Most senior leaders don’t get underpaid because they lack talent. They get underpaid because they negotiate after their leverage has already peaked.

In this episode, I sit down with Kathryn Valentine, one of my favorite leaders in the negotiation space to unpack how compensation power is actually won and why so many high performers realize it too late.

Kathryn is the CEO of Worthmore Strategies and a nationally recognized negotiation expert whose TEDx talk became the #1 trending talk on TED.com. She translates leading academic research into practical strategies that help ambitious professionals negotiate collaboratively and increase long-term earning power.

This is through the lens of timing and influence. Kathryn brings the research on negotiation and compensation dynamics. And together, we challenge the belief that performance alone determines pay.

You’ll learn:

• Why compensation often shapes how your impact is perceived • The inflection points where leverage peaks • How collaborative negotiation reduces backlash and increases outcomes • Three overlooked negotiables that expand long-term earning power • What to do in the next 90 days if you suspect you’re underpaid

If you feel the gap between your value and your compensation, this episode explains when that gap was actually created.

Follow Kathryn Valentine

Watch her Tedx Here: What Successful Negotiators Do Differently | Kathryn Valentine | TED Go to 76things.com to find out how to negotiate 76 thing you never thought of.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kval/

If this episode hit close to home, pass it along. Leave a rating and review. And subscribe so you don’t miss the next Career Blast in a Half.

Subscribe to Career Blast in a Half

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3b3kSamj8RbTNNgOg5E5oi?si=5fea15335a744e73

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/

About Career Blast in a Half

A third of our lives is spent working. Career Blast in a Half is your 30 minutes of weekly simple, powerful, and actionable career fuel to keep your success track no matter where you are in your career or what's to come next. Hosted by career strategist Loren Greiff.

Work with Loren

Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs

Connect with Loren

Website: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know what career topics you'd like us to cover!

Most people think effort compounds automatically. Do enough. Try long enough. Eventually, it works.

This episode challenges that belief.

Execution Without Leverage is about what happens when productivity becomes camouflage. When being busy replaces being effective.

Nick Laudano spent 30+ years building a successful tech career. An acquisition ended it overnight. What followed was a year of disciplined job searching. Applications. Tracking. Consistency. Zero traction.

The problem wasn’t effort. It was the signal.

In this conversation, Nick breaks down the moment he stopped applying, turned off notifications, and replaced reactivity with conversations. He stopped chasing openings and started choosing people. The market responded fast.

Not with luck. With alignment.

If you’re doing all the right things and nothing is moving. If you’re busy but not advancing. If your effort feels responsible but ineffective. This episode is the mirror.

In 2026, the market doesn’t reward volume. It rewards clarity, confidence, and signals that reduce risk.

Busy or traction. Choose carefully.

Follow Nick Laudano

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicklaudano/

If this episode hit close to home, pass it along. Leave a rating and review. And subscribe so you don’t miss the next Career Blast in a Half.

Subscribe to Career Blast in a Half

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3b3kSamj8RbTNNgOg5E5oi?si=5fea15335a744e73

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/

About Career Blast in a Half

A third of our lives is spent working. Career Blast in a Half is your 30 minutes of weekly simple, powerful, and actionable career fuel to keep your success track no matter where you are in your career or what's to come next. Hosted by career strategist Loren Greiff.

Work with Loren

Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs

Connect with Loren

Website: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/

Most Executives don’t fail because they lack talent. They fail because they avoid slow, unglamorous behaviors that don’t reward the ego immediately but compound relentlessly over time.

Julie Brown, author of “This Shit Works” dismantles the biggest lies professionals tell themselves about networking, visibility, and career growth, grounded in the landmark study by Wolff and Moser. This conversation moves beyond advice and into evidence.

What you’ll hear is not about “putting yourself out there.” It’s the how and why networking doesn’t just correlate with success. It predicts salary growth over time

If you’re still buying the dangerous myth that “your work will speak for itself” think again. Internal networking drives more career growth than external visibility. Plus: Why high performers are statistically vulnerable The hidden role of shame and avoidance in stalled careers What laid-off professionals must stop avoiding immediately if they want momentum back Why job security is gone and what act

The conversation is anchored in a longitudinal study by Hans-Georg Wolff and Klaus Moser, which examined networking behaviors and career success over multiple years. The findings show that networking predicts not just current salary, but future salary growth, especially when relationships are actively maintained over time.

• Book: This Shit Works • Website and speaking schedule: Available here

Subscribe to Career Blast in a Half

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ph/podcast/career-blast-in-a-half/id1670977528

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3b3kSamj8RbTNNgOg5E5oi?si=5fea15335a744e73

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpGM7j8croBkkZ4bLqN7DOQ/

About Career Blast in a Half

A third of our lives is spent working. Career Blast in a Half is your 30 minutes of weekly simple, powerful, and actionable career fuel to keep your success track no matter where you are in your career or what's to come next. Hosted by career strategist Loren Greiff.

Work with Loren

Join the 30-Day BLAST Program: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/our-programs

Connect with Loren

Website: https://www.portfoliorocket.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorengreiff/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/portfoliorocket/

Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and let us know what career topics you'd like us to cover!