Feeling Undervalued? Owning & Communicating her Value Doubled Dawn’s Income

Ep: 137

Do you ever feel like you could be doing so much more, but your company just isn’t seeing your potential?

Feeling undervalued or underutilized is an issue many women are experiencing. Perhaps you feel like your skills or efforts are constantly being overlooked. It leaves you second-guessing what you’re capable of and questioning whether you’re in the right role.

In order to be seen and fulfill our potential, we have to know what we’re good at.

Knowing where your strengths lie holds the key to unlocking your true value. When you’re able to communicate them effectively, change has room to grow.

Today, Blake welcomes Dawn Marchand as she shares her experience of success through the program. Her journey began with a desire to take action after feeling undervalued & underutilized in her previous role. In only 4 short months, The Bridge to Fulfillment helped her pinpoint her unique skill-set, seek out a company that could benefit from it, and ultimately land a personally curated role at a salary that went far beyond her expectations.

In this episode, you’ll hear how Dawn overcame her fears before joining the program, why she eventually made the leap, and the positive ways that it’s impacted her life so far. You’ll hear how she learned to communicate her value in a way that inspired the company to create a custom-made position just for her. She also shares how she’s made an impressive 20 times the ROI through the program so far!

What You’ll Learn:

  • How Dawn made the decision to start the program (2:13)
  • Moving beyond the 2 most common fears women face about creating change (8:00)
  • How doors open when you’re able to truly communicate your value (10:25)
  • What it takes to ensure salary negotiations go in your favor (13:02)
  • Why The Bridge to Fulfillment stands apart from other programs of its kind (19:51)

Favorite Quotes:

  1. I think you’re very gifted at understanding the makeup of someone and what makes them successful and how they operate. And, I think that’s a very unique gift that you have personally that I don’t think other people in the same line of work have. -Dawn
  2. Our realities are determined by how we habitually perceive ourselves and who we are in our roles. So, if I kept telling myself I was not going to find the right role, or it wasn’t going to work, then it wasn’t gonna work. -Dawn
  3. This program has kind of given me a voice, and it has really given me my own voice. -Dawn
  4. Far too many women believe that in order to move into a role where they’re doing fulfilling work, or they have the balance they want ,or have the things that they want, that they can’t also have the type of income that they want. -Blake
  5. Far too many women are thinking negotiation is just about what happens when they give you the offer. But the reality is, it starts at the very beginning. -Blake
  6. You come in with one idea or one perspective, a small glimpse of what it is you actually want. But through this process, we get really clear on who you are, where you’re talented, and what the right environment is- and how to actually use that to maximize all of the parts of your life.

Additional Resources:

Rather than hoping the grass will be greener, identify what the RIGHT next step is.

We can help you do just that.

Get clarity on where you are on your journey to career fulfillment, where you’re headed, optional paths to get there, and the right next step to take.

Start your complimentary, Personalized Career Fulfillment Plan by going to www.thebridgetofulfillment.com/plan

Want free resources to set your job search up for success? You can get them by going to: https://thebridgetofulfillment.com/mistakes

Transcript

Blake Schofield: Hi, Dawn, I’m so excited to have you today to share your incredible client success story, I think. I think we’re still in celebration mode, I would say on this, and I just feel so honored to have you here to share your story. You know, we’ve had incredible results in this program, with so many talented women, but your journey and what you have accomplished, I think, truly open up doors and windows of possibilities for women that even I didn’t know was possible. And so I’m really excited for you to kind of share and hopefully help inspire other women to what’s truly possible for them.

Dawn To see, ya know, I’m excited to be here and to talk to you about it. I think I’m still probably it hasn’t fully sunk in yet. So, ya know, I’m excited to share and and help however I can.

Blake Schofield So just four months ago, you and I started this journey together. Yeah, a little bit about what was going on in your life. And why did you end up joining the bridge to fulfillment what what was going on that made you say, this is what I need to do for my life.

Dawn I was just at a place in my career, I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t fulfilled. And I was working away from my family, I’m born and raised in Michigan, I always say Midwest at heart. So I fortunately to get to come and work from Michigan and work from here, but I was still not really happy at what I was doing. And so I had heard, um, you know, I had heard about you and the program through through Chi Omega through, you know, our sorority, and I had been searching for someone to kind of like, start putting the rest of the pieces together. Like, I just felt like something was missing. And I couldn’t really put my finger on it. And I was like, how do I make this kind of right? And so yeah, when I started the program, I literally, you know, I was, I was unhappy, really think I was unhappy? And I was just trying to like, how do I kind of get unstuck?

