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CLIENT TRANSFORMATION STORIES

Every woman here came to Priya doing great work, getting overlooked anyway, and ready to stop figuring it out alone. These are their stories.

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78% / 92%

of women in The Unleash Program land a new role or promotion during the program, and 92% do within 6 months of finishing.

$28K–$52K+

Women in Unleash have negotiated $28K–$52K+ above their previous comp and landed $200K+ roles.

KELLY

How Kelly Went From Passed Over to Sought After

The Unleash Program
Stories

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LEAH

Leah's Career Pivots Weren't a Weakness

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AMIE

From Workhorse to Director

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Women building executive presence and a Power Story Bank to land their next role or promotion.

MORE UNLEASH STORIES

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How Kelly Went From Passed Over to Sought After:

2 Promotions After 5 Years in the Same Role

"I went from being passed over to being sought after."

- Kelly

2 promotions in 6 months

20% compensation growth

First management role

I was told I lacked executive presence

My background is healthcare. I was an X-ray tech for about 10 years, then briefly moved into IT, then became a clinical application specialist teaching physicians, nurses, and techs how to use equipment. Later I moved into pre-sales, and after about five years in that role, I wanted to stretch myself and take on more responsibility.

So I interviewed internally for a senior manager role. I had people in my corner and a lot of support. I didn't get it. I felt deflated, and the feedback was that I lacked executive presence. I had to sit with that. What is executive presence? I'd put in all this hard work. I watched other women move into higher-level roles while I felt like I was doing the same work. People told me I'd be good for the role, but when I presented myself, I wasn't showing it. In my first meeting with Priya I said, "I sound so junior to these people." The very next day, one of her posts came up on my LinkedIn, asking if you're being looked over for roles when you know you're qualified. I needed to sign up.

Self-doubt almost stopped me

I thought I needed some special sauce, or a master's or a doctorate. Priya took that out of the room: we're all starting at the same point. I'd done a career program before, but it was one-size-fits-all. This was a room of women working toward the same goal, lifting each other up.

Writing out my accomplishments was scary

It wasn't always easy. Early on, writing out my accomplishments was scary, but also eye-opening. I didn't feel they were worth anything until I built on them, and hearing the other women, I realized our stories don't have to match. It's mine. I felt overwhelmed at first, but I never wanted to quit. This is a skill I'll have for the rest of my life. Posting on LinkedIn scared me, but the community made it a safe space.

Ten Power Stories, two promotions

I'd always thought I needed every story in my head at interview time. Priya helped me build about ten Power Stories I could use in different situations. I memorized them, put them on sticky notes and cheat sheets, and was ready. I gave two presentations at employee resource group events too, and public speaking wasn't something I felt comfortable with. Afterward, someone told me, "You are such a natural public speaker." It just about knocked me off my chair.

Within six months, I had two promotions. The first came during Unleash, when I was promoted into a senior role. The second came during Leadership Personal Branding, where I stepped into a manager role, first as interim manager and now officially. Across the two promotions, my compensation grew by 20%.

Anything's possible now

A year ago, I never would have guessed I'd be leading a team. Anything's possible now. The confidence was the biggest thing. If I could talk to myself before I started, I'd say: I know you're scared, but it's going to work out. No one can ever take your experience away from you. It doesn't expire.

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Leah's Career Pivots Weren't a Weakness.

They Were the Key to Landing a New Role Making 25% More.

"You're only worth as much as you ask for. Why not ask?"

- Leah

25% raise

Highest total compensation ever

Sign-on bonus, 6 months of bonus, and a 401(k) commitment negotiated

I was stuck on direction and on confidence

I'd worked in consumer brands for 13 years, in fashion, then beauty, then food. But I was discouraged and a little lost about my next step and my career pivots were hindering me instead of being an important part of my story. I was trying to create a cohesive story, but I didn't have the confidence to say what I'd gotten from each industry and why I'd made each change. I was paralyzed about which direction to go, so I was applying to jobs willy nilly, anything that matched my past experience. I kept telling myself it was pure luck that I'd fallen into these roles. I'd think, "Should I even be applying for jobs? I'm not really qualified."

I wanted someone to give me my voice back

I knew my approach wouldn't produce different results. I wanted someone to guide me and give me my voice back, almost. I could have easily talked myself out of joining the Unleash program by telling myself I was fine where I was, or that I didn't have the time. But I needed something to take me out of my stagnation.

How was I going to tell these stories on a video call?

In the middle, before I had interviews, it all felt out of reach. How was I going to tell these stories in the Power STAR Method, on a video call? Making time every week was hard too. I blocked 6 p.m. every Monday and kept reminding myself: this is an investment in myself, for my future. Once I started interviewing during the program, every interview got easier. I'd written out my answers, printed them, and highlighted them. By the end, I didn't need any of that.

