Knowing Your Value

**Author:** Mika Brzezinski

**Estimated Reading Time:** 45 minutes

**What You'll Learn:** Why talented women consistently undervalue themselves in the workplace, how to recognize the behaviors that hold you back, and practical strategies for negotiating the compensation and respect you deserve.

**Who This Book Is For:** Professional women who suspect they are underpaid or undervalued, anyone preparing for a salary negotiation, and leaders who want to understand why talented women leave their organizations.

Mika Brzezinski was sitting in a taxi on her way to interview for a job she desperately wanted. She had prepared her talking points. She had rehearsed her answers. She knew exactly what she would say when they asked about her experience, her vision, her qualifications. What she had not prepared for was the question about money. When the conversation turned to compensation, she heard herself say a number that was far below what she knew the position was worth. The words came out before she could stop them. She had just talked herself out of tens of thousands of dollars, and she had done it to herself. This moment haunted her. Not because she was uniquely bad at negotiating, but because she realized she was not unique at all. Everywhere she looked, she saw talented, accomplished women doing the same thing. They were apologizing for their success. They were waiting to be noticed instead of asking for what they deserved. They were hoping that hard work alone would be enough. And they were losing. The statistics told a stark story. Women in the United States earned roughly seventy-seven cents for every dollar earned by men. Even when controlling for similar jobs, experience, and education, the gap persisted. But what troubled Brzezinski most was not just the discrimination women faced from the outside. It was the self-sabotage she witnessed from the inside. Women were not asking. They were not pushing back. They were accepting first offers. They were grateful for opportunities instead of demanding fair compensation for their contributions. They were, as she put it, their own worst enemy. Brzezinski set out to understand why. She interviewed executives, economists, psychologists, and dozens of successful women who had learned to navigate the treacherous waters of workplace negotiation. She talked to women who had asked for raises and been denied. She talked to women who had asked and won. She talked to men who held positions of power and wanted to help but did not know how. What she discovered was both discouraging and empowering. The obstacles were real. The biases were deeply embedded. But the women who succeeded shared common strategies. They learned to know their value. They learned to communicate that value. They learned to ask. This book…