Minal Nebhnani Coaching - Ummuted by hello

The Seat Nobody Assigns You

Thu, 28 May 2026 14:07:12 -0600

(3 mins)

If people tell you about decisions after they're made, you're not influential yet.

Think about that for a second. Not because it's harsh, but because it's useful. There's a very specific kind of professional power that has nothing to do with your title, your tenure, or how hard you've worked. It's the kind where people loop you in before the decision. Where they send the message that says, "What do you think about this?" before they've made up their minds. That's not seniority, that's positioning - and it's completely learnable.

I want to introduce you to two people. Same company, same level, same team. Let's call them Priya and Marcus.

Priya is excellent at her job. She delivers. She meets her deadlines, she knows her stuff, and her manager will give her glowing reviews when requested. But when the leadership team sits down to talk strategy, Priya finds out what they decided in the all-hands meeting, same as everyone else.

Marcus, again, same role, same experience. But somehow he keeps ending up in conversations before decisions are finalized. People cc him on things and they grab him before a meeting to ask what he thinks. His colleagues say, "Let me check with Marcus." Not because Marcus is more senior, but because somewhere along the way, Marcus became the person people think of when they want to think better.

The difference between Priya and Marcus isn't talent or luck. It's that Marcus learned how to show up in the thinking, not just the doing.

Here's what most high performers misunderstand about influence. You think it's about having the right answer. So you focus on being thorough, being accurate, and being undeniably correct. And then you wait to be asked.

But influence doesn't work like a test where you raise your hand after you've solved it. It works more like a conversation and the people who shape decisions are the ones who are already in the conversation when the options are still forming.

You don't become the person people check with by having better answers. You become it by helping people think better before they decide.

That's the shift. From answer-giver to thinking partner. And it changes everything about how you show up - in meetings, in hallway conversations, in the two-line Slack message you send when you notice something before anyone else has.

So what does Marcus actually do differently? It comes down to three habits that are easy to miss because none of them are loud.

Speak in implications, not just opinions. There's a version of having a point of view that keeps you at the surface, "I think X is the better option." And then there's the version that earns you a seat: "If we go with X, it's likely to impact Y in this way, especially given where we're headed in Q3." One is a preference while the other is foresight. People don't consult preferences, they consult foresight.
Be early, not louder. The earlier you appear in the thinking process, the more your perspective shapes the outcome. Now, that doesn't mean forcing yourself into every conversation. It means noticing when something is still being figured out, and offering one or max two sentences before the options get locked in. Even a well-timed question at the right moment signals that you're paying attention at a different level than most.
Be the person who makes thinking easier, not more complicated. Ask the question no one has asked yet, name the tension in the room that everyone feels but no one is saying, or offer the reframe that gets things unstuck. When people walk away from a conversation with you feeling clearer, not just informed, but actually clearer or unstuck, they come back. Again and again and again.

Here's what this looks like in practice. Two versions of the same moment:

Stays invisible: "That sounds good to me. Whatever the team decides works."

Builds positioning: "One thing worth considering before we lock this in - if we go this route, it'll likely affect the timeline on the other project. Happy to think through it out loud if it’s useful."

Same meeting. Same 45 seconds. Completely different positioning. The second person just became someone worth checking with.

Priya, by the way, is a real type, not a cautionary tale. She's doing everything she was told to do - work hard, deliver results, not overstep. And for a long time that was enough, but at a certain level, the doing isn't what earns the seat. The thinking does.

The good news: this isn't a personality trait. You don't have to be naturally outspoken, politically savvy, or especially bold. You just have to start showing up one step earlier - in the forming phase, not just the deciding phase with one more implication attached to your point of view or with one question that makes the room go quiet in a good way.

That's what moves you from the person who executes decisions to the person who shapes them. And once people start checking with you before they decide, that reputation compounds fast. Influence isn't given. It's built, quietly, one well-timed thought at a time.

So here's my question for you this week: are you usually in the room when options are forming or when the decision's already been made? Reply and tell me. I read everything you share, and I'd genuinely love to know where you are right now.

Work with me

Ready to stop being kept in the loop and start shaping it?

Positioning, presence, and influence are exactly what I work on with

clients - and the shifts tend to happen faster than people expect.

Let's figure out what's keeping you one step removed

Book a 30-min free career strategy call here.

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Nobody Needs Your Explanation. They Need Your Conviction.

Thu, 21 May 2026 14:02:00 -0600

(3 mins)

You had thirty seconds. You used four minutes. And somewhere in minute two, you lost your audience.

You know the feeling. You walk into the room with a solid idea. You've thought it through from every angle for weeks. Late nights, iterations, more conversations and now you're here. And you're presenting. And you think it's going well...and then someone tilts their head or asks one question or just looks unconvinced and suddenly you're off like a horse at the Kentucky Derby, explaining. And then re-explaining. And then adding context no one asked for, walking through your entire thought process, preemptively defending objections that haven't even been raised yet.

By the time you're done, the idea is buried somewhere under a pile of words and all of your anxiety. The room has moved on and you're left feeling overwhelmed, defeated and wondering what the hell happened.

Here's what happened: you confused explanation with persuasion - and high performers do this constantly. Not because you don't know your stuff, but because you do. You honestly know too much. And when someone pushes back (even gently), all of that knowledge comes flooding out at once like a defense mechanism.

But here's the thing nobody tells you: the more you explain, the less confident you sound. Every extra sentence is an unconscious signal that you're not sure they believe you which then makes them less sure too. Over-explaining doesn't make your idea stronger. It makes you look like you're still convincing yourself.

