Dear Corporate Girlies,
Welcome back to the newsletter for women who want to do high-impact work and live a high-impact life.
If you’ve ever searched “is this normal??” at 2 AM after hours of doom-scrolling, you are not alone. Sometimes we just need reassurance that we aren’t, in fact, doing everything wrong. It would help if so many things didn’t go unexplained, especially when it comes to careers.
For all of the attempts at clarity, from job descriptions to pay transparency and published promotion criteria, early career life often feels like you woke up in the middle of a movie and everyone else somehow got the script. The good news? We’re here to help decode the plot.
Let’s start with the 5 things nobody explained when they gave you that name badge and assigned your cubicle:
- Almost everyone has a quarter-life crisis. Your twenties are messy for completely valid reasons.
- Doing great work is not always enough. You can be smart, capable, hardworking, and still get overlooked.
- Your manager is not a mind reader. You have to say things out loud.
- No one actually feels ready. Most people are making it up as they go.
- An MBA can change more than your resume. It can change the way you see what's possible for yourself.
And here’s our gift to you for when you find yourself in one of those completely absurd and yet “totally normal” moments. Bingo, anyone?
Power Skill of the Month: Executive Presence
You know how two people can say the same thing and one gets nods while the other gets ignored? We’re not talking about hepeating or bropriating, because this dynamic can play out between two women just as easily as it can between two men. The difference is Executive Presence: the ability to influence others, inspire confidence, and command a room. Fortunately for those of us who weren’t raised in a boardroom, Executive Presence is a set of skills you can learn and leverage to help you be seen as a leader while staying true to who you are.
Career Question of the Month
How do you talk about using AI at work?
This matters whether you’re managing up, interviewing, or just trying to show that you’re not totally resistant to the technology. Using AI is now table stakes. Explaining how you use it, including your process, your judgment, and your guardrails, helps managers and recruiters understand how you think about your work, your tools, and your priorities.
We want to hear from you. Take our super short pulse survey (promise — it’s only 2 questions and one is optional). We’ll share the results in the next issue.
Talk soon,
