The Strategic Salary Series is the podcast for ambitious women who want to negotiate bigger salaries, lead with confidence and get promoted on their own terms.
Hosted by Lucy Daramola, an advertising and tech leader and working mum, this podcast cuts through the corporate noise and delivers real, practical, unapologetic advice on how to ask for more, earn more and become impossible to overlook!
Each episode features candid conversations with C-suite leaders, award-winners and industry trailblazers, revealing the unfiltered strategies behind salary negotiation that works, pay-rise and promotion pathways, career confidence for women in leadership, building visibility and influence, and navigating work as a parent.
Expect raw insights, proven frameworks and stories you will not hear anywhere else. No fluff, no jargon, just powerful guidance to help you own your value, negotiate your worth and build a career that pays you properly.
Follow, share and step into your most confident, highest-earning era. This is your blueprint for earning more and realising your value.
The Strategic Salary Series is the podcast for ambitious women who want to negotiate bigger salaries, lead with confidence and get promoted on their own terms.
Hosted by Lucy Daramola, an advertising and tech leader and working mum, this podcast cuts through the corporate noise and delivers real, practical, unapologetic advice on how to ask for more, earn more and become impossible to overlook!
Each episode features candid conversations with C-suite leaders, award-winners and industry trailblazers, revealing the unfiltered strategies behind salary negotiation that works, pay-rise and promotion pathways, career confidence for women in leadership, building visibility and influence, and navigating work as a parent.
Expect raw insights, proven frameworks and stories you will not hear anywhere else. No fluff, no jargon, just powerful guidance to help you own your value, negotiate your worth and build a career that pays you properly.
Follow, share and step into your most confident, highest-earning era. This is your blueprint for earning more and realising your value.
“What gets in the way isn’t a lack of knowledge, it’s the high expectations women put on themselves when they come back.”
In this conversation, Vicky Millar an experienced parental coach, explore the challenges faced by individuals returning to work after parental leave, particularly focusing on the confidence gap that arises from a perceived loss of knowledge and high self-expectations. She discusses the importance of aligning expectations with managers and the transition from HR to coaching, emphasising the transformative nature of coaching methods.
“It is never a no. It is a redirection.”
Amina, an award winning CEO, shares a fast track from retail and HR to C Suite by filling business gaps, keeping receipts on impact and advocating early. Her playbook is simple: flip what is your current salary to what does this role pay, ask often to build the confidence muscle and time requests with the economy while weighing total compensation. She treats rest as strategy, uses rapport and second degree networks to open doors and stays sharp with trusted news and AI digests. The takeaway: be your own number one fan and run toward the opportunity.
“Somebody tells you no? You are asking the wrong person.”
In this candid episode, Louise DiIulio, Chief Client Officer at Advertising Week, traces her accidental entry into media to more than twelve years building global events powered by deep relationships. She reframes sales as advanced relationship work with clear scoreboards and unpacks why many women hesitate to move from account management into sales. Her negotiation playbook is simple and sharp: start with the business need, show proof of impact, and state a clear why before you ask. We touch on Future Is Female, the pull of loyalty, and imposter feelings. Louise shows how being kind and true to yourself can still be elite career strategy.
“Know the number you want to ask for and say it out loud until your brain and your voice are comfortable with it.”
In this engaging conversation, Jo Vaughton, CMO of Popeyes UK, shares her unique career journey from aspiring journalist to marketing leader. She discusses the impact of her recent ADHD diagnosis on her personal and professional life, emphasizing the importance of understanding neurodiversity in the workplace. Jo provides valuable insights into salary negotiations, the significance of holistic compensation packages, and the role of learning and development in career progression. The discussion also highlights the power of knowing one's worth and the importance of having advocates in one's career journey, all while maintaining a light-hearted tone with personal anecdotes about cheese and family life.
“Success to me means freedom…freedom of time, freedom of money, freedom of location.”
In this inspiring conversation, Nishma Patel Robb, former Google Marketing Director and Founder of Glittersphere, takes us on her journey from starting out in an analogue world at Teletext to shaping the future of brands at Google and beyond. After a decade leading marketing at one of the world’s most powerful companies, she chose to step away and build something of her own. Nishma opens up about the courage it takes to pivot at the height of a successful career, the sleepless nights of entrepreneurship, and why she believes success is freedom, of time, money, and choice. She dives into the difference between fame and influence, the role of visibility in building confidence, and the urgent need for women to understand and negotiate their value. This episode is full of energy, honesty, and actionable insights on how to back yourself, tell your story, and create the career, and life…you really want.
“You stepped into a CEO role 6 months pregnant”
In this engaging conversation, Katie Streeter Hurle, CEO at SMG, shares her journey from Procter & Gamble to leading one of the UK’s most influential commerce media specialists. She redefined what leadership looks like when she stepped into the CEO role six months pregnant and opens up about the realities of balancing ambition with family life. Katie discusses the differences between client-side and agency work, the value of quiet leadership, and why setting clear boundaries can unlock flexibility and inclusion in the workplace. She also shares her approach to progression, focusing on business impact over effort, and reflects on the importance of trusting instincts and building supportive teams.
"Taking a pay cut was one of my smartest career moves"
In this engaging conversation, Alice Anson, Director of Digital Retail Media at Nectar360, known as the queen of UK retail media, shares her unique career journey from law to retail media, her experiences with neurodiversity, and the importance of workplace culture. She discusses the significance of curiosity in career development, the challenges of self-doubt, and the value of having a supportive network. Alice also emphasises the importance of negotiation and making smart career moves, including her decision to take a pay cut for long-term growth.
Full video on YouTube!
"You are a marketable asset."
In this conversation, Pete Markey, former CMO of Boots UK & Ireland, a seasoned marketing leader, shares insights from his extensive career journey, discussing the importance of passion for customers, embracing failures, and the nuances of salary negotiations. He emphasises the significance of having a development plan and understanding one's self-worth in the workplace. Pete Markey also highlights the value of creativity and personal growth through experiences like improvisation.
Full video on YouTube!!