Women's Money Wisdom

Episode 273: Leadership is Leverage: How Strong Leaders Create Bigger Paychecks and Bigger Impact with Jackie Simon

• Melissa Joy, CFP® • Season 4 • Episode 273

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Working harder isn’t the answer—thinking strategically is.

In this empowering episode, Melissa Joy, CFP®, sits down with executive coach Jackie Simon to explore what it really takes to grow your career—and your income. From navigating leadership roles to preparing for bold career moves, Jackie shares how to shift from “doing more” to demonstrating more value.

💡 Learn why:

  • Simply putting in the hours won’t get you promoted—or paid what you’re worth
  • Building a team that can run without you is the key to advancement
  • Strategic networking (inside and outside your company) is non-negotiable
  • Accepting less money to switch industries isn’t a smart move
  • You should never underestimate the financial power of a well-timed job change

Jackie also shares practical tips for identifying mentorship opportunities, managing career uncertainty, and aligning your professional path with your financial goals.

🎧 Whether you're eyeing the C-suite, recovering from a layoff, or just ready for what’s next—this episode will help you take control of your trajectory with intention and confidence.

Learn more at JackieSimonCoaching.com.

Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jackiesimoncoaching1

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https:...

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast. I'm Melissa Joy, a certified financial planner and the founder of Pearl Planning. My goal is to help you streamline and organize your finances, navigate big money decisions with confidence and be strategic in order to grow your wealth. As a woman, you work hard for your money and I'm here to help you make the most of it. Now let's get into the show. And I'm here to help you make the most of it. Now let's get into the show. Just a quick note before we dive in. The information that we share is meant to educate and inspire, not serve as personalized financial advice. Everyone's situation is unique, so be sure to consult with your own financial professional for guidance that fits your life. And just so you know, the opinions shared in this podcast are my own and those of my guests, and they don't necessarily represent those of any organizations that I'm affiliated with. For more important disclosures, please go to our webpage at pearlplancom. Now let's get started.

Speaker 1:

Welcome back to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast, and I am thrilled to have our next guest. She's been on my list for quite a while. We're going to talk about great advice on how to manage your career. It's about mentality. It's about how to think about your human capital, and I'm thrilled to be joined by Jackie Simon, who is an executive coach and she works with managers, directors, vice presidents and newly promoted executives. To step confidently into your role, drive results and build high-performing teams. Jackie, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much, Melissa. I am so excited to be here. You rolled out the red carpet for me and I couldn't be more thrilled, so thank you.

Speaker 1:

Well, the feeling is mutual. I think you have given amazing advice to strong female leaders who we both know, and I've followed you. You always have great suggestions and advice on LinkedIn, and so I'm excited to have this conversation today where we can really dive deeper into anyone who's looking to manage your career. Or I know I've had some clients who really have their eye on the prize and say someday I'm going to be a vice president, someday I'm going to run a company. How do you turn your kind of performance into something that rewards you both professionally as well as financially?

Speaker 2:

Exactly so. I, you know, I work with this topic a lot with men and women, the individuals I coach and so often I hear the goals around individuals really wanting to kind of grow in their leadership and grow in their career. But what's lacking is a plan and a strategy. It's actually not unlike our financial portfolios. You know, people come to you for the strategy so that they have the advice and the guidance they need to really grow their money. But so many people, so many times people come to me and say these are my goals and then I say, great, what does that look like? How do you get there? And they say, well, I'm going to work hard and I say that's great, but it's now time to start kind of shifting your mindset, because hard work is wonderful, but hard work isn't necessarily going to correlate to the compensation and the financial reward that you're looking for in the long term.

Speaker 1:

Well, I can't tell you how much. When you work with someone where you see their strategic thinking when it comes to both their career and then, of course, when you have strategy, it's likely that you're really working to contribute at the company level or team level. As a business leader, that is an instinct that is so desirable that you know. Just having that strategic shift can really automatically put you at the front of the line for the next promotion, for the next big project, for the next resume builder.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, that's exactly right.

Speaker 2:

So a lot of times, with the women that I work, with the individuals I work with, we talk about leverage, we talk about transformation and that's really such a huge mindset for so many professionals and even business owners.

