Episode 152: Highly Educated, Undercompensated, and Done Pretending the Math Adds Up

I stopped pretending the math made sense.

Many of us as women, especially women of color who are highly educated and deeply skilled, are still undercompensated in the spaces we help run. We fought hard for the degrees. We deliver the results. And somehow the numbers still don't add up.

After years of trying to make every word serve an algorithm and a funnel, I made a different choice. I started writing on Substack to rediscover my voice, publish more freely, and create a space for the kind of real talk that doesn't need a full 20-minute breakdown to be valuable.

In this episode, I'm sharing the story behind that decision. Because there are more ways than ever to leverage your expertise, create options, and build the life you want and desperately need. And I don't want you to wait as long as I did to start exploring them.

If this hits home, subscribe to the podcast and join me over at The New Age Consultant on Substack. https://thenewageconsultant.substack.com/

Transcript

Falling Back In Love With Writing

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever decided that you're going to do something a little bit out of the ordinary? Maybe it's tapping back into a creative place that you felt left a long time ago, or trying something completely new that is unlike anything you've tried or done in the past. And you start the journey and it feels a little weird, feels uncomfortable, but then you take a moment to step back and look at it all, and you realize that you should have done this a long time ago. Listen, that's where I am right now when it comes to writing. Writing isn't something I've enjoyed for a really long time. And often I've written things and tried to figure out how I could make it all cohesive so that it builds back into my business, so it has purpose, so it drives people through the buyer's journey. It just all began to feel so analytical and less creative, less of me pouring out what I really felt would help others and more of me trying to figure out how to satisfy an algorithm. And so that led me to shift away from all the platforms that we're so used to and spend time building out my Substack. Now I chose Substack because it's a great way to just get started writing again, where people are already there and congregating to read more from others, to learn something new. Uh somewhat of a uh fresher platform, I feel like the medium, which is something that I have uh spent time on in the past. And in starting this journey on Substack, it really has shown me that there is so much that I want to share, so many things that we need to talk about that, yes, enters into the podcast and is part of what the podcast has always been, but then also takes on its own form because maybe the topics are not meant to be long and drawn out. Maybe they're meant to be short tips or insights or sparking new conversation that doesn't have to take you 20 minutes to go through. Either way, it has felt good to start that journey again. And so what I wanted to do with this episode is actually share one of the uh recent posts that I made, because I think that is something that is very pertinent to where many women may find themselves today, where you may find yourself today, especially with this crazy economy that we're in and all of the insanity that is around us. Many times, as women, especially if you are the Brett winner in your family, you may be finding yourself in a space where you are definitely accomplished, doing a lot, but not quite feeling like that when it comes to your pocketbook and all of those things surrounding finances. Uh, so I want us to get a little bit more comfortable in this episode. I'm gonna be a little bit more vulnerable than I have been in the past. But that's what I want the subsact to be about. I want it to be that space that we can be more open and more transparent, just like on this podcast. I these are safe spaces that I want to create for us as women, especially as women of color, to talk about things that are pertinent to our lives and how we show up in our business as consultants, as experts, as strategists, whatever you want to tie to yourself. So I hope you enjoyed this episode. And listen, let's continue this conversation. I really do mean it when I say reach out on LinkedIn or Instagram or threads. Listen, I'm on all the platforms. So hearing from you and your thoughts, what you think, and what you are learning and maybe taking away from this episode is something that would just bring me a lot of warmth. Uh, so definitely don't hesitate with sharing it. All right, let's get started.

Why This Podcast Exists

SPEAKER_00 4:07

They say the odds are stacked against us as women, especially women of color, trying to thrive in the consulting world. But rather than wait for a seat at the table that may never come, what if we build our own table? What if we channeled our talents into guiding each other towards the best we deserve? Welcome to the Black Girls Consult 2 Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Antoina Davis, and I've walked the path from healthcare consultant to a mentor for women like you, ambitious, unstoppable, and ready to make waves in the consulting world. This podcast is your go-to spot for all things entrepreneurial consulting. For us as women, especially women of color, think of it as your weekly coffee date with a friend who's here to ditch out real talk on building a solid business, elevating your thought leadership, and mastering that all-important mindset. And let's not forget it, we're doing all of this while balancing day jobs, family life, and running teams. Yes, we can do it all. So if you're ready to dive into how you can grow a thriving consultancy or get strategies and insights that actually fit your busy lifestyle, then you're in the right place. Grab your coffee, tea, or hey, even a glass of wine. I won't judge. And let's get started.

