Throwback: When I didn't know how to advocate for myself

16 years ago, I was the only woman at a NYC-based hedge fund trading desk—earning 50% less than market rate. (And the photo below is what I looked like then in a hand-me-down thrift shirt.)

📰 The day I found out I was underpaid from reading an industry newsletter with salary benchmarks, it dawned on me like a gut punch:

💥 I DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR MYSELF💥

🎓 Even though I got a full ride to Smith College...
🌍 Even though I spoke three languages...
🧠 And I’d prided on being brainy...

So I got serious about mastering self-advocacy, workplace negotiation, and confidence from the inside out.

Then I decided to make it my life’s calling to help as many woman and marginalized folks as possible.

Fast forward to today: I’ve gone from feeling invisible at a male-dominated workplace to leading self-advocacy workshops from Switzerland 🇨🇭 to Canada 🇨🇦 to Rwanda 🇷🇼, from big rooms addressing PhDs to intimate Zoom rooms for women in tech.

Just last week:

• A client, Sam, landed a $200K compensation package after bouncing back from a layoff.

• Jelani transitioned into CEO of her own consulting firm, now earning 100% of her fees (she was making only about 60% before).

• And for Kyung-Mi, the win was realizing she can say no to projects she doesn't like to create bandwidth for the work that will get her promoted and better paid by 30%
  
  

  Here’s what you can take away from my underpaid-to-winning client stories:

• If you feel stuck, anxious, or under-recognized like I once did—there’s nothing wrong with you. Where you are now can be the turning point for a future you can’t yet imagine.

• When women learn to self-advocate and lead, the ripple effect lifts everyone—yes, like a rising tide.

• And if you’re craving focused 1:1 support to strengthen your self-advocacy muscle—I can help. I offer free 60-minute consultations where we get real, get clear, and co-create a step-by-step strategy for your next bold move.

  I believe in transparency. When you click HERE, you'll read all about my coaching philosophy, process, and pricing ahead of booking your free consultation. (And don’t be surprised if I look about two decades older than I did — see photo below).

P.S. 🎉 I brag all the time about my client wins so sometimes people mistake me for someone who’s got all her “sh** together.”

Here’s what people don’t know:

🗣️ When I’m not in coaching sessions, I’m talking out loud to myself like a madwoman ventriloquist—my ADHD brain wants to start three things at once and forgets to close cabinet doors

💓 I’m so highly sensitive, a whiff of caffeine has my heart trying to breakdance out of my chest

🐾 And yet—I’m like a bloodhound when it comes to helping clients overcome the patterns that hold them back and navigate messy office politics with their head held high...

Not because I’m good at faking it till I make it (zero poker face here), but because I know what it’s like to:

• De-trance yourself out of a spiral of self-doubt Honor the gift of being wired differently, with zero tolerance for fake-it-til-you-break-it energy

• Sense nervous system dysregulation in a room full of stakeholders—and know it’s not yours to fix

• In my personal life, I’ve been called clumsy, too sensitive, too much. In my coaching life, these are my superpowers.

🔥 If you’re a brilliant, big-hearted, high-achieving woman who’s tired of contorting yourself to fit into systems that were never built for you, let's talk.

In coaching, I'll help you turn your "flaws" into fuel.