Speaker 2:

So it's the shift from thinking about trading your time for money and instead thinking about what's the transformation that I can bring as a leader, as an individual contributor in this business where I'm working, leader as an individual contributor in this business where I'm working.

Speaker 2:

So in the early days of our career, often we look at okay, I'm going to work hard, I'm going to put the time in, people are going to notice and I'm going to do great things, and before you know it, I'm going to be in the C-suite, I'm going to make those executive roles. But working hard just is not enough and unfortunately, especially as you get to the more executive roles, but working hard just is not enough and unfortunately, especially as you get to the more senior roles, it's less likely that you will be noticed for your hard work. The accolades, the recognition, even the increases in salary, follow more slowly at the senior levels, follow more slowly at the senior levels, unless you're taking the steps to really bring visibility not just to the work that you're doing, but also to the work that your team is doing as well.

Speaker 1:

That's so interesting. I remember early in my career where I didn't even. I was in the transition space from a job to a career where, you know, initially I just thought, oh I'll, I'll, I'll work for a financial planner as an assistant for a while and then I'll figure out what I want to do when I grow up. But I would try to, you know, kind of pull together the work resume and I really felt like it was back when the TV show Survivor was first coming out. It was like a game of Survivor, Like what do you want to present? How can you be valuable? Things like that. And I think, if I'm like talking to someone who may need services like yours, how would you be able to tell whether you just were like putting in the work versus having a strategy, Like what would be the distinguishing features between I will always put it, you know, I always do my best and you know as in as broad of a stroke as I can, versus I'm a strategic thinker when it comes to my career?

Speaker 2:

A lot of it comes through how the individual shows up when they come to me and what the current challenge or kind of what their current reality looks like. So it really depends on the challenge that the individual comes to me with, but inevitably, especially at the senior levels, this topic will come up. So, interestingly, I had a client session yesterday and one of the things that she asked me and I get asked this question quite a bit was we were talking around the challenges of I'm putting in the work and I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere with my team or my impact. I feel like the only way to prove myself is to keep working harder. And then at one point in the session she said to me do people come to you a lot with this? Like, is this a common challenge that people bring to you? And I said, oh my gosh, melissa, if I could even had a dollar for the number of times that executives came to me with that, I would be retired right now. You would have set me up with this amazing financial strategy and I'd probably be at the casino or the strip right now blowing some of my retirement on cramps.

Speaker 2:

But it definitely is something that comes up. Quite often is around this concept of wait a minute and this aha moment of I'm not working to prove myself anymore because I'm already at the table. Now I'm working for what's next in my career, and the way to get there is by showing other leaders, showing the company, what I can do now and growing a successful team behind me so that when I step up and step into the next role, there's somebody else that can take my role. In fact, yesterday, part of the conversation was and this comes up very often for men and women was I'm afraid that I'm going to put myself out of a job, and so that's why, when I you know I could be doing all this work to research and really come up with strategy and be proactive in my work, but I'll open up windows in my browser and put away all the things that I bookmarked because I'm waiting for the next, the next emergency or the next issue that my team is going to pull me into.

Speaker 2:

And they said, yeah, that's a really that's a really common idea, this fear of being replaced. But that's actually what you're working for, and that's where the real financial rewards come is when you are replaced, not because you're going to lose your job, but because either there's going to be a new opportunity that's created for you in the company because they saw the great work that you do, or somebody is going to come from the outside and say you know what? I've heard some couple of really great things about you. Let's go have lunch. Let's go talk about what you do and what you want to do in the future.

Speaker 1:

Oh, that's so interesting.

Speaker 1:

I have benefited from kind of having my career course played out in a former role where I thought it was my forever job. And then, you know, there just came a point in time, both for me and the people around me, where I was like I thought, once I climbed this mountain, everything would feel perfect. And instead, you know, I'm sitting there like is this going to be the rest of my life? And at the same time, you know, my leadership peers were like it doesn't feel like. You know, you're going to be who we want to be with. And so that's when I opened Pearl Planning, which was such an exceptional like that door closing, and this door opening is so rewarding, you know, financially as well as personally, in terms of the way my life is, you know, kind of built today. But that can feel so scary when you're someone who has, when you're someone who you know has just been a loyal contributor, who has always been rewarded for that. So how do you, you know, how do you coach for the uncertainty that is required to evolve over time?

