Cautionary tale about negotiating like ajumma

My coaching practice is inspired by this spicy 🌶️ ajumma — Korean word meaning "auntie," usually referring to a mother with strong elbows and IDGAF attitudes.

(circa 2015, when my mom and I got the K-beauty treatment for my sister's wedding)

Some ajummas are tiger moms and they are tigers 🐅 themselves, especially when it comes to going to bat, or bargaining for the sake of their child’s betterment. 

The ajumma I know best — my mom — told me to speak up, ask for what I want, and to be assertive. 

She wanted me to know, and now I want all women to know: 

 🔥 Your voice has power. Use it.  

🔥 If folks don’t like self-assured women, it’s their loss. 

F'em. 

(Seriously, this is the advice I give to women executives who encounter gender bias in the workplace. Stop letting Steve's misinformed opinions about you roam rent-free in your mind.)

But let me share with you a cautionary tale about negotiating like an ajumma -- 

When I was a 26-year old newbie hedge fund analyst, I thought winning in my career was about negotiating like a haughty shopper.  

Because in the 80's I grew up in Seoul, South Korea, watching my mom haggle with other ajummas selling piles of dried mackerel and roasted seaweed in the open street markets. 

"C'mon, give me a better price." A little more for me and little less for you, or I just walk away.

I carried that lesson with me to the USA when I immigrated here as a seven year old. 

Later, even with my fancy Smith College degree, I hadn't yet learned about gender blowback, reputational risk, or how to negotiate for mutual benefit, like a pro. 

So one day I approached the hedge fund manager (the top dog) and bargained for a professional training budget -- no prelude, all bluster. 

"No," was the quick and swift answer. 

Ouch. I'd done it wrong. 

When you know better, you do better. Then you help as many women as possible do better, too. 

For close to 12 years and running, it's my vocation to equip professional women with proven negotiation strategies like... 

🗣️ Articulating your professional value in a way that enhances your perceived value 

🗣️ Leveraging the interdependence of your network, so you can be politically savvy, not outmaneuvered, and  

🗣️ Making compelling asks that get you buy-in and recognized as a leader. 


In other words... 

🔥 I’m honoring the spirit of ajumma fire — rooted in love and conviction and power — and tempering it with leadership strategies that just work.


If this is what you want, you've come to the right place. I invite you to book your free 1:1 consultation with me. 

CLICK HERE to book your hour-long consult. 

I'll walk you step-by-step through the processes and tools I offer my clients, so you know exactly how you can bring the strong backbone of a confident woman matched with strategies that take you to the leadership suite and beyond. 

Talk soon, 
Jamie 




P.S. My client, a Brand Director at Fortune 500 company says…

"Through targeted weekly homework assignments, I built self-confidence that I needed to take initiative at work, negotiate a pay raise and generally reduce my stress.

I unlearned perfectionism, which helped me produce more work on a regular basis, and learned that I can improve both my leadership and income while being authentic to myself.

Having a dedicated space to think through and strategize for my career growth in a way that matches my personality, which is empathetic, creative and driven has been integral to my growth.

I always felt like my "drive" wasn’t as strong as those around me, but coaching with Jamie showed me there is no one way to be driven or ambitious." 




Would you like to learn how you too can reduce your anxiety, build self-confidence, and get equipped with strategies so you get promoted and better paid? 

To dive deeper, you’re invited to book your free consult today: Click HERE