August 5, 2025 • 16 mins
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Ever feel like your professional brilliance isn't translating into the consulting success you deserve? You're not alone. The most frustrating reality for many exceptional consultants isn't a lack of expertise—it's watching less qualified competitors land premium contracts while you remain overlooked.
For women consultants, especially women of color, these challenges often have systemic roots. But with strategic authority positioning, you can transcend these barriers. Stop being your industry's best-kept secret and become the obvious choice that clients know they need to hire immediately. Your brilliance deserves recognition, and with the right framework, you'll make it impossible to ignore.
Tune in now and don't forget to subscribe to Black Girls Consult TOO! on YouTube and Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, to continue this journey toward establishing yourself as the authority in your space. Your expertise isn't the problem. Your invisibility is. Let's change that together!
*********
Ready to identify the gaps preventing your genius from being recognized? Click here to take the quiz to discover your next steps toward unshakeable credibility that generates consistent demand without the hustle.
Interested in learning more about the Strategic Authority Framework? Visit https://excelatconsulting.com/authoritydesigned/
Let's Connect!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drangelinadavis/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drangelinadavis/
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Black Girls Console 2
podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and if this is your first
time tuning into the podcast, Iwanna say welcome.
We are on a journey in creatingnot just an audio version of
this podcast but a video versionas well.
So many of the episodes thatyou will listen to in recent
(00:23):
months they have been videosthat have been published on
YouTube and then turned into anaudio format for our audio
podcast.
This has been a growth journey,to say the least, which is one
of the reasons why episodes havenot been as frequent as they
have been in the past, but thatis continuing to evolve and to
(00:44):
change and to grow as we get alittle bit better at this.
This particular episode is onethat was recorded very recently
to start to take a deeper diveinto some of the frameworks that
I use with clients, one beingthe strategic authority
framework, and in thisparticular episode I'm
introducing what this frameworkis and how it can help you shift
(01:07):
from becoming your industry'sbest kept secret to that
consultant that needs to behired right away, I mean like
yesterday.
So if you're interested in thisconversation, then I want you
to tune in and listen closely inthis episode as we dive a
little bit deeper.
If you want to see the episodeon YouTube, just visit Black
(01:29):
Girls Consult 2 on YouTube andyou will be able to view this
episode fully, where there's alittle bit of writing and some
other information that you canactually visually see.
That may help you betterunderstand what is being
conveyed.
However, I'm glad to have youhere.
I'm so excited to welcome youinto this journey with me.
I'm having so much fun tryingnew things, and this is one I
(01:52):
know.
It's easy to hire somebody todo all of the ground work for
you and to really do things thatare hard right now.
But I am learning in thisprocess.
I want to become better in thisprocess and I just thank you
for giving me and showing me thegrace as I do this.
So, without any further ado,without me holding you up any
(02:13):
further, let's get started.
They say.
The odds are stacked against usas women, especially women of
color, trying to thrive in theconsulting world.
But rather than wait for a seatat the table that may never
come, what if we build our owntables?
What if we channeled ourtalents into guiding each other
towards the success we deserve?
(02:34):
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsulting Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and I've walked the path
from healthcare consultant to amentor for women like you,
ambitious, unstoppable and readyto make waves in the consulting
world.
This podcast is your go-to spotfor all things entrepreneurial
consulting.
For us as women, especiallywomen of color, think of it as
(02:56):
your weekly coffee date with afriend who's here to dish out
real talk on building a solidbusiness, elevating your thought
leadership and mastering thatall important mindset.
And let's not forget, we'redoing all of this while
balancing day jobs, family lifeand running teams.
Yes, we can do it all.
So if you're ready to dive intohow you can grow a thriving
(03:18):
consultancy or get strategiesand insights that actually fit
your busy lifestyle, then you'rein the right place.
Grab your coffee, tea or, hey,even a glass of wine, I won't
judge and let's get started.
