• 9 to 5 Dilemma: Money Left on the Table.

• The Workplace Survival Skill You’re Lacking.

• Upcoming Events & Releases.

• Grief is a Funny Thing.

• Dollyism.

Let’s talk about the part no one prepares you to talk about…

Money. Cash. Dolla dolla bills.

There’s a lot of advice out there on how to interview, but it usually drops off when the conversation of money comes up.

By nature, people get kind of squirrely when money is discussed. And as women, we’ve been taught that discussing money is… “unbecoming” “impolite” or “inappropriate”.

But…

Six months in a tough market is exhausting. An offer brings relief and whiplash at the same time. And when the number is that far off from where you were, it doesn’t just feel like a financial hit…it feels like a step backward in your story.

Before we jump to tactics, a few truths that matter here:

An offer is not as fragile as it feels.
Companies expect negotiation, especially for experienced roles. Asking thoughtful, reasonable questions about compensation is not a betrayal of enthusiasm, it’s a signal that you’re thinking about long-term success and sustainability.

A $30K gap deserves a real conversation.
This isn’t about being “grateful enough.” It’s about feasibility. If the number creates financial strain from day one or forces you to dip further into savings, that matters. Naming that reality isn’t being difficult. It’s being honest.

Negotiation isn’t just about base salary.
If the base salary number can’t move, that doesn’t mean the conversation is over. Sign-on bonuses, accelerated reviews, bonus targets, vacation, or benefits that reduce monthly costs can all help close the gap. All that to say, we have options!

And taking a step back now does not lock you there forever.
One role does not define your ceiling. What matters more is scope, visibility, and whether the role keeps your skills sharp and relevant. Careers in markets like this are rarely linear, but they can still be strategic.

Now, let’s get practical.

A simple 5-step counteroffer structure that works

First, take a deep breath and settle the internal vibration that comes from being nervous as hell.

You are worthy of asking for what you need, being heard, and advocating for yourself.

Now, let’s get tactical. This is the same structure I’ve used with clients to reopen compensation conversations.

1. Confirm interest and gratitude
Open by reinforcing that you want the role. This lowers defensiveness and keeps the tone collaborative.

2. Reframe their pain points as goals
Reflect back what the role exists to solve… growth, scale, stability, execution. What did the interviewer bring up in your conversations? What are they struggling with? What do they need in this role?

3. Reiterate your experience solving those problems
Connect your background directly to their needs, not your wants.

4. Make the ask clearly
Salary, bonus, vacation, flexibility — be specific and grounded.

5. Close the loop
Most people skip this. Let them know what alignment would allow you to do next.

What this can look like in practice

A few final things I want you to hear

You are not risking everything by asking questions.
You are not being unreasonable for wanting stability.
And you do not have to decide anything from a place of panic.

Fear will tell you that every choice is permanent and every door closes forever. That’s not true, even though it feels true when money and security are on the line.

Slow this moment down enough to gather information. Ask the questions. Understand the full picture. Then decide.

And whatever you choose, this moment does not erase the years it took you to build your career or the value you bring with you into what’s next.

Compensation Literacy Is a Corporate Survival Skill (And Most People Were Never Taught It)

One of the biggest career gaps I see has nothing to do with talent, ambition, or effort.

It’s compensation literacy.

Most people are taught how to do their jobs well, take on more responsibility, and deliver results. Very few are taught how compensation decisions are made or how to gather information without fear.

So they stay in the dark.
They assume good work will eventually be rewarded.
They wait.

And they leave money, leverage, and options on the table.

Why this matters long before and after an offer

Compensation shouldn’t just be something you think about when you’re job searching.

It shapes:

• Raises and promotion timing

• Scope creep without pay adjustments

• Who gets retained during uncertainty

• Who is viewed as “worth the investment”

If you don’t understand how pay works, you’re navigating your career with partial information in a system that rewards fluency.

Every company has a compensation philosophy (even if they never say it out loud)

Compensation philosophy usually answers a few questions:

• Do we aim to pay at, above, or below market?

• Do we favor cash today or longer-term incentives?

• Do we pay more for scope, scarcity, or tenure?

