Why Does This Feel So Hard? | Imposter Phenomenon, Risk & the Psychology of Difficult Things

About this episode

Leila Ainge discusses the psychology behind difficult tasks and introduces The Hard Thing Challenge in this episode.

Why do some things feel emotionally bigger than they “should”? In this bonus episode of Psychologically Speaking , psychologist and researcher Leila Ainge introduces The Hard Thing Challenge — a free five-day reflection challenge exploring the psychology behind difficult tasks, imposter feelings, avoidance, identity, and risk. This episode also introduces the next season of Psychologically Speaking. You’ll also get: – details of Leila's free 5 day challenge. – an introduction to The Reflection Room – details on how the challenge works – and a preview of the new podcast season exploring imposter phenomenon through the lens of risk Join the challenge at www.leilaainge.co.uk

People in this episode

Host: Leila Ainge

Topics covered

• imposter phenomenon
• psychology
• difficult tasks
• risk
• identity
• avoidance

Keywords

• imposter phenomenon
• psychology
• difficult tasks
• risk
• identity
• avoidance
• reflection challenge

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Decibelle Creative, The Hard Thing Challenge, The Reflection Room

Places: www.leilaainge.co.uk

More episodes of Psychologically Speaking with Leila Ainge

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• 58. Your Whole Axis Shifts: What Grief Changes About Work and Life · April 21, 2026 · 55 min
• 57. Off the Beaten Path: Identity, Belonging & Building a Career That Actually Fits · April 14, 2026 · 48 min
• What if interviews don’t just reveal what we think… but actually change it? · April 11, 2026 · 11 min
• I Refuse to Hate Myself: Emma Seville on 'Starting Again' · April 7, 2026 · 58 min
• Bonus: Everything we know is shaped by where we stand in the world. · March 25, 2026 · 6 min