If you're operating with elitelevel brilliance but entry-level
(03:41):
visibility you're watching lessexperienced consultants land
the clients that you want towork with and deserve, while
remaining your industry'sbest-kept secret then this
episode will change how youthink about building your
consulting business forever.
I'm going to show you exactlywhy traditional consulting
(04:02):
advice keeps brilliant womenlike you invisible and introduce
you to a framework that's beenused by numerous women with
extraordinary expertise thattransitions them from hidden
gems to becoming the obviouschoice.
I'm Dr Angelina Davis, and overthe past decade I've worked
(04:23):
with numerous women consultantswho had the same frustrating
pattern that I've seen time andtime again they have elite level
brilliance, proven expertise,extraordinary results with
clients, but still somehowthey're going overlooked.
And here's what I've noticedafter sitting in corporate
(04:44):
boardrooms and watching whathappens behind the scenes,
especially when it comes tohiring consultants the
consultants that land premiumcontracts.
They aren't necessarily themost brilliant.
They're the most strategicallyvisible, and there's a massive
difference between being thebest kept secret and being the
(05:05):
obvious choice.
So today I'm going to breakdown exactly what that
difference is, why traditionalconsulting advice may be failing
you and how the strategicauthority framework can
transform your entire approachto building your consulting
business.
If you want to learn more, thenstay tuned.
Let me paint this picture ofwhat your reality probably looks
(05:33):
like right now, because I wantyou to know that what you're
experiencing is not a personalfailing.
It truly is a systemic problem.
So see if one of these relatesto you.
First, there's the RFP trap.
You're likely responding torequests for proposals, where
you're competing against anumber of other consultants, and
so the decision often comesdown to who meets the criteria
(05:56):
that's been laid out the best,and oftentimes who's the
cheapest.
This is not a reflection of whodoes the best work, of who is
the most talented in their field.
So when you spend hourscrafting this perfect proposal,
showcasing your methodology,you're experiencing your results
, and then you lose to somebodywho seemingly copied and pasted
(06:21):
a template and undercut you by40%, well, that can feel a
little bit defeating, but it isone of the examples of the
challenges that we face.
Another is the networkingnightmare.
Maybe you're showing up atnetworking events and having
great conversations, you'recollecting business cards and
(06:41):
people are telling you you knowwhat, we should definitely work
together sometime.
But those connections rarelyturn into true contacts, and
when they do, it's usually maybea small project that maybe
leads to more small projects,but not the big breakthrough
that you've been looking for.
Then we have the best keptsecret trap.
(07:03):
You take pride in your work,you do an amazing job, and you
really don't care about beingseen, because, in your eyes, you
want the work to be done withexcellence to take center stage
(07:26):
when people can't associate youwith the outcome that's been
provided with that work, thenyou lose a certain element of
social proof that goes alongwith what you do, and therefore,
when they're thinking about newprojects, they don't often have
you at top of mind.
So in each of these scenarios,it's not because you are not a
great consultant or you don'thave an amazing business, or you
(07:48):
haven't worked with clients andbeen shown to provide fabulous
results.
You have everything that youneed in order to be an industry
leader, but you don't have theauthority that you need in your
space, and not having thatauthority can cost you more
business than you know.
When we think about theobstacles that most women face
(08:10):
when trying to establishthemselves as industry leaders
in the consulting space, thereare usually, I would say, three
hills of mountains that we haveto climb.
Now, when we think aboutbuilding authority, it is not a
matter of us focusing on havingmore credentials.
I think that is one of themisconceptions that in order to
(08:34):
be seen as an authority in yourspace, you need to have the most
degrees or credentials behindyour name.
That's not it.
Strategic authority issomething that we can build, and
we build it by being able toovercome the most common
obstacles that we will face inorder to be seen as a trusted
advisor or industry leader.
(08:55):
So you may be asking what thoseare.
Well, let me show you.
All right, so what we're goingto dive into is what I call the
strategic authority framework,and this framework is a
framework that was created afterworking with so many women that
were not being recognizedappropriately and compensated
(09:17):
for their brilliance in theirindustry.
