The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.
When you reflect on your career, do you feel like you’re soaring or stumbling in your day-to-day life? For women working in the corporate sector or 9-5 structure, it’s essential to know that there are strategic steps you can take to course-correct your footing and take your career to new heights. This week I'm joined by Certified Career Coach & C-Suite Advisor, Latesha Byrd. Latesha and I chatted about what it means to win in the workplace, how to have successful conversations with management about your career, including how to ask for a promotion, and how we can advocate for ourselves in our work settings.
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Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. I'm your host, Dr Joy hard and Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at Therapy for Black Girls dot com. While I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much for joining me for session two fifty seven of the Therapy a Black Girl's Podcast. We'll get right into the episode after a word from our sponsors. When you reflect on your career, do you feel like you're soaring or stumbling in your day to day life? For women working in the corporate sector or nine to five structure, it's essential to know that there are strategic steps that you can take to course correct your footing and take your career to new heights. In this week's session, I'm joined by certified career coach and c suite advisor Letitia Bird. Leticia and I chatted about what it means to win in the workplace, how to have successful conversations with management about your career, including how to ask for promotion, and how we can advocate for ourselves in work settings. If something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation, please share with us on social media using the hashtag TBG in session or join us all in the sister circles to talk more in depth about the episode. You can join us at community that Therapy for Black Girls dot com. Here's our conversation. Thank you so much for joining us today, Latitia, thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here, very excited to have you. So can you store by telling us what you do as a career coach and as the CEO of Perfective Absolutely Well. My name's Latitia Bird. I am an executive coach and CEO of a talent development agency. My mission is to help working professionals get control, confidence and clarity in their career. I have been coaching for almost a decade now, and when I started this journey, I had no idea it would take me here. Many years later, I now served as an executive coach helping people really seek that clarity. They need to level up professionally to knock down some of these systemic barriers that we face in the workplace, which I know we'll chat about today. And also serve as a talent advisor to high growth startups and mission germ organizations that are really looking to invest in their talent in the right way, in the most equitable way as well. I love helping people really find their place in their career, and I love helping organizations build safe and healthy workplace cultures for all people. Of course for black and brown women love them. Thank you the Titia. So when you say that you help them to develop clarity. When your clients come to you, what are they often unclear about? They are unclear about one? Am I where I want to be in my career? What more should I be doing? A lot of us have really kind of stumbled our way throughout our career. And so when I talk about really seeking and taking control of your career, it really means to wake up and be proud of what you're doing, to be often in what you're doing, to know how you're doing what you're doing, and how you're actually adding value. And I find that without having that clarity. So many of us are just going day to day and letting our careers run us versus us actually running our careers. So it could be needing clarity around the work the type of organizations to work for, how to manage up, down, and across the organization. But one of the biggest things is how do I fit in, Especially when we think about being black and brown woman in the workplace and being one of the only, are one of the few. It's around how can I make sure that I am really crushnate here? How can I make sure that I'm getting the same visibility that my white counterparts are, because as we know, studies and data shows that oftentimes we are the ones that are really overlooked and overworked. Yeah, if you've already kind of started down this path, but I'd love to hear you talk about some of the unique challenges that black women do face in terms of their career growth. So some of the unique challenges that I've seen black women face in terms of career growth, it's really a few key things. One that being overlooked, being overworked, and being underpaid and then being undersupported. So when we first think about being overlooked and overworked. Oftentimes we are the ones that are crushing it in our jobs. We're doing our jobs, our coworkers jobs, sometimes our boss's jobs, with little to no recognition. Right, And with that being said, we're being overlooked for promotions because we're just expected to continue to take on more work and more work because we're good at what we do. We're used to taking care of home, our companies are jobs and all of that, and so one it could be easy to say, you know what, let's just give this word to doctor Joy because we know doctor Joy is gonna kill it, and not even think about how should we be investing back into doctor Joy's career because of the value that she's adding. So those are the first couple of things. The