you for listening; see you next time.

You have been listening to Dream Business Dream Life with Emma Hine. If you want to know more about how I can help you to build your dream business and your dream life, then visit my website emmehine.co.uk. Until next time remember you really can have it all!