26. Why Women of Color Don't Recognize Their Own Leadership Evidence

26. Why Women of Color Don't Recognize Their Own Leadership Evidence

You may already have years of leadership evidence. You just might not be calling it leadership. In Part 3 of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast's Summer of Leadership series, Jessica Lynn Rojas explores why ambitious women of color often dismiss their own leadership experience as “just doing their job.” After preparing for leadership interviews, Jessica realized she was arguing with her own evidence. Every story came with the same response: “That’s just my job. That doesn’t count as leadership.” But the leadership evidence was there. In this episode, Jessica breaks down why women of color often normalize the skills that make us strong leaders—systems thinking, executive communication, influencing without authority, navigating ambiguity, managing up, building trust, and seeing what others miss. She changed her approach to leadership interviews by asking: “What does this teach someone about how I think?” You'll learn: • Why high-performing women of color dismiss their own leadership evidence • The difference between describing what you did and showing how you think • How to identify the “leadership read” inside your existing work • How to build a Leadership Evidence Portfolio for interviews, performance reviews, promotion conversations, and career growth • Why leadership positioning is built before a leadership opportunity opens Jessica also walks through a real example from her own work: what looked like “fixing a workflow” was actually evidence of systems thinking, strategic prioritization, scope management, influencing without authority, and executive communication. 🎁 JOIN PAID & PROMOTED Paid & Promoted is a free 5-day coaching experience for ambitious women of color in corporate ready to become the obvious choice for leadership opportunities. Inside, you'll learn how to build visibility, communicate your value, and track your leadership evidence. You'll create an Impact Tracker and Leadership Tracker to document your value and leadership moments for interviews, performance reviews, salary negotiations, and promotion conversations. Join Paid & Promoted: https://jessicalynnrojas.myflodesk.com/e84wuxmmh8 [https://jessicalynnrojas.myflodesk.com/e84wuxmmh8] WORK WITH JESSICA Jessica Lynn Rojas helps ambitious women of color in corporate become the obvious choice for leadership opportunities through strategic career coaching focused on leadership positioning, workplace visibility, executive presence, influence, authority, and career growth. Book a 1:1 consult: https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/scheduling [https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/scheduling] Join Dear Ambitious WOC: https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/email-list [https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/email-list] Follow Jessica: https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/ [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] Subscribe, rate, and review The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast for practical strategies for career advancement, leadership development, and becoming the obvious choice for your next leadership role.

25. Promotion Season Starts Before the Job Is Posted

Most women of color think promotion season starts when the leadership position gets posted. It doesn't. By the time an interview is scheduled, leaders have already been watching. They've already experienced how you think, how you influence decisions, how you navigate difficult situations, and whether they can picture you leading long before a title is ever available. In this episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast, leadership and career coach Jessica Lynn Rojas takes listeners behind the scenes of her own leadership journey after two leadership opportunities unexpectedly opened within her company. She's sharing how she's positioning herself for leadership in real time while preparing for two internal leadership opportunities. Because interviews don't make someone leadership material. They reveal who they've already been becoming. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why promotion season starts the day after your last promotion—not when a leadership role gets posted • The difference between preparing for an interview and preparing for leadership • Why women of color need different career strategies than simply working harder or waiting to be noticed • How to build visibility, executive presence, influence, and authority before leadership opportunities open • What Jessica learned after not getting a previous internal leadership role—and how it completely changed the way she approaches career growth • How an Impact Tracker, Leadership Tracker, and Story Bank help you prepare for interviews, performance reviews, salary negotiations, and leadership opportunities • Why positioning isn't something you say about yourself—it's something leaders experience from you over time If you're a woman of color in corporate ready for your next leadership role and wondering why others seem to move ahead faster, this episode is for you. Ready to stop waiting to be noticed and start intentionally positioning yourself for leadership? Join Paid & Promoted: A Free 5-Day Coaching Experience for Women of Color Ready to Become the Obvious Choice for Leadership Opportunities. You’ll learn: • Why hard work alone is not a leadership strategy • How to increase your visibility and communicate your value • How to track your impact and leadership so you are prepared for promotion conversations 👉🏽 Join ⁠Paid & Promoted⁠ https://jessicalynnrojas.myflodesk.com/e84wuxmmh8 [https://jessicalynnrojas.myflodesk.com/e84wuxmmh8] Work With Jessica Jessica helps ambitious women of color get promoted, increase their visibility, and step into leadership without burnout or overproving. Inside 1:1 coaching, we focus on: • Leadership positioning • Workplace visibility • Communicating your value • Career strategy for your next level Book a 1:1 sales call: https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/scheduling [https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/scheduling] Join Dear Ambitious WOC: https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/email-list [https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/email-list] Follow @jessicalynnrojas: https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/ [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/]⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] ⭐ Subscribe, rate, and review to help more women of color build leadership careers on their own terms.