I watched this play out with a client recently. She was pitching a process change to her leadership team, something she'd been researching for months. She knew it cold. And she walked in and proceeded to lay out every single data point, every caveat, every alternative she'd considered and ruled out. Fifteen minutes in, her manager interrupted her and said, "This is a lot. Can you give me the short version?"

She was devastated. She thought more information meant more credibility. It doesn't. It means more work for the listener and quite honestly, listeners don’t want more work, they want to be led to a decision clearly and with certainty.

So what does buy-in actually look like, if it's not a thorough explanation? It looks like confidence with just enough context; like leading with your recommendation, not your reasoning; like trusting that the people in the room are smart enough to ask if they want more.

Most people present ideas like a court case: evidence first, verdict at the end. But buy-in works the opposite way. Verdict first and evidence only if asked.

Hear the difference:

Before: "So I've been looking at the data, and I noticed that our turnaround time has been slipping. It went from 4 days to 7 over the last quarter, and I think part of that is related to the handoff process, but also possibly the review stage, so I wanted to walk through a few options I considered and explain why I landed where I did..."

After: "I'd recommend we change the handoff process. It's adding 3 days to our turnaround and I think we can cut that in half within a month. Happy to walk through the data if it'd be helpful."

Same idea, same research behind it, but completely different energy. One sounds like asking for permission while the other sounds like the decision has already been made - and is just offering the room the chance to agree.

So how do you get from verbally vomiting everything you know to certainty? Here are three things to try this week:

Lead with the ask, not the backstory. Before your next meeting, write down your recommendation in one sentence. That sentence goes first - not third, not last. If you can't say it in one sentence, you're not clear enough yet on what you actually want. Keep working on it.
Make context optional, not mandatory. After your recommendation, add: "Happy to walk through the details if useful." This does two things: it signals that you have the depth (the knowledge and the resources to back your recommendation), and it hands control to the other person. Most of the time they don’t want or need more information, simply offering is enough.
Treat pushback as a question, not a verdict. When someone challenges your idea, pause before you respond. Ask yourself, Are they asking for information or are they just thinking out loud? Most pushback is the latter in which case, there's nothing to defend. Just stay calm and steady. Breathe. That calm is what actually builds confidence in the room.

Buy-in isn't won in the explanation. It's won in the moment before you even start speaking - when you pause, breathe, smile and start calmly and confidently, with certainty.

My client went back the following week with the same idea, stripped down to three sentences. Her manager said yes in under two minutes. Nothing about the idea changed but everything about how she held it did.

Clarity is a leadership skill and the clearest person in the room rarely needs to say the most.

So here's my question for you this week: where are you over-explaining because you don't quite trust that the idea is enough - or that you are? And what are you going to do about it? Reply and tell me. I read every email that comes my way.

Work with me

If you're tired of leaving rooms feeling like you didn't land it...

This is exactly the kind of work I do with clients: how to show up with presence,

communicate with clarity, and get the outcomes you've actually earned. Let's talk.

Book a 30-min free career strategy call here.

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You Did the Thinking. Someone Else Got the Credit. Now What?

Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:28 -0600

(3 mins)

I once watched someone lose a promotion to their own idea. She had been preparing for weeks. She knew the data cold, had mapped the risks, had even anticipated the objections. She walked into that meeting ready. And then she presented - clearly, confidently, and competently. The room nodded. Her manager said, "This is great thinking."

Two months later, someone else got the promotion. Someone who had been in that same room, had heard the same idea, and had kept talking about it after she stopped.

She called me afterward, genuinely confused. "I did everything right. Why didn't it matter?"

Here's what I told her, and what I want to tell you: it's almost never about the idea. It's about whether people can picture you behind it after you leave the room.

Most high performers operate under a silent assumption - that great work speaks for itself. That if you think clearly, deliver well, and solve the right problems, the right people will notice.

Sometimes that's true. But more often, the credit goes to whoever kept the thread alive longest.

I see this constantly. Someone has the insight and someone else has the follow-through. The person who follows through walks away with the reputation.

The idea got you in the room. What you do after the idea determines whether you stay at the table.

So what's actually happening? When you share an idea and immediately open it up with "What does everyone think?" or "Happy to hear other perspectives," you signal that the idea is up for adoption. You've made it communal. And communal ideas don't have owners. They have contributors. Those are very different things when review season comes around.

This isn't about being territorial. It's about understanding that influence requires presence - and presence doesn't end when your slide deck does.

Here's what I've seen work. Three small shifts, each one easy to dismiss as minor, all of them quietly career-defining.

Name your idea before the room names it for you. Most ideas die in the rebranding. When you put something forward, give it a short, sticky name - even informally. "The fast-close approach," "the two-stage process." Names create ownership. Once someone else starts calling it something else, it's no longer yours.
Send the recap email. After a meeting where your idea landed well, send a two-line follow-up: what you proposed, what the next step is. It's not to be controlling, it’s to be the person holding the thread. This one habit will do more for your visibility than almost anything else.
Reference your own work. This one feels the most uncomfortable, but it's the most important. Two weeks after an idea gets traction, mention it. "Following up on what I flagged last month…" or "Building on the approach we started with…" You're not bragging. You're maintaining the connection between the idea and the person who had it.

None of these take more than a few minutes. But together they shift something fundamental - how visible your thinking is over time, not just in the moment.