Blake Schofield What things did you tried, before we connected to get unstuck, or figure out what you should do next?

Dawn Oh, gosh, I’ve tried like everything. I’ve read books I have, you know, I have to talk to people. I’ve done a lot of informational interviews on different careers that I thought I did a million in one personality tests that actually sent to you like, Hey, you might need these, like, I got all these things. And kind of had this mishmash of, I think, assessments and test and feedback. And but nothing, I couldn’t really put it all together. I was just struggling with like the loose ends or kind of felt like a lot of loose ends a lot of details. And how did I kind of bring this to fruition is really what I was was struggling with.

Blake Schofield And when we connected back then, and you had done all of this work, trying to figure it out on your own. Ultimately, at the time, what did you think was blocking you from getting to your goal of actually figuring out that right next path and being able to move into it?

Dawn I don’t know if I knew what was blocking it. I just needed help. Right. And and I just, I knew you could help me and I didn’t I didn’t know I didn’t even really know you’re right. And I didn’t know how I just I felt it. Just in my gut, I felt like this is the right thing. And this was what was going to help me kind of get and I was determined to just get over that hump and get through kind of to the next, the next level, if you will.

Blake Schofield So, you came in you started the journey. How was the journey different than what you thought it would be?

Dawn How is it different? I think you I think Blake, I think you have a really unique gift of identifying people skills. And and I think you’re very gifted at understanding what is kind of the makeup of someone and what makes them successful and how they operate. And I think that’s a very unique gift that you have personally that I don’t think other people in the same line of work have that right where you can Actually, by by me talking to you or by me explaining something to you, you pull these things together and you, you kind of lay it out there and you kind of go, well, is this what to do? And then you’re like, Well, yeah, that’s what I do. But you don’t you can’t do it yourself. Right? So I think you have a very unique gift of really kind of helping people understand what their own true unique gifts are. And then how do you kind of take that and develop that uncover that, but then also really prepare us to to present ourselves in the right way and kind of almost shine the diamond. Right? Like, you’re very good at that.

Blake Schofield Thank you. So I often talk about this journey is both a tactical and an emotional one. Yeah. How was that? What did you expect coming in? And then how did that journey of addressing both sides of the process? How was that for you?

Dawn Um, you know, I was really, I had a rough go at a little bit at this at this point. I mean, I had gone very far with a corporation interviewing, and they came back to me, and they said, Oh, we don’t think you have the right experience. And I think you do a very good job of giving me the right tools and the right language or communication to say to them, hey, okay, um, I am sorry that, you know, my communicate, I was not able to communicate the, you know, the breadth and scope of my experience. And I think that line itself is just so key when, when you put the onus on you as a candidate instead of the corporation, right. And I, I had a rough go, because they said to me, you know, sorry, no, and I just was like, what, what am I doing. And I actually remember making like, a video to you. And I was in tears, like, crying because I was so kind of distraught. Like, I like thinking I was never going to get there. And, and you just said, Hey, Don, no, this is not a your, how is this possible? What are you going to do, you’re going to take action, and then you’re going to get and then you’re going to move forward. And that’s literally what I did. But I needed to hear that at that time. Right. And, and this journey, you know, really is about just, you know, when I came into it with just a really open mind, and an open heart and just said, this is gonna benefit me, and I’m going to, you know, meet amazing women, and I’m going to learn from everyone, and I’m going to be able to, I really, I really didn’t think I was going to help anyone. And here I am, you know, kind of telling my story that hopefully will help someone. But, you know, I didn’t have anything really figured out. I mean, I knew certain things that I was good at, right? Or what I did well, but I couldn’t really put those pieces together. And, and, you know, I still have these post it notes here that I look at that, you know, is that abundance mentality. And I had to keep reminding myself that there was many opportunities out there for me, and the right one just had to align, and I just had to trust that it was going to find me and that’s really literally what happened. And so it is a process.

Blake Schofield One of the things I remember us talking about when you came into the program was a fear of failing, and being fearful that you would do all of this work, and everything would still feel the same or nothing would have changed in your life. Looking back at that, I would say those are two really common fears I hear from women all the time. What would you have told yourself then, knowing what you know now?

Dawn I think it’s something like the past is where I learned the lesson, right? And the future is where I apply the lesson and you can’t give up in the middle. And even though it gets really hard in the middle, you can give up, and you just have to keep and I think I was like, you know, I think it was also like a mind shift for me as far as like, you know, our realities are determined by how we habitually perceive ourself and, and are in our roles, right? So if I kept telling myself I was not going to find a, you know, the right role or wasn’t going to work, then it wasn’t gonna work. So that was we have to change that tune. Right. And so, um, I think those are, you know, it, like just keep reminding myself that like with each failure, I become better, right. And it’s not a failure, because it was what did I learn to get there? Right. And so I think I would tell myself, that kind of from when I first started.

