Pearl Thusi speaks on her fear of not being 'good enough'

Pearl Thusi has reflected on how she once turned down a pay cheque at Metro FM because she felt she was "not good enough" and did not deserve to be paid for her work.

The Kalushi star told Metro FM's Kgopedi Namane that she battles these feelings, once labelled by US star Meryl Streep as "imposter syndrome".

"It is called the imposter syndrome where you don't understand how you got here. You feel like someone is going to catch you out at some point. Like you don't belong here and you are not good enough to be here. I have that fear. That is why I work so hard and I don't like it because it makes me doubt myself. But I also appreciate it because it makes me apply myself," she said.

She revealed that it was a constant battle which manifested itself several years ago when she joined Metro FM as a co-host with Phat Joe.

"When I started out here, at Metro FM, I worked for free for a whole year with Phat Joe. He offered to pay me but I said no because I didn't think I deserved the money. Again (imposter syndrome), I didn't feel like I was experienced enough. I couldn't let Joe pay me for just being a famous girl behind the mic," she said.

Pearl said she wanted to "earn the respect" of her peers before she could expect to be paid like they were. On a personal level, she also learnt to allow herself to be happy.

"I have learnt that it is okay for me to be happy. It is okay for me to be a success. It is okay for me to grow and to be blessed and I hope that other people can feel that way, especially women," she said.