Over the weekend, I celebrated my milestone 40th birthday 🎉

And while most people celebrate with cake (don’t worry, I did that too!), I wanted to mark this milestone with something more meaningful for you.

I put together 40 of the most important career lessons I’ve learned as a woman in corporate...lessons I wish I had known sooner. I don’t want you making the same mistakes I did. I want you to use these lessons to level up faster, with more clarity and confidence.

Over the past few years, I’ve coached 1,147 mid-stage and senior level women, and the patterns are undeniable. The same struggles I once faced like being overlooked, underestimated, and overworked show up again and again. I’ve also seen firsthand how quickly those cycles can be broken with the right strategies. Case in point, one of our client wins from Friday who secured her promotion within 6 weeks👇

Look, hindsight is 20/20 but here's what you need to know. Your career doesn’t accelerate on effort alone. It accelerates on strategy, influence, and visibility.

So let's break down my 40 lessons together!

⭐ 40 of my biggest career lessons at 40

1. Self-advocacy isn’t arrogance. It’s your responsibility. No one will ever care about your career as much as you do. I used to think my results spoke for themselves, but silence cost me opportunities. If you don’t speak up, you risk staying overlooked for the roles you deserve.
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2. If you don’t claim credit, someone else will. I remember watching one of my male coworkers at L'Oréal repeat my idea in a meeting and get all the credit for it. It stung, a lot, but it taught me that credit flows to whoever owns the narrative, not always the one who earned it.
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3. Being the hardest worker doesn’t guarantee promotions. Being visible does. I burned years thinking long hours were the path upward. The truth? Promotions go to the ones leaders see as ready for more, not the women stuck in the weeds.
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4. Your boss isn’t a mind reader. State your ambitions clearly so they don’t assume. Earlier in my career, I thought my performance alone would show I was ready. Instead, I was passed over. It wasn’t until I clearly said “I want that next role” that the plan to get there became clear and actionable.
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5. Being reliable isn’t the same as being recognized. Being “too good” keeps you stuck. I was the one everyone could count on, especially when team changes were happening. And because of that, I became indispensable, but not promotable. Reliability is safe, but it rarely gets rewarded with advancement. Don't fall into this trap.
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6. Hope is not a strategy. Proactive action is. I used to hope my boss noticed my late nights, the extra effort, the wins I brought. Hope gave me comfort, but not results. I came to realize that taking charge of my career myself, like advocating, networking, and asking, created the most traction.
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7. Being a workhorse keeps you focused on busy work. Make the shift to strategic leader. At L'Oréal, I spent countless weeks buried in execution, but would be told I need to be "more strategic". Workhorses may be essential, but it keeps you stuck in busy work, not promotable impact.
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8. Oversharing diminishes your authority. Practice concise, decisive communication. Earlier in my career, I thought more words meant more credibility because it showed I knew my stuff. But I learned influence comes from clarity. Say less with conviction and leaders will lean in more.
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9. The more they need you, the less they promote you. Being the "glue" only goes so far. I was once told I was "too valuable" in my current role and they couldn't afford to lose me. This stalled my growth despite overdelivering. Don’t become so invaluable that you stay stuck in place.
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10. Meetings are key exposure moments. Use them to influence, not just inform. For years, I treated meetings as updates. That said, I noticed that the leaders who got noticed used them as moments to shape conversations, shift perspectives, and leave a mark. That’s how influence is built.
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11. Every "no" gets you closer to a "yes" so ask specific questions to bridge that gap. Rejection used to crush me. I would internalize this feedback as if it meant something about me or that I did something wrong. I soon recognized that a "no" for now, didn't mean a "no" for never. By gaining clarity and asking open-ended questions, it helped me secure my next goals much faster.
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12. Playing it safe is the riskiest move. Take calculated risks beyond what feels safe. Comfort zones feel secure, but they hold you back from the woman you're meant to become. My biggest promotions came from risks I nearly talked myself out of. What's 1 risk you've been putting off?
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13. It’s not just about who you know but who knows you. Nurture relationships across levels.​
    One of my target promotions was denied. It felt like a punch to the gut. Despite my boss supporting me for it, my boss' boss blocked it. In that moment, I realized that perceptions are being formed every day and building 1:1 relationships with senior leaders is a non-negotiable. Once I fixed that, I secured my promotion 8 weeks later.
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14. When speaking with execs, focus on an “us” vs. “the challenge/opportunity” mindset. I stopped positioning myself as an individual contributor and started framing myself as a business partner. I used to get so intimidated thinking it was "me" vs. "them", when in reality, I recognized my role was to help us, together, make the most informed decisions. That 1 shift was a game-changer.
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15. Imposter syndrome is a good thing as it proves you’re pushing past your comfort zone. Every time I felt imposter syndrome, I was stepping into something bigger. Fear became my signal that I was growing so I went all in, which led me to get promoted every year for 10 years.
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16. Your title isn’t your identity. Brand yourself beyond the role. Titles come and go. What lasts is the reputation you build, the skills you own, and the influence you carry. Never forget that.
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17. The way you make others feel > what you say. People may forget your words, but they never forget how you made them feel in a meeting, a presentation, or a hallway conversation.
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18. Burnout isn’t a badge of honor. Set the right boundaries to sustain impact. I once burned out so badly I could barely think straight. My sleep and health were badly affected and I felt backed against a wall. No promotion is worth sacrificing your health. In fact, setting the right boundaries garners you more respect because it shows you know your limits. Over-extending yourself only leads to frustration and mismanaged expectations of what your true capacity is.