This is a way for us to build asustainable authority-based
business where your authority,what you have accomplished, your
expertise attracts and draws inthe business that you need and
you're able to sustain yourbusiness over the long term by
(09:39):
creating something that islasting, instead of just
searching for random projects toacquire or to pick up.
We want something that is goingto last.
Now, when we think aboutapproaching authority building,
we often have to face a fewobstacles, and I mentioned
before.
There are typically threecommon obstacles that most women
(10:02):
consultants face.
These are things that reallykeep us from being competitive
in our industries, no matterwhat your field may be.
Now I'm going to draw this outas three heels, although it does
not necessarily mean that theseneed to come in this order.
There is some variability as tohow everyone will experience
(10:26):
these obstacles.
It is not a linear process, butwe do know that there are three
key areas that pose a problemfor many or most women.
One is that your expertise islikely undervalued.
(10:46):
Being undervalued means thatyou're in a situation where you
are highly capable, have thetrack record, have the
credentials, have all of thethings that you need in order to
stand out in your space, butbecause you're positioned as
more of a generalist, yourclients don't view you in the
(11:11):
most valuable light.
So in order for you to changethat, what needs to happen is
that you shift from this pointof being undervalued for your
expertise to actually beingexpertly positioned.
It means that you are now beingseen as more of a specialist.
(11:34):
So we need to make thistransition from being
undervalued for your expertiseto being highly valued or
expertly positioned through yourspecialization.
Now the second obstacle thatmany of us face is limited
access.
You do not have direct accessto decision makers, so you're
(11:57):
likely drumming up businessthrough referrals, doing a lot
of networking, submitting yourresponse to requests for
proposals or RFPs, instead ofdirectly building relationships
with those individuals who aremaking decisions at the highest
level for the largest contracts,and this is something that we
(12:18):
need to be able to change Now inorder for us to shift from
limited access to a scenariowhere we have greater access.
It means that we need to beable to have direct to decision
maker presence presence.
(12:49):
When you have direct todecision maker presence, then
you are speaking to the personor the individuals that are
driving change.
You have direct access to them.
You're able to impact the waythat they think, how they view
the world, how they view yourindustry, how they view the
future in your space.
That's when you havedirect-to-decision-maker
presence and that helps you toovercome that limited access.
Now, the last obstacle that mostface and this is one that truly
(13:14):
can inhibit growth or hindergrowth in the long term is that
you have an unscalable model,and when you have an unscalable
model, it means that yourbusiness is running off of and
(13:34):
dependent on you.
It depends on your personaltime, it depends on your energy.
It means that, essentially,you're running a high-end job,
not the business that you want.
That's going to bring you theflexibility and the freedom that
you desire.
That you want.
That's going to bring you theflexibility and the freedom that
you desire.
So we have to be structured sothat, instead of having this
(13:57):
unscalable model, that weinstead have what I like to call
a scalable consulting engineconsulting engine and the reason
why I like to call this ascalable consulting engine is
(14:18):
because this needs to work foryou.
This needs to be able to driveitself, to fuel itself, and once
we're able to do that, then weare building something that is
going to last.
When we have been expertlypositioned, when we are able to
have direct-to-decision-makerconversations and then have a
(14:41):
scalable consulting engine, youwill be unstoppable.
This is easily attainable,especially when you're
approaching it from a verystructured point of view, and
that's what this framework isdesigned to do.
It's designed to help youbecome the industry leader that
you deserve to be.
The women I have worked withthat have used this framework
(15:04):
have stopped being theindustry's best kept secret.
You need to be seen as theobvious choice.
Being the industry's best keptsecret, you need to be seen as
the obvious choice and when thathappens, you stop being the
humble expert, the one that isdoing everything behind the
scenes and taking little creditand hoping to be discovered, to
being recognized for theauthority that you command and
(15:26):
the person that everybody knowsto call.
So remember, your brilliance wasnever the problem.
The problem was that yourbrilliance was invisible to the
people who need it most, and thestrategic authority framework
that we just went through makesyou impossible to ignore.
