Welcome to the very first edition of The Imposters Roster.

What began as a podcast asking a simple question—Do you ever feel like an imposter?—has grown into something much larger.

Over the past year, The Imposters has evolved into a learning and research platform dedicated to recognizing, developing, and connecting lived expertise. Through conversations with refugee leaders, practitioners, researchers, and advocates, one idea has emerged again and again: expertise already exists within communities. Our work is about creating spaces where that expertise can be recognized, strengthened, and translated into knowledge that informs policy, practice, and systems change.

Whether you've been following since the first episode or have only recently joined us, we're grateful you're here.

What's New at The Imposters

The Imposters is now organized around four core functions that work together to transform lived experience into knowledge and action.

1. Podcast

Season One is complete!

Over twelve conversations, contributors explored themes of expertise, recognition, refugee leadership, localization, accountability, and systems change. Together, they helped lay the foundation for a five-season research programme examining how lived experience can reshape humanitarian and development practice.

In a bonus episode, Season 1 Imposter, Nana Ama Boa-Amponsem, interviewed founder, Lila Raouf, for a behind-the-scenes look at the project. In this episode, Nana Ama asks Lila what we learned from Season 1 and what we can expect from the Imposters going forward.

Watch a clip of Bonus Episode-Behind the Imposters:

Binge The Imposters on Riverside, Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!

What's next

• Planning is underway for Season Two: Knowledge

• New contributors are currently being nominated

• We're expanding conversations to include leaders across research, arts, advocacy, and refugee-led organizations

2. Learning

One of the biggest developments this summer has been the launch of our learning platform.

We're beginning to transform the insights from each episode into practical learning resources that practitioners, students, organizations, and community leaders can use long after the conversation ends.

Current learning initiatives include:

• Curated YouTube learning pathways

• Educational resources connected to podcast themes

• The development of Unlocking Your Lived Experience, our first workshop designed to help participants recognize and translate their lived experience into professional expertise.

This is only the beginning. Over time, our learning programme will continue expanding through workshops, facilitation, and consulting services grounded in The Imposters Method.

3. Research & Ideas

The conversations don't end when the microphones turn off.

We're translating insights from Season One into blogs, reflections, and qualitative research exploring lived expertise, knowledge, leadership, and localization.

Recent highlights include:

• Our latest blog, The Imposters Reading List: 10 Memoirs that Center Lived Experience, by Omyra Lakhanpal.

• New opinion and reflection pieces submitted for publication

• Development of The Imposters Method—a qualitative consulting approach that helps organizations recognize and mobilize the expertise that already exists within their communities.

4. The Archive

This summer we officially launched The Imposters Archive.

The archive preserves the stories, ideas, and expertise shared by our contributors, ensuring these conversations remain accessible beyond a single podcast episode.

As our community grows, so will the archive. Browse the archive to connect with our imposters!

Looking Ahead

Over the coming months, you can expect:

• Season Two announcements

• New blogs and learning resources

• Workshop opportunities

• Contributor spotlights

• Research updates

• Opportunities to partner with and contribute to The Imposters

If you know someone whose lived experience has shaped meaningful knowledge or leadership, we'd love to hear from you. Please nominate season 2 guests through our nomination form.

Stay Connected

We're now on Instagram and LinkedIn!

Check us out on Instagram @the_imposters__ & LinkedIn.

Follow along for episode clips, contributor highlights, learning resources, and updates from The Imposters community. It's also the first place we share new blogs, workshops, and upcoming events.

Thank you for being part of this growing community.

Together, we're challenging who gets to be recognized as an expert—and building new ways for lived expertise to inform the future of global development.

— Lila Raouf
Founder & Director, The Imposters