Blake Schofield Yeah, so I often say that when you go through this program, well, my clients would say it changes their life. How has this program changed your life, Dawn?

Dawn I think this program has completely given me the set of tools and techniques that I needed to really be successful. I think that this program has not only given me the tools to make sure my beliefs might become my thoughts become my actions become my outcome, right, that I’m thinking in the right way. But I think this program is also kind of giving me a like a voice, if that makes sense. And, and it has really given me my own voice to say, Dawn  this is what you do well, and I almost have permission to say that out loud now, right? To say, No, I am extroverted, I’m very good at language, I’m very good at building relationships and putting global strategies together and connecting others and creating these unique experiences and connections, right. And so it almost like gave me permission to believe that that’s actually factual and step into that space.

Blake Schofield And how has stepping into that space? What has happened for your career, where what’s to fill us in on what happens?

Dawn Actually, I didn’t even find the company that that I ended up, you know, going to, they found me. We had done some extensive extensive interviews. And this is a company that had came back to me and said, Sorry, we don’t think you have enough scope or depth. And I apologize for not being able to communicate that clearly. And then they came back, and they created a role for me. So they literally created a role within the organization, as their new vice president for all of shareholder services, marketing and operations. So I was able to really actually jump up, you know, two levels up and really kind of step into this new global strategy role, where I’ll really be helping this organization really shape and build the foundation on some very important initiatives as we start to, to not only address the market here in the US, but really open up their Europe office as well. And I’m so excited, and a little nervous at the same time. But um, I really this, this company literally created this role for me. And I’ve heard very good things about this company, kind of in the market, it’s from other colleagues that I’ve I’ve worked with, and they’ve said said great things. And I believe it to be true. And I mean, I, I think I’ve been set up like I had an email after I officially accepted the offer from them from the head of HR of the whole company. And they, the head of HR sent me like the nicest note that She’s so excited that I’m here to join his organization, and they can’t wait to bring me on board. And just like, you know, just lovely accolades, and just a great way to welcome someone. And I think that’s how you really know that that’s the right culture that works for me that I want to step into, we’re all feel appreciated, and recognized, and really part of this leadership team truly helped kind of chart a course for them.

Blake Schofield I love that. So you went from a director level to really a second level VP? Yeah. What is that done for you financially? And how is that? I mean, I would imagine coming in, you probably never would have envisioned that this would have been the outcome.

Dawn Yeah, I didn’t really have it. To be honest, I don’t really have a set outcome in my mind, right? It was just more an outcome of like, Hey, I got to be able to get into a place where I’m happy. And I, I didn’t say like, I need to be a vice president, or I’m gonna do this. Like I didn’t have that in my mind. I just came in to this going. I know, I’m talented. And I know I can do great things. So how do I kind of align my skill set, and what I do really well with the right kind of organization, the right culture, and I think that is what was so key for me.

Blake Schofield I often say what you just described as like aligning all the arrows going in one direction, you’re all moving together. And that creates a synergy and an ability to stand out in a way that very few people have, which is why the huge financial benefits come with the alignment. So you actually have the distinct caching factor now of being the client who has gotten the highest? Okay. Can you share a little bit about that? I know that can always be a touchy subject. But I think it’s one that’s really important because far too many women believe that in order to move into a role where they’re doing fulfilling work, or they have the balance they want or have the things that they want, that they can’t also have the type of income that they want. So can you share a little bit about that?

Dawn Yeah. And I think that that, you know, I think that if they think that they, you know, if women feel that they can achieve that, I think that’s false, right? Because I think one of the things you and I did really well, throughout this process is, we said, okay, this is where I’m at. Now, this is x, right. But if I wanted to move in this type of role, I think what you and I did really well is we really did our research, right, and you have to do your research ahead of time, before you even get to the point of talking to you know, the executive recruiter, because they’re gonna want to pin down numbers. And the earlier I think you talk about salary, I think sometimes you leave more money on the table. And so I really did my homework and really said, Okay, if I’m in this market, and I am going to be this level with this type of responsibilities, then here’s the bandwidth. And here’s the range that I’m looking for. And they not only met that range, they exceeded that range. And so I think it was kind of twofold, I think they really saw, I think when an organization really sees your true value, and really sees what you’ve been able to bring, and then you have taught us how to actually communicate that in the right way. And   you’ve given us the tools to be able to speak that   language to them that they then connect. And in turn the organization then comes with  an outstanding offer where they,  have to have you because you compared anyone else is like non existent because you’ve done such a good job of creating that message and really showing what you’re capable of doing, and how you’ve done it at other organizations. And so I think what was really kind of key in this in this piece was that I, you know, we did the research really upfront, really understand where true market value was, and then because of that they were able to match that and exceed that.

Blake Schofield Wonderful, I love that. Thank you for sharing that. Because yes, a lot of work went into the two of us partnering and really understanding and being very strategic about the negotiation process. And that’s something I feel like most women are not. Right. Yeah. not knowledgeable at, and it’s part of why I constantly see women, I believe, is part of why women are paid 81 cents to the dollar per men, because we haven’t had those skills. And so I think it’s taught us that really, right?

Dawn I don’t think anyone’s really taught us that. And I, I’ll be honest, I was actually one of the first ones that said to you, I didn’t really do a good job negotiating my first role and I learned from that, right. And I talked to other peers within the same organization. So then, you know, your eyes start to open and you’re like, Oh, my gosh, and so I think benchmarking is so key.

Blake Schofield Yeah, the benchmarking, again, the positioning, right, it starts from the very getgo, you have to position yourself as that person that stands out, show them that you are the by and large, the best candidate, and then go in right with the right strategy. And I think far too many women are thinking negotiation is just about what happens when they give you the offer. But the reality is, it starts off with a very before conversation, and how do you position that very first conversation?

Dawn I think I did that really well, of getting people excited about me and my candidacy. And that they almost didn’t care about  the price tag it would be because they were so sold on my skills and my abilities to and how I was going to be able to actually make an impact within the organization.

Blake Schofield Yeah, 100%. And I think back to the journey that we went on, and I remember, you know, there was a period time, like you mentioned, when you were disheartened when you were worried that you wouldn’t find the right thing when you struggled. Right. And that’s why I said this is both an emotional and a tactical journey. And I think about what would have happened if you had been trying to do this on your own, where you were at mindset, like what would have happened, it would have been a very different outcome.

Dawn I agree. I agree. I and I, and I can’t say thank you enough and how grateful I am for you. Because that’s exactly right. I think if I did not have you and your team to really help me, kind of go, Hey, Dawn have you thought about this? I think that you’re absolutely right, I would have had a different outcome, because I didn’t have you to kind of support me, you know, I wouldn’t have had you to support me through that. And kind of, you know, you only sometimes can get so much support from friends or from family, because they don’t always know what you’re going through, right. And they also don’t really maybe understand, you know, what your, what you do for a living day to day, right? I know. So I think that the fact that you are in it with us kind of lockstep hand in hand to really say like, you know, this is what I need. And this is what you know, and I think because you have the experience of helping so many other women do the exact same thing. That that is just, you know, it’s so unique, and it’s so key to actually help us achieve our goals.

Blake Schofield So you like I said, you have the distinction of being a client who has gotten the most significant financial return on investment, although you’ve had quite a lot of return on investment in a lot of other ways. So you actually I looked, you’ve actually got more than a 20 times return on investment of what you invested in this program financially. Static, which is pretty amazing. So when you think about it, though, it is an investment, it was something we had to think about a lot. Yeah. What would you share? What would you share about that now being on the other side? Because certainly when you came in, there was fear of what if it doesn’t work? What if I fail? What if I don’t accomplish? And now that you’ve gone through this journey? How would you look at ROI, cuz obviously, there’s 20 times ROI financially with the first year on the job, but there’s also a lot of other financial or there’s also a lot of other ROI, right? There’s financial ROI, two years, five years, 10 years down the road. But then there’s personally how it’s changed you. So what would you share to a woman who’s maybe considering investing in herself and hasn’t done something like that before? And wonders like, should I really do this?

Dawn Yeah, no, I mean, that’s a great question. Yet no, I was, I was very concerned about, you know, when I first came in, like, is this going to work? Is it not going to work? Because the market, there’s a lot of people out there that say, they’re career coaches, and that they do this or do that, right. But and so I was concerned with that.   I’ll tell you, I would do it 100 times over again, because  there isn’t anyone and I think this is what truly makes you  so unique and so talented, that you really helped us identify and really kind of put the pieces together in a way that I think a lot of other people can’t , I’ll be very, you know, transparent, I looked at two or three other people besides yourself, right. And I ended up going with you, and you were, you know, maybe the more expensive option. But I said to myself, I think I’m going to actually get the results that I need from you than from anyone else out here. And I think not only are you know, are you extremely intelligent, and you can understand people and help people develop the right messages and really kind of shine that diamond in the right way. But I think that you also you know, I think you you have such a huge heart and you care and you truly want people and want women to succeed and you’ll do anything to help us actually get there. So I think that the fact that you go the extra mile for us and it speaks volumes, right of what you’re you’re not only able to do but how you actually truly care and your hearts in it. So that is what really I think makes you unique over anyone else. And I would tell any, you know, woman out there that was thinking me I don’t know it’s a lot of money. You’re right, it is but you will make it up and you will be so happy and so thankful. And so, like appreciative.

