Women in Tech · Promotion · Pay Equity · Leadership
Your technical skills aren't the problem. The system is.
Women in tech are consistently outperforming their male peers and still being passed over for promotion, underpaid, and underestimated. The solution isn't to work harder. It's to play the game differently - and more strategically.
The obstacles are real. So are the strategies to overcome them.
The challenges women face in tech aren't imaginary - they're structural, cultural, and persistent. Promotion criteria that reward visibility over output. Compensation systems that penalize those who don't negotiate aggressively. Leadership pipelines that favor a specific kind of presence.
René Cole has spent two decades inside those systems - sourcing, screening, and selecting talent. She knows how promotion decisions get made, where the bias enters, and what actually moves the needle for women navigating these environments.
The coaching isn't about telling you to lean in or speak up more. It's about understanding the specific dynamics in your specific situation and building a strategy that works within - and sometimes around - the system you're actually in.
What we work on together
Promotion Strategy
Understanding what's actually blocking you - visibility, sponsorship, narrative, or something else - and building a concrete plan to address it before the next cycle.
Compensation Negotiation
Systematic negotiation strategy for base, equity, and total comp. Women who negotiate close the gap significantly - the key is knowing how and when.
Leadership Positioning
Building the executive presence and organizational visibility that gets you in the room where decisions are made - without performing a version of leadership that isn't yours.
Frequently asked questions
How is career coaching for women in tech different from general coaching?
The technical skills are rarely the issue. What holds women back in tech is almost always a combination of visibility, sponsorship, negotiation, and navigating cultures that weren't built with them in mind. Effective coaching addresses those dynamics directly - not with generic advice, but with specific tactics for specific situations.
I've been passed over for promotion despite strong performance. What's going on?
Performance is necessary but not sufficient. Promotion decisions are made by people with biases - conscious and not - and they're influenced by visibility, advocacy, and narrative. We'll diagnose what's actually blocking you and build a strategy that addresses the real obstacle, not the assumed one.
Can you help me negotiate a higher salary in a tech role?
Yes - and the data is clear that women who negotiate systematically close the gap significantly. René has coached hundreds of salary negotiations and knows how tech compensation structures work, where the real leverage is, and how to hold firm without damaging the relationship.
I'm considering leaving tech entirely. Should I?
Maybe - but let's make sure you're leaving the right thing. Many women who feel done with tech are actually done with a specific company, team, or role type. Before you exit an entire industry, it's worth understanding whether a targeted move within tech would change the equation.