A 25% raise, and I asked for more

What clicked was realizing how I tell my story is completely within my control. I'd been assuming interviewers saw my resume and thought, "Wow, she's jumped around a lot." But I'm in charge of that narrative. Then I had a phone screening with a recruiter at a big company. I hadn't prepared, because those calls are usually basic. She started grilling me, and the stories came out immediately, with numbers. I was sitting in my car. I would have totally botched that call without those stories in my back pocket.

I landed a new role with a 25% increase in pay, and my total comp is the highest it's ever been. I'd only ever thought of negotiating salary and PTO. This time I worked with Priya on the negotiation and I got a sign-on bonus, six months of my bonus instead of the shorter prorated amount, and a commitment from the company to open a 401(k) in Q1 2027. I was nervous to ask for more than the original offer, but Priya helped me with the wording for the email and told me, "Just send it. I promise you’ll feel so empowered after." She was right. You're only worth as much as you ask for. Why not ask?

I have a totally different perspective on my legitimacy

I'm much more comfortable talking about my achievements now. I used to worry about coming on too strong. I have a totally different perspective on my legitimacy. Sometimes it takes someone else seeing you to make you believe in yourself. Walking into my new job, I can truly say: I know I can do this. 

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From Workhorse to Director:

How Amie Got the Title She Deserved

"I see myself as a leader now when I didn't necessarily before."

- Amie

Promoted to Director

5% raise and first bonus

Podcast renewed for a second season

I was doing director-level work without the title

I was a senior program officer running the Women in Leadership in Law program at the International Association of Women Judges, and I knew I was doing work above my title. I was a subject matter expert on access to justice, gender equality, and getting women into leadership in the law. But I wasn't getting the recognition I'd hoped for, in title or in pay.

This was the first job where I felt like I'd really leveled up. Now I was the person out front of our flagship program, with an ambiguous mandate, no clear path forward, and no defined interventions across five countries. But when it came time to talk about it, I leaned on "we" language and deferred to the team. I didn't want to feel like I was taking credit for others' accomplishments, and in doing that, I was negating my own leadership. I had bullet points and positive feedback from our donor, consultants, and colleagues, but no clear way to communicate my real impact.

"Even if nothing changes, I'll gain skills I didn't have"

Joining Unleash was an investment of time and money, and I paused. How much do I really need this? But I'd seen the testimonials, and I knew that even if nothing changed in terms of my job title, I'd gain skills I didn't have. I'd considered more certifications, even another master's. But I say all the time in my own profession that women's lack of credentials is not the issue. I needed the communication piece, the presence, the stories. Compared to where it could take me, the cost was minuscule.

Owning my leadership without deferring to the team

I never wanted to quit; I looked forward to it every week. But owning my leadership without deferring to the team was hard. What helped was the other women in my cohort. Seeing myself through their eyes made a huge difference. Hearing "That's incredible" and "You need to be speaking about that more," I realized I wasn't crazy for wanting these things. The LinkedIn and branding work scared me at first, but once I took the leap, it felt like second nature.

A director title, a raise, and a second season

I was promoted to Director of Gender Equality in Justice Systems, my first director-level role. I also got a 5% raise and my first bonus, and our executive director signed off on a second season of my podcast. My confidence went up tenfold at a minimum. Without it, I don't think I'd have felt comfortable asking for what I asked for.

"I see myself as a leader now"

I always thought of myself as a workhorse, someone dependable who gets the job done. Through Unleash, I started to see that I'm a strategic thinker with executive presence, and that I deserve to be in a director role.

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SAMIRA

A $250K Offer Two Hours After Her Final Interview

Leadership Personal Branding Stories

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SEOYEON 

Chosen as Director of Compensation

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ERICA

$28K More at a Dream Company

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One-on-one support for senior professionals ready to be known, and chosen, at the top of their field.

TAYLOR

A $220K Offer Seven Weeks After Starting

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Same Project, Completely Different Story: A $250K Offer Two Hours After Her Final Interview

$250K offer

Offer came two hours after the final-round presentation

The Moment Everything Changed

I'd built a strong career with Director-level experience, a track record I was proud of, a $230K salary in my last role. Then the layoffs hit, and just like that, I was job searching with real financial stakes. I had a family counting on me to get back to work, and fast.

Getting interviews was never the problem. I had a strong network, and I was actively interviewing at five to seven companies, mostly medium to large tech companies, all targeting $200K+ roles. I wasn't struggling to get in the room. I was struggling to close once I got there.

The Decision

I kept making it to late-stage and final-round interviews, and still not getting offers. When Priya asked me to walk her through one of my biggest projects, I heard myself say things like, "My team revamped the onboarding process… we worked cross-functionally… it was a top priority for the company." I couldn't answer questions like "Why are you the best candidate?" or "What are you looking for in your next role?" cleanly. I knew what I wanted to say. I just didn't have the language or the framework to say it in a way that landed. That's when I reached out to Priya.

