If you’re looking for tangible things that you can do right now to level up your career, Simone E. Morris offers 52 of them in her book 52 Tips For Owning Your Career. I’ve gotten to know Simone through LiveGirl, an incredible organization that builds confident, inclusive leaders. Simone is the real deal. A sought-after career coach, speaker, and podcaster, she gave me permission to excerpt a few of my favorite tips from her book. Check them out below, and let me know what you think!

Have you ever received feedback from a mentor that unlocked new opportunities or significantly changed your career trajectory?

I’ve been fortunate to have a handful of these experiences throughout my career.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that sometimes I write about big mindset shifts while other times I explore smaller practices that can be integrated into your daily life. Today I’m shining a light on the tiniest of practices – my five-minute morning ritual, which I’m leaning on more than ever to help me feel grounded.

Do you avoid conflict? I definitely do! It’s something I’m working on. Alicia Dunams has a book on this topic: How to Talk to Your Enemies: 101 + Ways to Turn Hostility Into Peace, and she is on a mission to get this book to every member of Congress.

the power of connecting and how it can totally transform your career and business (no matter how large or small). I totally get how tough it can be to find the time to meet new people, build relationships, and truly make meaningful connections, especially when we're swamped with work. If you struggle with this, too, I’d like to share an excerpt from my speech in the hopes of inspiring you to dedicate even a small portion of your week to connecting with others.

I want to talk about a topic we've all struggled with at some point—procrastination. We've all been there, putting off tasks and dreams, waiting for the “perfect” moment to take action. But guess what? The perfect moment rarely arrives, and we end up stuck in a cycle of inertia.

Last year I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion at the WIN Summit, a women's leadership conference that focuses on negotiation skills. We covered a lot of ground during the session, but one thing that really stood out to me was the importance of empathy in achieving a win-win outcome.

We all talk about work a lot, but we don’t often take the time to truly reflect on what makes us happy and what doesn’t. Yes, you may complain about demanding clients or unreasonable expectations and, on the flip side, bask in the glory of a complimentary email or the joy of working with brilliant coworkers. Still, it’s too easy to lose focus on the big picture when you’re mired in the everyday details of your job.

Last year I did a fireside chat with Tone Networks on setting boundaries. The conversation is still relevant today, and it’s something I need to remind myself of often. It’s no surprise that many of us struggle with boundaries (now more than ever). I wanted to share some of my favorite highlights from the conversation, with the hope that one (or two!) nuggets will be helpful to you in some way. 💞

When I was working on my first book, it struck me that there are many similarities between building a business and successfully publishing a nonfiction book: strong product/market fit, competitive differentiation, and a clear “why you/why now?” to name a few.

No matter how brilliant and impressive you are in one-on-one discussions, not speaking up in meetings hurts your chances of succeeding professionally, and of being seen at all. The next time you’re in a meeting agonizing over raising your hand or simply inserting yourself into a conversation, stop and ask yourself, Why not? If you own that what you have to say is important and you’re speaking from your heart, you will be amazing.

When I was working on my first book, it struck me that there are many similarities between building a business and successfully publishing a nonfiction book: strong product/market fit, competitive differentiation, and a clear “why you/why now?” to name a few.

Happy New Year! With each turn around the sun comes the perfect time to reflect and reset. Reflection leads to clarity and clarity leads to action. Action will lead to a year that’s filled with promise, inspiration, and joy. 2024 is your clean slate–like a brand new notebook (or, in this case, journal!) and you can decide the story you want to write.

Have you ever felt stuck in your career and assumed that the only path to happiness is to find a new job and maybe even change industries? I’ve definitely been there. What I’ve realized over the years is that sometimes this type of major change is the answer, but I’ve also learned that the answer may lie in identifying the parts of your job that bring you joy and exploring ways to do MORE of that type of work in your current role.

Making a career pivot can be scary. I know first hand because I’ve pivoted multiple times in my own career. I’ve worked at big companies like Ernst & Young and Time Inc. and smaller companies like Moviefone. I’ve also worked in different industries from public accounting to consumer packaged goods to media. I now work for myself as a startup investor, an author, and growing my own publishing consulting business, Bookbound. (Bookbound even has a podcast!)

Throughout my career (especially as a mentor, coach, and friend), I’ve been asked many times: “If you have been at a company where you are extremely comfortable and happy but feel underpaid, is it worth it to move to a new company where you're unsure what the environment might be, just for higher pay?” So I wanted to share my thoughts here with you, too.

Once I did find my voice, I saw that it was necessary to speak up in order to be as effective as possible in my role while many of the women around me fell into the trap of being seen as ineffective or weak because they never took a vocal stand. No matter how brilliant and impressive these women may have been in one on one discussions, not speaking up in meetings hurt their chances of succeeding professionally.

Have you ever been the youngest leader at the table and felt like everyone is asking themselves, Why? Why is she here? You’re not alone. Read my strategies to help alleviate those self-doubts!