Fire Horse 2026: The Year Ferrari Leaves the Golf Course
As we enter 2026—the year of the Fire Horse—I’ve been thinking about intensity. Not the 'Ugh, you're too intense' critique that smart women hear far too often, but the kind of heat that lets a leader cut right through office politics to get the job done.
In my 1:1 coaching sessions recently, a specific metaphor has been clicking for my high-performer clients. It’s helping them clarify why they feel "stuck," and more importantly, it's changing how they approach their career negotiations.
The Ferrari and the Golf Course
Imagine a Ferrari—a masterpiece of high-octane engineering. Now imagine it parked on a golf course.
You in your element
The golf course is prestigious and "safe," but it’s designed for slow, constrained movement.
On the grass, the Ferrari feels like a failure. The engine is too loud; the suspension is too stiff. Every time the driver tries to accelerate, the golfers and caddies turn around to shush the car.
In the corporate world, this is "The Squeeze." It’s being told to "tone it down" or "be more collaborative" when you’re actually just trying to solve a problem at the speed of business.
The Most Overlooked Negotiation Strategy
When my clients feel this friction, their first instinct is often to negotiate for micro-adjustments. They negotiate for a 5% raise or a slightly better title while staying on the same bumpy grass.
What it's like when you're a high-performance leader trying to innovate or conform in a "Golf Course" culture.
But the most powerful negotiation you can make is navigating your own path out of the metaphorical golf course.
Sometimes, you don't need to negotiate for a "better" version of a bad fit. You need to negotiate for a different terrain
Case Study: Negotiating the "Track"
1. Negotiating the Exit (The Entrepreneur Track)
Stuck on the green: Janice was a star media trainer bringing in the lion’s share of her agency’s revenue. But the "golf course" (her agency’s commission structure) took the lion's share of her revenues without rewarding her speed.
The way out: Instead of negotiating for a tiny bump in her percentage, we negotiated her exit strategy. We built the nervous system capacity, confidence, and a clear-eyed action plan for her to go solo.
Result: By negotiating her own independence, she was fully booked within weeks and hit multiple-six figures as Principal of her own firm.
2. Negotiating the Reorg (The Executive Track)
Stuck on the Green: Marie, an accounting expert, was being "shushed" by a partner who didn't leverage her drive. Though she had the motivation and fresh business development ideas to grow the firm, she was bogged down by a workload dictated by a partner whose style was chaotic and disorganized.
The Way Out: Instead of waiting to be noticed, Marie initiated a series of risky conversations with the firm’s top decision-makers. She made her ambition for the Managing Director role abundantly clear, socializing her goal with key stakeholders early and often to build a coalition of support.
The Result: She framed her value proposition so effectively that during the next firm-wide reorganization, they didn't just find a spot for her—they carved out a custom-budgeted MD role specifically designed to harness her expertise.
How to know if you’re on the "Golf Course"
If you’re wondering if your current environment is the problem, ask yourself these three questions:
Am I being "shoe-horned" or "optimized"? Are decision-makers asking you to play small, or are they resourcing you with the budget, headcount, and attention you need to do the work you were hired for?
Is the friction about my competence or my speed? When you pitch a new direction, is the feedback that your ideas are technically flawed, or simply that you are "too much" for the current culture to handle?
What am I negotiating for? Are you spending your political capital on a slightly more comfortable seat on the golf cart, or are you negotiating for the keys to a race track where you can finally floor it?
Take the Wheel in 2026
A Ferrari doesn’t need to be "fixed"; it needs a track.
If you’re a high-achieving woman who is tired of being told to "stay in your lane" when the lane is made of grass, let’s talk. My 1:1 bespoke coaching is designed to help you navigate these risky conversations and negotiate the career growth you’ve already earned.
Let’s make 2026 the year you take yourself out of the golf course and onto the track.
Click here to learn about my coaching philosophy, process, and pricing. If the fit is right, you're invited to book your free hour-long consultation with me.