So if you're ready to stopchasing contracts and start
(15:49):
attracting the clients who valueyour expertise, then we need to
get you over those threeobstacles that are standing in
your way, because once you do,you'll have the business that
you dreamed of.
All right, I hope this helps.
If you enjoyed this episode,make sure that you subscribe to
this YouTube channel as well asshare this episode with a friend
(16:12):
.
Leave your rating and review onSpotify or Apple Podcasts if
you're listening to this throughthe audio version, and I will
talk to you again next time.
Take care.
Hello and welcome to the Black Girls Console 2
podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and if this is your first
time tuning into the podcast, Iwanna say welcome.
We are on a journey in creatingnot just an audio version of
this podcast but a video versionas well.
So many of the episodes thatyou will listen to in recent
(00:23):
months they have been videosthat have been published on
YouTube and then turned into anaudio format for our audio
podcast.
This has been a growth journey,to say the least, which is one
of the reasons why episodes havenot been as frequent as they
have been in the past, but thatis continuing to evolve and to
(00:44):
change and to grow as we get alittle bit better at this.
This particular episode is onethat was recorded very recently
to start to take a deeper diveinto some of the frameworks that
I use with clients, one beingthe strategic authority
framework, and in thisparticular episode I'm
introducing what this frameworkis and how it can help you shift
(01:07):
from becoming your industry'sbest kept secret to that
consultant that needs to behired right away, I mean like
yesterday.
So if you're interested in thisconversation, then I want you
to tune in and listen closely inthis episode as we dive a
little bit deeper.
If you want to see the episodeon YouTube, just visit Black
(01:29):
Girls Consult 2 on YouTube andyou will be able to view this
episode fully, where there's alittle bit of writing and some
other information that you canactually visually see.
That may help you betterunderstand what is being
conveyed.
However, I'm glad to have youhere.
I'm so excited to welcome youinto this journey with me.
I'm having so much fun tryingnew things, and this is one I
(01:52):
know.
It's easy to hire somebody todo all of the ground work for
you and to really do things thatare hard right now.
But I am learning in thisprocess.
I want to become better in thisprocess and I just thank you
for giving me and showing me thegrace as I do this.
So, without any further ado,without me holding you up any
(02:13):
further, let's get started.
They say.
The odds are stacked against usas women, especially women of
color, trying to thrive in theconsulting world.
But rather than wait for a seatat the table that may never
come, what if we build our owntables?
What if we channeled ourtalents into guiding each other
towards the success we deserve?
(02:34):
Welcome to the Black GirlsConsulting Podcast.
I'm your host, dr AngelinaDavis, and I've walked the path
from healthcare consultant to amentor for women like you,
ambitious, unstoppable and readyto make waves in the consulting
world.
This podcast is your go-to spotfor all things entrepreneurial
consulting.
For us as women, especiallywomen of color, think of it as
(02:56):
your weekly coffee date with afriend who's here to dish out
real talk on building a solidbusiness, elevating your thought
leadership and mastering thatall important mindset.
And let's not forget, we'redoing all of this while
balancing day jobs, family lifeand running teams.
Yes, we can do it all.
So if you're ready to dive intohow you can grow a thriving
(03:18):
consultancy or get strategiesand insights that actually fit
your busy lifestyle, then you'rein the right place.
Grab your coffee, tea or, hey,even a glass of wine, I won't
judge and let's get started.
If you're operating with elitelevel brilliance but entry-level
(03:41):
visibility you're watching lessexperienced consultants land
the clients that you want towork with and deserve, while
remaining your industry'sbest-kept secret then this
episode will change how youthink about building your
consulting business forever.
I'm going to show you exactlywhy traditional consulting
(04:02):
advice keeps brilliant womenlike you invisible and introduce
you to a framework that's beenused by numerous women with
extraordinary expertise thattransitions them from hidden
gems to becoming the obviouschoice.
