The Atkinson Institute · About Us
We turn research into
everyday practice.
Exploring why people question their worth, legitimacy, and place in the world, even in the presence of achievement, recognition, and success. Through research and scholarship, we seek to advance understanding of self-doubt, identity, belonging, and human potential.
Purpose, vision, and
the commitments that bind them
The Atkinson Institute exists at the intersection of rigorous scholarship and lived experience. We don't separate the science from the story. We use both to build something the field has needed: research that reaches the people it's studying.
To advance understanding of self-worth, legitimacy, identity, belonging, and related psychological and social phenomena through research, education, and scholarly inquiry.
We explore the conditions that shape self-doubt, achievement, and belonging, and translate findings into meaningful applications for individuals, organizations, and communities..
A world where self-worth, legitimacy, identity, and belonging are not left to chance.
Homes, schools, workplaces, and communities intentionally designed to support human flourishing rather than undermine it.
Evidence-based, community-led, and equity-minded in every output we produce
We publish in plain language and share tools freely whenever possible. The people most affected by impostorism should have the most access to what we learn about it.
About Simone S. Atkinson
Simone S. Atkinson is a researcher, author, and founder of The Atkinson Institute, an organization dedicated to advancing understanding of self-worth, legitimacy, identity, belonging, and the impostor phenomenon.
She is the author of Almost Worthy: When Recognition Feeds Doubt Instead of Purpose and The Imposter Effect: The Science Behind Self-Doubt. Her work explores why achievement, recognition, and success do not always resolve self-doubt, and how questions of legitimacy, belonging, and identity shape human experience across personal, professional, and organizational contexts.
Her current research focuses on the development of conceptual frameworks and measurement instruments related to self-worth, legitimacy, and impostorism. Areas of inquiry include military spouse identity, belonging, AI-induced self-doubt, and the conditions under which individuals come to question their place, value, or legitimacy despite evidence of competence and achievement.
As a military spouse and mother, Simone conducts much of her work from within the communities she studies. This perspective informs both her research questions and her commitment to translating scholarship into meaningful real-world understanding.
Her work is guided by a simple belief: many experiences commonly described as confidence problems may reflect deeper questions of worth, legitimacy, identity, and belonging.
Author, Almost Worthy: When Recognition Feeds Doubt Instead of Purpose
Author, The Imposter Effect: The Science Behind Self-Doubt
Founder, The Atkinson Institute
Researcher, Self-Worth, Legitimacy, Identity, and Belonging
Simone S. Atkinson
Founder · Researcher · Author · Speaker
I founded The Atkinson Institute because I became interested in a question that achievement alone could not answer: Why do people continue to question their worth, legitimacy, or place in the world even after they have earned success? What began as a personal exploration of the impostor phenomenon has grown into a broader research agenda focused on self-worth, identity, legitimacy, and belonging. This work is deeply personal to me. It shapes the questions we pursue, the frameworks we develop, and our commitment to understanding experiences that are often felt deeply but rarely named clearly.
— Simone S. Atkinson
Our Values
Dignity
Every program, study, and workshop protects the personhood and self-worth of participants — no exceptions. We do not study people. We study with them.
Clarity
Plain language. Practical tools. Transparent methods. We publish what we find, cite our sources, and acknowledge our limits. Clarity is itself an act of empowerment.
Courage
We test new ideas, name uncomfortable patterns, and introduce frameworks the field hasn't been willing to propose. We learn from our community and adapt — always.
Purpose
Every individual has inherent worth and a calling beyond comparison or doubt. We build toward that conviction in every publication, workshop, and study we produce.
Inclusion
Impostorism does not discriminate. We center military spouses, first-generation professionals, women, youth, and entrepreneurs — communities often missing from the research.
Integrity
We cite our sources. We separate what the research says from what we believe. We hold ourselves to the same standards of evidence we ask the field to meet.