Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Paré.
Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My business grew out of frustration, necessity, and passion. I remember negotiating my first full time job after college and the company met me in the middle of my ask. I learned the lesson early on that negotiating is about finding a solution that works for both sides – and to aim high! Yet, after a decade advancing in and negotiating for my career in corporate HR, I found myself up against a self-advocacy roadblock for the first time. I was afraid to ask for a raise because I thought the answer was going to be “no”.
This was a new fear, or challenge, for me. I began searching for resources and mentors to help me navigate the situation at work and I came up empty. Although I had advocated for myself in the past, I faced bigger challenges as I moved into roles with more responsibility and I was unable to find the support internally at my organization. Primarily because I didn’t know what questions to ask of myself or what skills I could have been developing when it came to negotiating as a women in technology.
Ultimately I made an emotional ask and received an emotional response and it was hard for me not to take it personally. The experience led me down a path of personal development and a newfound dedication to supporting others who wanted to negotiate but didn’t know where to start.
Several months later, my “ah-ha” moment for creating my business Own Your Worth hit me when I attended an AAUW Work Smart salary negotiation workshop for women in Boston. In that moment, I knew I had to share my story to inspire others to self-advocate. I knew there were gaps in the tech industry around female leadership development and I realized I had the opportunity to offer my HR perspective to help people advance their careers and earn competitive pay. I had found my raison d’être!
I began my business by teaching and facilitating salary negotiation workshops and attendees would wait in line after the workshop to ask their specific questions. My business has evolved and offers speaking engagements, private and group coaching and consulting for organizations.
My mission and passion is to advocate for women who are motivated to break glass ceilings. As a coach, my clients confidently step into their power, own their worth, and ask for what they want. It is such an honor to work with clients who share their own stories and dreams and take action to bring it all to life!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of my all-time favorite quotes is “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” by John Lennon. I’ve learned this lesson many times over especially in growing my business. I’ve learned to lean on my intuition, ask for feedback, and remain open!
My biggest struggle was in determining the “right time” to leave my corporate career to pursue my business full time. Over the years I’ve developed mindfulness practices to help manage stress, and I’ve relied heavily on these tools since making the leap. The day to day challenges of being a team of one vs. many allow for more creativity in my business, but I’ve had to develop a stronger sense of self-accountability.
I would not have had the courage to leave my corporate career to pursue my business full time if I did not have a set of self-care tools at my disposal to lean on and a good sense of humor about “life happening”. I’m an adventurous person by nature, but I will say that running and growing a business is the biggest challenge I’ve faced in my life and career thus far. I took a leap of faith and I’ve been creating and finding pull cords along the way to support and guide me. It’s been an amazing ride!
Please tell us about Own Your Worth.
Own Your Worth coaches women in tech to negotiate raises and promotions without the fear of negative consequences. Clients build cases, tap into their confidence, and create strategies and action plans to positively grow their career and align with their true purpose. Own Your Worth offers private coaching packages and a signature 3 month coaching program called Career Activator to learn the skills necessary to self-advocate in the corporate tech world.
Own Your Worth clients have negotiated $25,000+ raises and promotions onto leadership teams, are speakers at tech conferences, and have increased initial job offers over $25,000. Clients make bold asks to advance their careers and earn fair and competitive pay. Publication features include CNN Money and PBS News Hour.
Own Your Worth consults with organizations to create equal pay programs and women’s advancement paths through executive coaching, speaking engagements, and workshops.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory is my first trip abroad to London with my Dad. I distinctly remember exiting the tube and being in awe of the massive city that surrounded me. I was twelve years old and it was my first time visiting a big city and I remember the details, smells, and sounds of that trip. I felt I had entered an alternate universe and it was a turning point in my life. It inspired so much curiosity for me and set me on a path to explore the world, our cultures, and question why we do the things we do. To this day London is one of my favorite cities and when I was in high school I wrote my auto-biography based on that experience which I still have with me today!
Contact Info:
- Address: 120 St. James Ave.
Boston, MA 02116 - Website: http://ownyourworth.com/
- Phone: 617-544-7826
- Email: ashley@ownyourworth.com
Image Credit:
David Johnston; Allison Giusti
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