SisterSmart Leadership

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May 2026

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Are you a woman in leadership who is tired of feeling stuck in your career? Like your work isn’t getting the recognition it deserves? Like your voice doesn’t have the influence it needs to contribute to better solutions? Like no matter what you do, you can’t get promoted? While these challenges don’t discriminate against gender, women need different solutions to overcome them. It’s not enough for women to simply get leadership training and career advice. They need to learn how to lead with their feminine energy and use it as their biggest advantage. On this show, career success coach Jill Avey and her guests explore how women can rise from director to vice president and beyond by fully leaning into their feminine energy as their biggest advantage. In each episode, you’ll understand how women need to lead differently and how by doing so, women leaders gain influence and respect among their colleagues, restore balance to their role, and receive the recognition and promotions they deserve. Each episode will highlight real-life stories, offer practical advice, and the science of feminine leadership so you can see how women are rising up as far as they want to go, without playing by the old rules that built these male-dominated industries and systems. It took Jill 10 years to get promoted from director to vice president. She’s here to extend her hand to other women leaders to move past that rung of the ladder in months — or even weeks — instead of years — so we can create more gender balance within leadership positions and feel the effects of women’s influence on the world. Jill is the founder of SisterSmart where she offers group and private coaching to help her clients find deep fulfillment in their careers, both personally and financially. You can learn more at sistersmart.com

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May 7, 202634 min

51: How to Know When It's Time to Leave the Job You Used to Love

Have you been at the same company for years, even decades, and suddenly the work that once excited you feels stale? You are not alone and there is a clear path forward.This is the question so many ambitious women face: how do you know when it is time to leave a job you have loved? When the culture shifts, when new leadership changes everything, when an outside force like a merger or a pandemic rewires the workplace, the thought of moving can feel daunting. You know you feel stuck but you do not know what the next steps are.In this episode of the SisterSmart Leadership Podcast, Jill Avey sits down with her client Rebecca H., a privacy specialist in the legal field who spent more than 15 years at the same organization before she made her move. Through the Sisters in Leadership program, Rebecca was able to recognize the leadership skills she had been quietly building for over a decade, develop the executive presence she needed to interview at a higher level and land a role at an established publicly traded mid-sized consumer products company where she leads a sizable team with a real mandate and the resources to deliver on it.Whether you are a woman leader who has outgrown your current role, a high performer wondering whether your complacency is really stagnation in disguise, or an in-house specialist who has never been told you are a leader, you will find inspiration and a roadmap in Rebecca's story.In this episode, you will learn:How to recognize the difference between contentment and complacency in your careerWhy a culture shift can quietly drain your enthusiasm for the work you used to loveHow leadership skills get built off the org chart, and why that matters when you are ready to move upThe executive presence work that helps women get hired into bigger leadership rolesA networking and resume strategy that opens doors without ever telling anyone you are lookingHow to step into a brand-new leadership role and build psychological safety from day oneWhy being a likeable badass is the sweet spot for women leaders who refuse to be trampled or seen as a pushoverHow a personal strategy retreat can reframe your whole career and create real long-term balanceMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODELikeable Badass by Alison FragaleABOUT REBECCA H.Rebecca H. is an experienced privacy specialist in the legal field with more than two decades in legal practice. After spending over 15 years building her career at her previous organization, she recently moved into a senior in-house leadership role at an established publicly traded mid-sized consumer products company, where she leads a sizable team and is responsible for redefining the company's privacy program. Because of the sensitive nature of her work, Rebecca is sharing her story on audio only and using her first name and last initial.—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