Speaker 2:

Well, even just with the thought of what's scarier, the idea of not growing is really actually, for me, it's a frightened thought.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. For me too. It would just be so difficult to be the same every day for years.

Speaker 2:

So we you know I, in some of the work that I've done I've helped women executive leaders land jobs. And you know I've I've helped a few women who are even in their mid to late sixties. They're not ready to stop working, they love what they do, but they found themselves at a point where they were in a layoff and they were really afraid about their employability and what that might look for for them. And through the coaching and helping them kind of make the transition, they actually landed better. And that's always the goal. The goal isn't to go backward, no matter what age you are or where you are in your career male or female the goal is to always be moving forward. The factors that I find are that really help individuals work well into their 70s and these are more specifically, people who don't own their own company but they're working for employers is just showing that you're willing to learn and that you have an appetite for change and that you don't want to stop working or stop learning. In particular, the people that show that. I've actually seen individuals in there, and this is this gets frightening, particularly for women, because a lot of times they'll come to me and say you know, I'm in my mid fifties. I'm in my late fifties. I find myself in this position of having to find the next job. I don't have a means to retire, but I'm really afraid that no one's going to hire me. And I say to them all the time as long as you show a willingness to learn and that you're continuing to learn and that you've kept your skills up to date, you will actually believe it or not. You will actually have more ease in finding your next job and a great job than someone who might be in their early to mid 30s, who shows up and shows that they are kind of stuck where they are and, more importantly, they show that they're kind of they're not a learner, they're, they're closed. Uh, there's, there's this idea around um active open mindset and closed mindset. So the more you show up with an open mindset, the more likely that you will have opportunities well into the future.

Speaker 2:

I also find this comes up very often people who want to make a job shift, especially in this economy. I'm hearing it more and more. People will say to me you know, if I have to take a step backward and pay, I'll do that, because once I go into the company and I show my boss how hard I work and the great work that I do. They're going to reward me and I'll say the time to get the money is going in. And I say to them I say you know, I'm not the coach that you want to work with if you're willing to either stay where you are or go backwards to get the break that you want. There's also this idea of well, if I'm switching industries, I'll probably have to take a step back and I'll say, no, you don't. And that's not the mindset that I recommend that you go in with.

Speaker 2:

Go in with the mindset around what you're going to do in the company, the transformation and the impact that you'll make, regardless of the industry that you're in, if you know, regardless if this is a new industry for you and that's what you base your value on. So go in and get the money, because the money doesn't follow once you're in the company traditionally, unless it's a huge promotion. And then, if it's a promotion, negotiate. Even if you're in the company, negotiate for your salary. A lot of times they'll come.

Speaker 2:

Your boss will come to you, hr will come to you and say, well, this is kind of the level, so, like you're a level seven executive. This is the pay and comp that comes with it. But if it's not the level that you want to be at, then ask for more. Tell them well, based on the responsibilities, based on what I know I'm capable of doing, this is what it needs to look like, and be willing, be brave, be willing to be told no, you're probably not going to lose your job. But you may hear no. And then that's a point where you decide is it time for me to move on? And the reality is is you're more likely to get more money making moves than you are staying in the company that you are in currently. So you've got to kind of find that sweet spot of when it's when it's time to move on, because it's time to be seen for what you're capable of doing and for the compensation that you deserve.

Speaker 1:

So interesting. I also think when you ask for more, you are automatically once you start that ask, if there's not you know kind of bad blood which is on them not you necessarily then you are automatically. Your employer knows the next time they review a salary pool or do you know annual increases. They know you are engaged and proactive and that automatically creates an assumption that they will probably work you in first for the bumps if there's like a limited budget and I agree with you I see so many cases where people are radically shift their comp when they go from one company to another. In many cases you know there's equity compensation at the new company and you may not have been in line for that at your current company and you know this is just where the company is choosing to put up. You know, of course, as a financial planner increases your, your financial foundation as well that's exactly right.

