How to Get What You Want

Send us Fan Mail You don’t need to feel ready to start. You just need to start. That’s exactly what Sarah Barnes-Humphrey did when her life and career imploded overnight. In this conversation, Sarah opens up about what it took to rebuild her confidence from scratch and how she used small steps, side hustles, and her own voice to get there. We talk about what it really means to be seen, and why sel...

Send us Fan Mail If confidence were constant, leadership would be easy. But it’s not. One moment you feel solid, the next you’re second-guessing everything. That shift can throw off your presence, your voice, even your ability to ask for what you need. In this episode, I’m breaking down why that happens, what it means about your leadership (hint: it’s not a flaw), and how to lead yourself through...

Send us Fan Mail If your role changed tomorrow, would you have options or just panic?  Most people assume their company will guide their career. That someone, somewhere, is thinking about their growth. But here's the truth: no one is planning your next move but you. In this episode, I’m sharing a core negotiator mindset shift: build your BATNA before you need it. You’ll hear what a senior lea...

Send us Fan Mail It’s not just what you ask for. It’s how you ask for it. In this episode, I’m walking through three deceptively simple strategies that have helped countless women shift how they show up, how they’re perceived, and how confidently they navigate their work. If you’ve ever walked away from a meeting thinking, I could have handled that differently, this is for you. We’re talking about...

Send us Fan Mail Sometimes we know exactly what we want, but we don’t raise our hand.  We hesitate. We wait. And the opportunity passes us by. In this episode, I’m talking about what holds us back from stepping up, why hesitation costs more than we think, and how to catch ourselves in the moments we stay small. Smart women miss out. Not because they’re unqualified. Because they don’t prepare for t...

Send us Fan Mail One day you’re having regular one-on-ones with your boss, and the next? Silence. Fewer meetings. Less context. No feedback. It’s easy to assume it’s personal, but is it? In this episode, I’m talking about what’s really going on when a leader suddenly gets quiet and how to manage up without spiraling into insecurity. If you’ve ever felt like your boss’s behavior changed overnight,...

Send us Fan Mail Ever seen someone walk into a room and instantly command it, without saying a word? That’s confidence. Not ego, not arrogance. Just belief. And belief is leverage. In this episode, I’m talking about the power of calibrated confidence—why it influences others, how it opens up opportunities, and what it actually looks like in a negotiation. You don’t have to fake it. But you do have...

Send us Fan Mail Most people put all their focus on the new job when they leave a role. But if that’s where your attention ends, you’re missing a huge opportunity. I want to show you how to leave well, not just logistically, but strategically. In this episode, I’m walking you through a real example of how one woman made a career move with intention, influence, and grace. Because how you exit matte...

Send us Fan Mail You’re doing well at work, but something changes. A layoff, a canceled meeting, your boss goes quiet. And suddenly, your confidence takes a hit. That’s scarcity creeping in. In this episode, I’m unpacking what it looks like when fear takes the wheel, even when your role is secure. I’ll share real client stories, personal reflections, and the ripple effects that happen when scarcit...

Send us Fan Mail You don’t need a perfect plan. You need a practiced one. Whether it’s a big presentation, a negotiation, or a quick meeting that could escalate fast, how you prepare can make or break the outcome. In this episode, I’m talking about the real reason women get sidelined in high-stakes conversations and how to train yourself to stay grounded, focused, and agile no matter what comes up...

Send us Fan Mail Are you growing as a leader, or just collecting titles? That’s the question I explored with my guest Tinna Jackson, a powerhouse with experience in politics, nonprofits, and corporate leadership. We talk about what happens when your job no longer fits, how to recognize your natural talents, and why emotional intelligence isn’t optional if you want to lead well. There’s always room...

Send us Fan Mail Last week we talked about how to give feedback that actually lands. This week, we’re flipping it. Are you getting the kind of feedback that helps you grow? And more importantly, are you using it? The higher you go in your career, the harder it gets to hear the truth. People assume you’ve got it figured out. They hold back. And unless you’re actively inviting feedback and knowing w...