other thing is being underpaid. Of course, studies do show that for black women specifically, we have to work over a year and a half to earn the same amount of money and what a white man earns in a year. That's where we see all of these recognitions around equal pay Day, not just for white women, right because Equal pay Day for white women is in March, but as you look at Latin X or Latino equal pay Day, Asian Equal pay Day, Black Equal pay Day, like, all of those things really span out beyond on that March day. So course, being underpaid, and so I think it's just really important for us as black women to take control here, to not take crumbs when we know we deserve a five course meal. So you mentioned earlier the ticha that so many of these things are systemic, right, Like, it's sometimes difficult, I think, to talk about how we as individuals can really impact systemic changes and make systemic change. Is So, what kinds of things are you suggesting to clients to really be able to chip away as some of these things that we really truly don't have any control over. Yeah, yeah, that's a great question. So there are some things that we don't have control over, Right, we don't have control over if our company is going through budget cuts, or of course, as we have been working throughout this pandemic, if our company is going on hiring phrases, things of that nature. But I will say that we have more control than we give ourselves credit for. Right, We're the ones that have earned our degrees, our certifications, We continue to invest in our professional development. And so who actually signs the check right, who is the person that is responsible for getting promoted, for getting visibility, for growing in your career. That probably is your boss right now. Managing up is one of the most crucial and critical things that if someone can really get confident with that and get strategic with that, that is really going to set them apart in their career. But what I have seen is that we will not speak up. We'll say, well, I'll just let the work speak for me and hopefully they'll catch on and see how great I'm doing. Right, That is one thing that is definitely not setting us up for success. So building a really solid relationship with your boss, with your boss's boss, really building that social and political capital internally in the organization is key. Not waiting for someone to say, hey, it's time for us to talk about your career goals and your feature at this company. But you have to be able to say, you know what, I have been doing the dang thing here. I've been adding so much value. It's not for me to make sure that they are putting back into me when I am actually delivering to them. It's never too early late off track to have that conversation. It should not be something that happens once a year when it's time for performance reviews. It is important to have those regular conversation ens now. Depending on how those conversations go, that's when we can actually make an informed decision on how we want to move forward. Right, So, maybe you've decided that, you know what, I finally am ready to take control of my career. Let me really understand what's to come here this organization that I've been working at. You don't like their answer, then you have other options. Sometimes we say that we're stuck or we aren't in control because it feels safe, and nothing about growth equal safety in that regard. So what does it look like to win in the workplace? How would we be able to define that for ourselves? Yeah? I love this question around winning in the workplace and that second question on how do we define that for ourselves? Like that's how you really win, you know? How do we define that for ourselves? Is key? One. We have to give ourselves permission to actually say, you know what, let me define what career success looks like for me, not my employer's definition. But it's how do I define it for myself, not for my employer, not for my boss, not for my partner family, what my parents told me I was gonna be when I grew up. But actually, how do I define career success for myself? I encourage people to really start too, if you have not already, start thinking about this, doing that Sunday night, Monday morning, test if you do work Monday to Friday, right, and so those emotions that are coming up for you before you lay it down that night, before starting a work week, or even that morning waking up, that's probably informing your overall emotional capacity, happiness, and well being around your work. I remember someone asked me a question on how do I know if I'm actually successful or happy in my career? And I said, well, how do you feel Sunday night just thinking about the work week? And they said, oh, I try not to think about it. I don't even want to think about it at all. And I'm like, oh, so you don't want to think about your career your job outside of doing the work that day. They're like nope, Like okay, Well, I want to feel excited for me personally. I want to feel excited when I wake up, you know. I want to look forward to my days. I want to know that I'm adding value, right, And so those are some things that I know are really important to me. But when it comes to winning in the workplace, I think that there's three clear things and indicators that every person should be thinking about when it comes to defining this for themselves. That could be enjoyment. I think we should all be able to do something that we enjoy. So again, do you like the work that you're doing. Do you like the team and the people that you're working with. Do you like the communities or the folks that you're actually serving in your capacity or in your day