Speaker 2:

Any move, even for individuals who may be listening to the show and are saying, well, this is great, jackie, but I've been recently laid off. In order for me to go to the next job, I might have to take a pay cut from where I was previously. And I would still advocate for that individual to think differently, to kind of shift their mindset. There's just like you said too, there's also ways to negotiate. Where it may not come in salary, specifically, it could come in equity, it could come in bonuses.

Speaker 2:

And the way to truly understand what your value is is not to have the conversations internally with HR, with your boss, with senior leaders, but to have the conversations externally.

Speaker 2:

Reach out to people, start to understand, based on the work that you're doing in your company, what does that look like elsewhere?

Speaker 2:

Get advice, but that's one of the really biggest pieces of advice that I could leave individuals with today is always be talking and thinking and networking outside of the company because you got to be doing your research, and the number of times that I've heard someone say you know I made this job move and I'm actually angry with my previous employer because of how little I was paid, but they didn't know until they actually were either forced to make a change through a layoff or they finally just said it's time for me to move on. I want to do other things. So I'm going to look externally. And it was, it was a shock and I and I feel badly at that point. But then I say you've got to. Now is your chance, today and in the future, to change that you know, to change that situation so that you're never in this position again. Always be asking for and advocating for what you want and for what you're worth, what your value is and what you can bring.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, network can be everything, because think about the people that you may work with in the corporate world. While I talk about being an entrepreneur, most of my clients are, you know, employees and, in many cases, executives, like the people that you work with and maintain relationships with people who move to other companies. Companies will often provide mentorship within the firm, but you don't have sometimes that's not as safe of a space as someone who's outside of the firm who can advise you on that strategy that you're talking about, jackie, as well as just a perspective where you know they can. There's a little more objective, you know, kind of analysis of oh, this might be better for your firm and you know you need to be advocating for this or that. So I think it's it's the people you know are everything in so many cases for your career.

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, and the people you know and in fact this came up in the coaching session yesterday not just the people that you know, but the people that you are choosing to surround yourself with. So what came up in that coaching session yesterday was find the leaders three to five leaders within the company that you admire, who are doing the things that you want to be doing or who you're anticipating are comped at the level that you want to be comped, and get to know them and learn from them. And if those people don't exist in the company that you're in currently, find them externally. But it's really about that. You know, the thinking of surround yourself with the five best people that you know and want to be more like as a way to grow yourself and grow your opportunities and and you know, financial, your, your compensation.

Speaker 2:

So it's it's always really kind of looking more externally than it is internally, and that's one of the things I was guilty of, it, my career, that's one of the things that I, I did. I, I cut my head down, I was really focused on doing the work on the company and I lost sight of what's happening externally. To get ideas, to bring them back, to work, to better myself for my own fulfillment. You name it, but it's really important not to lose sight of yourself within the company.

Speaker 1:

I couldn't agree more. I think when you make those connections to with people within the company, it doesn't take much right Like, hopefully you have a chance encounter, you meet each other, you schedule some time to connect, but it really once you have made the effort a couple times and also you know you may be able to bring something to the table as well. You may be working on something. When we talk about those open, active learners, you may have been responsible for something that they haven't worked on yet. Maybe you're doing AI and they want to get to know it or something like that. So be open with your skill set as well. But it really only takes a few times before it's a natural friendship or peer where you don't have to be as strategic. It happens more naturally and those people also could introduce you to people external from the firm. If you're looking for that mentorship, it's more formal but you need an introduction for that.

Speaker 2:

That's exactly right. I am working with a woman currently. She's incredible and she's really grown in her career and she's been really deliberate about it. So at any point in your career where you feel a little lost, that's a really good point to check in with other people who know you or other people who may be doing the work that you're doing. One of the favorite, most favorite questions I have at the end of, say, a mentorship program or a mentorship meeting or a networking meeting is ask the person that you've just met with is there anyone else that you think I should know? And try to leave those mentorship meetings and those networking meetings with one more introduction and then reach out to that person, really leverage the introduction, because you never know who you'll be meeting and who you'll be you know and who what you'll learn from them.

