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Kicking off timing and strategy week, Nichole answers a big question: when is the best time of year to ask for a raise? In this episode: A recap of last week's pre-ask checklist and a look ahead at the timing and strategy episodes A note from Nichole that some themes will repeat over the next couple of months on purpose, because hearing something once doesn't always do the trick Why the best time to ask is typically before the decision gets made, not after Why the conversation that matters most usually happens weeks or even months before a raise decision lands on someone's desk A rule of thumb: aim for about two to three months before your company finalizes raise decisions Why the window for many companies is the last few months of the year, and may be open right now What to do if you've missed it: new budgets often open in the new year, so January or February can still be a strong time to start, especially if you say you want to be positioned for the next round of raises Moments that tend to work well: right after a big win people noticed, after taking on new responsibilities and having a few months to show results, or after a review with strong feedback Moments that tend to work against you: right after a review cycle has closed, in the middle of a company-wide scramble like a big reorg, or during a stretch with little visibility Why timing matters but should never become a reason to keep waiting: the best time to ask is when you're prepared and the window is open, and the second best time is soon Today's task: look back at your best guess for when your company makes raise decisions, count back two to three months, and put that on your calendar as your target window Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Looking back on everything since the series began on Labor Day, Nichole pulls it all into one pre-ask checklist so you can see where you stand and what's left. In this episode: A personal update from Nichole: she's expecting a baby girl in December, and she's pushing through on tired days to give you the confidence to ask A welcome to new listeners, whether you're tuning in live or months or years later, and a reminder of the mission to help 1,000 women ask for a raise before the end of the year The ten-item pre-ask checklist: Your mindset: believing your labor has value right now Your tracker: one place for your wins, with dates, results, and evidence Your research: your market range, where you fall in it, and where the numbers came from Your number: a specific ask or range, plus one sentence explaining why The type of raise: a merit increase, a promotion, or a market adjustment Your company's timing: a best guess for when raise decisions get made Feedback: a conversation with your manager, with their words on paper Your proof points: kudos, a testimonial or two, and highlights from your last review Your one-pager: all five sections on one page, read out loud at least once Your story: where you started, what you've built, and where you're headed Why a few "maybes" or "not yets" are the point of the checklist, since most people who feel unprepared are only missing one or two pieces A reminder to celebrate if you've checked almost everything, since you've done more preparation than most people do before a raise conversation A preview of next week's timing and strategy episodes: when to ask, how to read the room, how to request the meeting, and what to avoid This weekend's task: go through the checklist, circle the one or two gaps that matter most, spend thirty minutes on one, and use AI to help you decide what to tackle first Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Nichole takes on the little voice that says you have nothing to offer, and shows how to find the real value in a year without a headline-worthy win. In this episode: Why most people don't have a big win every year, and why that usually means we're measuring ourselves against the wrong thing Consistency: showing up, meeting deadlines, and keeping things running as real value, with specifics like how many projects or how many months without a missed deadline What you made easier: a process you cleaned up, a template you created, or a guide you wrote for a question you kept answering What you prevented: problems caught early and fires that never happened, and asking yourself what would have happened if you hadn't been there What people rely on you for: being the go-to person, or the one new teammates get sent to, as a sign of trust and influence Your growth: new skills, tools, and responsibilities you took on without anyone asking Why a really hard year counts too, and why handling a tough stretch well is worth documenting What to do if the year still feels quiet: focus on your direction, and have the conversation about what you'll deliver next and what it would take to be positioned for the next round A reminder from the start of the series that your labor has value, and that a year without a flashy win is not a year without worth Today's task: set a timer for ten minutes and list small wins from the past twelve months using the prompts, then pick your top three and rewrite them with action, specifics, and result, using AI if you get stuck Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Building on yesterday's performance review episode, Nichole helps listeners whose workplaces have no formal reviews create their own paper trail. In this episode: Why not having a formal review process is common, especially at smaller companies and startups, and why it doesn't mean you can't build your case Step one: asking for feedback on purpose, including a way to make a regular check-in with your manager a quarterly habit Step two: following up after any feedback conversation with a short recap by email or message, so there's a written record Step three: writing your own one-page self-review once or twice a year, with three sections: what I delivered, what I learned or improved, and what I want to take on next How to share your self-review with your manager to show initiative and give them something to react to Step four: leaning on goals by asking, "What would success look like for me over the next six months?" and using their answer as your scorecard Step five: using your kudos, testimonials, project results, and tracker as evidence, since a well-organized tracker can be just as strong as a formal review Why to avoid framing this as a complaint about not getting reviews, and how building your own system earns your manager's respect Today's task: choose one step and do it this week, either sending a recap of your last feedback conversation or starting your one-page self-review, even if it's just a draft Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Following yesterday's episode on testimonials, Nichole shows how your last performance review, your own employer's words about you, can become some of your strongest proof. In this episode: Why a performance review is one of the most credible pieces of evidence you have, and why it shouldn't get filed away and forgotten How to reread your review like a detective, looking for strengths, growth areas, and goals