The Climb

Best of Season 6: The Truth We Don’t Say Out Loud

The conversations women of color have quietly been carrying for years… finally said out loud. We talked about burnout. Visibility. Leadership. Career stagnation. Communication. Identity. And what it really means to grow as a woman of color inside systems that were never fully designed for us. For this Season 6 finale, we pulled together the moments that hit the hardest—the truths, lessons, and conversations women told me they needed the most. Because throughout this season, one thing became clear: Some of the advice many of us have followed for years… is also the thing quietly slowing our careers down. IN THIS EPISODE • Why working hard is not always enough to move forward • The difference between access and advancement • Why visibility and positioning matter more than many women realize • The emotional toll of constantly proving yourself • How burnout quietly catches up to high-performing women • Why leadership requires a different strategy at every level • The realities women of color navigate in workplaces every day CHAPTERS 00:00 – The Career Advice Quietly Holding You Back 01:04 – Welcome to the Best of Season Six 02:29 – Nobody Taught Us How Power Works 04:15 – The Cost of Constantly Proving Yourself 07:35 – Survival vs. Identity: Who Am I Becoming? 11:09 – The Truth About Leadership, Burnout & Growth 13:20 – Visibility, Positioning & The Broken Rung 17:40 – Why Dependability Isn’t Enough 22:05 – From Execution to Leadership 27:18 – Burnout, Career Gaps & Reinvention 31:42 – The Lessons Women Needed Most 36:15 – We Are Not Just Climbing Careers 38:02 – Closing Reflection + Season Seven 🌐 CONNECT WITH US 🌍 Website: https://the-climb.org [https://the-climb.org/] 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoinTheClimb2024 [https://www.youtube.com/@JoinTheClimb2024] 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/97178217 [https://www.linkedin.com/company/97178217] 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jointheclimb [https://www.instagram.com/jointheclimb] 📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheClimb1 [https://www.facebook.com/JoinTheClimb1?utm_source=chatgpt.com] IF THIS SEASON RESONATED Subscribe. Share it. Send it to another woman trying to figure out how to move forward. Because leadership isn’t just about climbing. It’s about learning how to navigate rooms, sustain yourself, and build ladders for others along the way

The Career Advice That’s Quietly Holding You Back

What if the advice you’ve been following is the very thing slowing your career down? You’ve been working hard. Saying yes. Being dependable. Keeping your head down. And on the surface — that sounds exactly right. But in the Season 6 finale of The Climb Podcast, Felicia Smith delivers the honest conversation most people won’t have with you: the advice that got you here is incomplete. And if you don’t recognize that, you can spend years doing everything right — and still feel completely stuck. The rules shift when you move to the next level. And this episode gives you the three shifts that actually move you forward. ✨ What You Will Learn * Why high performers are not always the ones who get promoted * The difference between advice that gets you access vs. advice that drives advancement * Why dependability alone will never make you look like a leader * Shift 1: How to move from effort to visibility — and why your work needs a voice track * Shift 2: The difference between an intentional yes and a career-stalling yes * Shift 3: Why execution mode keeps you stuck — and how to move into positioning * The question you should be asking yourself right now about where you are in your career ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Cold Open: What If the Advice You’re Following Is Holding You Back? 01:00 – Welcome to The Climb Podcast 03:00 – Season 6, Episode 10: Bringing It All Together 05:30 – Somebody Should Have Told Me: When Doing Everything Right Isn’t Enough 09:00 – Why Dependability ≠ Leadership 13:30 – Truth Is: That Advice Was Designed for Access, Not Advancement 18:00 – Why Hard Work Alone Won’t Get You Promoted 21:30 – The Three Shifts That Actually Move You Forward 22:00 – Shift 1: From Effort to Visibility 27:45 – Shift 2: From Yes to Intentional Yes 33:10 – Shift 3: From Execution to Positioning 39:00 – Final Thought: Different Level, Different Strategy 42:00 – Season 6 Wrap + What’s Coming in Season 7 🔗 Stay Connected with The Climb 🌐 https://the-climb.org [https://the-climb.org/] 📲 @JoinTheClimb 📣 If This Episode Resonated Share it with a woman who is working hard and doing all the things — but not seeing the results she deserves. Because we are not just climbing careers — we are building ladders.