job? Right? The second one is fulfillment, So solving a problem that you actually care about, is it purposeful? Is the word meaningful to you? And the last one is skill and talent? You actually should be or could be good at your job, right. It kind of sucks to do something that you're not really good at. Of course, we all are a building our confidence in those areas and strengthening our skills and talents. But you know, I think that actually being good that does help to feel that confidence. And so those are the three things that I would really say are clear indicators of what it looks like to win in the workplace. Enjoyment, fulfillment, and then skill or talent, And just to be clear, skill or talent is something that can be nurtured. Thank you for the Altitia, So you use this term a little earlier. About managing up, how do you have successful conversations with management about where you see your career going. Yes, I love, love, love talking about this because so many of us don't actually go to our managers and say, hey, look, I need to talk about my future here and what it looks like. And I really want all of the listeners to know that you do have the ability to do that. To set aside time with your manager to start having these conversations regularly. Now, if your manager is not open to having these conversations with you, something I mentioned earlier is like that data, You are actually getting those data points along the way, so just kind of keep that in your back pocket. I will say that ask someone who's coached a lot of folks. Having a solid manager who cares about your career growth is definitely one of those high, high, high priorities that you will want to have to be successful in your career. So in terms of how to have successful conversations with management about where you see your career going first is actually doing some research, doing some research, meaning have a brag sheet ready, research yourself, right, what do you actually want to do in the future. What are the skills that you want to develop? You know, I mentioned that brag sheet. What have you done in the past year two years that you're really really proud about. How have you added value to your organization? No one can brag for you if you can't brag for yourself, and you can't expect your manager to know all of the things that should do really well, especially if they have a team of people that are managing. So I would say the first thing is come prepared with some research on one what you actually want to do and what you've done so far, and how you want to continue to to add value and show up at work. I would also say being confident as important. Really talking to your manager almost like appeared to peer situation. You don't need to go into these conversations like, oh, I was just kind of wondering, I was really hoping we could talk about It's like, no, I want to sit here and have a honest conversation with you about my career at this organization. I have enjoyed doing X y Z. I've been able to see the team and the company grow to these heights, and I'm excited about where the company's going in the future. I have some ideas on the things that I want to continue to do here, and I want to see if that's aligned with your vision for the team and how we can actually start to talk about a plan for me getting promoted here. Simple is that, I would say, also having a plan, but being inquisitive, he curious, ask some questions. Of course, you do want to think about your own career growth plan as you think, close your eyes right and think about a year from now to five years from now, and then think about your personal career vision, but then also be thinking about how does that align with the company or the team vision. Having that conversation with your manager that will actually help you connect those dots to make sure that there is some good alignment there. And so if you can again do your research to be confident, come up with the plan, and have specific questions that will then help you to kind of lead into you Now, let's actually talk about what this particular plan and motion that we're gonna put in place, Like what can that look like and feel like, what's the timeline for that? What are those gaps that you might need professionally? Perhaps you need to develop more skills in one particular area, You probably will need a development plan. Right. We should all be continuously growing, investing in and developing in our careers. And your boss might be able to give you some intel, an insight that you aren't privy to just yet. But by you actually bringing up these questions and having this conversation and may just open up a new ways of being developed that you aren't even sure about. And so that is how I think people can have successful conversations on where they see their career going. You don't have to be shy about it, you don't have to be timid about it. Of course you can show appreciation, but not that desperation piece, right, And when it comes to career growth in general, it's really because, of course, the money is there, right, the title is there. You want more money, You want the bigger, better title if if that's something that you're passionate about. But it's also about how you can continue to help that organization. And something I think it's so important for us to remember is that we're not doing our employers of favor. It is a fair value exchange. Okay, you know this whole narrative I've heard before. They really took a chance on me, or they leave to me, they gave me a shot here, I'm just so grateful and thankful, like and that's cool, right, But they gave you a shot to give you a chance because there was something on your