I tried something like this recently with a client who was convinced she simply wasn't "the type" to self-promote. So we reframed the whole thing. Self-promotion isn't performance, it's continuity. It's making sure your thinking doesn't become an orphan ready to be adopted by any and everyone else.

She started small with just the recap email after meetings. Within six weeks, her manager said, "I feel like I have so much more visibility into your work." Nothing about her work had changed. Only her footprint had.

That's the thing nobody tells you: you don't have to do more. You have to be more traceable. You don't get recognized for work people can't remember came from you.

If any of this hit close to home, if you've watched your ideas go places without you, try just one of the three next week. Start with the recap email. It's the lowest stakes and the highest return.

And if you try it, tell me how it goes. Seriously. I read every reply.

Work with me

Ready to stop being the best-kept secret in your organization?

If you're a high performing professional of color or 1st/2nd gen professional who's tired of

watching others move forward on work that started with you - this is exactly what I help with.

Let's figure out what's getting in your way. Book a free 30-min career strategy call here.

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The Difference Between Being Helpful and Being Influential

Thu, 07 May 2026 14:23:45 -0600

(4 mins)

I used to pride myself on being helpful. At work, at home, with friends… I was the person who had the answer. Need something figured out? I’ve got you. Something’s unclear? I’ll clear it up. You’re stuck? I’ll help move you forward. And for a long time, almost my whole life, that worked. People trusted me, relied on me, and they liked working with me.

But then I started noticing a pattern I couldn’t ignore. I was in the room for the conversation, the processing and problem-solving, but I wasn't always included in the decision part of the equation.

I remember one meeting in particular. We were trying to figure out how to move a project forward that had been stalled for weeks. Everyone was circling the problem, throwing out ideas, asking questions, going in loops. So I did what I do best and jumped in and broke it down.

“Here’s what’s happening. This is where it’s getting stuck. If we adjust X, it should move.” Heads nodded. Someone even said, “That’s really helpful,” and then we moved on.

A few days later, the decision was relayed to me and someone else was getting the credit. I wasn’t in the room for the decision and I was curious what had happened so I asked a co-worker. She said, “Oh, Tim took what you said and then gave a recommendation and Jill went with that.” I was so confused. Didn’t I give a recommendation? And then I was angry - at Tim, and then at Jill, but really I think I was irritated with myself. Reflecting back, I stopped too early. Tim said almost exactly what I had said but he added the recommendation that I didn’t. This happens all the time!

One of my clients said something almost identical to me this week. “I feel like I’m always the one doing the thinking, but I’m not the one people look to when it’s time to decide.” So as always, I asked her to walk me through a recent example.

She said, “They were trying to figure out how to improve turnaround time. I analyzed the workflow and pointed out where things were slowing down.”

“Then what?” I asked.

She paused. “That’s it.”

That’s the moment. That’s the gap. Helpful people stop after providing the answer whereas influential people take one step further and shape what happens next.

I want to be very clear. This isn’t about being louder or more aggressive or suddenly becoming the person who dominates every meeting. It’s actually much simpler than that. It’s just about not abandoning your own thinking. You already did the hard part - you saw the problem and you figured out the solution, but then you handed it off, stepped back, and let someone else pick it up, package it, and move it forward. And in that moment, they became the owner of the idea.

Here’s what that same situation sounds like with one small shift. Instead of, “Here’s where the process is slowing down…” and ending at the end of your sentence. You add, “My recommendation is we adjust X. It’ll help us move faster and reduce delays on the backend.” That’s it. You’re not doing more work or overstepping. You’re just staying in the moment long enough to guide it.

I tested this in my own life recently, outside of work. We were trying to figure out summer plans with the family. A lot of opinions, too many options. A lot of “we could do this” and “maybe that.” And honestly, old me would have said, “Sure, I’m good with whatever. Let me know how I can help plan.” I was helpful, easygoing and just went with most things.

This time, I said, “I’d actually prefer we just do Thailand. It’s easier with the kids, and we’ll all enjoy it more.” Everyone paused, I freaked out a little internally and then, “Yeah, that makes sense.” The decision was made and I actually got to make it. I was honestly a little surprised but when that wore off, I was proud of myself for speaking up and way more excited about the summer than had I just gone with the flow or handed the decision off to someone else to make.

This is prevalent in all areas of our lives and it applies to all areas of work: Being helpful keeps things moving while being influential shapes where they go.

And most high performers? You’re right there. You see what needs to happen, you know what would work, you just don’t take that final step. And it’s not because you don’t care. It's likely because no one ever taught you how to share an opinion without overexplaining, guide without overstepping or speak up without feeling like you’re “too much.” So instead you stay in safe execution mode and then wonder why you’re not moving up.

So here’s something to try this week. Don’t change everything. Just notice where you usually stop and the next time you share an answer, stay in it one sentence longer. “My recommendation is X because…” Let it land. You might be surprised how quickly people start to see you differently.

OK, great. Problem, solution - sorted. But here’s the part no one actually talks about. That moment right before you say it. “My recommendation is…” That’s where everything tightens. You’ll feel it in your chest, you’ll second-guess yourself mid-sentence and you’ll want to soften it or skip it entirely.

Again, not because you don’t know what to say but because this is the moment you’re no longer just helping. You’re taking a position and for a lot of us, that’s unfamiliar territory. We were taught to be collaborative, be respectful and to not overstep. So even when we know the answer, we hesitate to own it. And in that tiny hesitation, that almost not even there pause, is when you get to decide, do I step forward (and try something new)… or do I step back (and allow things to stay the same)?