Strengths: highlighting the strongest praise so you can say, "In my review, you noted that I do this well, and here's what I've done since to keep building on it" A tip for anyone who had a review in the last few months or so without getting a raise: use your strengths to reflect back on it Growth areas: why feedback is a gift, and how showing what has changed since shows you listen and follow through What to do if you haven't made progress on a growth area yet: start before you ask Goals: checking off which ones you hit, exceeded, or saw change, and why measuring against what your own company asked of you makes your case stronger Looking for language about the next level, which acts as a roadmap, and noting the date and overall rating to tell a clear story over time What to do if your review wasn't great: a personal note from Nichole that you're not alone, and why showing improvement can be just as compelling and often more memorable Why effort, determination, and grit to get better stand out Today's task: pull up your most recent review and highlight one strength you can quote, one growth area along with what you've done about it, and one goal you accomplished, then add them to your tracker with a date, and use AI to turn them into one-line talking points if you want help Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Nichole adds a new proof point to your raise case before the timing episodes begin: a short, specific testimonial from someone other than you. In this episode: A quick change of plans from Friday's episode: a few more proof points come first, and timing follows Why a short, specific comment from a client or peer carries more weight than anything you say about yourself Who to ask: clients you helped, teammates in other departments, people you trained or supported, or someone more senior who saw the result of your work Why to look for people who can speak to a specific moment, not just say "she's great" When to ask: ideally right after a win while it's fresh, or later by reminding them of the specific project you worked on together A sample request to borrow, and why it works: it's short, names the project, tells them how little effort it takes, and offers to help Offering a few bullet points for them to react to, since writing from scratch feels like homework Asking whether you can reference their comments with your manager, and saying thank you Where the testimonial goes afterward: screenshot it, save it with your kudos in your brag document, and pull your strongest one or two into section three of your one-pager A reminder that people want to see you succeed, and that stepping out of your comfort zone to ask makes the next ask easier Today's task: pick one person who has seen your work up close and send them a short request, using AI to make it warmer and more specific if you want help Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Wrapping up a week of building your raise case, Nichole gives you a weekend project to bring every piece of your one-pager together. In this episode: A recap of the week: starting your one-pager, learning what to leave out, tying your work to company goals, and rewriting weak statements into strong ones Section one: your opening line, read out loud to make sure it's direct and has no apologies Section two: your top three to five achievements, with one more pass to make sure each has an action, specifics, and a result Section three: one or two of your strongest quotes or pieces of recognition, ideally tied to the same priorities as your achievements to keep things cohesive Section four: a short line with your market research range and where you fall in it based on your experience and results Section five: your ask, stated clearly as a number or a range, short and direct Three ways to finish strong: read the whole thing out loud, make sure it fits on one page, and ask whether your manager would understand why you deserve the raise if this were the only page they read A reminder that it doesn't have to be pretty, because done is better than perfect A tip to paste your draft into AI, or ask a trusted friend or mentor, to flag anything unclear, repetitive, or missing a result This weekend's task: finish all five sections of your one-pager and save it somewhere easy to find A preview of next week: timing, and exactly how to bring your one-pager into the conversation Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

In this workshop episode, Nichole takes weak accomplishment statements and rewrites them live, so you can hear exactly how the transformation works. In this episode: A look back at turning tasks into achievements, cutting what doesn't belong, and connecting your work to company goals, and how today pulls them together Five weak-to-strong rewrites: social media accounts, helping with the budget, communicating with clients, meeting deadlines, and taking on extra responsibilities What's wrong with each weak version, from sounding like a job description to being vague or just an opinion about yourself Why consistency counts as a number, and why a shortened timeline is worth highlighting The formula behind every strong statement: action, specifics, result A tip to estimate and say so if you don't have exact numbers Today's task: pick two flat entries from your one-pager, rewrite them with the formula, read them out loud, and optionally use AI to sharpen the wording Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Continuing this week's case-building focus, Nichole shows how to make your achievements land harder by connecting them to what your company actually cares about. In this episode: Why achievements without a connection to company priorities land as "nice job" instead of "this person is worth investing in" How to think about your manager's goals, like growing revenue, keeping customers, hitting deadlines, cutting costs, or improving quality Why tying your work to those goals shows the return on the money your company already spends on you Step one: figure out what your company and team are focused on, with a low-pressure question to ask your manager about top team priorities Step two: match your strongest achievements to those priorities and move them to the top of your one-pager Step three: use your leadership's own language, with an example of turning "trained new hires" into a growth-focused win How to trace the line if your work doesn't seem to connect to big company goals, by asking what it makes possible for others and what would slow down without it Today's task: pick your top three achievements and write down which company or team priority each one supports, using AI if you get stuck Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Following yesterday's one-pager episode, Nichole covers the other half of building a strong case: knowing what to leave out. In this episode: Why more isn't always better, and how a cluttered case makes your strongest points harder to see Leaving out anything without a result, and why stalled or unfinished projects can stay in your tracker as talking points Leaving out personal needs like rent or bills as your main argument, since a raise conversation is a business case built on your