From Imposter to Inspiration: Dr Katie Ford’s Journey Through Self-Doubt to Self-Worth
How a vet turned imposter syndrome into a voice of empowerment — and built a movement by choosing honesty over perfection.
To say I’m inspired (and slightly obsessed) with Katie Ford would be an understatement. Over the last five years, I’ve had the privilege of watching Katie grow not only as a veterinary surgeon but also as a keynote speaker, coach, mentor, consultant, influencer, and founder.
She has more letters after her name than I thought possible: BVSc(Hons) CertAVP(SAM) PGCert MSc FRCVS. But here’s the thing - those letters don’t make her intimidating. If anything, each one has made her more grounded, more approachable, and more real.
Katie is a human first. Titles come after. And perhaps her greatest superpower? Katie makes you feel instantly comfortable by being willing to be vulnerable. She talks openly about trauma, burnout, and imposter syndrome - then backs it with science, because she’s taken the time to learn, understand, and apply.
Her story is proof that you can climb the ladder of achievement, tick every box, and still feel like you’re not enough. But it’s also proof that change is possible.
Growing Up & Becoming “Katie the Clever One”
Katie grew up in a working-class family in West Yorkshire, the first in her family to go to university. She admits that as a child, her whole identity became wrapped up in being the “clever one”:
“I didn’t feel valuable for anything else. I wasn’t the funny one, the sporty one, or the pretty one. I was Katie, the clever one.”
That belief carried her to veterinary school, where she quickly went from being top of the class to feeling painfully average. Surrounded by students from more privileged backgrounds, she began questioning if she really belonged.
“At university, I felt like an imposter from the beginning… Did I just get this place because they had to give a few spaces to the poor kids?”
It was the start of a long and complicated relationship with self-doubt.
Achievements on the Outside, Torment on the Inside
By her mid-20s, Katie was thriving on paper. She had a degree, a house, a car, loyal clients, and a reputation as a brilliant vet. Yet inside, she was plagued by self-criticism and perfectionism:
“Every time I got a good case outcome, I completely disregarded it. I’d tell myself it was luck, or anyone could have done it. I couldn’t own any of it.”
Her brain tortured her with constant “what ifs”: What if she missed something? What if a client found out she didn’t really know what she was doing? The relentless fear of being “found out” drove her mad, and often to burnout.
Even on holiday, Katie couldn’t switch off:
“I was standing in the queue for the Transformers ride, checking emails. I couldn’t rest. It was exhausting.”
The Turning Point: A Boss Who Saw Through the Mask
On the surface, Katie came across to her colleagues as sarcastic, hyper-competent, and untouchable. But one boss saw through that - they saw what was really happening underneath:
“She said, ‘I don’t know what to do with you. You’re so brilliant, but you just can’t see it. Will you get some help?’”
That moment was the catalyst. Initially she went to the GP and went through a course of CBT, which she describes ‘got her out of a hole’. Then Katie joined a group coaching programme where, for the first time, she realised she wasn’t alone.
“I looked around the table - there was a glamorous business owner, a guy with a helicopter, a happily married couple. All of them were listing the same pressures. It made me realise - it wasn’t just me. I wasn’t alone, and maybe it wasn’t about external and material things.”
So how do you start overcoming imposter syndrome? For Katie, it began with admitting she needed help - and joining a coaching programme where she realised she wasn’t alone.
From First Coaching Session to a New Career
That coaching programme planted a seed. Katie began reading voraciously, diving into CBT, mindfulness, and behavioural science - not to be a therapist, but to understand why our brains work the way they do.
She started sharing her story online, not as a guru, but as someone saying: “This is how I’m feeling, this is what I’ve learned, and if you feel the same, you’re not alone.” The response was overwhelming. Within a year, she had built a community of more than 10,000 in the veterinary world, receiving daily messages of thanks.
Katie later trained as a qualified coach, completed a Master’s Degree in Wellbeing and accumulated various additional qualifications such as a CMI Level 7 in Somatic and Trauma Informed Coaching and Leadership.
By late 2020, she connected with fellow coach Claire Grigson. What began as a mentoring conversation quickly became a partnership. Together they co-founded Vet Empowered, creating group and one-to-one coaching programmes designed to give veterinary professionals a space to reconnect with themselves, their values and their value.
“Everyone would really benefit from being in a space with others to go, ‘Oh, so it’s not just me.’”
Vet Empowered has since grown into a thriving business, working with individuals and corporate partners across the UK, offering coaching, workshops, and resources to transform veterinary culture from the inside out.
Taking the Stage
Katie’s voice didn’t stay within the coaching room. She began speaking at conferences, universities, and events across the UK - and beyond.
“This year I spoke at Cambridge University to their lecturers, flew out to Canada, and I’ve spoken at every major UK vet conference. I’ve even given a keynote at a couple of them.”
From West Yorkshire roots to Cambridge University and international stages, Dr Katie Ford has become one of the UK’s leading voices on imposter syndrome in the veterinary profession.
In 2023, she received the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Inspiration Award for inspiring her profession - though, in true Katie fashion, she jokes that she accepted it from a hospital bed with a bad back.
In 2025, she was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons for Meritorious Contributions to the profession.
What Katie’s Story Teaches Us
Katie’s journey carries lessons that anyone struggling with self-doubt can take to heart:
- Imposter feelings don’t define you. They’re a script, not the truth.
- Perfection isn’t the goal. Burnout comes from trying to control everything.
- The right people matter. One boss’s honesty changed Katie’s trajectory.
- Speak to yourself like a friend. “What would you say to a friend?” is one of Katie’s most powerful reframes.
- Sharing is powerful. Authenticity, generosity, and vulnerability build connection - and community.
- Be human first. Your worth goes beyond titles and achievements.
So what’s the best tool for tackling self-doubt? Katie always comes back to one question: “What would you say to a friend?”
What’s Next for Katie
When asked what’s next, Katie reflects less on titles or accolades, and more on focus:
“I’ve been thinking a lot about automation, delegation, and where my skills are best used so we can get maximum leverage in our businesses. Not the busiest work - the most productive work.”
She knows her greatest role now is creating space for ideas — the kind of ideas that can change how an industry sees itself.
A Final Thought
If you’ve ever felt like you don’t belong in the room…
If you’ve ever achieved the things you thought would make you happy, only to feel empty…
If you’ve ever been crueler to yourself than you’d ever dream of being to a friend…
Katie’s story is your reminder.
That your worth isn’t tied to achievements or titles.
That you are not your thoughts.
And that sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is admit you need help.
Because confidence doesn’t come from never doubting yourself.
It comes from learning to move forward anyway — with openness, honesty, and courage.
Because success isn’t about having it all figured out.
It’s about starting - even when you’re not there yet.
How to find Katie