“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” — Bruce Lee The days of job security are gone. I’ve changed careers four times in my 20 plus years of professional working experience. I went from being a zookeeper to a television news reporter in nine months. From reporter to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg Administration press secretary. From press secretary to corporate public relations spokesperson and executive at a Fortune 50 company. I left corporate to start

“Can we schedule a time to discuss my performance and compensation?” For many people, even the thought of uttering this phrase to a manager can create sleepless nights and acid indigestion. Conversations about money are difficult in their own right. Discussions about one’s merit are even more emotional, as can be tied to feelings of self-worth, likeability, and evoke the primal fear of rejection. Women appear to struggle more with the conversation than men. Over the course of