resume, your portfolio, there was something about you where they said we need her at this company. And so I think the sooner that we can remember that before going into these conversations will allow us to know what am I going to accept? What am I not going to accept? When am I actually going to say, you know what, this is not enough for me and this company does not deserve me, and it is fully okay to walk away if that conversation does not go as you would like it too. Mm hmmm. I think that that's such an important reminder. Thank you for that, Letitia. More from my conversation with Letitia after the break, you've talked about having a good relationship with your manager and how that can really a key to success in a current company culture. But we hear so many stories about like nightmare managers right, And you know people that you just do not have a good relationship with no matter how hard you try. What kinds of suggestions do you have for people who want to maybe climb the career letter in their organizations but don't actually have a good relationship with their manager? Got the joy? That is so hard? That is so hard? And I will say that one the number one reason people leave jobs is because they leave bad bosses. Not bad companies, but bad bosses. And so if you are someone who's listening, you are experiencing dealing with a bad boss, right, I know that is relative. Then just know that you are not alone. I've had a lot of conversations with my community and my coaching clients on managing up and it is a process, it is a journey. A lot of people get promoted because they are probably good at their jobs, but they don't really have a ton of people's skills and experience. I think it's so important for organizations to require some type of leadership training, but before putting folks in management roles. But you know, to answer the question around what should someone do if they don't have a good relationship with their manager. So for anyone that is listening and feels as though they don't have a good boss, they don't have a good relationship with them. I want you to know one, you're not alone, and too you can turn it around if that person is willing to turn it around. Right, There is only so much you can do. I think when it comes to just chasing career goals, you don't want to leave things unfinished or unseid. You want to be able to walk away from an opportunity saying, you know what, I gave it all that I got, and I really try hard with this boss and this manager, and nothing seemed to work right, and so let's talk about what those strategies could One it's having regular conversations with your manager, having strategic conversations with them. So I would recommend setting up regular one on ones weekly, bi weekly, monthly at minimum, where you are able to get in front of this person, share with them what you're working on, questions that you have, how it's actually helping the team and the company, and also taking the opportunity to have dedicated time to learn from them and to build that relationship in that rapport. Some bosses don't want to be buddy buddy and I'm sure for some of the listeners, you probably don't want to be buddy buddy with your boss either. Don't worry so much about being liked, Focus on being respected. And if someone is really good at their job, if they're adding value left and right, who cares If we're not grabbing drinks that happy hour? Who cares if we're not sharing gossip but the water cooler in the break room. Focus on being respective, Focus on doing your job well. Now, when it comes to a relationship with your boss, good or bad or whatever, you have to define what good looks like for you, right, what a good relationship with your boss looks like? Also, what does a good boss look like? Can you actually take time to give them some feedback? And you have to be careful with this, And I get it right because I know sometimes our egos can get in the ways is human beings and being leaders. So write a list how is my boss showing up for me well? And how are they not? And I would recommend having a conversation with your boss and letting them know I really want to build a better working relationship with you. Here are some of the things that I've noticed maybe that haven't gone so well, here are some things that I believe have gone really well, and I have some opportunities to share on how you can improve. Ask that person how they think the working relationship is going, just to kind of get their feedback. I will say that some folks just aren't good at managing people. You know, a lot of people do get promoted because they're really good at their job. Something that I am really passionate about is leadership training for new managers. That's something that we do offer at my company, and I think that before any person manages one other individual, they need to go through some type of leadership training because given and receiving feedback is key. Having crucial conversations is key. So we all have to manage up because some people just aren't good at it. Maybe they don't have a lot of people skills. They could be socially awkward, maybe they have so many direct reports they just trying to keep their head above what are You just really never know where someone's head is at unless you try to connect with them. Or that person could be thinking, you know what, I think they're good and they're happy at their job. I had no clue. So I think it's important for us to think about how we actually want to be managed, how we would define a good relationship, and then make that very clear. There's a couple of other things I would say is personality assessments. Some of my clients and the organizations we work