What

Joan's coaching was incredibly helpful in both my initial job offer negotiations and in my subsequent one-year review. Her thoughtful questions allowed me to articulate the concrete reasoning behind my position and ultimately resulted in a higher initial offer and 6 percent raise after the first year. Working in mission-driven non-profits, I had often previously felt that asking for better compensation was selfish, and I was too nervous to initiate the discussions. With Joan's help, I realized how empowering advocating for myself can be and that it can set a strong example for other young women in my team to speak up for themselves.

Coaching Client
Advocacy Non-Profit

Joan’s coaching was absolutely critical to navigating my most recent job negotiation successfully. I was moving through two concurrent interview processes, and Joan gave me the tools and language I needed to guide the pacing and align the two offers. When the offers didn’t line up perfectly, Joan helped me develop a clear picture of what my best alternative (BATNA) was for each role and how to use that information to navigate the final stages of the interview processes. Her questions were always razor sharp, helping me to map what information I had and where I was operating with unclear assumptions. She also helped me identify strategies for filling in information gaps, which reduced ambiguity in the negotiation and helped me advocate effectively for my worth. Joan’s coaching not only helped me gain clarity on which role was the best fit for me, but allowed me to grow my initial offer by 25%. I know that this sizable jump would not have been possible without Joan’s guidance. I am very grateful to Joan for helping me develop a concrete set of skills and the confidence that comes from a successful salary negotiation – I will undoubtedly draw on both in the years to come!

Coaching Client
Program Officer at Foundation

Joan's 1:1 coaching helped me gain not only tangible increases in salary, but also the priceless benefit of knowing I made the right decision and got the best offer. I'm a woman of color who is shy about negotiating, and after a long job search during the pandemic, my confidence and self-worth were waning. At many points, I felt pressure to take job offers that did not meet some of my major requirements (salary, opportunities for growth). Joan asked me the sharp questions that helped me avoid making a decision out of desperation, reminded me of the value I bring to the table, and helped me work my through my fear that negotiating would make future employers perceive me as greedy and indecisive. Joan guided me through two negotiations - one where I ultimately turned down the job because it was not aligned with my goals, and another where I increased and eventually accepted a wonderful offer. She kept notes about my career goals throughout both negotiation processes, and when I started to lower my asks or make unnecessary concessions, she reminded me of my goals. Joan was a real gift of being both gentle and firm. As a result, I went into each negotiation call feeling prepared, asked for the true value of what I wanted, and left feeling more confident about my value and my decision. In a world of ambiguity and indecision, Joan was a voice of reason.

Priyanka Reyes-Kaura
Senior Analyst at a Nonprofit

Joan's guidance and advice was very helpful. She kept me motivated and came prepared with a plan. I felt ready to negotiate because she prepared me for any possible outcome. Joan helped me to find the right language around the negotiation dialogue. She created a plan that equipped me to introduce the idea of negotiating which set me up to be in a position to succeed.

Gina Kong
UX Researcher

Joan was very detailed in her notetaking and each piece of feedback was tailored to a specific point I brought up. The main skill I gained from this process with Joan was that it is critical to reduce as much ambiguity as one can. This comes in the form of getting more clarity around figures, leveraging your additional offers, or presenting win-win language that presents mutual gain. I found the roleplay to be extremely helpful as it gave me reassurance of my own negotiating abilities.

Coaching Client
Policy Specialist at Tech Firm

Joan gave me the confidence to start negotiations and to ask for more. It was helpful to think through the issues. Joan help me realize that as long as you have sound reasoning for the request, negotiation is not detrimental to your relationship with future employers.

Coaching Client
Director of Pharmacy

I worked with Joan through an executive level search process that involved a search firm and full search committee. In a search of that nature, there are many different opinions, perspectives, and interests at the table. Joan helped me keep track of all of them, solidify, and frame my own case for why I was right for a role I really aspired to. Her guidance kept me focused on what I wanted throughout a lengthy and at times complicated interview process. Even if you work with the best search firm, at a certain point in the negotiation your interests don’t perfectly align – the firm becomes focused on closing a deal; you are just starting a long term, close working relationship that will presumably be full of additional negotiations – big and small. A skilled negotiator, with an unmatched ability to see the big picture, Joan was consistently able to map the players, help clarify interests, and keep my focus where it mattered. She suggested tactics that none of my peers did. She helped me manage the complicated process of interviewing for and then negotiating with two potential employers at once - leveraging the conversations to my advantage, rather than allowing the pressures and requests from each co-current hiring processes to cause stress or lead me to a decision that I was not ready to make. I would not recommend going into an executive-level search without someone like Joan in your corner! I ended up with exactly the outcome I was working towards – job, compensation, and outstanding working relationship at the organization that I really aspired to join. Without a doubt, I credit Joan’s coaching for that result.

Michal Rubin
Foundation Vice President

Joan was incredibly knowledgeable and thorough while on 1-on-1 coaching. It was beneficial to go step by step, and Joan made sure we looked and analyzed all of the information we had and how we can best use it for a favorable negotiation. Her questions made me think of my priorities and what I wanted to get out of my negotiation. I felt incredibly prepared to walk into my negotiation since we had come up with valid points and thoroughly discussed my situation. What I learned from my 1-on-1 Coaching with Joan was to get a complete picture of the situation, understanding where the other side is coming from, and what I want as a result. I could not have had such a successful negotiation if it wasn't for the coaching. Joan helped me negotiate an 18% raise.

