Future Female Leaders

To close out timing and strategy week, Nichole covers the times to avoid, so you don't accidentally set yourself up for a harder conversation.

In this episode:

• A recap of the week: the best time of year to ask, reading the room, before or after a big project, and how to request the meeting
• A note from Nichole that her DMs are always open and she loves talking all things corporate world, with a reminder that she's a real person who's excited to help
• A reminder that these are general rules of thumb, and that you know your manager and workplace best
• Mondays: why they tend to be full of catching up and putting out fires
• Fridays: why people are often mentally checked out, and why a "let me think about it" can lose momentum over the weekend, with a tip to talk earlier in the day if you do
• Better times: often midweek, Tuesday through Thursday, earlier in the day when your manager is fresh and not rushed
• A tip from Nichole to check your manager's calendar, if you can see it, to find when they're most available, and why you might wait a week if they're just back from PTO
• Right before time off: why your manager won't have the mental space to take in your case, and why you want to be around to follow through too
• The end of a quarter or other crunch periods
• Right after bad news, like layoffs, a missed target, or a tough change, and why a noticeable mistake of your own calls for a little distance too
• How you ask, not just when: avoid hallway chats, avoid doing it only over text, and avoid squeezing it in after back-to-back meetings
• Why the goal isn't a perfect day, but a moment where your manager can really listen
• This weekend's task: pick two or three possible dates and times based on the week's episodes, check your calendar and your manager's, and write them down so you're ready to propose them in your meeting request
• A preview of next week: setting up the conversation, including how to ask for thirty minutes without raising alarm bells, whether to loop in HR first, what to send ahead, and how to help your manager walk in ready to say yes
• A note that Nichole is hearing great feedback on how quick and easy the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise challenge makes it to go from wanting to ask to feeling confident and ready

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Nichole moves from planning to action, with simple templates you can borrow to get the raise meeting on the calendar.

In this episode:

• A recap of the week so far: the best time of year to ask, reading the room, and whether to ask before or after a big project
• Why most women either bring it up randomly in a hallway or overthink the request until the email never gets sent
• The three things a good meeting request does: it's clear about the topic, calm in tone, and easy to say yes to
• Being clear without being mysterious or apologetic, and why naming compensation and growth keeps your manager from worrying you're about to quit
• Keeping it calm and short, skipping phrases like "I know you're super busy" or "Sorry to bother you," since advocating for you is part of your manager's job
• Making it easy to say yes by suggesting thirty minutes and offering a couple of time options
• A sample email, with a subject line and body you can borrow
• A shorter version for Slack or Teams
• Two options if you already have regular one-on-ones: ask for a longer dedicated meeting, or ask for extra time in your next one-on-one
• Why you don't need to attach your one-pager to the request, and why it works best as something you bring to reference and offer to send afterward
• What to say if your manager asks what the meeting is about
• Today's task: write your meeting request, fill in your own days and times, send it or save it as a draft, and use AI to adjust the tone if you want help

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Nichole answers a question many listeners are quietly asking: if you have a big project in the works, should you ask for a raise before it wraps or after?

In this episode:

• A recap of the week so far: the best time of year to ask and how to read the room
• Why the honest answer is "it depends" on what the project means for your case, and an invitation to DM Nichole about your specific situation
• Why you should usually ask after the project wraps, or once the results are visible, if it's one of your strongest proof points, because you can say "here's what I delivered" instead of "I'm working on something great"
• Why waiting for a project to finish shouldn't become a reason to push the whole conversation back
• What to do if your company's decision window closes before the project wraps: start the conversation early, point to the result you expect and the date, and plant the seed while staying in the running
• Why the middle of a crunch is usually not the time to ask, and why the few days right after a project lands, when people are relieved and positive, are often the most open
• Why you shouldn't hang your whole case on a project that isn't going well or has an uncertain outcome, and how your one-pager and tracker keep you from relying on a single moment
• How to put it together: wait if the project is central and finishes before the window, start early if timing is tight, give it a few days if you're in crunch mode, and lean on the rest of your proof if the outcome is uncertain
• Today's task: pick one project you're working on, write down the date you expect its results to be visible and one proof point you'll add to your tracker, then compare that date to your target window from Monday and decide which approach fits

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Building on yesterday's episode about the best time of year to ask, Nichole zooms in from the calendar to what's actually happening inside your company, and how to adjust your ask based on what you see.