How to Tell Your Career Story After a Gap with Karriema Calhoun

WE’VE BEEN TAUGHT TO THINK ABOUT CAREER GAPS AS A CHOICE. Something planned. Something intentional. Something we can easily explain. But the reality is different. “What we found… women lost their jobs.” And now many are navigating something they didn’t expect— figuring out how to move forward while carrying the weight of a gap they didn’t plan. In this episode of The Climb Podcast, Felicia Smith sits down with resume expert Karriema Calhoun to break down how to: ✔️ Reframe your experience ✔️ Position your value ✔️ And confidently tell your story—without feeling like you’ve lost momentum ✨ WHAT YOU WILL LEARN • Why career gaps are more common—and more complex—than we admit • How to explain a gap without making it your identity • What recruiters are really looking for (and how fast they decide) • Why confidence shows up on your resume • The biggest mistakes hurting your chances (Canva + AI misuse) • How to leverage volunteer work, entrepreneurship, and training • When to use a functional resume vs. traditional format • Why your resume must speak before you do ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 – The Truth About Career Gaps 02:00 – Welcome + Episode Setup 05:00 – What’s Really Happening in the Job Market 08:00 – Why It’s Taking Longer to Get Hired 11:00 – The 8-Second Resume Rule 15:00 – Confidence (or Lack of It) on Your Resume 19:00 – Resume Mistakes That Cost You Opportunities 23:00 – Should You Include a Gap? 27:00 – Entrepreneurship + Resume Red Flags 31:00 – Functional Resume Strategy 36:00 – Why Canva Resumes Don’t Work 40:00 – The Truth About ChatGPT + Resumes 45:00 – How to Reframe Your Experience 49:00 – Using Cover Letters to Stand Out 53:00 – Final Thought: The Gap Is Not You IF THIS EPISODE RESONATED Send this to someone navigating a gap right now. Because this moment? It’s not the end of your story.

The Art and Downfall of Busyness

At some point, being everything became the cost of being included. And for many women of color, busyness stopped being a schedule problem — and became a survival strategy. In this episode of The Climb Podcast, Felicia Smith takes an honest look at how we got here, what it’s really costing us, and what it looks like to stop performing busyness and start leading with intention. Because your legacy will not be how busy you were. It will be the impact you made. What You Will Learn * Why busyness became a badge of honor — and why that’s a trap * The three hidden costs of busyness: the meeting tax, the worthiness trap, and the leadership gap * Why saying yes to everything can feel like survival — even when it’s costing you * How to audit your calendar as a reflection of what you’ve been taught matters * How to define the work that only YOU can do * Why protecting one hour of focused time can change how you lead * How to stop performing busyness and start leading with intention ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Welcome to the Her Climb Podcast 02:00 – The Forbes Article That Started This Conversation 05:30 – How Busyness Became a Badge of Honor 08:45 – Somebody Should Have Told Me: I Said Yes to Everything 13:00 – Truth Is: Busyness Is Costing You More Than Your Time 15:20 – The Meeting Tax 18:40 – The Worthiness Trap 22:10 – The Leadership Gap 25:30 – Another Rung Mended: 3 Ways to Reclaim Your Time 27:00 – Step 1: Audit Your Calendar 32:15 – Step 2: Define Your Real Work 37:40 – Step 3: Block One Hour 42:00 – Final Thought: Stop Performing Busyness, Start Leading with Intention 🔗 Stay Connected with The Climb 🌐 https://the-climb.org [https://the-climb.org] 📲 @JoinTheClimb 📣 If This Episode Resonated Share it with a woman who needs permission to slow down and lead differently. Because we are not just climbing careers — we are building ladders.

What Did You Say? (Why Your Voice Isn’t Landing at the Table)

I said what I thought needed to be said. And after I said it — I could immediately tell it didn’t land. No engagement. No follow-up. Barely an acknowledgment that I had said something. Sound familiar? In this episode of the Her Climb Podcast, Felicia Smith gets into the communication gap nobody warns you about — the space between what you said and what the room actually heard. Because getting to the table is one thing. What you say once you’re there? That shapes everything. Studies show women of color are three to four times more likely to experience dismissive behaviors in the workplace. Not because we’re unprepared — but because of how our voice is received. That means we cannot afford to wing it. Your voice has to carry weight. And that requires intention. In this episode, Felicia introduces the Table Talk Framework — a practical three-part approach to making sure your message lands every time you open your mouth in a leadership space. ✨ What You Will Learn * Why over-communicating is not the same as effective communication * The difference between speaking and actually contributing * The Table Talk Framework: when to speak, how to speak, and what to say * Why clarity builds confidence — and confidence builds credibility * How to lead with the headline and stop burying your message * Why presence is not about volume — it’s about alignment * 5 practical tools you can use at your very next meeting ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 – Cold Open: When My Words Didn’t Land 01:15 – Welcome to the Her Climb Podcast 02:30 – Last Week’s Episode Recap: You’re at the Table 04:45 – The Stakes Are Higher for Women of Color 07:00 – Today’s Topic: What Did You Say? How to Get Your Point Across 09:10 – Somebody Should Have Told Me: The Story Behind the Episode 13:30 – Truth Is: Over-Communicating Is Not Effective Communication 17:45 – Introducing the Table Talk Framework 19:00 – Pillar 1: Know When to Speak 23:30 – Pillar 2: Know How to Speak 29:00 – Pillar 3: Know What to Say 34:15 – Another Rung Mended: 5 Practical Tools for Your Next Meeting 41:00 – Final Thought: What Do You Want Them to Remember? 🔗 Stay Connected with The Climb 🌐 https://the-climb.org [https://the-climb.org] 📲 @JoinTheClimb 📣 If This Episode Resonated Share it with a woman who’s been in the room but struggling to get her message to land. Because we are not just climbing careers — we are building ladders.