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Even the most famous business people have experienced imposter syndrome.
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates joined Jay Shetty on the “On Purpose” podcast this week to talk about her career and personal life, particularly moments where she’s had to find grace and accept a sense of imperfection along the way.
Related: Melinda French Gates resigns as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Recalling her time as head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, French Gates admitted that she “felt like an imposter for the first ten years” and never felt qualified to speak “credibly” about the foundation's work because she had no professional training in global health policy or medicine.
However, one particular incident brought her a revelation that changed her attitude toward her work and her role.
“Someone from the foundation who was working for me at the time came to me and asked me to comment on something, and I said, 'No, no, I don't think I know enough,'” French Gates explained. “And this woman said to me, 'Are you kidding me? Look at how much you've traveled… how much knowledge you've accumulated?'”
She said the staff member gave her numerous examples of her qualifications – from the different communities she had visited to the doctors and scientists she had worked with, and that she had gained years of direct experience in the field.
Related: Melinda French Gates reveals her next move after leaving the Gates Foundation
“I could speak on behalf of so many of these women that I have met who have invited me into their homes or shown me the harsh circumstances of their lives,” French Gates explained. “If they have spoken to me, I have to bring their truths out into the world… I know enough. I will never know everything, no one will ever know everything about the history of the Earth, but I know enough to know what I know deep down and to speak those truths.”
French Gates officially resigned from her position as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in May, saying that under the terms of her departure, she would continue to have $12.5 billion available for future philanthropic purposes.
“This decision was not an easy one for me,” she wrote in a statement on X at the time. “For me, now is the right time to start the next chapter of my philanthropy.”
A few days later, she announced that she would donate $1 billion over the next two years to organizations supporting women's rights.
Melinda French Gates' net worth was estimated at $13.4 billion as of Thursday afternoon.
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