A few days ago, a member of The PowHER Circle got a call she wasn’t expecting.

She wasn’t job hunting. She wasn’t unhappy. She was in a role she’d fought for, one that stretched her and fit exactly where her career was headed.

Then another company called. Not to network. To hire her.

Bigger title. More money. A name that turns heads.

Suddenly, certain didn’t feel so certain.

Here’s what we didn’t talk about: salary.

That wasn’t an accident.

One of the greatest predictors of long-term career success isn’t recognizing opportunity. It’s learning how to evaluate it. Not every opportunity is meant to be pursued, and not every opportunity that looks impressive on paper is aligned with the future you’re trying to build.

The strongest leaders I know don’t start with salary. They start with clarity.

By the end of our conversation, she had her answer. Not because I gave it to her, but because the right questions have a way of doing that.

I’ve made five significant career moves. Every time, mine or someone else’s, I return to the same three questions. Compensation isn’t one of them. It comes after, not first.

1. Does this align with who I’m becoming?

Before you can evaluate an opportunity, you have to understand yourself… not just what you do, but who you are and what drives you.

What’s your life’s mission? What kind of work energizes you? What problems do you feel called to solve? What’s your personal ethos, are you a builder, operator, strategist, creator, teacher?

The clearer you are on that, the easier it is to spot what fits.

For me: I’m a builder. Products, businesses, people. Every career decision I make gets filtered through two questions…will I get to build something meaningful, and will I get to develop exceptional people? If the answer is no, the title and the paycheck don’t matter.

Early in my career, I was in sales, and I became fascinated by the people building the products I was selling. They weren’t taking products to market; they were building them end to end. They were building products that solved real problems. After while I became more energized by each component that makes a product and less about selling them. That realization wasn’t just a career pivot. It was alignment. And once I found it, every decision after got easier.

2. Will this accelerate my trajectory?

We ask this far too rarely. Not every opportunity moves us forward, sometimes it just moves us somewhere else. A bigger title isn’t always bigger growth. A bigger paycheck isn’t always a bigger future.

Ask instead: Will this build capabilities I can’t build where I am? Will I gain leadership experience that compounds? Will I work for someone who sees something in me I don’t yet see in myself? Will it expand my network, my perspective, my influence?

Or am I just changing scenery?

Being recruited feels good. It should; it’s proof of the value you’ve created. But being pursued isn’t, by itself, a reason to leave. Every move has an opportunity cost. Be as intentional about what you’re leaving as what you’re chasing.

3. Does this support the life I’m trying to build?

This is the most overlooked question of all, because careers don’t exist in isolation.

Every opportunity asks something of you: more travel, longer hours, relocation, more pressure. The question isn’t whether that’s good or bad. It’s whether it’s right for the season you’re in.

In my early thirties, I took a role that moved me to Singapore. Terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure. I’d always wanted to live abroad, to stretch in ways I couldn’t at home. Looking back, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. It shaped my career, my worldview, me.

In my early forties, would I take an international assignment today? No. Not because I’m less ambitious but because I’m in a different season. My priorities have evolved. The life I’m building now needs me home, not halfway around the world.

Neither decision is more ambitious than the other. They’re just aligned to different seasons.

The real question was never “Is this a great opportunity?” It’s “Is this a great opportunity for me, right now?”

Once you reach clarity on alignment, only then should you evaluate the salary. It matters. Know your value. Negotiate hard. Get paid for the impact you create. But salary validates a decision. It doesn’t drive one. The moves that shaped my career most weren’t the highest-paying ones; they were the ones aligned with my purpose, my growth, and a future I couldn’t yet see.

If you are in a season where Salary is more important than alignment, just make sure you understand what tradeoffs you are making.

One more thing: I rarely make big career decisions alone. Find mentors who know your aspirations and your blind spots, especially people who ask better questions than you ask yourself. Clarity builds confidence. Confidence builds better decisions.

So, what makes an opportunity worth taking?

Not the title. Not the paycheck. Not the name on the building.

It’s alignment with who you’re becoming, the future you’re building, and the life you actually want to live.

Those are the opportunities worth saying yes to. And in my experience, those are the ones that build extraordinary careers.

There’s a 4th question I ask, and I don’t share it publicly.

It’s the one that’s talked me out of an offer that looked perfect on paper. It has nothing to do with the role, the title, or the person recruiting me, and it’s the question that separates a good decision from a great one.