One of my clients caught herself in that exact moment last week. She had already explained the issue and walked through the options. And then she stopped. She said, “I literally felt myself about to say, ‘What do you think?’” But instead, she paused, took a breath, channeled our last session, and said, “My recommendation is we move forward with X.” She shared that it felt scary, like she was more exposed. But that it also felt clearer and more final. Like she was actually able to take her thought through to completion vs. doing the heavy lifting and then handing it off.

Her manager didn’t debate it, overanalyze it or even question it. She just nodded and said, “Sounds good. Let’s do that.”

So, here’s what I’m saying. Influence doesn’t usually look like a big, bold move. It looks like a small moment where you don’t backtrack, where you don’t hand your thinking off, or where you stay with your own voice for just one sentence longer.

And if you’re not ready to say it out loud yet, that’s ok, start smaller. Say it in your head first. Write it down before the meeting. Practice it in low-stakes conversations. “I’d go with X,” “I’d prioritize Y,” or “I’d handle it this way.” Let your brain get used to hearing you take a position because once that becomes normal to you, it becomes natural for everyone else.

Being helpful got you here but being influential is what moves you forward. And the gap between the two is actually smaller and a lot more doable than you think.

If you try this next week, I want to hear how it goes. Even if it feels awkward or comes out a little clunky, that’s ok. You’re not going to get it perfectly on your first try. The important thing is that you’re trying. And awkward and clunky are usually signs that you’re doing something new. And new is exactly where this shift starts.

See you next week,

Minal

🔥 If you know someone who is brilliant but stops short every time, this one’s for them too so please forward along. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, join Unmuted here to get next week’s issue. You don't want to miss it!

👋🏽 Hi! I’m Minal - a Career Success & Leadership Coach for ambitious and talented 1st & 2nd gen immigrants and professionals of color. I teach you how to translate your hard work into actual words your manager, skip, and the C-Suite respect and reward, so your efforts turn into recognition, promotions, and pay raises ranging from $10K-$60K vs. a quick compliment, a pat on the back, and more work to do. All without working harder, finding a new job or pretending to be someone you're not. If you’re reading this and thinking, “Heck yeah… I need this,” reply to this email and let’s explore what working together could look like. You can also book a free career clarity call here. I hope to hear from you soon.

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How to Influence Decisions When You're Not the Boss

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:31:32 -0600

(3 mins)

A few weeks ago, I was on a call with a client who was… frustrated. Not loud-frustrated but the quiet kind. The one you can tell that if it continues, will lead to burnout because you think you’re doing everything right, but nothing seems to move.

“I don’t get it,” she said. “They ask for input. I give it and then they go in a completely different direction.”

So I asked her to walk me through the last meeting. She pulled up her notes and read out what she said, “I think it might be helpful to explore a different onboarding flow, just based on some of the friction we’ve been seeing…” I paused her right there. Not because the idea was wrong but because it was invisible. There was no anchor, no direction and absolutely no reason for anyone to choose it. It sounded like a thought, not a decision, and decisions don’t move on thoughts or opinions or feelings. They move on clarity.

And hey, I’ve done the exact same thing. I even told her so. I remember being in a conversation where we were deciding how to structure something for a client. I had a strong opinion, as I often do, and instead of just coming out and saying it, I built a whole runway. I gave context, background, and I even added a little story. Then I chose a soft entry point so I didn’t come off too strong. By the time I got to my actual point, I had lost my audience and the energy in the room had already moved on.

Then, a colleague jumped in with, “We should do X. It gets us there faster.” Done. A decision was made and that was it. No over-explaining, no tiptoeing around the actual idea. It was clear, direct and just easy to follow.

And that’s when it clicked for me. Influence isn’t about having the best idea, it’s about making your idea the easiest one to say yes to.

Back to my client. We didn’t change her idea. We changed how she positioned it. Instead of, “I think it might be helpful to explore a different onboarding flow…” She tried, “Right now, onboarding is taking 10 days and we’re seeing drop-off in the first week. If we simplify the flow, we can shorten that timeline and improve early retention. We could adjust X or Y. I’d recommend X because it reduces friction upfront.” Same brain, same insight, different delivery, very different outcome.

Her manager paused and said, “That’s a good point. Let’s try that.” There was no convincing, no softening, no back-and-forth. Her point was clear, direct and aligned to the end goal.

This is where most people get it wrong. They think influence comes from more. More explaining, more detail, more effort, more volume, more meetings, more fill in the blank. But it doesn’t.

It comes from three things most people skip:

First, tying your idea to what already matters. If leadership cares about timelines, talk timelines. If they care about revenue, talk revenue. Not because you’re trying to impress them, but because now you’re speaking their language. The one they respect and reward.

Second, giving direction. Not just “here’s an idea,” but, “here’s the path forward.” People don’t just want input, they want decisions to feel easier.

Third, owning the recommendation. Not hiding behind, “What do you think?” or “Just a thought…” But actually saying, “This is what I recommend.” That’s the part that feels the most uncomfortable and it’s also the part that makes the biggest change.

Here’s the truth: You don’t need authority to influence decisions. You need to make your thinking easier to follow, easier to trust, and easier to act on. That’s it. And once you start doing that, people stop seeing you as someone who contributes and start seeing you as someone who leads. Start leading consistently, and your influence builds up. Build up enough influence and your name gets raised in all the rooms, including the ones you’re not in, and soon this leads to big-impact projects, promotions and pay raises. Remember small changes, big impact.