April 30, 202635 min

50: Why High Performance Wont Get You Promoted To VP with Linda

Are you a high performer who has been waiting for your hard work to speak for itself? You are not alone. Most women rise to the director level by being exceptional individual contributors, then hit an invisible ceiling that no one warned them about. The people getting promoted to vice president are not always working harder, they are working differently, and they understand a set of corporate power dynamics that nobody teaches women in business school, in onboarding, or anywhere along the way.In this episode of the SisterSmart Leadership Podcast, host and executive coach Jill Avey sits down with Linda Reddy, Global Supply Chain Director at Nando's, to decode the invisible games of corporate power that determine who advances into senior leadership and who stays stuck at director. Linda has more than 25 years of leadership experience across South Africa, India, the Middle East, Africa, and globally, and she has watched countless talented women plateau at the same level she once did, until she figured out the real rules.If you are a woman leader, director, senior director, or aspiring vice president looking for a roadmap from high performer to executive, this conversation will reframe how you think about visibility, influence, narrative, and what it really takes to be promoted to vice president. Linda walks through her framework of three career stages, the three elements of power, and the biggest mistakes women make when they pursue promotion. By the end of this episode you will know exactly where to focus to break through your next ceiling.In this episode of the SisterSmart Leadership Podcast you will learn:Why high performance alone will not get you promoted to vice president, and what doesThe three corporate stages every woman leader must move through to reach senior leadership: high performer, influencer, and authorityHow to use visibility, influence, and narrative as your real path to executive promotionWhy decisions about your career are happening outside the boardroom, and how to position yourself to be in those roomsHow to reframe self-promotion as a service that helps others do their job betterThe high performer trap that is causing senior leaders to see you as an operator instead of a thought leaderWhy being your own ambassador is the mindset shift that unlocks your next promotionThe biggest mistake women make when they say I am not 150 percent ready, and how to stop waitingHow to start small with risk and build the confidence muscle that gets you promotedLinda's framework of the 11 invisible games of corporate power and the 22 human dynamics that underpin themRelated topics covered in this episode for women leaders:How to get promoted from director to vice president, corporate power dynamics for women, executive presence for senior women leaders, women in supply chain leadership, leadership skills for women, how to be more visible at work, how to build influence as a woman leader, narrative framing for executives, sponsorship and mentorship for women, women in male dominated industries, women in global leadership, breaking the glass ceiling, gender in the workplace, leadership development for women, becoming a senior director, becoming a vice president, women and confidence, women and risk taking, professional growth for women leaders, how to be promoted faster.MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEGet Linda Reddy's reflection journal on the invisible games of corporate power when you subscribe to her newsletter: https://lindareddy.uk/Linda Reddy's framework of the 11 invisible games of corporate powerThe 22 human dynamics that underpin corporate power across identity and status, fear and control, relationships and trust, ambition and survival, narrative and perception, and influenceABOUT LINDA REDDYLinda Reddy is a London-based Global Executive and international speaker specialising in corporate systems, power, and performance.Over 25 years, she has led large-scale supply chain and operational transformation across FMCG, banking, and hospitality in more than 24 countries running complex operations, multi-country P&Ls, and delivering over 400% EBITDA growth at C-suite level.A Harvard Business School alumna, she identified early that corporate success is not driven by strategy alone—but by the invisible dynamics of power, positioning, and human behaviour.That insight was sharpened beyond the boardroom.Summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, climbing Mount Fuji, and carrying the torch for the Olympic Games shaped a defining perspective on resilience, clarity, and legacy.Today, she is the creator of two proprietary frameworks:• The 11 Invisible Games of Corporate Power and • The 22 Human Dynamics used to help professionals understand how decisions are really made, build influence, and avoid being overlooked despite strong performance.Her work sits at the intersection of systems, power, and performance focused on how corporate actually functions, not how it is designed to—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