Two people can hold the same title and earn very different salaries because the companies they work for value different things… not because one person is more capable.

If you don’t know the philosophy you’re operating inside, it’s easy to misread every signal.

How compensation ranges actually work (and why the midpoint matters)

Most roles live inside a salary range, even if it’s never shared openly.

A salary range is generally set by calculating 80% of the midpoint through 120% of the midpoint. This varies by employer (I’ve seen some employers pay closer to 50% of midpoint as a low end of salary, but eeeek that’s low compared to what others in market are making!).

I’ve generally found that the 80 - 120% equation is common.

That range typically includes:

• Low end (80% of midpoint)→ growing into the role

• Midpoint → fully meeting expectations

• High end (120% of midpoint)→ expanded scope, sustained performance, or tenure

Hiring, raises, and promotions tend to cluster near the midpoint, not the top.

So the first question to ask is:

Where am I in the range and what would move me closer to the midpoint or beyond?

Because of changing pay laws, your company may post salary bands internally. Check within your HR System to see if these bands or pay philosophy information is shared.

How to research market compensation

Market data is useful… when used thoughtfully.

Start with multiple sources:

• Glassdoor (company context and ranges)

• Levels.fyi (tech, leveling, and structure)

• Built In (startups and growth-stage companies)

• Payscale and Salary.com (benchmarks and experience bands)

• Industry reports for niche or regulated roles

Then layer in human data:

• Recruiter conversations

• Former colleagues

• People doing similar work at similar-sized companies

You’re not hunting for an exact number here, but you are looking to build a defensible range.

Yes — you are allowed to talk about pay

In the U.S., discussing compensation is a protected right.

Employees are legally allowed to talk about wages, salary ranges, and working conditions with one another. That protection exists even if workplace culture treats pay as taboo.

Thoughtful compensation conversations tend to work best when you:

• Choose trusted peers or mentors, not random comparisons

• Frame it as information-gathering, not venting

• Share ranges rather than exact numbers

• Respect boundaries if someone opts out

The goal isn’t to create tension or make anyone feel uncomfortable. The goal is to reduce blind spots and support clarity on company pay practices.

How to bring compensation up with leadership (without it backfiring)

Most people struggle with how to raise it without damaging trust.

Here’s the shift…

Don’t approach compensation as a complaint.
Approach it as a calibration conversation.

Leaders are far more receptive when the discussion is framed around scope, impact, and market alignment and not fairness or frustration.

Start with scope, not salary

Compensation conversations go sideways when money is the opening line.

A stronger entry point sounds more like:

From there, you can anchor the conversation in facts:

• How your responsibilities have expanded

• Where decision-making authority has increased

• What outcomes you’re now accountable for

Money becomes a result of that conversation, not the headline.

When to ask for a job relevel

Releveling conversations are appropriate when:

• Your role has materially changed since you were hired

• You’re operating at the next level consistently

• Your scope now mirrors peers at a higher level

• Broader market research indicates your skillset is in high demand

What works best is specificity:

How to request a market review (without comparing yourself to coworkers)

Market reviews aren’t about what others make.

You’re not accusing the company of intentionally underpaying you or ripping you off (even if you believe that to be true), but you do want to come to the table based on facts and data.

What leaders actually need from you in these conversations

As an optimist (sometimes!), I believe most leaders aren’t trying to underpay people.
They are balancing budgets, bands, and internal equity.

What helps them advocate on your behalf:

• Clear articulation of your scope

• Evidence of impact, not effort

• An understanding that timing and process matter

When you show up informed and measured, you make it easier for leaders to say yes — or at least explain what would need to be true.

A final mindset shift

Asking for releveling or a market review is part of your professional brand.

If you approach the conversation and the answer is “not yet,” the most important follow-up question is:

That turns a no into a roadmap.

And that’s the difference between advocating emotionally and advocating strategically.

Most people are underpaid because no one taught them how compensation works and their silence in speaking up about money keeps them underpaid.

Learning compensation is about making informed choices in a system that doesn’t pause to explain itself.

And in today’s workplace, that knowledge isn’t optional.

It’s a survival skill.

Upcoming Events & Releases

I’ve been working behind the scenes to continually improve what I offer to clients and this first quarter of 2026 is about to pop off!

