Mid-career professional women waste 30-40% of their mental energy navigating barriers their colleagues don’t face. The RISE Method helps you identify exactly where that energy is going—and redirect it toward actual advancement.
5 Signs You're Paying the
If you nod at 3 or more, you’re paying a tax your colleagues don’t even know exists.
You're exhausted by Wednesday—and can't explain why
You've been passed over for promotion despite exceeding targets
Your ideas get questioned; his get implemented
You have 10 mentors but no one advocating in closed rooms
You're working twice as hard for half the recognition
The 5 Forms of
Research by Catalyst documented something called the “Emotional Tax”—the invisible burden of being constantly on guard against bias. What I’ve found is that this tax has a career cost. Here’s how it shows up:
Having to prove yourself repeatedly while colleagues get the benefit of the doubt. Every meeting, every project, every idea—you're starting from zero while they start from trusted.
Mental exhaustion from code-switching and managing perceptions. You're constantly calculating: How should I say this? How will this be received? Is this outfit right? Am I being "too much"?
Excellent work that nobody sees—or worse, gets attributed to someone else. You deliver results, but somehow you're still invisible when it matters.
Collecting mentors who advise but no sponsors who advocate. You have plenty of people who will give you feedback—but no one putting your name forward in rooms you're not in.
Managing impossible contradictions: "Be yourself—but fit in." "Speak up—but don't be aggressive." "Show ambition—but don't be threatening." The energy spent navigating these double-binds is exhausting.
The Result: While you spend 30-40% of your mental energy on these invisible taxes, your colleagues invest that same energy in strategic positioning, relationship building, and advancement activities. Same work hours. Different focus. They advance. You stay stuck.
The RISE Method is a systematic framework for identifying exactly where your energy is being drained and redirecting it toward strategic advancement—without code-switching, without burning out, without sacrificing who you are.
Identify exactly where you’re spending 30-40% of your mental energy on things that aren’t your job. Map your specific energy leaks across the five tax categories. You can’t reduce what you don’t measure.
Key Question: “Where is my energy actually going—and how much of it is productive?”
Diagnose which of the 5 Advancement Taxes you’re paying the most. Understand the patterns, triggers, and systemic dynamics at play. Decode what’s actually happening—not what you’re being told is happening.
Key Question: “Which taxes am I paying, and what’s driving them?”
Develop targeted responses that cut your tax by 50%+ without compromising your values. Build systems for visibility, sponsorship, and influence that work with your strengths, not against your identity.
Key Question: “What specific strategies will reduce my highest taxes?”
Redirect recovered energy into strategic positioning that leads to actual promotion. Stop working twice as hard for half the recognition. Start advancing on your terms.
Key Question: “How do I turn reduced tax into real advancement?”
Reclaim the 30-40% of mental capacity you’ve been spending on invisible labor
Redirect that energy into positioning, relationships, and advancement activities
Stop waiting 2-3 extra years per promotion
Advance without burning out or sacrificing authenticity
Know exactly what’s happening and how to navigate it strategically
After my PhD, MBA, and 10+ years leading teams across West and Central Africa, I kept seeing the same pattern: brilliant women working twice as hard, still stuck at mid-career.
The advice they got? “Be more confident.” “Lean in.” “Find a mentor.”
None of it worked—because it didn’t address the real problem.
These women didn’t need motivation. They needed strategy.
Research by Catalyst identified something called the “Emotional Tax”—the invisible burden of being constantly on guard. What I discovered was that this tax has a career cost: while talented women spend 30-40% of their mental energy navigating bias, their colleagues invest that same energy in strategic positioning.
Same work hours. Different focus. They advance. She stays stuck.
The RISE Method is my systematic approach to reducing that tax—so you can finally redirect your energy toward actual advancement.
“Reduced my Advancement Tax from 40% to 18% in 12 weeks. I finally understand why I was so exhausted and now I have the energy to focus on what actually matters for my career.”
“Finally got the promotion after 3 years of being passed over. The difference wasn’t working harder—it was working strategically. Dr. Betty showed me exactly where to focus.”
“Went from invisible to invited to leadership meetings. My work hasn’t changed—my strategy has. For the first time, I feel like I’m playing the game with the right playbook.”
If you're ready to reduce your Advancement Tax by 50%+ in 90 days with structured guidance, let's talk.