24. The Rules That Helped Women of Color Succeed Aren’t the Ones That Get Us Promoted

You worked hard. You built your expertise. You became the person everyone trusts. But if you’re still wondering why leadership opportunities are not coming your way, this episode is for you. In this episode of the Summer of Leadership Series, Jessica Lynn Rojas shares why the strategies that helped many women of color succeed early in their careers are not always the strategies that help us move into leadership roles. For many women of color, hard work was the path forward. It helped us prove ourselves, create opportunities, and succeed in spaces where we were often one of the few. But leadership is not just about doing more. Leadership opportunities are created when people see your impact, trust your judgment, and recognize you as someone ready for more responsibility. In this episode, Jessica shares: • Why high performers can still be overlooked for leadership roles • The difference between working hard and positioning yourself for growth • Why being reliable can sometimes keep you stuck in your current role • How women of color can build visibility without changing who they are • How to document your impact and leadership before opportunities appear • How to become the obvious choice when leadership roles open up This episode is for ambitious women of color in corporate who want career growth, leadership opportunities, and promotions without sacrificing their health to get there. Join Paid & Promoted: Ready to stop waiting to be noticed and start intentionally positioning yourself for leadership? Join Paid & Promoted: A Free 5-Day Coaching Experience for Women of Color Ready to Become the Obvious Choice for Leadership Opportunities. You’ll learn: • Why hard work alone is not a leadership strategy • How to increase your visibility and communicate your value • How to track your impact and leadership so you are prepared for promotion conversations 👉🏽 Join ⁠Paid & Promoted⁠ https://jessicalynnrojas.myflodesk.com/e84wuxmmh8 [https://jessicalynnrojas.myflodesk.com/e84wuxmmh8] Work With Jessica Jessica helps ambitious women of color get promoted, increase their visibility, and step into leadership without burnout or overproving. Inside 1:1 coaching, we focus on: • Leadership positioning • Workplace visibility • Communicating your value • Career strategy for your next level Book a 1:1 sales call: https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/scheduling [https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/scheduling] Join Dear Ambitious WOC: https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/email-list [https://www.jessicalynnrojas.com/email-list] Follow @jessicalynnrojas: https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/ [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/]⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] ⭐ Subscribe, rate, and review to help more women of color build leadership careers on their own terms.