I'm Dr Angelina Davis, and overthe past decade I've worked
(04:23):
with numerous women consultantswho had the same frustrating
pattern that I've seen time andtime again they have elite level
brilliance, proven expertise,extraordinary results with
clients, but still somehowthey're going overlooked.
And here's what I've noticedafter sitting in corporate
(04:44):
boardrooms and watching whathappens behind the scenes,
especially when it comes tohiring consultants the
consultants that land premiumcontracts.
They aren't necessarily themost brilliant.
They're the most strategicallyvisible, and there's a massive
difference between being thebest kept secret and being the
(05:05):
obvious choice.
So today I'm going to breakdown exactly what that
difference is, why traditionalconsulting advice may be failing
you and how the strategicauthority framework can
transform your entire approachto building your consulting
business.
If you want to learn more, thenstay tuned.
Let me paint this picture ofwhat your reality probably looks
(05:33):
like right now, because I wantyou to know that what you're
experiencing is not a personalfailing.
It truly is a systemic problem.
So see if one of these relatesto you.
First, there's the RFP trap.
You're likely responding torequests for proposals, where
you're competing against anumber of other consultants, and
so the decision often comesdown to who meets the criteria
(05:56):
that's been laid out the best,and oftentimes who's the
cheapest.
This is not a reflection of whodoes the best work, of who is
the most talented in their field.
So when you spend hourscrafting this perfect proposal,
showcasing your methodology,you're experiencing your results
, and then you lose to somebodywho seemingly copied and pasted
(06:21):
a template and undercut you by40%, well, that can feel a
little bit defeating, but it isone of the examples of the
challenges that we face.
Another is the networkingnightmare.
Maybe you're showing up atnetworking events and having
great conversations, you'recollecting business cards and
(06:41):
people are telling you you knowwhat, we should definitely work
together sometime.
But those connections rarelyturn into true contacts, and
when they do, it's usually maybea small project that maybe
leads to more small projects,but not the big breakthrough
that you've been looking for.
Then we have the best keptsecret trap.
(07:03):
You take pride in your work,you do an amazing job, and you
really don't care about beingseen, because, in your eyes, you
want the work to be done withexcellence to take center stage
(07:26):
when people can't associate youwith the outcome that's been
provided with that work, thenyou lose a certain element of
social proof that goes alongwith what you do, and therefore,
when they're thinking about newprojects, they don't often have
you at top of mind.
So in each of these scenarios,it's not because you are not a
great consultant or you don'thave an amazing business, or you
(07:48):
haven't worked with clients andbeen shown to provide fabulous
results.
You have everything that youneed in order to be an industry
leader, but you don't have theauthority that you need in your
space, and not having thatauthority can cost you more
business than you know.
When we think about theobstacles that most women face
(08:10):
when trying to establishthemselves as industry leaders
in the consulting space, thereare usually, I would say, three
hills of mountains that we haveto climb.
Now, when we think aboutbuilding authority, it is not a
matter of us focusing on havingmore credentials.
I think that is one of themisconceptions that in order to
(08:34):
be seen as an authority in yourspace, you need to have the most
degrees or credentials behindyour name.
That's not it.
Strategic authority issomething that we can build, and
we build it by being able toovercome the most common
obstacles that we will face inorder to be seen as a trusted
advisor or industry leader.
(08:55):
So you may be asking what thoseare.
Well, let me show you.
All right, so what we're goingto dive into is what I call the
strategic authority framework,and this framework is a
framework that was created afterworking with so many women that
were not being recognizedappropriately and compensated
(09:17):
for their brilliance in theirindustry.
This is a way for us to build asustainable authority-based
business where your authority,what you have accomplished, your
expertise attracts and draws inthe business that you need and
you're able to sustain yourbusiness over the long term by
(09:39):
creating something that islasting, instead of just
searching for random projects toacquire or to pick up.
We want something that is goingto last.
Now, when we think aboutapproaching authority building,
we often have to face a fewobstacles, and I mentioned
before.
There are typically threecommon obstacles that most women
(10:02):
consultants face.
These are things that reallykeep us from being competitive
in our industries, no matterwhat your field may be.