Blake Schofield Thank you for sharing that. Is there anything done that I didn’t ask you? Or you haven’t shared that you would like to?

Dawn Not only do you meet amazing women in this journey, I get to connect with you and your team. Who are amazing, and I think that, you know, I truly believe that I wouldn’t have been as successful doing this, if I didn’t have you kind of on my shoulder, if you will, like as an angel kind of helped guiding me along, because I don’t think I would gotten this far or really kind of gone to this new journey that I’m about to embark on. So I’m so grateful for you and your help. Like, really, truly, I can’t say that enough.

Blake Schofield Thank you, it’s been an honor to be a part of your journey. Like I said, You know, I think sometimes the hardest part of this journey is like what is on the other side, you know, like I’m doing this, but I don’t really know what’s on the other side. And it’s always a joy to watch and see that develop, because, right, you come in with one idea or one perspective, a small glimpse of what it is you actually want. But through this process, we get really clear on who you are, and where you’re talented, and what the right environment is, and how to actually use that to maximize all of the parts of your life. And I could have never imagined four months ago, when we started this journey, what the outcome would have been. I know you would have had clarity, I know you would write all the things that my clients get, I know you would have clarity, I know you’d have confidence, I know you would be clear on how to position and market yourself. But I could have never envisioned how much personally you transformed your look on life. Right, you’re, you’re you were at a really dark place. And I think, today, you see the world from possibility you see in front of you. And it’s a very different approach, which yields very different outcomes. But then again, you know, to see you also be able to move into an organization with such a phenomenal reputation that clearly sees and values and understands what you bring to the table and that I feel like there was so much of that was missing for you. I just could not be more thrilled for you. And this journey ahead because I know you will go in and you will really truly be able to lean on the things that make dawn, Dawn right, the things that really enable you to create for momentum for companies and for people and drive results. And and I just got honor to be a small part of that journey with you know, it’s been amazing.

Dawn It’s been amazing. And I can’t you know, I’m so grateful for your help. Like, it’s it’s completely changed. I mean, literally everything I say it’s, you know, it’s a whole new It’s a whole new, you know, embark on a whole new journey and a whole new adventure, right?

Blake Schofield And it’s just beginning, right? Yeah. goes with you everything that you’ve learned, continue to build on. And I think often you’re right, there are a lot of career coaches out there. There are a lot of people with a lot of different backgrounds doing a lot of different things. But what we do here is, I often say, unlike anything anyone else does, there’s there’s just a level of depths, and a level of transformation, that it’s not just about moving you to the next job. It’s about moving you to the right job, but it’s ultimately about giving you the tools to be your best self and to create a life.

Dawn Yep, that’s right. And that’s exactly what you’ve, you’ve given me not only the tools to identify that, but then communicate that right and i think that’s what’s so unique is that it’s not your right, it’s not about just finding a job and and getting you kind of rubber stamp it and going into the next it’s not that at all. And so that’s why I keep saying it’s like we have to create, you know, 100 Mini lakes all around so we can continue.

Blake Schofield Well, you know, the process works not because of Lake but because of lakes process, right? It is it’s the this program is reverse engineering my journey. Yeah, right. It’s everything I’ve learned and then figuring it out and going, Okay, it’s each one of these steps. It’s under covering each one of these cars. And what’s amazing to me is right, I spent 18 years in corporate America, I was hitting the top 75th percentile for the last back half. Every time I move companies, I got 30 to 35% pay increases and I was like, Hey, I’m doing pretty well for myself. But what’s been amazing is to watch clients like you, Dawn get not just what I had, but that times exponential right. And to see the impact that it makes is is such an honor and a blessing to do what I do, but it’s not me. It’s really the process. It’s the process. It’s the process I learned and uncovered and the same way You did and it’s why it’s consistent. And it’s why we have these types of results is because the process works. Yeah, you’re right. It does. Yeah. You just have to trust the process.

Dawn Yeah, you have to trust the process.

Blake Schofield Well, thank you so much, lady. I really appreciate you.

Dawn It was so great to see you, Blake. Thank you so much for your help.

Blake Schofield Absolutely.