In this episode:

• Why the mood of the room matters even in the right month
• How to read company health: what leadership is saying and not saying, whether updates are getting vague, whether projects are moving or paused, and whether the team is growing, steady, or shrinking
• A direct look at layoffs, especially around the holidays, and what they can signal: tight budgets and stretched managers, but also people who stepped up to carry more, which can strengthen your case
• How to adjust your ask: go for the direct ask if things look stable or growing, add flexibility if things look mixed, and shift your goal if things look rocky
• Why you should still have the conversation when things look rocky, by being transparent and asking whether it's too much to ask for a raise given everything you've done
• What to do if the honest answer is no: ask what it would take to be positioned for the next round, get a date to revisit it, and acknowledge in the follow-up that the timing wasn't right but you've been consistently adding value
• Reading your manager too: whether they're stressed, buried in deadlines, or dealing with changes above them, and when to wait a week or two
• A quick three-question check: Is the company stable enough? Does my manager have space to really listen? Have my recent wins been seen?
• Why reading the room is a tool, not an excuse, and why you're looking for a good enough moment, not a perfect one
• Why Nichole counts having the conversation and getting a no with next steps as a win, versus not having the conversation at all
• The risk of waiting: you could lose six months to a year if you're told to revisit it later, so get a commitment sooner, and if you keep getting pushed down the road for doing great work, that's when to consider looking for another job
• Today's task: run the three questions on your own situation, write down your honest answers, and if one is a no, write down one small thing you can do this week to turn it into a yes

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Kicking off timing and strategy week, Nichole answers a big question: when is the best time of year to ask for a raise?

In this episode:

• A recap of last week's pre-ask checklist and a look ahead at the timing and strategy episodes
• A note from Nichole that some themes will repeat over the next couple of months on purpose, because hearing something once doesn't always do the trick
• Why the best time to ask is typically before the decision gets made, not after
• Why the conversation that matters most usually happens weeks or even months before a raise decision lands on someone's desk
• A rule of thumb: aim for about two to three months before your company finalizes raise decisions
• Why the window for many companies is the last few months of the year, and may be open right now
• What to do if you've missed it: new budgets often open in the new year, so January or February can still be a strong time to start, especially if you say you want to be positioned for the next round of raises
• Moments that tend to work well: right after a big win people noticed, after taking on new responsibilities and having a few months to show results, or after a review with strong feedback
• Moments that tend to work against you: right after a review cycle has closed, in the middle of a company-wide scramble like a big reorg, or during a stretch with little visibility
• Why timing matters but should never become a reason to keep waiting: the best time to ask is when you're prepared and the window is open, and the second best time is soon
• Today's task: look back at your best guess for when your company makes raise decisions, count back two to three months, and put that on your calendar as your target window

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Looking back on everything since the series began on Labor Day, Nichole pulls it all into one pre-ask checklist so you can see where you stand and what's left.

In this episode:

• A personal update from Nichole: she's expecting a baby girl in December, and she's pushing through on tired days to give you the confidence to ask
• A welcome to new listeners, whether you're tuning in live or months or years later, and a reminder of the mission to help 1,000 women ask for a raise before the end of the year
• The ten-item pre-ask checklist:
  • Your mindset: believing your labor has value right now
  • Your tracker: one place for your wins, with dates, results, and evidence
  • Your research: your market range, where you fall in it, and where the numbers came from
  • Your number: a specific ask or range, plus one sentence explaining why
  • The type of raise: a merit increase, a promotion, or a market adjustment
  • Your company's timing: a best guess for when raise decisions get made
  • Feedback: a conversation with your manager, with their words on paper
  • Your proof points: kudos, a testimonial or two, and highlights from your last review
  • Your one-pager: all five sections on one page, read out loud at least once
  • Your story: where you started, what you've built, and where you're headed
• Why a few "maybes" or "not yets" are the point of the checklist, since most people who feel unprepared are only missing one or two pieces
• A reminder to celebrate if you've checked almost everything, since you've done more preparation than most people do before a raise conversation
• A preview of next week's timing and strategy episodes: when to ask, how to read the room, how to request the meeting, and what to avoid
• This weekend's task: go through the checklist, circle the one or two gaps that matter most, spend thirty minutes on one, and use AI to help you decide what to tackle first

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Nichole takes on the little voice that says you have nothing to offer, and shows how to find the real value in a year without a headline-worthy win.

