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.

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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. ...

If you’ve ever followed the rules, worked hard, pushed yourself, tried every strategy, and still felt exhausted, overwhelmed, or like something just wasn’t clicking… this episode is going to land deeply.

Shannon is joined by Stefanie Carlstedt, a certified human design business coach who spent 13 years building and rebuilding businesses the “traditional” way until grief and burnout collided and forced her into radical self-honesty. When she discovered human design, everything changed. She finally understood that she wasn’t broken. She was simply misaligned with how she was naturally wired to work, lead, and make decisions.

In this conversation, we explore:
✅ What human design actually is (and why it’s not another personality test)
✅ Why high-achieving women often burnout no matter how strong or capable they are
✅ How understanding your design helps you make better decisions, avoid overload, and trust yourself again
✅ What happens when you build a business or career that doesn’t match your energetic blueprint
✅ How human design strengthens your parenting, your relationships, and your leadership
✅ Ways teams + workplaces can use human design to collaborate better and reduce conflict
✅ The surprising shifts Stephanie experienced when she stopped forcing herself to fit the mold

Whether you’re curious about human design, craving more alignment, or just tired of feeling like something’s “wrong” with how you work… this episode offers the clarity and validation you’ve been needing.

Connect with Stefanie: https://www.stefcarlstedt.com/hdreport

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. ...

Have you ever felt exhausted by your career — even though, on paper, everything looks fine?

You’re in the meetings.
You’re on the projects.
People rely on you.
And yet… nothing is really changing.

In this episode, we’re talking about the visibility trap — what happens when you’re highly visible at work, but that visibility is quietly keeping you stuck instead of moving you forward.

If you’ve ever been told to “just be more visible” and felt confused or even frustrated by that advice, this conversation will put language to what you’ve been experiencing.

Inside this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ Why this kind of exhaustion isn’t about needing a break — it’s about effort without return
✅ The difference between being seen and being strategically positioned
✅ How unfiltered visibility can actually anchor you in place
✅ Why high-performing women are especially vulnerable to being valued for help instead of leadership
✅ The four Visibility Styles and how each one can accidentally work against career growth
✅ How to do a simple visibility audit to understand what you’re truly known for
✅ Small, sustainable shifts that move you from being relied on to being recognized — without burning out or becoming someone you’re not

This episode is for capable, high-performing women who aren’t broken or behind — just mispositioned.

If being visible has started to feel heavy instead of rewarding, this conversation will help you understand why — and what actually changes the trajectory of your career.

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. ...

If you’ve ever looked up and realized you’ve been doing everything at work — without the recognition, support, or promotion to match — this episode is for you.

In this powerful conversation, I’m joined by Sienna Dean, a connector, career strategist, and champion for meaningful growth. Sienna has helped more than 500 professionals align their purpose with their performance so they can communicate their value clearly and build careers they’re genuinely proud of.

In her role at Management Leadership for Tomorrow, Sienna supports a national network of over 10,000 diverse leaders and has facilitated hundreds of conversations around career growth, leadership, equity, and navigating modern careers with intention.

She also brings lived experience to this conversation by sharing how she navigated postpartum, advocated for herself, and earned a promotion while pregnant which makes this episode especially powerful for women who are ambitious and carrying a lot.

This isn’t about doing more.

It’s about doing the right things — with clarity, confidence, and visibility.

In This Episode, We Talk About:
✅ Why so many capable women become overloaded and under-recognized
✅ How to reconnect to your why when your career starts running on autopilot
✅ The hidden cost of taking on work you’re not passionate about
✅ How to identify what’s draining your energy — and what to remove from your plate
✅ Why advocating for yourself is a leadership skill (not a personality trait)
✅ What actually made it possible for Sienna to earn a promotion while pregnant
✅ How strategic visibility (not overwork) accelerates career growth
✅ Why women underestimate the leadership experience they already have
✅ How to navigate seasons of career ambition without burning out

🔗 Connect with Sienna Dean

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. ...

Have you ever wondered why your career growth has stalled even though you’re capable, reliable, and consistently delivering?

In this episode, I’m sharing why career growth conversations need to shift and why so many women are mispositioned at work without realizing it.

For years, we’ve framed career challenges as a motherhood issue or a burnout issue. But the truth is, the struggle often starts much earlier.

It starts with how women are positioned, perceived, and rewarded in the workplace.

In this episode, we explore:
✨ Why doing everything right does not always lead to promotion or pay growth
✨ How effort-based career growth keeps women invisible
✨ Why visibility and leverage matter more than reliability
✨ The difference between being trusted and being positioned
✨ What needs to change in how we talk about career growth for working women

This episode is for working women who are successful on paper but feel misaligned in their roles. Women who are tired of carrying more responsibility without more influence, compensation, or recognition.

You’re not behind.
You’re mispositioned.
And that is something we can change.

I’m really glad you’re here. 🩷

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. ...

If you’ve ever felt like you’re carrying your entire team on your back while also managing a household, relationships, and your own career ambitions, this episode is your permission slip to stop.

In this conversation, Shannon sits down with Daria Rudnik, former Chief People Officer, executive coach, and author of Clicking, to unpack why so many high-performing women leaders end up over-functioning at work and how to build teams that actually think, solve, and operate without leaning on you for everything.

In This Episode We Cover:
➡️ Why being the “go-to” leader is actually blocking your team’s growth
➡️ How to stop absorbing emotional labor that doesn’t belong to you
➡️ What a team that actually works looks like under pressure
➡️ How introverted and quiet leaders can build trust without performing
➡️ The biggest misconception leaders have about trust and one-on-ones
➡️ How to empower your team to make decisions—without micromanaging
➡️ Why letting people struggle (appropriately) is part of great leadership
➡️ How AI is changing team dynamics—and why human decision-making still matters
➡️ What returning to leadership after maternity leave really requires
➡️ One simple calendar shift that can immediately reduce overwhelm

Daria brings a global perspective from working across six continents and offers practical, no-fluff strategies to help women leaders move from heroic leadership to empowered leadership where teams collaborate, take ownership, and truly support the leader in return.

🔗 Connect with Daria Rudnick

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. ...