Your career didn't start over when you had a baby.

Your experience still counts because you have so much of it. Your accomplishments still count because you're racking them up like lip glosses and burp cloths.

And your ambition? She's still here, girl.

Not because your current job is terrible. Not because motherhood has to change everything.

And CERTAINLY not because you need another person telling you what a successful working mother is supposed to want (don't listen to them because that's weird).

You get to want more because you're a grown woman with professional goals, financial priorities, and a life that belongs to you. And you don't have to automatically put those goals on hold until your baby is older.

But here's where I need you to hear me.

Wanting more and having a strategy for getting it are two different things.

Let's say you want a promotion. Your manager loves your work. You've taken on responsibilities that belong to someone at the next level. People come to you when they need something handled.

Fabulous. But have you identified the role you're pursuing? Do you know what your organization considers next-level performance?

Have you documented the business impact of the work you're already doing?

And have you actually asked for the promotion?

Because your manager appreciating you and your manager advocating for your advancement are not the same thing. Appreciation is lovely. It is not a promotion strategy.

Now let's say you're thinking about asking for more money. You came back from maternity leave, and part of you wonders whether you should wait. But wait for what, exactly?

A review cycle?

A compensation decision?

A specific accomplishment?

Or just enough time to pass that asking doesn't feel awkward anymore?

Those are very different reasons to wait. And if you're considering changing employers, let's not start by applying for 37 jobs because the salaries look nice.

What would make a move worthwhile? A particular title? More responsibility? Better compensation? Different working conditions?

What are you willing to trade for those things?

And what aren't you?

Because a bigger paycheck is wonderful, but it shouldn't be the only thing you understand about an opportunity before you pursue it. See what we're doing here?

We're not automatically adding more work to your plate. We're figuring out which work matters. What information you need. What decisions you can influence. And what action makes sense for the outcome you want.

You don't need another six months of guessing, hoping, and doing extra work just to see what happens.

You need a strategy that accounts for your career, your goals, and the life you're living now.

That's where I come in.