Speaker 2:

But this particular woman that I'm working with, she works for a global company and the company is actually headquartered in a country that is non-English speaking and so there's offices in the US, but primarily the work is done out of this particular non-English speaking country. So she got the advice that she really needed to develop her relationships with these three individuals in the home country abroad, and boy was she nervous because she had never done that before. And not only that, there's this language barrier. So she said I didn't know how to approach it, so I just approached it at a really personal level. I went, I introduced myself and we spent 30 minutes talking about each other.

Speaker 1:

Not about that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, not about work, and there was so much to learn because she lives in the U S, they live in the, in this country abroad. So many things they have. They're married, they have family, so does she just so many cool things that they could talk about? And at the end of the meetings she makes little notes so that way when she goes back in and she meets with them she could say, hey, how's your son's soccer game? Or you know, how's your daughter doing, how, how are her classes going? But anyway, funny enough, she told me, and I think this is a cool thing. But anyway, funny enough, she told me, and I with them, as a result of just working out, you know, reaching out and building a relationship with them, and her language skills are improving because she's also really trying to focus on building her skills in that, in the whole Mottless country.

Speaker 1:

Well, that is a great tactical example of where you know that might feel awkward if you're a listener, but and I can think of other examples when I was younger, if I go to a conference I'd say I want to have two or three names that I can follow up with after, and some of them would stick where they became either lifelong friends, you know professional resources. So do be, do, be intentional with your time and your energy. Um, it can really multiply for you if you, if you use it. What some would call awkward, but I would say just like you're describing strategically, that that's exactly right and, let's be honest, it is awkward.

Speaker 2:

I'm not here to say that it isn't awkward. I we were just talking earlier you and I, melissa that my family and I moved here to Las Vegas five years ago and talk about, you know, there's this common thought about how difficult it is to make friends as an adult. And boy did I feel that, you know. And especially we came here when, during COVID, when we were all masked, so trying to build these relationships with masks on right, and then all of a sudden the vaccines start rolling out and the masks come off and then I had to, like reacquaint myself with what the person really looks like, and that was like awkward all over again, because I had these ideas of what they look like. It turns out that's not what they look like.

Speaker 2:

So I live it all the time because of, you know, living in Vegas. It's such a great conference town, so I try to get out to the conferences and I just, you know the way to get around it is, the more you put yourself in the situation, the easier it really does get. I mean, I know it's a cliche, I know everybody says it, but it is really true, just putting yourself out there, it does get easier.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's so valuable, I think, nowadays too, I've run into so many people who either aren't loving their job or also feel uncertainty. You know there's rumors of it. You know there's rumors of the rumor of the destruction of the US economy is greatly exaggerated thus far, but there's, you know, rumblings of. You know just like, hunker down and stay safe in their role, or, you know, take these perhaps more risky or courageous, like career moves, or, you know, put themselves out there. How do you, how do you, manage that dynamic?

Speaker 2:

continues to come up, particularly over the last year or so, with the change in the administration and the uncertainty with all kind of the changes across the US, and then the impact to the economy. I mean, are we in a recession, are we not?

Speaker 1:

Not yet, I don't think, at least according to. We're not going on vibes, we're going on numbers. So so far so good. We'll see what's next and there will eventually be a recession. This is just one of the facts of life, right?

Speaker 2:

So Right, that's exactly right. What comes up must come down, kind of thing. But no, and I think I've. I continue to ask you know, are we, aren't we? And your answer is really consistent with the feedback that I that I get. The number one piece of advice that I would give is don't make any assumptions, meaning the assumption of I'm safer where I am than if I put myself out there and make a change, because, at the end of the day, nobody knows that if I had a crystal ball, oh my gosh, I I wouldn't be a coach. Let me tell you that. But there are no crystal balls, unfortunately, so nobody really knows. And so what I always suggest is, when I'm, when I'm talking with someone, I'll say, gently, of course well, how do you know that? How do you know that it's safer to stay where you are, especially if you want to go? And one of the things that I tell people is you, when you've gotten to the point where it's really difficult to kick the covers off in the morning, that's when you know you've stayed too long. So go before it's really hard to get out of bed, and I know everybody's thinking well, it's Mondays, it's really hard to get out of bed. But if you can't find a purpose to your day and something positive that you're looking forward to accomplishing or achieving, then it's getting. It's either time to go or it's. It's important to start looking at your options.