April 23, 202632 min

49: The Busyness Trap That is Keeping You Stuck with Lydia

If you are a woman in leadership right now, ask yourself one honest question. When was the last time you felt like you had enough time, enough energy and enough space for yourself? If you had to think about it, you are not alone.For women leaders pursuing VP-level and executive roles, work-life balance often feels like a myth. You are leading teams, running households, showing up for aging parents, raising kids, and somewhere at the bottom of the list you are trying to remember what you used to love doing just for yourself.In this episode of SisterSmart Leadership, Jill Avey is joined by SisterSmart coach Lydia Fogo Johnson for a real conversation about the busyness trap and why the old idea of perfect balance is quietly keeping women leaders stuck at the director level and below. Together they break down the three root causes of overwhelm for high-achieving women, the reality of caregiver burnout, and the specific boundaries every woman leader needs in order to rise up without burning out.Whether you are a director trying to get promoted to VP, an executive managing a big team while caring for kids or aging parents, or a high-achieving woman who feels like you have been saying yes to everything for years, this episode gives you the permission and the practical tools to shift from perfect balance to sustainable integration.What you will learn in this episode:Why the model of perfect work-life balance was never built for the reality of a woman's life and what to aim for insteadThe three hidden root causes of busyness for high-achieving women: overfunctioning, overdelivering, and overidentifying with workHow context switching silently drains up to forty percent of your productivityWhy overdelivery is actually a form of waste, and how a minimum viable product mindset speeds up your impactHow to recognize when your self-worth has become tied to your output and how to reconnect with who you are outside of workWhy caregiver burnout is a structural problem, not a personal failure, and what to do about itHow to run caregiving like a project using division of labor, delegation and stakeholder management skills from your day jobThe mental load trap most women fall into when they delegate execution but keep ownership, and how to actually hand off the whole thingWhy sleep, recovery, and personal time are not selfish and how modeling self-care shapes your entire teamThe boundaries every woman leader needs with a deep dive on time boundaries and digital boundaries for a twenty-four-seven worldThree practical shifts you can make this week to reclaim your time, your energy, and your sense of selfMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEFair Play by Eve RodskyEmily Oster on work life balanceThe SisterSmart personal strategy retreatThe SisterSmart time inventory tool: https://sistersmart.kit.com/bcc912c74a ABOUT LYDIA FOGO JOHNSONLydia Fogo Johnson is a SisterSmart coach who helps women leaders find sustainable balance while navigating demanding careers and significant caregiving responsibilities. Her work focuses on helping high achieving women break out of the busyness trap, set meaningful boundaries, and reconnect with who they are outside of their professional and caregiving roles.—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

April 16, 202628 min

48: The Leadership Identity Upgrade

Have you ever hit a career level where everything you used to do to succeed suddenly stops working? The problem is not usually a skills gap. It is an identity gap -- and it is one of the most misunderstood moments in a woman's leadership journey.In this episode, Jill is joined by SisterSmart mindset coach Kan Yue to unpack the leadership identity upgrade: the quiet inner shift that has to happen before your next promotion, your next level of influence, or the next version of you can actually show up.Most high-achieving women try to solve this by working harder, taking on more, or adding another certification to their resume. But none of that touches the real issue -- because the real issue is not what you are doing, it is who you believe you need to be to do it.If you have been feeling that quiet nudge that something needs to change, even when you cannot quite name it, this episode is for you.What you will learn in this episode:What a leadership identity upgrade really is and how it differs from just building new skillsThe three key signs that you have outgrown your current leadership identityThe overcompensation behaviors that keep high-achieving women stuck and exhaustedWhy setting boundaries is an identity upgrade, not just a communication or time management skillWhat does not work when you try to rise into senior leadership without an identity shiftHow to begin your own identity upgrade using awareness, acceptance, and ownershipHow the saboteur work and mindset coaching inside the SisterSmart program drives lasting inner changeMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEFree Identity Upgrade Guide: https://sistersmart.kit.com/d727218543ABOUT KAN YUEKan Yue is the mindset and identity coach inside the SisterSmart Sisters in Leadership community. She works with high-achieving women leaders to unlock the inner shifts required to rise into senior leadership roles with clarity, confidence, and ease.—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

April 9, 202630 min

47: How to Fast Track Your Promotion to VP

Are you trying to figure out how to get promoted to VP but feel like you are missing pieces of the puzzle? This episode is the career strategy for women in leadership that no one talks about openly.April Little is an executive career coach and promotion strategist who helps senior women leaders build executive-level influence, positioning, and decision authority inside complex organizations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Human Resources. Prior to launching her coaching practice, April served as Vice President of Human Resources at a venture-backed startup. Immediately before that role, she led senior-level recruiting and talent strategy, advising executive teams on leadership selection, organizational design, and succession planning. She brings over 15 years of experience in human resources, recruiting, and leadership development.In this conversation, Jill Avey and April Little cover the exact executive career strategy that gets women promoted faster. You will learn what executive presence for women really means, how to master strategic storytelling as a leader, how to communicate at every level of the organization, how to navigate the broken rung, and how to know when it is time to stop waiting and start looking for a new opportunity.Whether you are a director aiming for VP or a senior manager ready to break through to the C-suite, this episode will give you a clear and actionable roadmap for your next career move.0:00 --- Introduction: April Little's background and what makes her executive promotion expertise unique2:32 --- How to assess your executive readiness using the 10 steps to building executive level influence4:34 --- Executive presence for women: what the internal uniform concept really means and why consistency is everything5:43 --- Storytelling and strategic communication: the leadership skills that drive influence at the executive level10:16 --- How to tailor your communication style at every level of leadership from your direct manager to the C-suite13:03 --- Breaking through the broken rung: shifting your mindset and using what you already have to rise into leadership15:03 --- Sponsors, mentors, and peer networks: how to build the relationships that get your name in rooms you are not in20:22 --- How to map your career path and determine what advancement is realistically and ambitiously possible in your organization23:23 --- When to stop waiting and start looking: recognizing when your organization does not have a path forward for you27:44 --- Education vs. executive coaching: what actually moves the needle when you want to get promoted to VPIn this episode you will learn:How to assess where you stand on the 10 steps to building executive level influenceWhy executive presence is really about consistent and predictable leadership behaviorThe 3 back pocket stories every leader should always have readyHow to communicate differently with direct managers, skip levels, and C-suite executivesWhy the broken rung exists and the mindset shift you need to move past itThe strategic difference between a sponsor, a mentor, and a peer networkHow to build sponsor relationships that get your name in rooms you are not inHow to determine a realistic and ambitious career path inside your current organizationThe 18 to 24 month rule for knowing when it is time to leaveWhy doing your leadership development work before your job search gives you a competitive edgeThe honest truth about whether an MBA or executive coaching will actually get you promoted fasterTopics covered in this episode include women in leadership, how to get promoted to VP, executive presence for women, career advancement strategies, women in executive roles, how to get promoted as a woman, executive mindset, leadership skills for women, career strategy for women, women at work, women leadership podcast, career coach for women, leadership development, strategic communication for leaders, the broken rung in leadership, how to build a sponsor relationship, when to leave your job, women in the C-suite, how to fast track your promotion, and director to VP career path.Mentioned in This EpisodeApril Little - Career Coach for Women:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprillatoyalittle Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/iamaprillittleTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iamaprillittleApril Little's Website: https://www.aprillittle.co/ About April LittleApril Little is an executive career coach and promotion strategist who helps senior women leaders build executive-level influence, positioning, and decision authority inside complex organizations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master’s degree in Human Resources. Prior to launching her coaching practice, April served as Vice President of Human Resources at a venture-backed startup. Immediately before that role, she led senior-level recruiting and talent strategy, advising executive teams on leadership selection, organizational design, and succession planning. She brings over 15 years of experience in human resources, recruiting, and leadership development.Resources and LinksFREE Passport to Promotion Private Podcast: 7 Steps to Get Promoted from Director to VP - https://joinsistersinleadership.com/7-stepsApply for the Sisters in Leadership Program - An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and get promoted from director to VP - https://joinsistersinleadership.com/Explore Our Leadership Courses - https://sistersmart.com/leadership-coursesSubscribe and Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sistersmart-leadership/id1705796088Subscribe and Leave a Review on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/14Yh9jytQjaYRwmeiT5pBsConnect with JillWebsite: https://sistersmart.com/YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3koLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/#WomenInLeadership #HowToGetPromoted #ExecutivePresence #CareerAdvancement #WomenInBusiness #LeadershipSkills #CareerCoach #WomenExecutives #GetPromoted #DirectorToVP #ExecutiveMindset #StrategicCommunication #CareerStrategy #WomenAtWork #SisterSmartLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #CareerGrowth #WomenLeaders #ProfessionalDevelopment #BreakingTheGlassCeiling—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

April 2, 202630 min

46: How to Overcome Being Labeled Too Bossy and Earn a High-Visibility Senior Leadership Promotion with Christel

Have you ever been told you are too direct, too strong, or too bossy -- only to find yourself shrinking down just to keep others comfortable? If so, you are not alone, and this episode was made for you.Christel is a former military veteran, corporate leader, and SisterSmart Elite client who walked into a new company with impressive credentials -- mentors, leadership program visibility and years of high-performance experience. Yet her career was not advancing the way she knew it should. Her direct style was being flagged in performance reviews and the guidance she was receiving from mentors was not specific enough to help her break through.In this client story episode, Christel shares the exact blind spots that were holding her back, how she learned to communicate with impact and brevity to earn a seat in senior leader briefings, and how she ultimately landed a high-visibility promotion that required a full relocation and a major team turnaround -- all in the span of one year.Whether you are a woman in senior leadership navigating the double bind of being too much or not enough, wondering whether executive coaching is worth the investment, or preparing to step into a new high-visibility role, Christel's story is proof that the right development program changes everything.In this episode you will discover:Why mentors alone may not get you promoted -- and what fills the gapHow to stop being labeled too bossy, too direct, or too strong without losing who you areThe communicating with impact shift that earns you access to senior leader roomsHow to receive performance feedback without defensiveness -- so your leaders thank youWhat the first 30-60-90 days look like in a high-visibility new leadership roleHow to lead with your feminine strengths in even the most male-dominated environmentsWhat Christel says to every woman who is on the fence about investing in executive coaching2:56 -- The real limitations of mentorship for high-achieving women leaders4:26 -- What Christel was looking for when she chose executive coaching over self-help6:46 -- Looking back: the blind spots she did not know were blocking her promotion8:09 -- Being labeled too strong, too bossy, and too direct in corporate leadership9:47 -- Understanding social dynamics and finding your authentic place in the leadership hierarchy10:39 -- The communicating with impact shift that got her into senior leader briefings14:26 -- How to receive feedback without defensiveness so your managers actually thank you15:26 -- Landing a high-visibility senior leadership promotion and relocating for the role17:12 -- How to navigate career relocations without letting them derail your momentum19:32 -- The 30-60-90 day framework for entering a new role and building high-performing team trust22:22 -- Leading with feminine strengths in a male-dominated manufacturing environment24:57 -- Is executive coaching worth it? What Christel says to every woman on the fence27:00 -- How to protect time for your own development when you feel too busy29:41 -- The women leaders who inspired Christel: Condoleezza Rice and Madeleine AlbrightIf you are searching for how to get promoted from director to vice president, how to overcome imposter syndrome as a woman leader, executive presence for women, leadership coaching for women, communicating with impact, or how to build a high-performing team in a new leadership role -- this episode covers all of it through Christel's real client story.ABOUT CHRISTELChristel is a former military veteran and senior corporate leader who has built her career across multiple industries and geographies. After joining the SisterSmart Elite program, she identified key blind spots, transformed her leadership communication style and was promoted into a high-visibility senior leadership role leading a turnaround. She now leads a large team and continues to grow as an executive leader.—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

March 26, 202628 min

45: 5 Types of Invisible Work That Are Keeping Women From Getting Promoted to VP

Have you ever trained the person who got promoted over you? Or held your entire department together behind the scenes while someone else got credit for the results?Here is what no one tells you about getting promoted: it is rarely the hardest worker who moves up. It is the person whose work is visible to the right people.In this episode, Jill Avey and SisterSmart coach Sarah Spencer break down the five types of invisible work that women leaders take on every day -- work that carries enormous strategic value but almost never surfaces in performance reviews or promotion conversations. You will learn how to identify this hidden work, translate it into impact language, and build a visible case for your promotion to VP without changing who you are.You will also hear about Simone, a leader who was passed over for promotion twice before using this exact framework to land her VP promotion in under 10 months.Whether you are currently being overlooked, preparing for your next review, or simply tired of being the person who holds everything together without recognition -- this episode gives you a practical framework you can start using this week.In this episode, you will learn:Why non-promotable tasks are keeping women stuck in the leadership pipelineThe 5 types of invisible work that are secretly your biggest career assetsHow to use impact language to translate behind-the-scenes contributions into a powerful promotion caseThe 4-step Quiet Promotion Framework for making your invisible work visible to decision makersHow Simone went from being passed over twice to landing her VP promotion in under 10 months0:00 -- Introduction: The invisible work problem and why the hardest worker rarely gets promoted4:57 -- Why your results are not speaking for themselves (and Jill's own experience with this trap)5:51 -- Meet the 5 types of invisible work with SisterSmart coach Sarah Spencer16:30 -- Simone's story: passed over twice, promoted to VP in under 10 months using impact language19:15 -- How to use impact language to completely change the story you tell about your work20:45 -- The Quiet Promotion Framework: 4 practical steps to make your invisible work visibleyour careerTopics covered in this episode include: invisible work at work, getting promoted from director to VP, women in leadership, executive presence for women, non-promotable tasks, self-promotion at work, how to ask for a promotion, career advancement for women, leadership development for women, building visibility at work, impact language for leaders, how to get noticed at work, and the quiet promotion strategy.Mentioned in This EpisodeEpisode 40: How to Build a Professional Network (referenced for deeper work on strategic relationships)Emotional Labor Episode 42Malia Mason episode 44 on non-promotable tasks (referenced as the previous episode)The Bates Model of Leadership Presence (referenced by Sarah Spencer in the executive presence discussion)

March 19, 202630 min

44: How Women Can Win Any Negotiation Without the Backlash

How to negotiate as a woman without getting penalized for it -- that is exactly what Columbia Business School professor and negotiations researcher Malia Mason breaks down in this episode of SisterSmart Leadership.Women are told to ask for more, be more assertive, and stop apologizing. But when women follow that advice, research shows they are more likely to face social backlash than their male counterparts. This is the double bind, and it is one of the biggest invisible barriers keeping women out of senior leadership.Malia Mason teaches negotiations and co-directs the Women in Leadership Executive Education Program at Columbia Business School. She has spent her career studying what the science actually says about gender and negotiation, and in this episode she brings those insights directly to women leaders working to get promoted from director to VP.Jill and Malia also go deep on non-promotable work, the invisible administrative labor that women disproportionately carry and that quietly stalls career advancement, and share specific tactics to stop doing more than your fair share without damaging your reputation.If you have ever felt stuck between being too assertive and not assertive enough, this episode will give you a research-backed framework and practical tools to negotiate smarter starting today.What you will learn in this episode:What the research actually says about gender bias in salary negotiations and workplace negotiationsWhy women are penalized more for assertiveness than men, and what to do about itThe 3 ways gender shapes how women experience, are perceived in, and behave in negotiationsWhy gender bias matters far more in self-initiated negotiations than in formal contract negotiationsWhat non-promotable work is and why women do significantly more of it than menHow to redirect non-promotable work using the Suggest Steve method without burning bridgesWhy setting boundaries at work is itself an act of negotiationHow to make your invisible workload visible to your managerThe range offer strategy that lets women make ambitious salary asks without triggering backlashWhy precise numbers outperform round numbers in salary negotiationsThe truth about softening language and when it undermines your negotiating positionWhy women's natural communication strengths are actually a negotiation advantageThis episode is perfect for you if you are a woman in a director-level role who wants to get promoted to VP, if you struggle to ask for what you deserve without feeling aggressive, or if you are carrying more than your share of work and do not know how to change it.Related topics covered: negotiation skills for women, how to negotiate a salary raise as a woman, gender bias at work, how women can overcome the double bind, non-promotable work, how to stop doing office housework, salary negotiation strategy, women in senior leadership, how to get promoted from director to VP, setting boundaries at work, negotiation strategies for executives, Columbia Business School Women in Leadership, women executives, assertiveness without backlashABOUT MALIA MASONMalia Mason is a social scientist and professor at Columbia Business School, where she teaches negotiations and co-directs the Women in Leadership Executive Education Program. She is a trainer and consultant for organizations across financial services, media, tech, telecom, and the arts, and is one of the leading researchers on how gender shapes negotiation outcomes.#WomenInLeadership #NegotiationSkills #SalaryNegotiation #WomenLeaders #CareerAdvancement #DirectorToVP—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