with, they do have personality assessments that they allow employees to take and to do some type of mediation or debrief session in one on one environment or even a team environment, um so that folks can get to know people just beyond the work and more so about their own personal communication styles. So that's something I've seen to be effective. And then I would also say, just figure out what that frequency of communication looks like. If you're not really getting what you need from your boss still, then you probably need to go into like a plan being, which is, maybe you really like the company, you like the work that you're doing, but that boss y'all just not clicking. Y'all are just not clicking. Can you move internal? Like can you apply for another job at that company? If you don't want to leave that company, there might be terms where you have to go above that person start having what I call skip level meetings, not just meeting with your boss. Maybe your meaning with your boss's boss, having a mentor and sponsor, talking to other folks that have great relationships with them and really trying to understand, like how do they have that great relationship with them? But again, leading with that curiosity will definitely be helpful. So what are some ways both in and outside of the workplace we can begin to invest in our career growth? So ways to invest in our career growth inside a company, one is just building that social and political capital. Who do I need to know at this organization? Again, not around your boss, but you can kind of go through them, you can go above them, making sure that you're building relationships with the higher ups people that can serve as potential mentors or sponsors. I would also say in the workplace, it's just taking advantage of all the professional development opportunities that are available. Do you have a professional development stipend that you can use? Does your company support organizations in the community that you can volunteer with, join the board for. Does your organization have any mentorship programs? Do they have employee resource groups that you can tap into to build relationships? Relationships takes us so far in our careers and even for me as an entrepreneur. Yes, I'm in my eighth year of business, but those relationships that I nurtured ten years ago are starting to pay off in dividends now. So definitely invest in those relationships, use that professional development budget, and then externally or outside of the workplace. I'm a huge advocate, of course, of coaching, therapy, of course, continuing to unlock those personal challenges, those mindset shifts, the changes that we actually need to make so that we can show up as our full and authentic seales at work. We can't do that alone, so having a coach and a therapist I would recommend, as well as finding communities to join, whether it's industry based communities, whether it's communities with women who have a similar mindset or similar goals. So those are some of the few ways that I would say investing in that growth. But then also think about a development plan. I know this is something that I had mentioned earlier. A development plan doesn't mean that you should only focus on career development at work. There are things that you might want to do outside of work because you always want to be two steps ahead. Maybe you love your job today, but how is that going to help you in your job? In the future or down the road. Right, Something that I know from me that's important is public speaking. I do a lot of trainings, I lead a lot of coaching sessions of courts, and so I'm always wanting to invest in my public speaking skills because I know that something that I'm going to need to continue to grow and developing myself for the years to come. So I have a public speaking coach should I use and work with and I also have hired her to work with my team as well. All great suggestions and would role do those kinds of things play in us continuing to advance our career. That's a great question. I will say. I'm a certified executive coach. You can get an executive coach, you can get a mindset coach. You can get a coach that focuses on time management and life organization. So think about the specific areas in which you do want to be coach and also what type of coaching style do you like. I asked my clients, like, what would you say my style is? And they always say, you know, you're kind of like a sergeant, like you're hard on us, but you give us empathy at the same time. So some people might like more of that where it's like, you know, I have this personal cheerleader. They're gonna be hard on me, but they're also gonna push me and encourage me. You might want someone who's not going to be hard on you, or I think it just depends, really, but I will say this, I think that energy is important and having that kind of good synergy when you do talk to that coach and making sure that shall have a good kind of vibe going on. Do consultations as well, and I say, just kind of shop and have these conversations just to see like who am I gravitating towards and why if the coach does not have any type of certifications, asking them what results they get for their clients. I'm sure due to confidentiality, I don't go into specifics of my coaching clients and what they're going through, but I will speak high level in terms of here's some of the issues that they face, and here are some of the specific ways they have came out on the other side. I definitely think that's fair game. So I'd say, you know, do your research as well, and also look for people who have experienced coaching individuals dealing with the same type of issues and similar