Speaker 2:

80%, 80 to 85% of jobs come through your network. So there's a ton of frustration out there from people rightfully so about job postings. I applied to this job. I went back to it yesterday, the job was pulled, it's closed or I haven't heard anything. I applied to this job. I always tell people don't fall in love with the job posting. So if you see a great job posting out there, please don't fall in love with the job posting, because it's like hoping and wishing for a change and there's no certainty that that job is actually really in existence. A lot of companies test the water and they'll post a job just to see what the talent looks like external to the company and then make decisions about whether or not they're going to promote internally or maybe close the job rock because of budgets. So prove your hypothesis.

Speaker 2:

I was on a webinar last week and one of the big things that the takeaway was prove your hypothesis, think about you, know what the possibilities are and then test it out, have some conversations, check out LinkedIn, see if you know anyone who's connected to someone at a company that you've always heard great things about or you've always wanted to work there. It's like your dream employer. Ask for an introduction to someone so you can kind of understand the landscape there, and the ideal situation not only is that the job will come through your network, but that believe it or not, even in this day and age that the job is actually created for you. So the company and people meet you and they say, oh my God, melissa is outstanding. We need her on the team because of the way that she would fit with our culture and the skills that she would bring. We don't have anything open currently, but what could Melissa be great at here? And then the job is written for you, and that, to me, is that's goals, is when the job is written for you.

Speaker 1:

I love that and we did just. We were just hiring for a role and changed the position description when we found the right candidate to be more of it for them.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and that's one of the things that one of the reasons why I suggest to people not to fall in love with the job description is because in my opinion, in my experience, job descriptions are written for the unicorn, and the reason why is the hiring manager will write their job description and then they will share the job description with their boss, who will add some things, and then they're going to job description with their boss, who will add some things, and then they're going to send it to HR, to talent, and they're going to add some things and, before you know it, there's. There's nobody on earth that exists, quite honestly, that meets all of the requirements of the job, and women in particular are, um, are less likely to apply for jobs.

Speaker 2:

They'll self-select out right, unless they have like 90% of the experience. Men apply at 60%, women apply at 90%. So I always say to my female clients I say, if you recognize 50% of this work, apply for the job, put yourself out there for it. And so that's why I say don't fall in love with the job, fall in love with the culture, fall in love with what the company does, its purpose, its mission, who it serves, fall in love with the people that you would get to work with, but not the job, because jobs can come and go. It's about what you can do as your greater purpose. That really has the meaning and has the compensation that follows.

Speaker 1:

I couldn't agree more.

Speaker 1:

And if I could just put in a plug for financial planning services, I think that when you integrate the advice or the concepts of your financial plan into your considerations for your career, it can give you the space to take more risks.

Speaker 1:

It can let you know that you do have the space, the emergency reserves, for a gap in employment If you decide you know this isn't working for me anymore, isn't working for me anymore.

Speaker 1:

I'm thinking of one client now who you know kind of felt like they'd hit the end of the road for their current position and they were confident in their network and their skills and and chose to say this is what I'm going to end my work here and um started looking after they, um put in their notice with their current job and were able to get a two to three month gap where they, you know, kind of did some things for themselves and got a terrific new position that was like a step on their career ladder afterwards. That's not the I don't start with like hey, quit your job and YOLO. But that can work. And you can also know like, if you're at, you're kind of in a dead end, hey, you've got some space to make some decisions and to advocate for yourself, to invest in an executive coach all of those good things, because that your financial plan and your financial circumstances can make a big difference in what you can decide to pursue. I feel like that's exactly right.

Speaker 2:

So just as much as you want to have a financial strategy, a financial plan, you've got to have a career strategy, and if you don't know, that's okay, you don't have to know. Just come to a coach, go to friends, go to people that you admire externally and just have some ideas. And just with some ideas, it's amazing then what you can craft. I was working with a woman last year. She is exceptional and she lost her job and was the primary income provider in her family.