The Messy Middle

Priya started asking questions about specific projects, and that's when the lightbulb moments struck. We went back to that onboarding story, the vague one that had triggered her spidey senses. Why did this project matter? It was costing the company millions. Had anyone tried to fix it before? Three leaders had already tried and failed. What did I do differently? That's when the floodgates opened. I started recounting the steps I'd taken to build trust with cross-functional leaders, the expertise I brought from my previous company, the communication strategies I used to influence decision-makers. Suddenly, what had sounded like an $80K story became a $250K story. Same project. Completely different story.

The Transformation

Priya helped me see that my instinct to use "we" language (which came from genuinely valuing my team) was actively working against me. Hiring managers needed to understand how I thought, how I led, and what I specifically did to drive results. Once I understood that, I stopped minimizing my own role in the stories I told. We built my Power Stories around the themes I was most energized by: people leadership, advocacy, relationship building, and my ability to lead individuals in the way each of them specifically needed. I took those new Power Stories into my next final-round interview and used them in my presentation. Two hours later, I had an offer: $250K. The recruiter called to tell me, "We haven't even finished interviewing… but the hiring team didn't want to risk losing you."

The Identity Shift

I didn't need more experience. I didn't need a better resume. I needed someone to ask the right questions, help me see the real value in what I'd already done, and give me the language and framework to communicate it at the level I was actually operating at. That's what closing the Articulation Gap looks like in practice, and it's a skill I'll carry into every room I walk into from here.

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BACK

An $80K story became a $250K story

20 Years at One Organization, Then Chosen as Director of Compensation Over Two Strong Candidates

Director of Compensation

$200K+ package

The Moment Everything Changed

I'd spent 20 years building my career from the ground up at the same organization, starting as an analyst, growing my expertise, becoming the person everyone turned to when things got complex, when institutional knowledge was needed, or when a crisis hit at 4pm on a December afternoon. I was already doing the Director of Compensation role on an interim basis; the organization had chosen me specifically to step in while the permanent search was underway. I knew the physicians, the systems, the history, and the politics better than anyone.

And I was one of three final candidates, up against a strong internal competitor and a strong external candidate. On paper, this should have been straightforward. But I hadn't been through a formal interview process in 20 years. I'd never needed to because I'd built my career through results, relationships, and institutional trust, not storytelling. Now, for the first time, I had to sit across from a panel of executives I worked with daily and make the case for myself, out loud.

The Decision

I was up against strong internal and external competition for a role I was already doing, and the panel included my CFO and my medical director, two of the most important decision-makers in the room. I hadn't told my own story out loud in 20 years. That's when I hired Priya.

The Messy Middle

My challenge wasn't experience. It was a deep-seated belief that naming my own contributions clearly was the same as exaggerating them. I had a pattern of defaulting to "we" language that made my own impact invisible, and real anxiety about being seen as arrogant in front of people who already knew me. The recruiter's feedback from my screening call was still ringing in my ears: "You clearly have it, but I had to ask follow-up questions to pull it out of you. You need to be able to tell that story on your own." That was the gap. Not capability. Articulation.

The Transformation

In focused 1:1 sessions, Priya took me through a deep story discovery process that pulled out details I'd glossed over for years. I'd built a physician compensation tracking system from scratch as an analyst, a project never done at that scale before, still in use 15 years later. I'd designed the infrastructure for a department that now employed 30 people. I'd solved a crisis affecting thousands of physicians in a two-hour meeting where everyone else was stuck. None of it had been told that way before. Priya also coached me to build visibility with my CFO before the interview ever happened, I set up a coffee, made a genuine impression, and she told me directly she wanted to see me get more exposure. I built a vision story with Priya: not just what I'd done, but what I'd do as Director. About a month after our first session, I got the offer: Director of Compensation, a $200K+ package, chosen over two strong candidates.

The Identity Shift

I used to say, "I lean toward being humble and hoping to God that people recognize my worth." I don't have to hope anymore. Twenty years of exceptional work, finally told in a way that matched the level I'd been operating at all along.

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Offer about a month after her first session

Same Stories, Landing Completely Differently: $28K More at a Dream Company

$28K more than before

Role at a dream company

The Moment Everything Changed

I'd made a meaningful career pivot from product training into Customer Success, and I was doing good work as a Senior CSM at a small startup. But the scope of my role didn't match what "Senior CSM" actually looked like at larger, more established companies. I felt that gap firsthand. In one interview, I got feedback that my numbers — account value, number of accounts — didn't line up with what they expected at the senior level. It shook my confidence in a way that was hard to shake off.