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19. Promotion decisions are made by multiple stakeholders. Build allies consistently. I learned the hard way that it wasn’t just my boss’s vote that mattered. It was multiple people across hierarchy levels and teams. Don’t wait until review season to build advocates. Keep it always-on.
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20. Don’t over-rely on your boss to advocate on your behalf. Own your career narrative. Bosses change. Priorities shift. The only thing consistent is the story you tell about yourself. Make sure it’s being heard the way you want.
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21. Senior leaders reward clarity. Simplify your message into 3 core parts. I was in my first meeting at L'Oréal with our CEO. As the meeting ended, he looked me straight in the eyes and said "Don't ever say that again." I had just rambled through every detail and had completely lost him in my flow. That was the day I learned that clarity wins attention.
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22. Feedback is a gift, not something to take personally. Extract the learnings and take action. I used to take feedback as a personal attack and internalize it. But remember, feedback is exactly what helps you get ahead faster. Not asking for feedback is never the answer. You'd rather ask and be able to action it rather than turn a blind eye and stay behind.
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23. Don’t wait for "perfect." Progress beats perfection every time. I missed out on key visibility moments because of my need to perfect my work. I was convinced that this is what my bosses wanted. I wish I had learned sooner that progress builds careers, perfection delays them.
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24. "I don’t feel ready" is a lie we tell ourselves instead of doing the things we’re meant to do. I was terrified before my first director role. I didn’t feel ready but I grew into it fast. Readiness comes after the leap, not before it.
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25. Don’t confuse inexperience with inability. They’re not the same. Just because you haven’t done something yet doesn’t mean you can’t. I learned faster by saying yes and figuring it out along the way, without needing to have all the answers off the bat.
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26. What got you here won’t get you there. Upgrade your skills before they’re needed. Every big career move I made came because I invested in skills a step ahead of my role. That way, when the opportunity showed up, I was actively considered for it.
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27. Shoot your shots. More often than not, they’ll land exactly the way you wanted. I’ve lost track of how many times a bold ask changed my trajectory. Sometimes you miss. More often, you score.
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28. Leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about your ability to influence, inspire and mobilize others. Some of the strongest leaders I’ve known didn’t have the title yet. Don't let that stop you either.
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29. High performance is expected. High impact gets rewarded. Focus on outcomes, not hours.​
    I used to think staying late proved my worth. That the number of hours I put in equated with my value. But the women who moved up weren’t the ones working longest, they were the ones delivering impact.
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30. Failure isn’t a bad thing. You either win or you learn. My biggest setbacks taught me lessons success never could. Each failure became a stepping stone to the next level. I encourage you to view it in the same way.
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31. Confidence isn’t built before action. It’s built through action. I’ve seen it in myself and in my clients time and time again. Confidence only grows once you’ve taken the leap, not the other way around.
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32. You don’t get promoted for keeping things running. You get promoted for driving what’s next.​
    Show you can move the business forward, not just maintain it.
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33. The one who controls the narrative controls the outcome. Tell your story before others do.​
    Silence gives space for others to define who you are and what you want. They don't always get it right so don't hand over that control. Your career is too important for that.
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34. If you’re not in the room where decisions happen, make sure your name is. Build sponsors.​
    It's not enough to just work hard. You need the right people who speak your praises when you're not around. Only then will your career growth truly transform. Pro tip: Get clear on your biggest differentiators and reinforce those in your projects, updates and exposure moments.
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35. Complexity loses executives. Simplify to amplify. Leaders don’t want 20 data points. They want the one insight that drives your outcomes. Then, if anything, volunteer more information so you don't put your foot in your mouth.
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36. Stop trying to prove you belong. Start showing why they can’t afford to overlook you. I spent too much time trying to earn my seat at the table. Everything shifted when I stopped defending my place and started demonstrating my value, especially with senior leaders.
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37. Doing the work gets you noticed once. How you frame the work gets you remembered. Anyone can say "I finished the project." Instead say, "Here’s the impact this project had and why this matters for the business." See the difference?
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38. Feeling ready for your next step doesn’t matter if your perceived readiness isn’t there. I’ve seen countless women feel "ready" but still get overlooked for the roles they deserved. It’s not enough to believe it yourself, you have to shape how others see you.
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39. Influence is built in micro-moments: emails, updates, quick interactions. Use them strategically. Your career isn't made in performance reviews alone. It's shaped in the day-to-day moments that build your presence and reputation.
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40. Senior leaders choose potential, not perfection. Position yourself as the obvious "next."​
    I didn't get promoted because I was flawless. I got promoted because I showed potential for the role above me. Don’t aim to be perfect. Aim to be the obvious choice.

Which lesson hits home most for you right now? Just email me back, I'd love to know!

Because your career won’t change by accident. It will change because you decide to show up differently, strategically, and unapologetically.

Here’s to your growth and to all the women who refuse to stay stuck.

You've got this! ❤️️