Now I'm going to draw this outas three heels, although it does
not necessarily mean that theseneed to come in this order.
There is some variability as tohow everyone will experience
(10:26):
these obstacles.
It is not a linear process, butwe do know that there are three
key areas that pose a problemfor many or most women.
One is that your expertise islikely undervalued.
(10:46):
Being undervalued means thatyou're in a situation where you
are highly capable, have thetrack record, have the
credentials, have all of thethings that you need in order to
stand out in your space, butbecause you're positioned as
more of a generalist, yourclients don't view you in the
(11:11):
most valuable light.
So in order for you to changethat, what needs to happen is
that you shift from this pointof being undervalued for your
expertise to actually beingexpertly positioned.
It means that you are now beingseen as more of a specialist.
(11:34):
So we need to make thistransition from being
undervalued for your expertiseto being highly valued or
expertly positioned through yourspecialization.
Now the second obstacle thatmany of us face is limited
access.
You do not have direct accessto decision makers, so you're
(11:57):
likely drumming up businessthrough referrals, doing a lot
of networking, submitting yourresponse to requests for
proposals or RFPs, instead ofdirectly building relationships
with those individuals who aremaking decisions at the highest
level for the largest contracts,and this is something that we
(12:18):
need to be able to change Now inorder for us to shift from
limited access to a scenariowhere we have greater access.
It means that we need to beable to have direct to decision
maker presence presence.
(12:49):
When you have direct todecision maker presence, then
you are speaking to the personor the individuals that are
driving change.
You have direct access to them.
You're able to impact the waythat they think, how they view
the world, how they view yourindustry, how they view the
future in your space.
That's when you havedirect-to-decision-maker
presence and that helps you toovercome that limited access.
Now, the last obstacle that mostface and this is one that truly
(13:14):
can inhibit growth or hindergrowth in the long term is that
you have an unscalable model,and when you have an unscalable
model, it means that yourbusiness is running off of and
(13:34):
dependent on you.
It depends on your personaltime, it depends on your energy.
It means that, essentially,you're running a high-end job,
not the business that you want.
That's going to bring you theflexibility and the freedom that
you desire.
That you want.
That's going to bring you theflexibility and the freedom that
you desire.
So we have to be structured sothat, instead of having this
(13:57):
unscalable model, that weinstead have what I like to call
a scalable consulting engineconsulting engine and the reason
why I like to call this ascalable consulting engine is
(14:18):
because this needs to work foryou.
This needs to be able to driveitself, to fuel itself, and once
we're able to do that, then weare building something that is
going to last.
When we have been expertlypositioned, when we are able to
have direct-to-decision-makerconversations and then have a
(14:41):
scalable consulting engine, youwill be unstoppable.
This is easily attainable,especially when you're
approaching it from a verystructured point of view, and
that's what this framework isdesigned to do.
It's designed to help youbecome the industry leader that
you deserve to be.
The women I have worked withthat have used this framework
(15:04):
have stopped being theindustry's best kept secret.
You need to be seen as theobvious choice.
Being the industry's best keptsecret, you need to be seen as
the obvious choice and when thathappens, you stop being the
humble expert, the one that isdoing everything behind the
scenes and taking little creditand hoping to be discovered, to
being recognized for theauthority that you command and
(15:26):
the person that everybody knowsto call.
So remember, your brilliance wasnever the problem.
The problem was that yourbrilliance was invisible to the
people who need it most, and thestrategic authority framework
that we just went through makesyou impossible to ignore.
So if you're ready to stopchasing contracts and start
(15:49):
attracting the clients who valueyour expertise, then we need to
get you over those threeobstacles that are standing in
your way, because once you do,you'll have the business that
you dreamed of.
All right, I hope this helps.
If you enjoyed this episode,make sure that you subscribe to
this YouTube channel as well asshare this episode with a friend
(16:12):
.
Leave your rating and review onSpotify or Apple Podcasts if
you're listening to this throughthe audio version, and I will
talk to you again next time.
Take care.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
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