You Know What I’ve Noticed…

Perhaps you want to notice it too.

Dear Worthy Woman,

You know what I've noticed?

When women of color fail, we don't just feel disappointment. We experience shame that cuts to the core of our identity.

Recently, I've been working with a few clients who are going through some professional setbacks.

No matter the issue, each client expressed some version of: "What did I do wrong? I have to work harder. How can I prevent this from happening next time?"

I immediately thought, "What makes you assume you did something wrong this time?"

Setbacks happen for a myriad of reasons.

Everything from market conditions (hello tariffs) to folks in power targeting you simply because they don't like something about you is on the table.

Often, these setbacks have very little to do with our skills or performance. Yet, every single one of my clients this week blamed themselves.

Somewhere along the line, they all internalized the belief that their achievements determine their worth.

In school, the result of hard work is achievement. It's the A+ on the…