Quick note before you go - because this is directly connected.

Last Friday’s masterclass didn’t quite go as planned, so I’m running it back. And honestly, this might be your lucky break. Because if you’ve been:

doing great work but not getting the recognition
being the “go-to” but not the “move-up
hearing “maybe next cycle” one too many times

Let’s fix that TODAY. I’m teaching a FREE live masterclass: From Invisible → In Demand (Friday @ 2pCT)

Where I’ll show you how to:

↳ create strategic visibility (so your work actually sticks)

↳ build influence so people advocate for you—even when you’re not in the room

↳ position yourself for a “hell yes” when it’s time for your promotion

No fluff, no overworking, and definitely no awkward self-promotion.

And I’m adding a bonus: The Strategic Visibility Script Pack

So you’re not just learning what to do - you’ll have the exact words to:

talk about your work without sounding arrogant or icky
communicate your impact clearly and confidently
make your contributions easy to recognize and reward

Because knowing the strategy is one thing but having the language is what makes it stick. So, If you’ve been doing great work but not getting the traction you deserve…this is the room you want to be in.

Reply to this email or DM here to join. Let’s make sure your work doesn’t just get done…it gets remembered, respected, and rewarded.

If I don’t see you this afternoon (and I really hope I do), I'll see you next week,

Minal

Get Started Now

Strategic Visibility that Doesn't Cause Burnout

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:48:42 -0600

(3 mins)

This week, I had three similarly themed conversations with three completely different clients. Different industries, different roles and very different personalities. They all had the same exact problem.

Let’s call my first client, Jaya. I saw her Monday morning and she said, “I don’t get it. My manager literally told me that I’m invaluable.” That sounds good, right? It wasn’t. Because in the same breath, her manager also said, “I just don’t know if you’re ready for the next level yet.”

So, invaluable… but not promotable. She is my client who jumps in everywhere - covers gaps, helps everyone, fixes things before they break. The problem here is that she is optimizing for being helpful, not memorable. So her work is appreciated in the moment…and then forgotten just as quickly.

Let’s call my second client, Aditya. He’s quite different from Jaya in that he’s a little more confident, a little more direct. “I know I’m doing a lot,” he said. “Like… a lot.” He walked me through his projects, the timelines, the complexity, and the effort. And then I asked him a simple question: “What's changed because of your work?”

And cue the silence. Not because his work didn't have any impact, it definitely did, but because he had never practiced saying it out loud before. He just assumed that people saw what he saw. But the reality is, they don’t. Leadership won’t connect the dots, because with all due respect, that’s part of your job, not theirs.

My third client, let’s call her Rosie, excitedly shared, “I just feel like I’m next. Like… if I just keep going, it’ll just happen.” Now, I’ve been doing this a while and I’ve heard that sentence too many times. And it’s not wrong, it's just incomplete. She, like most of my clients, is waiting to be noticed. She is hoping her consistency, her quality of work, her reliability will eventually “click” for someone. But careers don’t move on hope, they move on perception. And perception is shaped by what people see clearly.

So, three clients, three patterns, one root issue. They are all doing great work but none of them is positioning it in a way that makes it easy to recognize, remember, or reward.

Here’s the shift: Stop asking, “Am I doing enough?” Or "Is my work good?" And start asking: “Is my work memorable?” “Is my impact clear?” And, “Am I making myself known for the work that I'm doing?” Because helpful and efficient get you liked, while visible gets you promoted. And the gap between those two is NOT more effort. It is clear, simple and direct communication about the work you’re already doing.

Jaya already put my suggestions into practice. Instead of saying, “I’ve been helping with a few projects.” She went to her next meeting and said, “I led X initiative, which helped us hit Y goal ahead of schedule and made the next phase smoother for the team.” Same work, different perception. Now instead of being helpful, she’s being strategic.

She slacked me to say that she has been implementing this and the other changes we discussed wherever she can and that her manager has already commented on the shift. While she was focused on her manager’s response, I was actually more focused on her effort and her ability to take feedback and suggestions and run with them. She was willing to try something different and because it was still aligned to who she was and how she operated, she was able to implement it pretty seamlessly. She will carry this new communication style with her wherever she goes. So again, it's not just about visibility. It's about strategic visibility that doesn't cause burnout because then it is sustainable.

So now let me ask you, which client do you most relate to and what are your answers to the three questions posed above? Because if you’re answering no to any of them, come join me this afternoon at 2pCT for my FREE live masterclass From Overlooked to In-Demand. It’s 55 mins of solid tools for you to implement immediately. Because this isn’t about changing who you are. It’s about changing how your work is perceived.

I’ll walk you through the exact framework my clients use to to:

create strategic visibility (not just be appreciated and slammed with more support work)
build influence so the right people are championing you (even when you’re not in the room)
get a “hell yes” when it comes time for your promotion b/c you have set yourself up successfully from the start (vs. hearing another, “maybe next cycle”)

No fluff, no generic advice, no push harder. Just results that work.

If you’re tired of being the best-kept secret on your team…this is your next move. Dm for details to join, and no - it’s not too late!

🔥 If you know someone who thinks they should be further along than they are, this one’s for them too so please forward along. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, join Unmuted here to get next week’s issue. You don't want to miss it!