I walk through it inside The PowHER Circle for paid subscribers.

[Upgrade to get the 4th question →]

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I’ve watched too many brilliant women stay in jobs that no longer serve them.

Not because they weren’t qualified.

Not because they couldn’t earn more.

Not because there weren’t better opportunities.

They stayed because they believed one of the most expensive lies Corporate America tells us….

The lie isn’t always told explicitly.

Sometimes it’s woven into performance reviews.
Sometimes it’s hidden inside “career advice.”
Sometimes it’s reinforced by well-meaning managers who genuinely don’t want to lose great talent.

The lie is:

“You’re better off staying here”

Some leaders say these things because they genuinely care.

Others say them because replacing great talent is expensive.

It sounds responsible.

It sounds loyal.

It even sounds wise.

You’ll hear things like:

Either way, if you’re not careful, someone else’s desire to keep you can quietly become your reason for staying.

For women, this hits even harder.

Many of us already wrestle with imposter syndrome. We overprepare. We overdeliver. We wait until we’re 110% qualified before raising our hand.

So when someone in authority reinforces those doubts, it’s easy to mistake their fear for truth.

Here’s the truth:

Your talent was never created by your employer.

They didn’t invent your work ethic.
They didn’t invent your leadership.
They didn’t invent your curiosity, resilience, or ability to solve problems.

Those came with you.

Those qualities belonged to you before you joined the company.

And they’ll belong to you long after you leave.

Looking back, every meaningful career move I’ve made started with a decision that scared me.

Changing industries.

Starting over.

Taking on bigger challenges.

Walking away from what was familiar.

But…

Every move came with a higher salary.

Every move came with stretch assignments that pushed me well beyond what I thought I was capable of.

Every move introduced me to mentors and sponsors who challenged me, advocated for me, and helped me grow into the next version of my leadership.

And every move gave me opportunities to deliver meaningful, strategic work that made taking the risk worth it.

Because I didn’t stay in one lane, I’ve built a career across media and entertainment, Wall Street, and technology. I’ve had the privilege of leading products, transforming businesses, teaching future leaders, working with clients around the world, and creating impact across different industries and different functions.

That versatility didn’t happen by accident.

It happened because I was willing to leave the comfortable job for the uncomfortable opportunity.

None of those opportunities would have found me if I had convinced myself that staying was the safest choice.

Companies make business decisions every day.

They reorganize.

They restructure.

They eliminate roles.

They hire externally when they need new capabilities.

You should feel just as empowered to make the career decisions that are best for you.

Loyalty is admirable.

But loyalty that comes at the expense of your growth, your compensation, or your potential is expensive.

Don’t confuse a company’s fear of losing you with your inability to succeed somewhere else.

Because sometimes the most expensive lie isn’t the one your employer tells you.

It’s the one you keep telling yourself.

“Maybe this is as good as it gets.”

It isn’t.

So I’ll leave you with one question.

If fear weren’t part of the equation, would you still be in your current role?

Sit with your answer.

It might tell you everything you need to know.

I’ve also reinvented myself more than once. Every pivot, promotion, setback, and new beginning has taught me lessons I couldn’t have learned by staying comfortable.

Along the way, I’ve worked alongside some of the world’s brightest minds. But one of the greatest privileges of my career has been mentoring and championing hundreds of women at every stage of their journey.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:

Success is rarely a solo pursuit.

I’ve witnessed firsthand what happens when women genuinely support one another, share what they’ve learned, celebrate each other’s wins, and open doors rather than guard them. Careers accelerate. Confidence grows. Possibilities expand. We all rise higher.

That’s why I’m here.

This is the space I wish I’d found earlier in my career—a place for honest conversations about leadership, ambition, career pivots, money, faith, and the kind of community that reminds us we already belong in every room.

I’ll share the lessons I’ve learned from navigating industries, cultures, boardrooms, and life’s transitions—the conversations that changed my perspective, the mistakes that shaped me, and the strategies that helped me build a career and a life I’m proud of.

No corporate jargon. No gatekeeping. Just honest stories, practical insights, and a community of women committed to opening doors, pulling up more chairs, and reminding one another that success is even more meaningful when we rise together.

If you’re building a meaningful career and an even more meaningful life, welcome. I’m so grateful you’re here.

Let’s rise together.