"I used to get paid more somewhere else." That was the sentence. Almost an afterthought, dropped near the end of an offer negotiation that had gone beautifully. And it was enough to make my client spiral in doubt. Here’s the coaching I gave her.

I asked her: “What if no one finds fault with you for your decision? What if there's only anticipatory blame in your mind right now?” She paused. And then she exhaled. Because that possibility — that her family would love her through imperfect decisions — was both new and deeply familiar.