👋🏽 Hi! I’m Minal - a Career Success & Leadership Coach for ambitious and talented 1st and 2nd gen immigrants and professionals of color. I teach you how to translate your hard work into actual words your manager, skip, and the C-Suite respect and reward, so your efforts turn into recognition, promotions, and pay raises ranging from $10K-$60K vs. a quick compliment, a pat on the back, and more work to do. All without working harder, finding a new job or pretending to be someone you're not. If you’re reading this and thinking, “Heck yeah… I need this,” reply to this email and let’s explore what working together could look like. You can also book a free career clarity call here or click on the button below.

See you at 2pCT today, otherwise, I’ll see you next week,

Minal

Book My FREE Career Clarity Call!

The Difference Between Helpful and Visible

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:20:31 -0600

(3-4 mins)

Before I learned how to play the corporate game, I was the person everyone went to. Need help on a project? Ask Minal. Running behind on a deadline? Minal will figure it out. Something unclear, messy, falling apart? Don’t worry, Minal will fix it. And I loved it. I felt needed, trusted and reliable. I truly believed that I was in my element.

Until I realized something. The people getting promoted weren’t the glue holding everything together. They were the ones passing on projects that didn’t align with their goals and asking me for the support they needed while they climbed the corporate ladder. They were definitely not the purple, invisible Elmer’s glue. They were the ones being seen.

I remember sitting in a meeting where a colleague was being praised for a project that I had quietly contributed a lot to. And I mean a lot. And while they talked about this project clearly, simply and confidently, I just sat there - silently. I didn’t add to it. I didn’t voice my opinion and I definitely didn’t share how much I had contributed. So in that moment, they looked like the leader and I looked… helpful (at best). If I'm really being honest, I didn't look like anything because I had made myself invisible.

That’s the difference. Helpful people keep things running while visible people move things forward. Helpful sounds like, “Sure, I can take that on;” “Happy to help,” “No worries, I got this.” And then helpful turns into invisible because being helpful often means you’re in the background filling gaps, smoothing edges and making other people’s work easier. No one actually knows what you did. And while that makes you a great team player, it does not make you an obvious choice for promotion.

This is something I see all the time with my clients. They are typically the most dependable person on the team. They jump in without being asked, they fix problems before they escalate, they make everyone else’s job easier, and then they come to me and say, “I don’t understand. I’m doing everything right. Why aren’t I getting promoted?” And they’re not wrong. They are doing everything right, but they're also doing it invisibly.

Here’s the shift: Being helpful is about effort while being visible is about vocal impact. Effort says, “I stayed late to get this done.” Impact says, “We delivered this project a week early, which allowed the team to start the next phase sooner.” Effort is expected and because it's usually invisible, it often goes unrewarded. Impact is observable. It's visible. And leadership can only reward what they can see.

Now, this doesn’t mean you stop being helpful. It means you stop stopping there. One of my clients tested this in a really simple way. Instead of saying, “I helped the team with the rollout.” She said, “I led the coordination across teams, which helped us launch on time and avoid last-minute issues.” Same effort and same amount of work, but completely different perception. And no one accused her of bragging. They actually praised her clarity. And clarity builds trust and trust leads to influence which paves the way for high impact projects, promotions and pay raises.

Here’s something else no one tells you: When you’re known as “the helpful one,” people will keep giving you more to help with. They won’t give you the high-impact projects or the strategic initiatives because they don’t see you as a leader. You have now pigeon-holed yourself into support roles. Again, not more visibility or more leadership opportunities, just… more work. And because you’re good at it, you’ll keep getting better at being the person who makes everything easier for everyone else…except yourself. Then your career stalls and you wonder why. That’s the real trap.

So this week, I want you to notice: Where are you being helpful but not visible? Where are you contributing but not communicating? Where are you making an impact but not naming it? And then try communicating about it clearly, simply and directly.

You don’t need to work harder, you need to make your work easier to see. That’s the shift that changes everything.

-----------------------------

And if this hit a little too close to home…join me for my FREE live masterclass on April 24th: From Overlooked to In-Demand. Because this is exactly what I fix. Not your work ethic or your personality. I fix your positioning (or lack thereof).

I’m going to walk you through a simple, proven process to get noticed for the right reasons and I’ll share the exact framework my clients use to go from overlooked to in-demand - getting recognized by senior leaders, leading high-impact projects, and increasing their salary by $10K–$60K in just months - without switching jobs, burning out or pretending to be someone they’re not.

If you’ve been the helpful one for a little too long, this might be your moment. Sign up for my FREE masterclass here.

🔥 If you know someone who is brilliant but invisible, this one’s for them too so please forward along. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, join Unmuted here to get next week’s issue. You don't want to miss it!

See you next week,

Minal

SIGN ME UP FOR THE FREE MASTERCLASS!

How to Share Wins Without Feeling Gross

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:39:07 -0600

(3-4 mins)

Last week, I asked a client to summarize their wins for Q1. They looked at me blankly, blinked, swallowed, opened their mouth and then shut it again. That happened twice. I smiled and then laughed and he laughed with me. I shared that I wasn’t laughing at him, but I was laughing because his reaction was my exact reaction a few years ago.

This was meant to be a “simple exercise” but to any first or second gen professional or professional of color, it feels more like torture. I asked my client to just try it. No judgment. He was on the phone with me and I wasn’t the one in charge of his promotions and pay raises. So he did and this is what he said. “I supported a few key initiatives and helped the team stay on track. We saw some positive results across projects.”

Now this response is pretty standard and the more I have my clients do these exercises, the more apparent it is that we (as immigrants, children/grandchildren of immigrants and professionals of color) are all so trained to downplay our achievements, fade into the background and give others the credit we deserve. We have truly mastered the art of being impressive while remaining invisible at the same time. I smiled gently and told my client that what he said meant nothing to me. It didn’t give me any more information than had he not said anything at all - and herein lies the problem.