industries. Celticia. You know, I think I've often heard the advice that the best time to look for your new job is while you are at your current job, and so I don't know if that is good advice, but I love to hear from you like how often when should we start looking for new opportunities? And that maybe both within our current company or maybe switching to a new company. Yeah, yeah, I get that question a lot. If will And that's like a thing. One thing I want to say if to anyone that's listening, if you are thinking about looking for a new opportunity, that means something. Hold onto that. Ask yourself, why is this coming up for me? Was it after a conversation I had? Was it after an email? Last song? You know? What was it? And really really think about that and process that for yourself. First. I do get the question a lot as to should I look for new opportunities? Am I ready? And no one can dictate that for you. I think when you know, it's kind of like a when you know, you know type of thing, kind of like leaving a relationship, like when you're fed up with somebody, you're gonna walk away. Hopefully and by that time you will have decided this no longer serves me. I do want to challenge people that are listening to not wait until you're fed up. Do not wait until you're fed up with your job to start looking. So understand this. You can always do a little job when they're shopping online, and I highly recommend that you do this. I'd say at least every six months. But even if you're looking, even if you apply, it's not a fireble offense. You know, if you spend ten minutes on Indeed or Monster or LinkedIn looking at jobs, your current job is not going to be in jeopardy, Like, there's nothing wrong with that. And the fact that you are looking for something else or interested in something else, you know, sometimes we see that as a weakness where it's like, oh, here they go get another job, or here they go looking for something else. I've oftentimes have helped people re shift their thinking around looking for job opportunities because it doesn't mean that something is wrong with you or that you don't like stability. I think it's telling you is that what you're currently doing it's just not enough, and you're not willing to settle. You're ready for that next thing. Maybe you want to be challenged more, you want to get paid more. That is a great place to be in when you start feeling like, MM, should I maybe look for a new opportunity. So just because you do look, just because you will apply, it doesn't mean you have to make a decision today or tomorrow on your whole career. You will apply, you may get a call for interview, you may not. You might interview a few rounds, maybe one to hey, maybe five, and you might even get the job offer. That's when that decision making really comes into play. And so I'll oftentimes tell folks, just because you're looking and applying the jobs, you don't need to sign your life away tomorrow. Up until that time, research every interaction with that company, whether that is a LinkedIn message or maybe it is an interview or a conversation with their recruiter. It's a data point to find out what you like, to find out what you don't like, right, And so don't be afraid to look if you feel like you need to look. But just so, it's a time, and it's an energy and investment. And so there are some clear ways though where if this is happening to you. You should be looking for an opportunity in one. It could be again that bad manager. That manager is just saying that you're not gonna grow here. You're not gonna get a raise, You're not going to get a promotion, especially if it's been promised to you a year or two years ago. If it's just a really, really toxic workplace, if you're completely burnt out and you hate the work that you do, it physically gives you anxiety like waking up and starting your day. Please start looking for something else. You don't need somebody to tell you that it's time to look for something else. But if you do this, is that will notice for you right now, is that you don't have to settle for mistreatment, for toxicity, for misaligned leadership. So again, I'm never gonna tell anybody to not look for an opportunity, but just know the time and energy that goes into it, and if you are really willing to make that move, you will do it. But it's not easy. More from my conversation with Latitia after the break. So if I already know that I am feeling like I want a better job, that might mean I want higher paying or I want something that's more aligned with my passions and goals. Where do I start? What are some of the first steps I need to take. So if you want a higher pay and more alignment and you know that for a fact, there's a few things to do. Of course, updating you know, your resume, the LinkedIn, thinking about all of the contacts that you have, and starting to just plant some seeds and reach out to people. Now, let's say you don't want to ruffle any feathers you know at the current job, and so that can be a little tricky. You can go on job boards and I can just kind of share my favorite LinkedIn is a great one. Google search has a really good job board. So if you google marketing director job in Atlanta, Georgia, that will pull different job listings from job boards. But I say, set a goal on how many jobs to start applying to. Maybe you start reaching out to recruiters on LinkedIn, and again you start planning those scenes with your network, being mindful of that, being careful of Okay, what if I don't want this to go back to my current employer. That's really for you to make that decision on. But if you have decided that you want to move on. It's of course the networking piece, getting