Episode 165: Yes, You Can Negotiate During Covid

“It might be as simple as framing it as, ‘I want to make sure I’m the most productive, that I’m feeling valued, and when I’m feeling valued I’m giving it my all and you’re getting a lot more out of me.’ ”

— Fotini Iconomopoulos

Now may not seem like the best time to ask for what you want at work, whether that's more money, a new title, or more time off. Everyone's under stress and putting in extra hours, right? But this situation isn't ending any time soon. And you may be about to burn out.

Fotini iconomopoulos

So why NOT ask for what you want and need?

In this episode we meet negotiation coach Fotini Iconomopoulos. We talk about her background as a child of Greek immigrants and what that taught her about advocating for herself. And we discuss how women in particular can stop their empathy getting in the way of reaching their goals during difficult times, when so many of us will tell ourselves not to be a nuisance, not to ask.

You can improve your situation, even at a time like this.

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Further listening: You’re Worth It - the Power of Negotiation (part 1)

Will They Still Like Me? The Power of Negotiation (part 2)

Episode 164: Hard Conversations

“When we start to de-prioritize our careers and prioritize a partner’s career there’s this inherent message of, ‘my career, my identity, my desire, less important.’”

— Rachel Garrett

Photo by Space_Cat/iStock / Getty Images

In this show we meet small business owner Rachel Garrett who, as a coach, specializes in boosting women's careers - only to find that during Covid, her own was flagging. She is far from alone.

We now know that in September, four times as many women than men left the US workforce thanks to the pressures of the pandemic. Rachel and I discuss the difficult conversations she started at home about whose career was getting priority, how to redress the balance, and why it's important - even now - that women don't put themselves on the sidelines.

This episode continues our series on what is happening to women’s careers during the ongoing pandemic.

Rachel first appeared on the show last year in an episode about coaches and their clients.

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Episode 163: No Kids. Working Hard.

“I never wanted to have kids.... so I do feel like I am reaping the rewards of those choices, and I was before Covid. All this year has really done is shine an extra spotlight on that.”

— Jennifer Szambecki

“At this point in the pandemic, I don’t know that I’m as motivated as I was before to work my way up. ”

— Sandra

In this third episode in our mini-series about what’s happening to women’s careers during the pandemic, we look at an under-discussed group.

We know women's careers are suffering, but much of the talk around this revolves around women with children at home. But what if you don't have kids, or your children are grown up?

In this show we meet two child-free women with quite different experiences of work during Covid. One feels her career is thriving. The other wonders what ambition means anymore when she just wants to get offline before midnight.

I’d love to hear from you if you’re in this category - either your kids have grown up, or you don’t have any. What does this time feel like to you? Are you overwhelmed at work, covering for others, or are you on a roll?

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Episode 162: The Coming Shift: What's Happening to Our Careers (part 2)

“It just seems like the overwhelming story we keep getting is dire tales that women are suffering...[but] one astonishing reality is the Berlin Wall of personal and professional life has fallen down, not just for women but for men too.”

— Avivah Wittenberg-Cox

Going down?

In the last episode you heard Jessi Hempel and I ask, what is happening to women’s careers right now? So many of us are still at home, often with family underfoot, attempting to manage children’s schooling or simply care for them while also doing our own jobs. Much has been written about the ‘women’s recession’ and the enormous pressure women are under during this pandemic.

This week guest Avivah Wittenberg-Cox offers a more hopeful perspective.

Ashley and Avivah during the interview

She sees this crisis is an opportunity for organizations to change the way they do things and make the workplace fairer for everyone. She says a generation clash between men is part of the current problem. And she says many of us will undergo a big shift in our careers in the months and years ahead, whether we welcome it or not.

You can also read a transcript of the show.

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Further reading:

These Forbes articles are all by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox:

Build Back Balanced: 3 Ways to Get Gender Driving Recovery

Do Her Justice: 4 Lessons from RBG

Why We Need Women in Tech and Government

Daniel Carlson’s research on men, women and domestic labor during the pandemic can be found here.

Episode 161: What is Happening to Women's Careers Right Now?

“It’s not so much that those career questions went away, it’s as if they exist in a different plane in time. And we’re not existing in that plane right now.”

— Jessi Hempel

Jessi Hempel

In this episode I sit down with Jessi Hempel, host of LinkedIn's Hello Monday podcast on the future of work.

We talk about how the last six months have affected women's careers in particular, and what might happen next. We discuss who's able to get ahead right now, and the delights of a supportive manager whose home/work life is as crazy as your own.

This is an incredibly uncertain time. A time when a lot of us are simply managing the day to day, which is itself challenging.

Jessi and I don't have a crystal ball, but we wonder - will this pandemic have lasting effects on women's progress?

This is the first of a few shows looking at what’s happening to women’s careers as this global health crisis continues.

You can also read a transcript of the show.

Episode 160: Stress and the Benefits of Being Outside (re-release)

“The time that women spend outside as girls having adventures and doing sports outside, the more confidence they have as adults. ”

— Florence Williams

When I first made this show in 2017 I could never have imagined how much more relevant the concept of getting outside to reduce stress would be three years later.

In this show I talk to science writer Florence Williams, author of The Nature Fix, about how spending time outside can help lower our stress levels and allow us to gain perspective on daily problems. Most of us live and work in urban environments, spending hours a day in front of a screen. Nothing could be less natural. In this show we talk about how spending time outdoors can improve our lives in multiple ways, and how women can benefit even more than men.

You can also read a transcript of the show.