Then I asked him to unpack his statement further, with specifics. Without outing my client too much, I’ll just say that he shared some pretty baller numbers, hit some aggressive KPIs and was actually beaming when he finished listing his accomplishments.

“What was that?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I guess it just felt pretty good saying it out loud.”

“Yes!”

“But I could never say that to my manager.”

“Ok, how come?”

“Because I feel arrogant and it feels gross. No one takes credit for their work like that. They’ll think I’m not a team player.”

In those three sentences, my client hit the nail on the head. And because of this, instead of sharing wins, we shrink them. So much so that many of the the sentences we share when it comes to what we've actually done, literally mean nothing. They may sound polished but in reality they are so stripped down, so safe, that they don't add anything new or novel and as a result they are instantly forgettable.

I heard my client and we talked through this. We talked about narratives he grew up with, the rules of corporate America that he was never taught, and what actually happens behind most closed doors when colleagues get promoted and paid while we watch from the sidelines.

I asked him to phrase his accomplishments in this framework: “I led X project, which helped us hit Y milestone two weeks ahead of schedule. It also reduced back-and-forth with stakeholders by X%, which made the next phase smoother.”

He did this with a few of his accomplishments and while he wasn’t beaming the way he was after he had just listed them straight up, he was smiling.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“That didn’t feel gross. It wasn’t comfortable and it will definitely take some practice to get used to it, but I didn’t feel arrogant and I don’t feel icky inside.”

Yes! Now it was my turn to beam. That is the key that so many people (coaches and professionals) miss. The way you present needs to be meaningful, impactful and it cannot feel gross during or after you share or you won’t do it again. The change won’t stick and you’ll go back to quietly sharing nothing and quietly wondering why everyone else seems to be moving ahead faster.

Here’s something to consider: If you don’t share your own wins, people will make up a version of your impact - and it will almost always be smaller than reality. Not because they’re trying to underestimate you, but because they don’t have the full picture. Your brain goes with it because it feels safe but we’re not here for safe. We’re here to get credit for the work we’ve done without feeling arrogant, gross or icky so that we can then reap the rewards of that hard work with promotions and pay raises.

Sharing wins is not about you. It’s about clarity. When you talk about your work in terms of outcomes, you’re not bragging, you’re just helping people understand what actually happened clearly. And clarity builds credibility and credibility is what promotions and pay raises are built on.

So, if this still feels uncomfortable, here are two ways to make it easier: First, talk about the work like you’re talking about someone else. You wouldn’t say, “She kind of did some stuff.” You’d say, “She led this and this is the impact it made.” Give yourself that same energy. Second, anchor everything in outcomes. Not what you did or how hard it was, but what changed because you did it. Think: before → after. “We were missing deadlines → Now we’re consistently delivering a week early.” “Customers were dropping off → Now retention is up 20%.”

That’s not bragging. It’s reporting and leaders trust people who can clearly report what’s working (and what's not).

Here’s the truth. You don’t feel “gross” because you’re sharing wins. You feel uncomfortable because you’re not used to hearing yourself take up that kind of space. There’s a difference. So the next time someone asks what you’ve been working on, don’t disappear mid-sentence. Say the thing, name the impact and let it land. And if you’re practicing this and it still feels a little awkward, that’s okay. Awkward is usually a sign you’re doing something new, not necessarily something wrong.

Try speaking up about one of your accomplishments just once next week and please tell me how it goes. I read every reply.

Quick Announcement: My new Confident Career Accelerator Group just launched! If you're interested in making small shifts to reap big rewards while learning from an awesome group of like minded people, just reply to this email.

🔥 If you know someone who is brilliant but doesn't know how to share their wins without feeling gross, this one’s for them too so please forward along. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, join Unmuted here to get next week’s issue. You don't want to miss it!

See you next week,

Minal

BOOK MY FREE CAREER CLARITY CALL

The Real Risk of Staying Small (and How a Break Can Help You Grow)

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:21:55 -0600

If you caught last week’s newsletter, you know I’ve been thinking a lot about visibility and the cost of staying quiet at work. This week, after an amazing Spring Break, I was reminded of a different kind of risk - the one that comes from staying small in your own life and career.

This year’s break was a pure reset. I went to Mexico with my college friends for our annual getaway, I planted the vegetable garden with my kids, and we took an impromptu weekend trip as a whole family. It was truly awesome. But it wasn’t just fun, it was also illuminating. The days I slowed down, the days I wasn’t “on,” were the days I actually saw myself. Not the busy mom, not the psychotherapist or career coach, not the problem-solver everyone depends on - but me. And in that space, I realized how often I/we stay small at work and in life, shrinking our ideas, minimizing our needs, and dimming our own energy to fit in.

Most high performers carry Q1 energy straight into Q2: same habits, same patterns, same cautious energy. Same small moves. I was guilty of this too - for years. But stepping back, even briefly, let me notice where I've been shrinking, where I've been holding myself back, overcommitting, or staying quiet because it's felt safer.

For both me and my clients, this often shows up as doing more than anyone asks, taking on extra work, and expecting that effort alone will lead to recognition. And while the work gets done, the acknowledgment rarely follows. Over time, this can lead to resentment, burnout and even self-doubt. So while staying small might feel polite, efficient, or safe, it comes at a cost, especially at work: stalled growth, missed opportunities, and, most importantly, a disconnect from your own potential. Not to mention, the thousands of dollars that are getting left on the table - that then compound year over year.