those interviewing documents in order, also having that career story that elevator pitch in order as well, and especially if you want to hire paying job, you really got to come with it and start practicing those salary negotiation conversations from the jump, you know, start researching what that salary is that you want, because recruiters are having those conversations with job seekers during the first call. They're calling you up like, hey, we see your interested in this role. By the way, what's your salary? You need to be able to spit out a number like that or ask them for the range. And so the more you can do on the front end of preparing before just jumping into it, the better. So we've been hearing a lot about this Great Resignation. I'm sure you have to How can people take advantage of this? Yes, So, the Great Resonnation, it's been just a really interesting thing to see happen during this pandemic. The Great Resonnation means that majority of Americans are actually leaving their current job, interviewing, applying for other roles, were just ready to kind of move on to this next best thing with that being said, how people can take advantage of it is maybe you don't want to leave your job, having conversations with your employer around your future, you know, negotiating for a higher pay, especially if you have added more value during this pandemic. So if you do want to stay your current job, great, make sure that you're getting paid fairly for that, You're getting compensated well for it. Maybe you can't get a higher salary, but you can get more professional development benefits for higher professional development stipend, you know, a career coach, right, I'd say if you are looking externally, of course, just making sure that you're doing that research on what the going market rate in terms of salary, comp benefits, even equity, all of those things. Making sure that you have a really good understanding of that so that you can negotiate for the right pay. But I am seeing that organizations now are being challenged to, you know, what they call is re recruit their current employees because the job market is so hot, because recruiters are sliding into those d m s on Twitter and LinkedIn. It's these companies gotta come correct. And so if your company is not coming correct, don't be afraid to have that conversation with them. So you've talked a couple of times a teacher about like salary negotiation and like all these things. Where can people find this information about like where to even start salary negotiations? Yes, so there are some resources online to be able to look at. Hey, I know that on the LinkedIn job board they do share salary data for certain roles. Pay scale dot com, salary dot com, last store dot com. Those are all online resources that folks have used. I've also recommended that folks hire a comp analysts. There are comp analysts that exist. If you really want to know what the going market rate is, you can't hire someone to do that research for you. Of course, that comes at a being. I would also at start having conversations with one another. I know this gets to be a little tricky, especially in the black woman community, because we are under paid. Sometimes we don't know how much we are underpaid until we start having conversations with folks in our community to say, hey, girl, this job I'm interviewing for it. You know, if you know somebody in that industry, like, what would you say is to pay here? If you start having those open conversations even in your circle if you can. I know that even for me as an entrepreneur getting asked to speak on panels and speak at events, I do have a circle of folks where we talk about our speaking fees and rates to make sure that we are being paid equitably, because it does matter. So having conversations. I would also add having conversations with recruiters as well and asking them what the salary is for these roles. Don't keep turning down these recruiters that they are in your inbox. Just have the conversation and they may give you that salary information during that initial or maybe even the second conversation, So that is something to be mindful of. I will say this. Let's say that you are negotiating salary and you feel like you've came in too low. A few things you want to do was not giving up you know, your salary upfront, maybe letting that employer know or the recruiter know, hey, look, I really want to learn more about this role before I share my salary expectations are. But I would like to know if you already have a salary range in mind. So salary negotiation can be tricky, but you do want to make sure you're going into these conversations prepared and informed as much as possible. That's great information, thank you, Lytitia, you know, and talking about the great resignation you talked about, like some of these additional benefits and people are having to rerecruit. What are some of the new normals and benefits that we can advocate for in light of the pandemic. Something that I've heard a lot is that we are living at work. We're not from home, you know, we just wake up, get out of bed for those of us that do work remotely, and open our computer and we start our day. And so with that being said, we could ask our employer for a phone WiFi stipend. There is a huge talk about our mental well being and how companies really need to make sure that they are investing in our employees beyond just that professional development, but also that personal development and well being. And so if your employer does provide any mental health benefits, whether that's covering therapy, looking at the employee assistance plan that your organization does provide, really