Speaker 1:

And it happens to more people than you think when you're sitting in that moment and thinking I'm this. You know how did this happen to me? You are not alone.

Speaker 2:

Yes, no, you're not alone and there's so many people around you that want to help.

Speaker 1:

So sorry to interrupt back to her.

Speaker 2:

No, that's such an important, important note to add, and this woman is amazing, and so she was architecting her search. We were working closely on it and, because income was something that she was really concerned about, she started putting herself out there for consulting and through the networking of the consulting, and she was phenomenally successful in how she positioned herself and in how she got the work and at the end of it, after a year, and and how she got the work and at the end of it after a year, not only did she more than replace the income that she would have earned had she continued with her previous employer, but she got a job offer from one of her clients and she is so, just so happy, so she accepted the offer. She's working with them, could not be happier, could not be more successful. But that's something to think about. If you're in between jobs or you're thinking of putting yourself out, there is by doing some consulting work, that's a great way for your next employer to say come do this with me full time.

Speaker 2:

I actually get job offers frequently that I turned down because I love what I do, but I'm not closed off to it, because you never know what opportunity could come up. That could replace this in an even more meaningful way. So, but for right now, I'm I'm happy where I'm at, but it's it's about talking. You know, talking to people externally and then always just testing the waters. If you've got a skill, if you've got a talent, test it, do a side hustle. I love the ideas of side hustles, especially for people who are thinking about going out on their own. Test the concept, test your hypothesis, get some work, do the side hustle, see if entrepreneurship is right for you or you know how you might need to change or shift and you never know. You may not go end up going into business. You may actually end up landing the next opportunity at a bigger salary and a bigger responsibility level just by starting a side hustle.

Speaker 1:

I love that so much. And what I'm thinking, as we, you know kind of, are wrapping up the conversation, is how do I get more Jackie Simon, wisdom? And so tell us a little bit more about where we can find you, follow you and for those listening who are really looking to you know kind of turbocharge their own executive journey, are really looking to you, know, kind of turbocharge their own executive journey.

Speaker 2:

How do they work with you? Oh, thank you so much for that. So I love that we want more. Jackie Simon, I should make bumper stickers. You can find me so I have my websites at JackieSimonCoachingcom. I have a very regular and intentional presence on LinkedIn and I think you'll be sharing out my LinkedIn profile.

Speaker 1:

Everything's in the show notes. We'll be happy to do that.

Speaker 2:

Perfect, but I take a really intentional stance towards sharing knowledge with individuals, because knowledge is power. So I'd love for you to follow me on LinkedIn and feel free to reach out. One of the things that I offer anyone who's interested in coaching is a free discovery call, Because if you're exploring coaching for yourself and really thinking about having whether it's your executive strategy or your career strategy make sure that you're working with the coach that really gets you, that you really vibe with, because chemistry is probably the most important thing in a coaching relationship. Yes, the results are important, but you get the results by having a voice with your coach and through the chemistry and the vibe that you have with each other. It's amazing the things that you can accomplish together. So check out JackieSimonCoachingcom and then please follow me on LinkedIn. I love to meet new people, especially if you're here in Vegas, Henderson, Nevada. Meet new people, connect with new people, always happy to share out and give people ideas so that they can just continue to grow in what they do.

Speaker 1:

Well, the next time I'm in Vegas I'm going to try to see if we can pencil in a lunch. And thank you, jackie, for your, your advice. I already, just um am embracing the reminders that you know your, your career isn't something that happens to you. You own that and the results and outcomes from it. And we could all use those reminders on the opportunities to really be strategic in our thinking when it comes to our career.

Speaker 2:

That's exactly right.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for joining us and have a great week.

Speaker 2:

Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Women's Money Wisdom Podcast. If you found value in this episode, the best way you can support the podcast is to forward an episode to a friend or leave a review. Go to pearlplancom and the podcast link to get all the resources and links mentioned.

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Melissa Joy, CFP

Co-host