Sometimes staying small isn’t even a conscious choice. As immigrants or children/grandchildren of immigrants, it’s what we were taught - at home, in school, or even in early jobs - that “quiet and easy going” are safe, that pushing back is rude, or that asking for attention is bragging. And for many of us in the South Asian/Asian diaspora, that programming is real. We grow up hearing that we should be seen and not heard, that our success should be quiet, and that our work should speak for itself. But here’s the thing: effort alone rarely gets noticed outside of our own heads.

This break reminded me that being bigger doesn’t mean being louder or overextending myself - it means noticing where I shrink, giving myself permission to take up space, and practicing presence in a way that is authentic to me. The other thing I noticed during my break was how different “big” feels depending on context. At home, it might mean asking for help instead of silently juggling everything. At work, it could mean framing wins in terms of outcomes instead of just effort, like my clients have done when they’ve landed big projects or promotions. In friendships or social circles, it might mean speaking your truth instead of automatically accommodating everyone else. Visibility and stepping bigger aren’t one-size-fits-all, they’re deeply personal, and they show up differently in every area of life.

So here’s the takeaway: slowing down isn’t wasted time, it’s fuel for stepping bigger. Carving out space is important, whether at home or in your career, to slow down and reflect. To see where you’ve been staying small and perhaps experiment with just a little more visibility, aligned with who you are. That one shift, one thoughtful, intentional step, can change how you show up for your clients, your family, the rest of your quarter, and most importantly, yourself.

This week, try one small action: where in your life or work do you normally shrink and what’s one tiny way you could step bigger without burning out? Notice how it feels, and let me know what you discover.

🔥 If you know someone who is brilliant but not taking up enough space, this one’s for them too so please forward along. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, join Unmuted here to get next week’s issue. You don't want to miss it!

See you next week,

Minal

BOOK MY FREE CAREER CONSULTATION CALL!

If You're Not Visible, You're Replaceable

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 08:21:55 -0600

(3-4 mins)

If you’re not visible, you’re replaceable.

I was reminded of this just last week on a sales call. I was speaking with a potential client who had been lurking for a while. Everything I shared was solid - they liked the approach and they liked the results - but at one point, they asked, almost casually, “Who else is offering this kind of coaching?” Boom - that moment hit me. Even though I knew my work was strong, they didn’t see me yet. They didn’t know me well enough to understand the value I bring.

It actually sent me down a little reflection spiral, thinking about all the times I’ve stayed in the background, hoping my work would speak for itself. Sure, people notice effort, but like I say repeatedly, effort alone rarely translates into recognition, impact, or opportunity. Visibility isn’t about bragging or overselling, it’s about showing up in the spaces where decisions are made, and presenting your work in ways that leadership or in my case, decision makers can actually understand and appreciate.

That morning, I had also been rushing my three kids to school, juggling breakfast, backpacks, and a million small tasks that felt invisible, too. And again it hit me. Visibility applies everywhere: at home, at work, and in your own life. You could spend months creating the ideal course, weeks helping your team hit deadlines, days prepping the perfect report, or hours cooking a birthday breakfast for your kids but if no one notices the results, it doesn’t get counted.

Here’s a little framework I use with my clients: if you’re naturally low-key in some areas, look for small, strategic moments to be seen in others.

At home, maybe it’s sharing with your partner or kids something you organized that made the day run smoother - like the week you reorganized school drop-offs so mornings ran 15 minutes faster.
At work, it’s about naming your impact: “By improving the product rollout process, we cut release time from 10 days to 6 and increased user adoption in the first month by 20%.” Even casual team emails or quick updates in meetings can turn effort into impact that people notice.
In community spaces, mentoring, volunteering, or helping a colleague with a high-profile project is a chance to make contributions visible in a natural, low-pressure way.

After that sales call, I made a conscious choice to be a little louder about my wins, my approach, and my perspective. Not flashy, because that’s just not me, but clear and aligned. I requested another call with the potential client and shared concrete examples: a client who, as a result of becoming more visible and vocal in ways that aligned with her, landed that high-impact project she had been silently hoping for for 6 months; another client who increased his promotion readiness score by 40% with simple, daily shifts that felt natural and easy to implement; and another client who just landed a promotion and pay raise after being the “go-to” PM for 3 years. Framing my work in terms of outcomes rather than effort changed the energy entirely. The client went from cautiously interested to genuinely enthusiastic once they could see the value that I brought to the table. They could finally see me.

Let me be clear - visibility isn’t about being “on” all the time. It’s about being deliberate, present, and confident enough to let people know what you’re contributing when it matters. And once you start doing this consistently, opportunities follow. Recognition, influence, the right projects, pay increases, clients - they all require one thing: for someone to actually see you.

So here’s the question I keep asking myself - and my clients too: How visible are you in the moments that matter? And if you’re quiet by default, where could you shine naturally this week without stretching yourself too thin? Sometimes all it takes is one small update, one framed outcome, or one story told with confidence for people to start noticing the work you’ve been quietly crushing.

And if you’re not ready to say it out loud quite yet, reply and tell me…because starting somewhere is better than not starting at all. And even this small act, will start to shift how you show up.

🔥 If you know someone who is brilliant but constantly flying under the radar, this one’s for them too so please forward along. And if you haven’t subscribed yet, join Unmuted here to get next week’s issue. You don't want to miss it!

See you next week,

Minal

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