value Leaving out comparisons to specific coworkers, and how to highlight your wins without putting anyone down Leaving out apologies and hedging phrases, plus Nichole's "confidence lens" for practicing your reasons out loud until they feel natural Leaving out older accomplishments, with a note from Nichole's interview experience, and focusing on the last twelve months unless an older win ties to your current responsibility A simple test for every line on your one-pager: would my manager care about this, and does it help me make the case Today's task: review sections one and two of your one-pager, cut anything that doesn't pass the test, and optionally use AI to flag anything vague, apologetic, or missing a result Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Kicking off a new week, Nichole shows how to turn your accomplishment tracker into a simple one-page raise proposal you could actually hand your manager. In this episode: Why "proposal" sounds intimidating, and why this is really just one clear page that pulls together what you've already done Why a one-pager helps even if the conversation itself feels messy, since nerves happen and it keeps your case clear Section one: a short, direct opening line stating your intention, with no apologizing or over-explaining Section two: your top three to five achievements from your tracker, each with a result attached Section three: one or two of the strongest quotes or pieces of recognition from your kudos collection Section four: a short line referencing the market range you researched, and where you fall within it Section five: your actual ask, whether a number or a range, stated short and direct Keeping the formatting clean with simple bullet points, since it's meant to be skimmed, not read like an essay Using AI to help draft each section if you're staring at a blank page, then editing it to sound like you A note that you don't have to hand it over at the start of the conversation, and may prefer to bring it as a reference and send it afterward in writing Today's task: open a blank document and build sections one and two, your opening line and your top achievements Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Wrapping up a full week on your brag document, Nichole pulls everything together into one simple, organized accomplishment tracker so you're not left with scattered notes and screenshots. In this episode: A recap of the week: what goes in your brag document, turning tasks into achievements, quantifying impact without hard numbers, and collecting your kudos A reminder of the mission to help 1,000 women ask for a raise by the end of the year, with daily bite-sized episodes that don't feel overwhelming The five fields for each entry: date, short title, the achievement with a result attached, category, and supporting evidence Why a short title helps you remember what an entry was about when you look back later How to use AI to help you come up with categories for your career wins Choosing the tool that works for you, whether a document, a spreadsheet, or Nichole's personal pick of the iPhone Notes app, as long as everything lives in one place A simple table layout if you go the spreadsheet route Adding a running list of your best quotes at the top, pulled from your collected kudos Using AI to spot patterns, like which category has the most wins or where your wording is still flat and could use a number Why having your whole case organized, dated, and ready to go matters when it's time to ask Today's task: build your tracker this weekend using the five fields, and remember it doesn't need to be pretty, just complete Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Nichole shares a different kind of evidence for your raise case: the praise that's probably already sitting in your inbox, Slack messages, and texts, waiting to be collected. In this episode: Why a kind message from a client, manager, or coworker is evidence, and how easily it gets lost in a sea of other messages What to look for: direct compliments, gratitude tied to a specific outcome, requests for you specifically, positive feedback from reviews or surveys, and leadership praise for projects you were a key part of Why you should screenshot everything, since platforms change and messages get deleted Keeping all your kudos in one place, with Nichole's tip to store them right in your brag document Organizing praise loosely by theme, like reliability or problem-solving, so patterns start to emerge How leaning on what others say about you can help if you struggle to feel confident communicating your impact Asking someone if you can quote them directly in a future conversation or performance review A reminder to scroll back through your kudos as a personal highlight reel on a rainy day or after tough feedback Today's task: spend 15 minutes searching your email and messages for at least three pieces of forgotten praise, screenshot them, and add them to your brag document Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Addressing a common roadblock, Nichole helps listeners whose roles don't come with obvious metrics find the numbers hiding in their work anyway. In this episode: Why roles outside of sales often feel harder to quantify, and why that's not actually true Thinking in terms of time: how long something used to take versus now, and time saved through a process or shortcut Thinking in terms of volume: how many customers, projects, or people were handled, especially as volume grows without quality dropping Thinking in terms of frequency or consistency: hitting every deadline, zero errors, or repeated positive feedback as its own kind of number Thinking in terms of comparison: being the go-to person or having your work used as the example, done carefully and tactfully Using scope when no number exists: how many people, departments, or process steps your work touches Why an estimated number, stated confidently, is still far more compelling than leaving it vague Today's task: apply one of the five lenses, time, volume, frequency, comparison, or scope, to one brag document entry that currently has no number attached Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop

Building on yesterday's brag document episode, Nichole shows how to take a plain, ordinary task and turn it into something that actually reads as an achievement. In this episode: Why most brag document entries read like a job description instead of showing real impact Three real before-and-after examples, from onboarding a new hire to managing a team calendar to answering customer emails Why a timeframe, a comparison, and a result transform a flat task into a true achievement The three questions to ask for every entry: what would have happened without me, is there a number I can attach, and how does this compare to before Why word choice matters, swapping passive words like "helped" or "assisted" for action words like "trained," "led," or "reorganized" Today's task: rewrite three existing brag document entries using the three questions covered in this episode Download the 7 Days to Ask for a Raise Challenge to help you confidently ask for a raise here. Connect with Nichole on Instagram @nichole.harrop