logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2024
33m 44s

Befriending your impostor syndrome with ...

TED
About this episode

When Halla Tómasdóttir lost her bid for the Icelandic presidency in 2016, she wasn't sure she wanted to run again. But after battles with self-doubt, encouragement from her supporters and an epiphany about leadership, she ran again this year — and this time, she won. Halla joins Adam to discuss dealing with impostor syndrome, why leadership is worth the effort and how listening and asking questions can build trust with constituents and make you a stronger leader. The two also dig into the story behind Halla's "scarf revolution," Iceland's history of solving problems with creativity and Halla’s approach to leading her campaign — and presidency — with optimism. 


Available transcripts for ReThinking can be found at go.ted.com/RWAGscripts

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/worklife/worklife-with-adam-grant-transcripts


For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.


Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou

TEDAI Vienna: ted.com/ai-vienna


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 21
ReThinking: The art of the interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin
As a business journalist, Andrew Ross Sorkin writes for the New York Times DealBook, which he founded, and co-anchors Squawk Box on CNBC. In this episode, Adam and Andrew riff on what makes a great conversation and compare notes on their best and worst interviews—including when E ... Show More
36m 41s
Oct 14
ReThinking: What being a lawyer taught John Grisham about writing novels
John Grisham is the author of over 50 #1 bestselling novels, including A Time To Kill and The Pelican Brief—but before he became the preeminent writer of legal thrillers, he had a tumultuous career as a lawyer. Adam and John discuss how John’s experience in the courtroom inspires ... Show More
34m 15s
Oct 7
ReThinking: What we’re getting wrong about mental health with RaQuel Hopkins
RaQuel Hopkins is a therapist and HR professional whose hot takes on growth and well-being have challenged how many people talk and think about mental health. In this episode, Adam and RaQuel explore how some people use mental health labels as a crutch, discuss ways to expand our ... Show More
33m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 20
Brené Brown on courageous leadership | from ReThinking with Adam Grant
Brené Brown is a researcher, storyteller, and author who hosts the podcast Dare to Lead and has given some of the most popular TED Talks of all time. Brené joins Adam live at Authors@Wharton to talk about her new book, Strong Ground. They discuss how to identify your core values, ... Show More
41m 55s
May 2025
550: Artist, Leader, and Yale Fellow Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir on Rethinking Leadership Through Intuition and Inner Clarity
What if the leadership edge you’re looking for doesn’t come from working harder, but listening deeper? We talk often about productivity, performance, and pushing through. But few conversations explore the quieter forces shaping our best decisions, like intuition. In this episode, ... Show More
58m 26s
Mar 2025
How to Prepare For—and Lead Through—a Crisis
Over her career, Simmons University President Lynn Perry Wooten has studied crisis leadership and managing uncertainty. Her most recent book, The Prepared Leader, breaks down successful strategies for navigating crises—whether it’s a pandemic or a viral customer complaint. She ta ... Show More
25m 8s
Sep 2024
#192: Kim Scott—The Hidden Cost of Being Too Nice in Leadership
What’s the real cost of being too nice? It’s more than you might think. Many leaders, especially small business owners, fall into the trap of “ruinous empathy”, which is the failure to provide essential feedback due to the fear of hurting someone's feelings. Avoiding difficult co ... Show More
49m 24s
Jan 2024
Changing Your Story
In this episode of the Impostor Syndrome Files, we talk about the role our stories play in our confidence journeys. When we’re doing something scary, or experiencing self-doubt, too often, our story is one of disempowerment – I don’t belong here, or I’m not good enough. It’s a fl ... Show More
40m 15s
May 2025
Millennials And Gen Zers Step Into Leadership
It's 2025, and if you're a Millennial or Gen Zer, there's a good chance that you are qualified to manage and lead other people, even run for political office. Yes! Even you, the person who shares "I'm just a baby" memes! But taking that leap into leadership can be super intimidat ... Show More
22m 2s
Dec 2024
Documenting Failure
Do you document and analyse failure? In this episode, Squirrel and Jeffrey draw inspiration from Donald Knuth's detailed study of his own software mistakes to give you the lowdown on learning from past mistakes, including meaningful postmortems and retrospectives. LINKS: - Knuth' ... Show More
7m 33s
Feb 2025
Why you should get good at being bad | Fixable
This is an episode of Fixable, another podcast from the TED Audio Collective. Sometimes the only way to win is by finding the courage to lose. This week on Fixable, Anne and Frances want you to “dare to be bad” in order to free up capacity to excel at more important things. They ... Show More
25m 35s
Jun 2025
How to speak up — even when you don’t want to | Sarah Crawford-Bohl
What stops you from speaking up when it matters most? Healthcare leader Sarah Crawford-Bohl offers a practical, compassionate framework to have difficult conversations with clarity and heart — and shows how it can lead to stronger teams and real impact.For a chance to give your o ... Show More
14m 54s
May 2025
Leading Through Chaos With Stephanie Chung 7 | 22
Leadership sounds empowering—until you're navigating chaos, clunky systems, and a team giving you major side-eye. Amy and Kim talk with Stephanie Chung—trailblazing exec, leadership strategist, and accidental trust-builder—about the messy reality of stepping into high-stakes role ... Show More
50m 57s