More Responsibility, No Authority? Why Being Good at Your Job Can Actually Slow Your Career Down

Have you ever felt like your workload keeps growing, but your role, title, or pay stays the same?

You’re trusted with more.

You’re relied on more.

You’re clearly valued.

And yet your career feels stalled.

In this episode, we’re talking about a pattern many high-performing women experience but rarely get language for. The moment when responsibility increases without authority, and competence quietly becomes a ceiling instead of a bridge to the next level.

This is not about being bad at your job. In fact, it often happens because you are very good at it.

We unpack why leadership often rewards execution with more work, not more influence, and how being dependable can unintentionally anchor you in place. You’ll hear why doing your job well does not automatically signal readiness for a different role, and what actually drives promotion decisions at higher levels.

In this conversation, we explore:

✨ Why responsibility often grows faster than authority for capable women

✨ How competence can turn into a career ceiling

✨ The difference between being trusted and being envisioned for the next level

✨ Why more responsibility is not the same as advancement

✨ How overfunctioning reinforces an identity you may have outgrown

✨ What it looks like to shift from proving yourself to positioning your value

If you’ve ever thought, “The more I do, the harder it is to get out of this role,” this episode will help you understand why that’s happening and what needs to change.

Reflection question to sit with:

✨ What story is your work currently telling about you, capability or readiness?

You are not behind.

You are not stuck because you care too much.

And you are not wrong for wanting more authority, influence, or clarity.

Sometimes being excellent is not the problem.

Staying there too long is.

READY FOR YOUR NEXT STEP?
💰 Start Here: Take the Fast Track Your Income Quiz to understand what’s actually holding your income back—and what kind of move makes sense next.
📞 Book a Promotion Strategy Call: If you’re ready to talk through your goals, your current role, and what’s realistically possible next, book a Promotion Strategy Call. This is for women who want clarity, positioning, and a plan—not guesswork.
📲 Join the FB Group if you want support, conversation, and real-world career strategy with women who get it
💌 Become an Insider to receive weekly insights, promotion strategy, and behind-the-scenes coaching you won’t hear on the podcast.

🎧 LOVE THE SHOW?
👉 Subscribe & leave a review so more ambitious working women can discover these game-changing career strategies!

✨ New episodes drop every Tuesday & Friday! Subscribe and leave a review if this resonated with you.

Kat and Tanner by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ...

Today’s conversation is one every working mom needs to hear because sometimes the life that looks successful on the outside slowly starts breaking us down on the inside.

My guest, Adrian “AJ” Jones, is a two-time Widowmaker Heart Attack survivor, former financial services executive, and founder of MORE, a career wellness platform helping high-achieving professionals move from autopilot to alignment.

After two near-death experiences, AJ completely redefined what success means and now he teaches others how to recognize burnout before life does it for you.

This episode is raw, grounding, and deeply clarifying. If you’ve been quietly wondering, “Is this really how I want to live?” this is your sign to lean in.

In This Episode, We Cover:
💔 The wake-up call that changed everything — twice
📉 The subtle signs you're sliding toward burnout (even if you're still performing at a high level)
🏡 Why high-achieving moms often hit misalignment faster
🧭 The radical honesty that pulls you back into alignment
🌱 How to become the authentic version of yourself (not the one others expect)
💛 A simple, powerful “I Want” exercise to help you get clear on what you truly need NOW

Three Takeaways You’ll Love
1️⃣ You don’t need a crisis to change your life. You can choose alignment before life forces it.
2️⃣ Looking successful and feeling fulfilled are not the same thing.
3️⃣ Authenticity isn’t a soft skill rather it’s your protection against burnout.

🔗 Connect with AJ

READY FOR YOUR NEXT STEP?
💰 Start Here: Take the Fast Track Your Income Quiz to understand what’s actually holding your income back—and what kind of move makes sense next.
📞 Book a Promotion Strategy Call: If you’re ready to talk through your goals, your current role, and what’s realistically possible next, book a Promotion Strategy Call. This is for women who want clarity, positioning, and a plan—not guesswork.
📲 Join the FB Group if you want support, conversation, and real-world career strategy with women who get it
💌 Become an Insider to receive weekly insights, promotion strategy, and behind-the-scenes coaching you won’t hear on the podcast.

🎧 LOVE THE SHOW?
👉 Subscribe & leave a review so more ambitious working women can discover these game-changing career strategies!

✨ New episodes drop every Tuesday & Friday! Subscribe and leave a review if this resonated with you.

Kat and Tanner by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ...

“I know I’m capable of more… I just don’t know why it feels so hard to get there.”

This is something I hear from high-performing working women all the time. And it usually isn’t coming from women who are struggling or underperforming. It’s coming from women who are competent, trusted, and relied on, women who have done exactly what they were taught to do to succeed.

In this episode of Career Growth for Working Women, we’re talking about why career growth can suddenly feel harder even when you’re doing well, and the hidden reason hard work stops being the differentiator at the next level.

You’ll hear why relying on effort for too long can quietly cap your growth, not because effort doesn’t matter, but because at higher levels it’s expected. We unpack the difference between effort-based success and value-based positioning, and why so many women get stuck not because they aren’t capable, but because they’re too good at what they’re currently doing.

Inside this conversation, we explore:

✨ Why hard work works early in your career but stalls momentum later

✨ How being dependable and reliable can unintentionally anchor you in place

✨ The difference between signaling effort and signaling leadership

✨ Why advice like “just advocate for yourself” often falls flat

✨ How the 5% Method helps shift visibility from proving to positioning

✨ What leadership actually looks for when deciding who is ready for more

If you’ve felt frustrated, tired in a way rest doesn’t fix, or quietly wondered whether this is just how work is now, this episode will help you understand what’s really happening. This isn’t a motivation problem. It’s a positioning problem.

Reflection to sit with after listening:

✨ Where are you still relying on effort to speak for you, and what might change if your value was positioned instead of proven?

You’re not behind.

You’re not broken.

You’re at the point where effort is no longer the lever.

And that’s a shift you can make.

READY FOR YOUR NEXT STEP?
💰 Start Here: Take the Fast Track Your Income Quiz to understand what’s actually holding your income back—and what kind of move makes sense next.
📞 Book a Promotion Strategy Call: If you’re ready to talk through your goals, your current role, and what’s realistically possible next, book a Promotion Strategy Call. This is for women who want clarity, positioning, and a plan—not guesswork.
📲 Join the FB Group if you want support, conversation, and real-world career strategy with women who get it
💌 Become an Insider to receive weekly insights, promotion strategy, and behind-the-scenes coaching you won’t hear on the podcast.

🎧 LOVE THE SHOW?
👉 Subscribe & leave a review so more ambitious working women can discover these game-changing career strategies!

✨ New episodes drop every Tuesday & Friday! Subscribe and leave a review if this resonated with you.

Kat and Tanner by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. ...