Real talk for women in leadership—delivered every other Thursday. Short, story-driven notes on confidence, visibility, hard conversations, and building a career you actually want. Expect practical tools, honest takes, and the occasional “wait… I needed that” moment.
The career mistake I made for way too long
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At the start of my career, I was a hustler. (Of course... I still am, 25 years later)! I was constantly going above and beyond, raising my hand, taking on more, contributing, adding value. And for a while, that seemed to work. I got promotions. I got pay increases. It felt like effort and results were lining up. Until they weren’t. At one point, my responsibilities kept growing, but the recognition stopped. No title change. No meaningful pay increase. Just... crickets. Meanwhile, new people were coming into the company at significantly higher salaries than mine. It didn’t take long to realize I had made a major mistake: I assumed it would all work itself out. I thought surely they saw the value I was bringing. Surely it would get recognized. Surely the right thing would happen. It didn’t. There was even a stretch where my title didn’t come close to reflecting what I was actually doing. Was it confidence? Fear of rocking the boat? Not wanting to seem difficult? Probably all of the above. But looking back, the bigger issue was that I didn’t have the tools. I didn’t know how to make the case clearly, professionally, and confidently. I didn’t know how to separate emotion from facts, or effort from business value. Fast forward a few years, and I’ve now sat on the other side of the table too — as a manager and as a CEO. I’ve seen people advocate for themselves really well, and I’ve seen people completely miss the mark. That’s why this conversation matters. Negotiating for yourself can feel uncomfortable, loaded, and personal. But it does not have to be messy. With the right framework, the right preparation, and the right timing, you can advocate for yourself in a way that is grounded, credible, and much harder to dismiss. In my latest episode of Loud & Lifted, I sit down with Bhavana Smith, founder of Until There Are Nine, to talk about how women can stop hoping they’ll be noticed and start making a strong case for what they’ve earned. We get into:
If you’ve ever thought, they should already know what I bring to the table, this episode is for you. You have to know your value. Listen here: I’d love to hear what hits home for you in this one! Betsy Introducing Loud & Lifted Circles! We are cranking up the volume! Loud & Lifted is launching in person peer groups in Harrisburg, PA. |
Loud & Lifted
Real talk for women in leadership—delivered every other Thursday. Short, story-driven notes on confidence, visibility, hard conversations, and building a career you actually want. Expect practical tools, honest takes, and the occasional “wait… I needed that” moment.
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