23. What Recruiters Actually See: Job Hopping & Networking for Women of Color

In this episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast, host Jessica Lynn Rojas sits down with Jenn Jamali, Money Coach and former tech recruiter at companies like Pinterest, Spotify, and Indeed, for a strategic conversation on career growth, job hopping, networking, and how women of color can use the “outside game” to increase income and get to leadership faster. This conversation is especially for women of color in who are ready to stop waiting for promotions, stop under-earning for their level, and start positioning themselves for leadership roles and higher income by the end of this year or early next year. Together, Jessica and Jenn break down what recruiters actually notice when reviewing your experience, why job changes can be a strategic wealth-building tool (not a red flag when done intentionally), and how networking and referrals often matter more than applying online when it comes to advancing your career. They also unpack how first-gen women of color are often conditioned to stay loyal, overprove, and wait to be chosen—and what shifts when you start treating your career like a strategic system instead of a waiting game. In this episode, we cover: • What recruiters actually look for when hiring and promoting • Why job hopping can accelerate income and leadership opportunities • How women of color are over-conditioned to prioritize loyalty over leverage • The role of networking and referrals in getting unblocked in your career • How to position yourself so you’re seen as “next up” for leadership • Why waiting for internal promotion cycles keeps women stuck • How to use the next 6 months to land a promotion or new role • Strategic career moves that increase income without burnout • The difference between reactive job changes and intentional career design About Jenn Jamali Jenn Jamali is a Money Coach who helps women freelancers, consultants, and entrepreneurs with variable income stop overspending and start building lasting wealth. 👉🏽 Website [https://firstjennmoney.myflodesk.com/gie0t8qnen] 📱 Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/firstjennmoney/] 🔗 LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenn-jamali-/] 🎧 Payday Club Podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/payday-club-podcast-make-more-keep-more/id1896541505] Work With Jessica If you’re a woman of color in corporate who is doing everything “right” but still feels overlooked, underpaid, or stuck waiting for your next promotion—this is where we shift that. Inside 1:1 coaching, we focus on: • Positioning your experience so recruiters and decision-makers see you as ready for the next level • Building visibility so your work leads to opportunities (not just more work) • Strengthening your authority in interviews, promotion conversations, and leadership spaces • Creating a clear, strategic plan for your next role, promotion, or pay increase 👉🏽 Book a 1:1 sales call: [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling] 📩 Join Dear Ambitious WOC [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] 📱 Follow @jessicalynnrojas [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] Subscribe, rate, and review to support more women of color building strategic careers, increasing income, and getting promoted without burnout.

BONUS: How to Stop Proving Yourself and Build Success on Your Own Terms

In this bonus episode of The Ambitious Woman of Color Podcast, host Jessica Lynn Rojas joins Cafecito and Rise (now Rise Differently Podcast) with Iris Canela, a life coach helping high-achieving women of color and Latinas stop over-proving and start living with more intention, presence, and self-trust. Together, they explore burnout, anxiety, mental health, career pressure, and the hidden cost of tying your worth to achievement. Jessica shares her experience as a first-generation Latina navigating panic attacks, depression, workplace stress, and the pressure to constantly prove herself in corporate consulting—and how she rebuilt her career around wellness, leadership, and sustainable success. If you're a woman of color in corporate, healthcare, consulting, education, nonprofit, or another high-pressure career and you're exhausted from overworking, overperforming, and still feeling overlooked, this conversation is for you. In This Episode: • Burnout in women of color and why it isn't always caused by working long hours • Anxiety, workplace stress, and mental health in high-achieving professionals • The pressure to constantly prove yourself in corporate environments • Cultural conditioning, productivity, and self-worth • Being "the only one" in leadership and professional spaces • Why slowing down can be a strategic career move • Redefining success beyond titles, salary, and external validation • Boundaries, saying no, and protecting your energy at work • Practical ways to build a career that supports your life—not consumes it About Iris Canela Iris Canela is a life coach for high-achieving women of color and Latinas who are ready to stop over-proving and start living rooted in presence, intention, and truth. 📱 Instagram: @risingwithiris [https://www.instagram.com/risingwithiris/] Work With Jessica Lynn Rojas If you're doing everything right but still feel stuck, overlooked, underpaid, or exhausted from carrying the weight of your career alone, this is where we change the strategy. Inside 1:1 coaching, we focus on: • Identifying what is draining your energy versus what is actually driving career growth • Increasing your visibility so your work is recognized, credited, and rewarded • Building leadership presence and authority in high-stakes conversations • Creating a sustainable career strategy that leads to promotions, higher pay, and leadership opportunities without burnout This is not about working harder. It's about making sure your effort translates into the recognition, opportunities, and compensation you've already earned. ✨ Book a 1:1 Sales Call [https://jessicalynn-wellness.com/scheduling] 📩 Join Dear Ambitious WOC [https://www.jessicalynn-wellness.com/email-list] 📱 Follow on instagram: @jessicalynnrojas [https://www.instagram.com/jessicalynnrojas/] ⭐ Subscribe, rate, and review to help more women of color build successful careers without sacrificing themselves in the process.