In this episode:

• Why most people don't have a big win every year, and why that usually means we're measuring ourselves against the wrong thing
• Consistency: showing up, meeting deadlines, and keeping things running as real value, with specifics like how many projects or how many months without a missed deadline
• What you made easier: a process you cleaned up, a template you created, or a guide you wrote for a question you kept answering
• What you prevented: problems caught early and fires that never happened, and asking yourself what would have happened if you hadn't been there
• What people rely on you for: being the go-to person, or the one new teammates get sent to, as a sign of trust and influence
• Your growth: new skills, tools, and responsibilities you took on without anyone asking
• Why a really hard year counts too, and why handling a tough stretch well is worth documenting
• What to do if the year still feels quiet: focus on your direction, and have the conversation about what you'll deliver next and what it would take to be positioned for the next round
• A reminder from the start of the series that your labor has value, and that a year without a flashy win is not a year without worth
• Today's task: set a timer for ten minutes and list small wins from the past twelve months using the prompts, then pick your top three and rewrite them with action, specifics, and result, using AI if you get stuck

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Building on yesterday's performance review episode, Nichole helps listeners whose workplaces have no formal reviews create their own paper trail.

In this episode:

• Why not having a formal review process is common, especially at smaller companies and startups, and why it doesn't mean you can't build your case
• Step one: asking for feedback on purpose, including a way to make a regular check-in with your manager a quarterly habit
• Step two: following up after any feedback conversation with a short recap by email or message, so there's a written record
• Step three: writing your own one-page self-review once or twice a year, with three sections: what I delivered, what I learned or improved, and what I want to take on next
• How to share your self-review with your manager to show initiative and give them something to react to
• Step four: leaning on goals by asking, "What would success look like for me over the next six months?" and using their answer as your scorecard
• Step five: using your kudos, testimonials, project results, and tracker as evidence, since a well-organized tracker can be just as strong as a formal review
• Why to avoid framing this as a complaint about not getting reviews, and how building your own system earns your manager's respect
• Today's task: choose one step and do it this week, either sending a recap of your last feedback conversation or starting your one-page self-review, even if it's just a draft

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Following yesterday's episode on testimonials, Nichole shows how your last performance review, your own employer's words about you, can become some of your strongest proof.

In this episode:

• Why a performance review is one of the most credible pieces of evidence you have, and why it shouldn't get filed away and forgotten
• How to reread your review like a detective, looking for strengths, growth areas, and goals
• Strengths: highlighting the strongest praise so you can say, "In my review, you noted that I do this well, and here's what I've done since to keep building on it"
• A tip for anyone who had a review in the last few months or so without getting a raise: use your strengths to reflect back on it
• Growth areas: why feedback is a gift, and how showing what has changed since shows you listen and follow through
• What to do if you haven't made progress on a growth area yet: start before you ask
• Goals: checking off which ones you hit, exceeded, or saw change, and why measuring against what your own company asked of you makes your case stronger
• Looking for language about the next level, which acts as a roadmap, and noting the date and overall rating to tell a clear story over time
• What to do if your review wasn't great: a personal note from Nichole that you're not alone, and why showing improvement can be just as compelling and often more memorable
• Why effort, determination, and grit to get better stand out
• Today's task: pull up your most recent review and highlight one strength you can quote, one growth area along with what you've done about it, and one goal you accomplished, then add them to your tracker with a date, and use AI to turn them into one-line talking points if you want help

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Nichole adds a new proof point to your raise case before the timing episodes begin: a short, specific testimonial from someone other than you.

In this episode:

• A quick change of plans from Friday's episode: a few more proof points come first, and timing follows
• Why a short, specific comment from a client or peer carries more weight than anything you say about yourself
• Who to ask: clients you helped, teammates in other departments, people you trained or supported, or someone more senior who saw the result of your work
• Why to look for people who can speak to a specific moment, not just say "she's great"
• When to ask: ideally right after a win while it's fresh, or later by reminding them of the specific project you worked on together
• A sample request to borrow, and why it works: it's short, names the project, tells them how little effort it takes, and offers to help
• Offering a few bullet points for them to react to, since writing from scratch feels like homework
• Asking whether you can reference their comments with your manager, and saying thank you
• Where the testimonial goes afterward: screenshot it, save it with your kudos in your brag document, and pull your strongest one or two into section three of your one-pager
• A reminder that people want to see you succeed, and that stepping out of your comfort zone to ask makes the next ask easier
• Today's task: pick one person who has seen your work up close and send them a short request, using AI to make it warmer and more specific if you want help

Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here.

Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop