Receipts

I’m a lawyer, and I still found it really hard to advocate for myself. I put off the promotion conversation for as long as I could, and by the time I faced it I’d convinced myself I had no leverage. Wendy didn’t just tell me what to do. She asked what I wanted, and when I said a bigger piece of the cake, she asked why I wasn’t ordering the sundae. Which, it turned out, was what I’d wanted the whole time.

Somewhere in those conversations I remembered that the organization needed me a lot more than I needed it. I walked out with a 40% raise. That sounds absurd, and it would have been, if I’d gone in asking for a 40% raise. Instead Wendy got me to stop negotiating the job I had and start describing the one I wanted: a role that stretched across the enterprise and had me leading teams I wasn’t the expert in, which is where I actually learned to lead. The number followed from that, and so did the rest of my career.

Honestly though, the raise is the smallest thing I took with me. Wendy taught me to believe in myself the way she already did, and that’s the part I’ve carried into every room since. The skills helped; the confidence is what made me effective. I don’t know anyone who cares about this the way she does. Just call her!

When I wasn’t being fully recognized for my contributions on our senior leadership team, I wanted to approach the negotiation in a way that strengthened rather than threatened my strong relationship with my CEO. Wendy helped me contextualize all the players and their incentives, reminding me that it’s not a me vs. them situation or even a zero-sum game. She helped me think through the strategy in terms of sequencing, practice the tactics of each conversation, and grounded me in the appropriate asks and framing to earn not just my boss’ support, but his advocacy. In the end, my promotion became official, and I am expecting a new equity grant in the next few weeks.

I was navigating two major negotiations at once: securing a signing bonus for a new opportunity and negotiating my exit from my previous employer. There was a lot at stake financially, and I was anxious about how to position myself to achieve the best possible outcomes. We worked through my leverage, specific asks, anticipating potential objections, and how to frame each conversation. Having someone pressure-test my approach gave me the confidence to advocate for myself and ask for what I deserved. I felt so well prepared that I wasn't even nervous going into the conversations. I was confident, composed, and able to articulate all of my points. Even though I didn't know the outcome when I walked away, I knew I had done everything I could to advocate for myself, and that alone made me incredibly proud. The eventual outcomes were icing on the cake! The experience unlocked a level of negotiating confidence I didn't know I had and completely changed how I approach these conversations.

I recommend Wendy to anyone navigating a significant career or compensation decision, especially those who struggle to advocate for themselves without feeling uncomfortable or overly aggressive. She helped me find the balance between being confident, strategic, and relationship-oriented.

I received the full $50,000 signing bonus I requested. In my exit negotiation, I secured my full annual bonus paid early, four months of severance, and two months of COBRA coverage, totaling over $130,000. Both outcomes exceeded what I initially thought was possible! The return on investment was undeniable!

Working with Wendy when negotiating my Last offer increased my base comp by over $150,000 in the last 18 months. She helped me break free from my fear-based patterns that had me taking what was offered instead of asking for what I deserved. She was with me every step of the way.