talking to HRS just to make sure you are aware of all the benefits that are available to you. Is important, But I'd say definitely that WiFi kind of phone stipend, you know, mental health. If someone is having to just travel a little bit for work, organizations are paying for that. But I'd say the hot topic I'm seeing right now is organizations really investing in their employees well being, which is why this podcast is so important to so many of us as well to get those resources and get that advice and godance we need. Thank you, Letitia. I wonder if you have some additional either journal prompts or questions we can ask ourselves to check in with ourselves about our careers. Yes, I do. I'm a huge advocate of journaling. So much of our career growth really starts from within. It's not just about output, it's also about that input. And so some journal problems that I can share is I like to use skills like guided skills, because once you're able to put a number on something, you're able to track and measure the effectiveness of it. So one example I would say is, on a scale from one to ten, how in control of my career do I feel? Right on the scale of one to ten, how much clarity do I have about my career and where I want to go on a scale of one to ten, how confident do I feel at this particular moment? And then journal why that is? Think about what would me showing up as my most authentic and full self at work look like? Why is that not happening for me? Now? Another way you can think about some journal prompts is there might be some and in your career, in your life that you're really having a hard time with processing working through. It could be time. Maybe I just have a really hard time with managing my time at work. Journal about that and ask herself what is my relationship with in an insert whatever that is? Maybe it's time, right, maybe it is what is my relationship with self doubt? What is my relationship with self advocacy? And journal about what that is? Because if you can actually think about it almost like it's a person or a thing, not just this like abstract thing, you would be able to just get that clarity. I really love journaling as a way to just emotionally process and I know that's something that you talked about on this podcast before. So and what affirmations would you offer to black women who are trying to grow their careers? So many affirmations The first one I will say is that my value does not equate to my sense of productivity. My self work does not way to my sense of productivity. I am more than enough when I wake up and log into my first meeting of the day, even just something as simple as girl, you got this. You don't need to silence yourself or you don't need to trade your comfort for anyone else's comfort, right. I mean, the way I would think about affirmations is if you were having a conversation with someone else that was going through the same thing that you were, what would you say to them? What would you want someone to say to you? And now say that for yourself. So I do a lot of work with my clients around just self worth in their career journeys, but career journaling, writing those affirmations, putting those affirmations up around our desk, in our mirror, in the bathroom, all of those things can really just help us mentally stay grounded, stay confident. So the self doubt will come too. And I think that's something that we do need to remember, is that we all experience self doubt, even the most successful people that we see online on social media. It's not about having that self doubt. It's really about pushing past it. So I do have a career Journal for women, and I do have affirmation cars that I created, and I would love for folks to really take advantage of journaling and affirmation cards. Thank you for the Helticia. So, how can we stay connected to you and learn more about the products and services that you offer? So with your website as well as any social media handles you'd like to share. Yeah, absolutely, So the career journal and the career affirmation cards can be found at Career Shop for Women dot com. I'm also very easy to find on social media at Flatisha, Underscore Bird. I have a membership community focus on career goals, career development, that community, mentorship, things of that nature, and that is Career Chasers Club dot com. We do open enrollment every quarder. And then the last website, and I've got a lot of sites and stuff is my business website where we do work with organizations to help them build equitable and safe workplace cultures and that is go perfecta dot com perfect and we will be sure to include all of that in the show notes. We still appreciate you sharing all your expertise with us today, Latitia, Thank you, thank you so much. I'm so glad Laticia was able to share her expertise with us today. To learn more about her and her work, be sure to visit the show notes at Therapy for Black Girls dot com slash session to fifty seven, and be sure to text two of your girls right now and tell them to check out the episode. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out the therapist directory at Therapy for Black Girls dot com slash directory. And if you want to continue digging into this topic or just be in community with other sisters, come on over and join us in the Sister Circle. It's our cozy corner of the Internet designed just for black women. You can join us at community dot Therapy for Black Girls dot com. This episode will produced by Freda Lucas and Alice Ellis and editing was done by Dennis and Bradford. Thank you all so much for joining me again this week. I look forward to continue in this conversation with you all real soon. Take it care