Manuela Gomez
Programs and Special Projects Coordinator

Joan combines academic research with practical experience to create real, tangible value. During our conversations, Joan asked the smart, insightful questions to identify what really mattered to me in my negotiation. Once we identified those interests, she laid out clear options and the tactics and sequencing to achieve each one. Through our conversations, Joan helped me negotiate a 15% raise in base salary and significantly enhance my benefits package. I highly recommend Joan to support anyone through any negotiation.

Coaching Client
VP at Marketing Agency

A year after joining the organisation I work for, I realized that my salary was not in line with my previous experience and current performance. I did not negotiate my salary when I first joined and had no idea of what to expect for my level for someone of my profile. I reached out to Joan to express my desire to negotiate and ask for help. She walked me through the whole process, help me ask the right questions and find out missing information to help me make a better decision. After I gathered this information, we met again to discuss a strategy. In addition to helping me figure out how to determine what I should ask for, she helped me communicating my expectations to my boss, which was very useful. She taught me a valuable skill, which is being patient and gave me advice on how to approach the negotiation step by step and how to make the right move at the right time. I actually ended up obtaining a 22% salary increase and a move to the upper category, which match better my experience. I am very grateful for that.

Aminata Doukouré
International Development Consultant

Joan led a two-session workshop for LedBy's 24 college-going fellows. Her preparedness was evident and so was her cultural sensitivity as she taught women of minority all the way in India. The fellows were exposed to negotiations in a systematic fashion for the first time and came out of the workshops feeling like they had an empowering framework at their disposal to address personal and professional negotiations with renewed confidence. Joan is a great facilitator and is extremely responsive.

I think the workshop was incredibly beneficial. It was a time where Joan went over theory and how we need to look at negotiations. It was also a time to take into practice everything that had been discussed and really understand how a negation happens. It is extremely valuable, not only because it gets your ready for future negotiations, but it also allows you to see your strength and weaknesses when negotiating. Using cases and seeing other scenarios can help put things into perspective, and this workshop does precisely that.

Joan led us through a step-by-step process examining terminology and concepts related to career negotiation, using real-world "caselets" that enabled us to explore tactics for reducing ambiguity, utilizing networks, communicating effectively, and ultimately making the pitch. In addition, she brought examples of her coaching to further illustrate her points, and she didn't pull any punches when asked hard questions about gender disparities in the workplace.

I walked away feeling so much better prepared for negotiating as well as far less intimidated by it. I really appreciated Joan's candor and transparency when it comes to the bias research that's been does as well as ways to overcome it.

I feel so much more empowered to negotiate confidently and not go into it shy-ly. Tools for how to negotiate even with the gender biases that exist.

I love the simple and practical framework and love the “aha” exercise to ASK MORE QUESTIONS!!! And the reminder that, “if you see more situations as negotiations, then we see more situations as negotiable!” Cheers to that!

The way you made it a personal experience for such a large group was exceptional. The hard truths about negation often go unheard and you did very well capturing the facts and relaying it!

The workshop helped expand my definition of a negotiation and see team projects as a place to consider negotiations. It also made me consider negotiations I need to prepare myself for.

Really knowledgeable, great presentation style. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in a succinct but warm manner. My key takeaway was framing the 'ask' more strategically.

I loved the case studies and exercises. They were very practical. I learnt the importance of questioning and not over pitching when selling or advocating. This is really important to discover the interests of the other.

This workshop was really helpful as a college student preparing to enter the workforce. I knew I was conflict avoidant- but taking the quiz about my negotiation style and counting them up myself was super helpful. I also found the different exercises very helpful. I would definitely recommend this workshop!

Very engaging workshop. You really learned because it was so interactive. I definitely feel way better equipped to negotiate now. Mostly because the workshop helped me see how women particularly can use their perceptions in society to actually drive success. Very inspiring. I felt like I could take away a lot! Thank you very much.

Joan broke down the daunting idea of negotiation into small steps — making the goals concrete and manageable. Within the short timeframe, she introduced common misconceptions about negotiation and a starting point for women to position ourselves for better outcomes!

It was helpful to have some better understanding bias and things I might encounter as a female and also as someone looking to progress within an organization in the future.

I found the workshop to be valuable overall, but the case studies were the most beneficial. Working through real life situations with colleagues and with Joan put everything into context. I am confident that I will do better with future negotiations.

Joan provided clear and helpful tools in an accessible manner. She made clear that there is both an art and science of negotiation and that considering the strategies in advance of a negotiation position you for maximal success.

Very helpful - appreciated the naming of different aspects and phases of negotiation process. I have not stopped thinking about the ambiguity component of the discussion.

I think the concrete tools and strategies were incredibly helpful, and will support my work as a manager, and also as an employee.

Everything! You made those hard conversations seem so simple.

Knowing the process and the pitfalls that women fall into was very enlightening.

The ambiguity worksheet and approach were helpful is sketching the scope of a negotiation, as well as the strategy/tool of utilizing networks. Learning the vocabulary of negotiation was also very helpful!

Very helpful, thinking about negotiating as a broader subject than just formal negotiations is a frame of mind that will help me in the future.