🎉The New Gumption Client Experience Launch 🎉1/27/2026

The new portal launches next week! 

All current and past clients will receive an email invitation letting them know they can now access the portal. Within the portal you’ll find an updated resource library packed full of guides and tools covering everything from resume writing, job search, interviewing, navigating self doubt, and more!

The new portal will also do a better job of showing you where we are in your journey, what we’ve built, and what we have to tackle next. There’s a scheduler, note sharing tool, and much more!

Join me on February 26 for a 90-Minute Resume Workshop

If your experience has grown but your resume hasn’t kept up, I’m hosting a 90-minute live resume workshop where we’ll do the work together.

I’ll walk through the resume template, tools, and philosophy I use with my 1:1 clients — and you’ll have guided time during the session to start making real changes to your own resume, with support throughout.

Important note for current and past clients:
All events are always free for you. Your code for complimentary registration can be found in the new portal → Resources tab.

More events on the way this quarter…

• Live meet-up in Nashville (Date TBA)

• Live workshop in Cincinnati (Date TBA very soon!)

• Say it Like You Mean It, a session with a comms & media expert focused on cadence, tone, and confidence when you interview or deliver that presentation to the exec team (Date TBA)

• Verify You're Human, insights into the world of deep fake candidates, proving you're not a robot, and how to stand out in a sea of fake applications (Date TBA)

Have an idea you’d love to see come to life? Send me an email: [email protected] 

Grief is a Funny Thing.

One of the things we never talk about at work is grief, yet we’re all quietly grieving something as we clock into work every day.

I never really thought about that or even considered the tremendous loss others may have been facing outside of work until I became a member of the Dead Parent Club.

My entry into the club came what felt like way too early, but I guess that’s what we always think when losing those we love… it’s always too soon. I had just turned 30 when my mom passed and by the time I had turned 40, I had lost my dad and my grandmother who was my absolute love and light.

The decade of my 30’s was defined by grief while I tried to continue advancing in my career.

When I started my grief journey, I was astounded at how many people came to me in comfort saying things like “My mom passed away a year ago. I’m still a mess, so just know I’m thinking of you.”

It confused me because… no one at work had a clue they’d lost a parent. That same grieving person had worked tirelessly that year, gotten a promotion, and navigated the same corporate bullshit that always seems to exist. They bounced back standing every time.

I also saw grief backfire on people at the hands of an unforgiving corporate landscape. They were seen as a risk, not dependable, not as hardworking, not as committed… without an ounce of grace for what they were carrying. Profit + productivity over people, as they say.

A few years ago, I met Chloe Nassau through TroopHR and one of the first things we talked about what the weight of being members of the Dead Parents Club and how it had changed the pace and goals of our work lives.

We started to unpack the layers of grief we all carry daily and how grief at work doesn’t just come from the loss of a loved one. It’s layered and nuanced with the grief that comes from unexpected job loss, the grief of losing relationships, the grief of building toward a promotion that gets handed to someone else.

We grieve when we lose something that was ours.

We feel guilty for grieving such a silly little thing like work, but work is a core pillar of our identity, whether we like it or not. We spend so much of our time at work or thinking about work, it becomes impossible to disconnect it from a part of our identity.

And when that part, no matter how toxic it is, gets cut off we lose a part of what we’ve known. It’s okay to grieve that.

It may never come up within you or you may subtly notice that wave of emotion while you’re unemployed. Or the irrational anger you feel when the person who got the promotion over you leads the team meeting while you sit there quietly.

These things aren’t petty or insignificant. It’s okay to feel the feels.

I talked to a new client last week who apologized over and over for sobbing while discussing her lay off. “I’m so sorry for crying, I feel so dumb for crying over a job, but I just feel so lost.”

I say all of this to say…

1) Allow yourself space and grace to grieve the loss of things, jobs, and people that are important to you.

2) Don’t downplay or dismiss the impact that the loss has on you.

3) Find your people and talk to them about your grief.

4) Give people the benefit of the doubt when performance slips. People rarely just randomly stop being good at their jobs, there’s usually a reason underneath.

In a world full of grief, leave space for it at the table.

Dollyism.

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