The Breadwinner Season During Recession

SPEAKER_00 5:28

We were on a public high, and I call it a private low at the same time. The year my husband was laid off during the Great Recession, we had just watched history be made. I it was the inauguration of the first African-American president. You know, the kind of moment that ignites a sense of purpose in your chest, something that makes you feel like the ground beneath you has shifted in the best way possible. And then we came home and we had to figure out how we were going to get the bills paid. Two highly educated people, four miles to feed, soon to be five, and me, I was freshly crowned the breadwinner. So I did the only thing I knew to do at the time, and that was pick up a part-time job teaching a late-night pharmacy technician course on the other side of town after a full day of work. The commute in Atlanta traffic was horrendous. And the timing was less than ideal, but it was the fastest way I knew to turn my degree into money. And no, it didn't pay much more than any other retail job. My husband picked up late shifts at the local Target with an overnight security gig on the side at one of the shadiest hotels. My husband and I barely saw each other as we traded shifts with the kids. We were doing what we had always been taught to do: work hard, figure it out, keep going. And we did. But I won't pretend that it wasn't exhausting. And the weight of it all kept me up at night, making the next day even more challenging to navigate. The word consulting hadn't entered my world yet. When I look back on that season now, I don't just see our story, I see a pattern that so many women face. Brilliant, credentialed, deeply accomplished women who are working nights and weekends, holding multiple jobs, stretching every dollar, struggling to make ends meet despite having multiple degrees, tons of lived experience and career success. Maybe it's not a layoff for them. Maybe it's inflation, the rising cost of everything, or just the slow and quiet, devastating realization that they are generating real significant revenue for institutions that return almost none of it back to them. When the door to consulting opened for me, I walked through it. The flexibility alone felt like excelling after holding my breath for too long. But it wasn't until I saw the actual numbers that something shifted in me permanently. The first major contract my group landed, I did most of the work to service that client. No extra support when I needed it, no real resources besides a new MacBook or an iPad. Then I saw the amount on that contract. I looked at it, then I looked at my paycheck, and I sat with that difference for a long time. I mean, the gap between what I had contributed and what I was receiving was shocking.

Naming The Access Gap In Consulting

SPEAKER_00 8:43

That difference has a name. I call it the access gap. It's the distance between what your expertise is genuinely worth and what you're actually getting compensated for it. When you have not yet been given access to those inner circles, the networks, the rooms where those decisions and contracts and relationships are built, it's not a reflection of your intelligence, your credentials, or how hard you've worked. It is a structural reality. And once I saw it clearly, I couldn't unsee it. What I couldn't reconcile then and still find myself sitting with is that as a black woman, I was part of a demographic outpacing almost every other group in the attainment of graduate doctoral and professional degrees. As women, especially women of color, we are among the most educated people in this country. And yet, so many of us are still piecing together income, still anxious at the end of the month, still undercompensated in spaces where our work is driving real outcomes. The math does not make sense. It has never made sense. And honestly, this is what fuels my work every single day. Because this is not just my story. I hear versions of it constantly. Women who are brilliant, skilled, and seriously underestimated. Women who have been taught to be grateful for the access that they do have rather than curious about the access that they deserve. Women who are sitting up at night running numbers in their heads, wondering when things will finally feel a little more like freedom. But here is what I want you to hold on to.

New Doors To Leverage Expertise

SPEAKER_00 10:31

The barriers that once made the access gap feel insurmountable are shifting. The closed rooms, the invisible networks, and prestige gatekeeping that used to be the only path are no longer the whole story. We now have real tangible ways to leverage our skills and our expertise that simply did not exist even a few years ago. And when you learn to leverage what you know, you create options. When you have options, you have choices about your time, your energy, your income, and your life. And that is where everything else begins. You know that self-life everyone talks about online? It was always meant for us too. We just needed a different door.

Proof You Can Build Options

SPEAKER_00 11:24

This Upstack article was written because I want you to know before I knew how to fully leverage the expertise that I have, the thought of being able to get out of the loop, going round and round, thinking about all the things that I had on my plate, the responsibilities, the weight of that. And knowing that I had all of this expertise and degrees, but I didn't know quite how to leverage it to my advantage. I just want you to know that you can do it. I'm evidence, and there's so many other women out there that are too. I hope that you enjoyed this particular article. And if you're interested in more, I want you to join me on Substack Day. No, it's meant to help you build the consulting business that you truly dream of in this new era that is filled with a lot of competition, a lot of AI, unlearning corporate rules that really should have been going a long time ago, and a lot of the faith that we need to keep going. So check me out there. And also don't forget to subscribe to the podcast. Make sure you're sharing it with a friend because it helps us to reach more and more women that truly do need the information and support in order to build something bigger and greater. That's our goal. And until next time, take care. Thank you for tuning in to the Black Girls Huntle 2 podcast. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to leave your review on Apple Podcasts, subscribe, and share it with a friend. We're on a mission to increase the success and longevity of women in consulting. And you can help us do just that. Also, I'd love to hear from you to let us know at Dr. Angelina David on Instagram or LinkedIn. And don't forget to visit Excel at consulting.com for more information to support your consulting journey. Until next time, keep breaking glass delay.