Who Let You on the Stage? (Without a Map)

Walter McKenzie
17 minutes ago
3 min read

I don’t care what they call imposter syndrome.

That’s not what this is.

What I have—what I’ve had for years—is something else entirely.

I call it **“Who let you on the stage?” syndrome.

It’s not rooted in insecurity.

It’s not self-doubt in the way people assume.

It’s that moment when you know who you are, you know your work, you know you’re qualified—and still, when you walk onto a stage, you think:

Wait… how did I get here?

Who told them I belonged in this room?

There have been times I’ve been invited to speak and thought, Oh my God, how did I get on this stage?

Times I applied to conferences and got accepted.

Times someone said, “Ask Benita to do this,” and suddenly I’m holding a mic.

I sit down on the panel.

They introduce me.

They hand me the microphone.

And for a split second, I brace myself—like someone is about to tap me on the shoulder and say, Excuse me, there’s been a mistake.

But then the questions come.

And I have answers.

Thought-provoking answers.

Data-driven answers.

Spirit-led answers.

Answers that land.

Answers that make people laugh, pause, nod, write things down.

I have take-backs and comebacks.

I have stories and strategy.

I have energy.

And in those moments, I remember something important.

God put me on this stage.

Not accidentally.

Not as a fluke.

Not because someone felt sorry for me.

I didn’t sneak in.

I didn’t get lucky.

I was placed.

This isn’t about questioning my worth. I know I’m worthy.

It’s about the weight of responsibility that comes when you realize your voice carries impact.

Because once you accept that God put you on the stage, you also accept that you’re accountable for what you do with the mic.

This season of finding my way without a map has been teaching me that clarity doesn’t always arrive before calling. Sometimes the stage shows up first—and the confidence catches up mid-sentence.

And maybe that’s true for you too.

Maybe you’re not an imposter.

Maybe you’re not underqualified.

Maybe you’re not “faking it.”

Maybe you’re just standing in a place you prayed for—before you fully got used to seeing yourself there.

So let me ask you this, gently:

Where in your life are you sitting on a stage you didn’t plan for—but somehow keep showing up prepared for?

And what would change if you stopped asking who let me be here and started asking what am I meant to offer while I am?

This space—Finding My Way Without a Map—is where I’m writing through these realizations in real time. Not once they’re polished. But while they’re still unfolding.

If this reflection sounds like something you’ve felt but never named, you’re welcome to stay and keep walking with me here.

Sometimes the map comes later.

The stage doesn’t.

This brilliant perspective was Originally posted January 28, 2026 and is crossposted with permission.

Benita C. Gordon has been an educator for more than 25 years, doing the work from the ground up: leading classrooms, launching schools, designing curriculum, and now disrupting the status quo through microschool innovation. The founder of Global Education Concierge, she helps educators, parents, & community leaders build learner-centered environments, from hybrid homeschools to micro-hubs to culturally-rooted global learning models. Contact her via email here.