Maybe you spent the last few days or weeks reflecting on your career. Many professional women do at the turn of the year. If any of the following rings true, my darling, pay attention.
You feel like you have been sleepwalking through your career. You feel stuck in a role, a company, or an industry that no longer fits. You feel capable of being more, doing more, achieving more, of living more.
If you are ready for a different 2026, please know this: it is entirely possible. You can change direction. You can go after that bigger role and yes, combine it with a wonderful personal life, too. You are not a tree. If you do not like where you are, you can move. You have full control of your career.
Why Most Women Stay Stuck (and How to Break Free)
I know that is not always a popular thing to say. I hear it constantly from mid-to-senior level women who tell me their spouse, parents, friends, or boss insists, “This is it. Put your head down and do the work. Work is not supposed to be fun.” Or perhaps it is you saying those things to yourself, having internalised that negativity over the years. Bob down the corridor certainly is not questioning whether he deserves more, is he?
So here I am, taking your beautiful face in my hands, looking you directly in the eye, and calling BS. Because none of that is true.
Strategic Career Negotiation Starts with Believing Change Is Possible
How do I know it is perfectly possible to change direction, dramatically and successfully?
First, because I did it myself. I went from being a lawyer in a large law firm in the Netherlands to building an HR practice for a global education company in Hong Kong. No new degree required, and with a 35% salary increase, thank you very much.
And there is nothing uniquely special about me. Through WOA’s career negotiation coaching, I have now guided over 800 women through this process, and they demonstrate every single day what is possible when you commit to strategic career change:
- The bored headhunter who wanted to move to the Nordics and work in tech, who sent her first vlogs from snowy Stockholm over Christmas after landing a SaaS sales leadership role.
- The unhappy banker trapped in a toxic environment who moved to a more balanced industry and yet increased her salary and bonus dramatically.
- The partner at a prestigious consulting firm who left, set up sales for a startup, and still increased her salary.
- The undervalued professional in pharma who created a portfolio career with two part-time roles in exciting startups and several board positions through role co-creation.
Real Results Require Real Commitment
This is just a handful of the women who have achieved extraordinary results through doing the work. And because I still have your attention, my darling, let me be honest: none of this is easy. Just as you would not walk out of the gym with bulging biceps after lifting weights once (sorry if I am putting a dent in that 2026 resolution), results like these require commitment. Totally possible, just not effortless.
This is exactly why executive career coaching for women exists. Strategic preparation creates power. Negotiation is a learnable skill. And WOA’s women’s career coaching program gives you the proven frameworks to negotiate your worth and build the career you actually want.
