Hey Reader,

Hopefully you're gearing up for a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow with friends and family.

But if I had to guess? Your mind is still half on work.

Because this is the time of year when everyone seems to be asking more from you:

"Can you get this done before EOY?"

"We need to ramp up this new client."

"One more thing before you head out..."

In these situations, you might either:

• Say yes to everything and resent it later
• OR…say no too bluntly and get labeled "not a team player"

Both options set you up for burnout AND send entirely the wrong message about your readiness for the next level.

Because when you either overcommit or dodge the conversation entirely, leadership sees someone who can't manage their workload, can’t prioritize, and can’t hold their own with powerful stakeholders.

You HAVE to be able to push back diplomatically…

To deliver a clear, composed response without over-explaining, apologizing, or sounding like you're barely keeping your head above water.

To negotiate scope and timelines and show you can handle competing demands and make tough calls about priorities, which is exactly what leadership does.

Inside my best-selling program, Speak Like a Senior Leader™, we give an entire system to master executive-level communication, including how to:

• Distill complexity down to the one thing that matters most
• Tie every point or update back to business results
• Come to the table with a point of view that gets buy-in the first time
• Articulately respond on-the-spot to curveball questions

And SO much more.
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​Enrollment in Speak Like a Senior Leader officially opens on December 3rd at my FREE live class: “Earn Up to $200K More in 2026”

​→ RSVP for the live event here​

During the training, you’ll discover the 5-step roadmap to communicate with executive presence, even when you're tired, stressed, or caught off guard.

And at the end, I'll officially open the doors to the full program so you can start 2026 with the communication skills that get you seen, heard, and paid well.

Spots for the inaugural cohort sold out in a matter of days. So if you're even curious about the program, make sure you're on the live training so you can secure your spot before we hit capacity.

Caught in Promotion Purgatory? 4 Signs You're Being Strung Along & What NOT to Do When You’re Stuck

Before you take on yet another project to "prove" you're ready for the next level, listen to this week's podcast episode. If you're getting pulled into important meetings and leadership says "on their radar," but somehow, the promotion never seems to happen...Welcome to promotion purgatory. I reveal signs you're stuck in this limbo without even realizing it and share how to break out.

What You’ll Discover:

▪️ The hidden message behind vague feedback like "executive presence" (and why your manager can't explain how to fix it)

▪️ Why the instinct to "prove yourself" backfires – and what to do instead

▪️ A little-known skill that shows you're already operating at the next level before the promotion happens

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

More ‘Ridiculously Useful’ Resources

Give tough feedback without feeling sick to your stomach

You know you need to address that performance issue with your direct report, but you keep putting it off because the thought of the conversation makes you nauseous. Here's how to deliver tough feedback in a way that builds the relationship instead of damaging it.

​→ Read the article​

Managing Up wins "Best in Business" award

Some news I'm extra proud of: Managing Up won the Best in Business Book Award for Career & Financial Development from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. It's especially meaningful because the judges are top business journalists and finance professionals from the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Washington Post, NYT, and NPR.

​→ Check it out​

Upskill over the holiday break?

I'm about to hop on a plane to film my latest LinkedIn Learning course (stay tuned!). Did you know I have dozens of courses available on everything from influence skills to overcoming overthinking? Perfect for some low-key professional development during your holiday downtime

​​→ Access them here​

ONE WEEK TO GO: Free Class on Wednesday 12/3

The countdown's on for my FREE live training on December 3rd at 5pm ET: "Earn Up to $200K More in 2026: 5 Steps to Speak Like a Senior Leader.".

RSVP to discover:

✓ Exactly what's going wrong if you aren't commanding credibility and respect – even if you're doing the work of someone two levels up

✓ What it REALLY means when you're told "you need executive presence" (hint: it has nothing to do with being louder or wearing nicer clothes)

✓ Small tweaks you can make TODAY to articulate yourself with such polish and precision, your boss's boss says, "We need you looped in earlier"

✓ My 5-step system that gets our clients at top Fortune 500 companies tapped for 6-figure promotions (without annoying buzzwords or 10 hours of prep)

The training is completely free, and yes, a replay will be available – but only if you register.

​>> Save your spot​

We'll also be officially opening the doors for the January cohort of Speak Like a Senior Leader™ during the training.

See you there,

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