I’m so happy I stumbled upon the Levo League’s Philadelphia Chapter the other day. Here’s the gist of it:

“Levo League is a growing community of professional women seeking advice, inspiration, and the tools needed to succeed. At Levo, we are working toward our vision of a future where there is no income or achievement disparity between women and men across industries. Our mission is to create a trusted community of young professionals who are invested in supporting each others’ success in game-changing leadership positions.”

Amazing right? I attended their most recent event titled “#Ask4More” tonight and loved the open discussion women from all backgrounds and careers had about salaries, the male/female disparity when it came to income levels, and how to negotiate and ask for a raise. It felt like an AA meeting for women inspired to be better, work better, and do better in all aspects of their life! A few great key points I took away from the conversation are as follows:

• Figure out how you are going to navigate your own path and career. You have the control, so steer your career in a way that you’ll be happy and satisfied with in the long run.
• Try to depersonalize the subject of money when asking for a raise. It’s tricky to do, but necessary at times when it comes to discussing it with your peers/co-workers/bosses/etc.
• One of the main reasons women rarely negotiate or discuss a salary raise is because of fear and a lack of confidence. These are both hurdles we need to overcome to really be valued at our jobs.
• Being assertive and confident will never set you back in the wrong way. It’s the type of mentality that we all need to move forward in our careers and lives! You’ll gain more respect for speaking your mind (appropriately, of course) than never saying a word at all. 
• In order to be where you want to be in life, you need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
• Be your boldest self. There are risks to being in that mindset, but there are also higher rewards!
  
• If you’re too shy to or nervous about talking about a salary raise, try and discuss a growth plan with your boss. “In __ months/years, I want to be making $__. What are some steps I need to take to get there?” This will show your higher management that you’re in it for the long run, and that you’re willing to work your way to the top!

Anyway, I could go on and on about what I learned from #Ask4More today! I’ll leave it at that, and have you enjoy the following photos from the event. And oh yeah, JOIN LEVO LEAGUE HERE IN PHILLY! Ok, no more caps but you get the picture. This is one community that you WANT to be a part of.