Send us Fan Mail Giving feedback isn’t the hard part. Making sure it actually lands is where most leaders fall short. If you’re not checking how your message is received or if you're only speaking up when something goes wrong, your feedback might be doing more harm than good. In this episode, I’m walking you through what it really means to deliver feedback that builds trust, clarity, and grow...

Send us Fan Mail Getting what you want isn’t always about asking for more. Sometimes it starts with unlearning everything that told you not to. Karen Ansen didn’t follow the traditional career path. She became a lawyer in her 40s, built her own firm, and now advises boards and executives across Australia. However, the real transformation occurred when she stopped waiting for permission and began t...

Send us Fan Mail If you think delegation is just about getting things off your plate, I want to challenge that. When done well, it’s a strategy for leadership, trust, and growth. But most of us fall into the habit of doing too much, holding on too long, or checking in so much that we defeat the purpose entirely. In this episode, I’m sharing what effective delegation really looks like, and how to u...

Send us Fan Mail Some people need a nudge to raise their hand. Others have to learn when to wait. But what happens when ambition outpaces readiness? In this conversation with my friend and seasoned operations leader Jessica Delis, we explore the tension between growing into a role and rushing toward it. Jessica shares what she’s learned from promoting leaders too early, what great leadership actua...

Send us Fan Mail You can have a solid plan. You can know exactly what you want to say. And still, in the moment, emotions take over. Your body tightens, your brain fogs, and suddenly you’re second-guessing everything. We all get hijacked like this. Even the best negotiators. But the difference is, they know how to notice it and keep moving anyway. In this episode, I’m talking about what emotional...

Send us Fan Mail Ever walk into a meeting and immediately lose your footing, even though you were completely prepared? There’s a reason for that. Too many of us focus only on what we’re going to say, not where we’re saying it or who actually holds the power. In this episode, I’m sharing the overlooked skills that separate confident communicators from everyone else. From reading the power dynamics...

Send us Fan Mail Getting what you want doesn’t start with doing more. It starts with knowing what matters and letting go of what doesn’t. This week I’m joined by my friend Monisha Longacre, author of Practical Productivity and founder of Productivity 101. She’s spent decades leading in tech and building systems that help high performers stop spinning and start choosing. We talk about how easy it i...

Send us Fan Mail Not all feedback is helpful. Sometimes it's vague. Sometimes it's self-serving. And sometimes it hits a nerve even when it doesn't feel true. If you’ve ever been told something like "you're not strategic enough" and didn’t know how to respond, this episode will help you find your next step. I’m sharing how to handle feedback that feels off, how to kee...

Send us Fan Mail Ever walked away from a conversation with a senior leader and wondered, did they even hear me? It’s not just what you say that matters. It’s how you say it, when you say it, and whether you’ve thought about what they need from you. Executive communication isn’t about filling space or adding polish. It’s about clarity, timing, and making it easy for someone to say yes. In this epis...

Send us Fan Mail We wait. For permission. For someone to notice. For the timing to be right. But the truth is, your career doesn’t move forward just because you’re doing great work. It moves when you opt in . Cerys Goodall, COO of Vetster, knows this firsthand. She went from biotech dropout to C-suite leader by saying yes before she felt ready. In this conversation, we talk about what shifts when...

Send us Fan Mail Ever notice how fast you jump in to fill a quiet moment? But what if silence isn’t something to avoid, it’s something to use. In this episode, I’m digging into why silence might be the most powerful thing you don’t say. Whether you’re negotiating, leading a meeting, or just having a one-on-one, those few seconds of quiet could be the difference between misunderstanding and connect...

Send us Fan Mail We tend to picture negotiations happening in boardrooms, but the real opportunities? They show up in hallways, at the end of meetings, in the quiet moments when you're not quite ready but should be. If you're not clear on what you want or how to ask for it, those moments pass. And when they do, someone else’s name gets mentioned instead of yours. In this episode, I’m tal...

Send us Fan Mail You know that temptation to say “I’ll do anything” when you’re ready for something new? My guest today, Seyka Mejeur, is here to challenge that thinking. As the CEO of an executive search firm placing technical leaders in space and climate, Seyka spends her days helping founders and execs clarify what they actually want so they can make better decisions, faster. We talked about ho...