I was carrying a quiet uncertainty about whether my pivot into CS, and the experience I'd built since, was actually going to be enough to land somewhere better. I wanted to feel proud of what I did and where I worked. I wanted to challenge myself. And I wanted the financial growth to match.

The Decision

My challenge wasn't experience — it was articulation. I had compelling stories. I just didn't know how to tell them in a way that showed my impact and how I operated at a strategic level. That's when I started working with Priya.

The Messy Middle

I wasn't confident speaking to my recent career pivot yet. I had a tendency to get into the weeds of my stories without a clear thesis or conclusion, and my experience wasn't landing the way it should in interviews. My book of business felt harder to defend against candidates from larger companies. Underneath it all was a deep desire to be somewhere I felt genuinely proud of, and compensated fairly for my work.

The Transformation

The stories were always there. That was the first thing Priya helped me see. What was missing was the framework to pull them out with intention, to know which details to lead with, which to cut, and how to open each answer in a way that told the interviewer exactly what to listen for before the story even began. We defined my core themes, the elevated, specific language that captured how I thought, how I built relationships, and how I used data and insights to drive customer decisions. Then, we built my "tell me about yourself" answer around them. Next, we worked on my key stories: turning around at-risk accounts, building trust with difficult stakeholders, using data storytelling to influence executives. Stories I'd been telling in a scattered, context-heavy way that buried my impact. With a few precise shifts in how I framed and structured them, the same stories started landing completely differently. I landed a role at a medium-sized tech company (a dream company for me) making $28K more than I was earning before.

The Identity Shift

Before working with Priya, I struggled to articulate my value and translate my experience into a compelling narrative for interviews. Now I can confidently lead with my expertise, creating deeper connections and meaning in my work. I attended a networking event shortly after and felt, for the first time, fully prepared and confident in how I was showing up. A few simple tweaks made all the difference in how I delivered my professional expertise.

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BACK

Medium-sized tech company

After Five Months and Zero Offers: A $220K Offer Seven Weeks After Starting

$220K offer

Seven weeks from first session to offer

The Moment Everything Changed

I had 15+ years of experience, top tech companies on my resume, and a strong technical and GTM background. I'd made an intentional decision to leave a role with a brutal 9am–9pm, six-days-a-week culture, not recklessly, but thoughtfully. I had savings. I took the summer, traveled, spent time with people I loved, and did some upskilling in coding, AI, and automation.

When fall came, I was ready. At first, it looked like it was working — recruiter screens were going well, I was getting into later rounds. But after four months of interviews, including a final round at a fast-growing tech company and a bruising interview elsewhere where I got direct feedback that I wasn't clear on my story, I still wasn't getting offers. I came to Priya in December carrying something that months of rejection had quietly built: a confidence that was starting to crack.

The Decision

I wasn't struggling because I lacked experience. I was struggling because no one had ever taught me how to communicate it at the level I was now competing at. I'd made it to final rounds with zero offers, and I'd gotten direct feedback from a hiring manager: "Your experience is strong, but you're not clear on your value." I kept thinking: I know I can do these jobs… so why can't I prove it? That's when I reached out to Priya.

The Messy Middle

I had a tendency to ramble or default to early-career stories that weren't serving me. I was uncertain about how to talk about my sabbatical without it working against me. And my confidence had taken a real hit — I was starting to wonder if I actually could do what I said I could.

The Transformation

We didn't jump into mock interviews. We started with clarity. Priya took me through her discovery process, and we defined my core themes: elevated, specific language that captured not just what I did, but how I thought, led, and created impact. One of the themes we built together: "I'm a Clarity Builder. I build trust by getting to the heart of the problem through deep discovery. I align technical teams and senior leaders around what actually matters for their business." The moment I had that language, my confidence shifted almost immediately because I didn't just know I was good, I had the words to explain exactly why. From there, we built a full Power Story bank, and my "tell me about yourself" answer went from a resume walkthrough to a concise, compelling opening that positioned me as a strategic leader from the very first question. No rambling. No second-guessing. When the search started to feel heavy, Priya told me directly: "You are not in a phase of desperation where you need to accept whatever comes along. You are in a phase of intention." Two weeks later, I got a recruiter screening for a role that checked every box. Seven weeks after we started working together, I had the offer: $220K, after five months and zero offers.

The Identity Shift

Before working with Priya, I felt like I was leaving something on the table during interviews. Now I stay focused on a vision for my next role, and I landed a job that's a perfect fit. I learned new ways to frame my broad experience, highlight what matters, and align my professional narrative to the job. It’s a thoughtful approach I'll keep using as I build my path in this new role.

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BACK

After five months of interviews with no offers

Every woman here was once the person reading this.

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She had the experience. She had the results. What she didn't have yet was someone in her corner, helping her say it out loud, in the room, in the interview, in the offer conversation. Then she sent one message: "I'm in." If you're ready for your story to be next, it starts with one conversation.

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