12. Ask Boldly, Live Bravely: Crafting the Career You Actually Want with Anita Verna Crofts

What if designing the life you want wasn’t about hustle or luck—but about asking? In this episode of Hard at Work, Ellen Whitlock Baker sits down with educator, consultant, and unapologetic life-designer Anita Verna Crofts for a conversation that spans continents, careers, and hard-earned wisdom.
Anita shares how she negotiated a cross-country, flexible faculty role at a time when remote work was almost unheard of—and why she always shows up to the table with a list. They talk salary transparency, the systems still holding women back (even when we do ask), and what leaders can do today to create equity inside their organizations.
This episode is packed with perspective-shifting insights—from how to craft a vision for your life that actually honors your needs, to why sharing salary data is radical (and necessary), to how those in power can stop perpetuating inequality at work.
It’s a call to clarity, to courage, and to community—and a reminder that rest, purpose, and power can coexist.
🎧 You’ll hear about:
How Anita negotiated a bi-coastal faculty role in 2009
The myth that women don’t ask—and what’s actually broken
Why salary transparency should be a leadership priority
How to start imagining a different kind of life, even when you're overwhelmed
Using your privilege to challenge inequity and build community
📥 Plus: Shoutouts to Women Don’t Ask, Financial Feminist, and the queen of repurposed chairs.