March 12, 202627 min

43: Meeting Yourself Where You Are

Have you ever wondered why you keep getting in your own way, even when you have the talent, the drive, and the dream?That is exactly where Krystal found herself when she first connected with SisterSmart. She was burned out from consulting, running from anything that looked like a corporate job, and trying to launch a business while carrying years of unprocessed career pain. She did not need another hustle strategy. She needed to meet herself where she was.In this client story episode, Jill sits down with Krystal to talk about her six months inside the SisterSmart Leadership program and how it helped her identify and quiet her saboteurs, rediscover the parts of herself she had forgotten, and transform her relationship with both corporate and entrepreneurship.If you have ever felt lost, trapped, or like you were building on a cracked foundation, this conversation is going to meet you right where you are.01:21 --- What brought Krystal to SisterSmart: the masterclass and her husband's question that stopped her cold02:23 --- Feeling lost, trapped, and anti-corporate: where Krystal was when she first joined the program04:41 --- The program elements that changed everything: the pre-work, saboteurs, and the PQ bootcamp05:59 --- Rediscovering joy and the version of herself she had completely forgotten07:39 --- The results: releasing the pressure on her dreams and seeing corporate as a tool instead of a trap10:53 --- Healing from a toxic consulting career and the corporate shift worth paying attention to—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/

March 5, 202614 min

42: The Cost of Emotional Labor

Emotional labor at work is one of the biggest invisible barriers holding women leaders back, and most have never even named it.As women in leadership, we often take on the invisible work of managing team emotions professionally: smoothing over conflicts, holding the team together, noticing what no one else does, and absorbing the stress of everyone around us. This invisible work takes real skill and real energy, but it rarely shows up in performance reviews or promotion conversations.In this episode, we unpack why emotional labor falls so unevenly on women leaders, what it is really costing you in terms of energy, visibility, and career advancement, and exactly how to lead with warmth and still protect yourself from burnout.You will also hear about a leader who was passed over for a VP role despite being the emotional backbone of her entire department, and how she shifted from carrying the load to leading sustainably without losing any of her warmth.01:48 --- What emotional labor actually is and how it goes far beyond the original definition04:12 --- How one leader was running two jobs and why she got passed over for VP06:30 --- The three real costs of unmanaged emotional labor: energy depletion, visibility gaps, and burnout09:15 --- Why you should not stop caring and how to lead strategically instead11:24 --- Gender socialization and the double bind women face with emotional caretaking12:45 --- Four practical moves to stop emotional labor from holding you backMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEArlie Hochschild, The Managed Heart (1983) on emotional laborGoogle's Project Aristotle on psychological safety—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/