I help you figure out and execute your next career move | Advance internally or explore externally | Certified Career Coach | 16+ years trading & sales at BMO Capital Markets | Achieve results faster

Hi, I’m Natalie 👋

You don’t know me (yet), but I promise you... you deserve the right to be selfish.

Especially as a woman.

On the trading floor, I learned what it means to “go after it” and “be all in”.

Until then, I was naive about the game being played. I thought working hard, keeping my head down, and trusting my boss to advance me was all I needed.

Truth is, young Natalie was just grateful for the opportunity to play in the same arena as the “boys”.

So to think about asking for more? That felt too needy. 

I waited and hoped for growth instead.

Then I saw peers landing promotions ahead of me, performing at a similar capacity, and it hit me:

If you’re not selfish, you’re on the sidelines. 

Wherever you are in your career today, stop thinking of “selfish” from an outdated narrative.

When I began to own my authentic “selfish”, magic happened:

→ Secured a 6-figure increase in my bonus.
→ Promoted to Director (second-highest title).
→ Recognized with the “Executive Leader” award.
→ Successfully traded the highest notion at BMO.
→ Lead mentorship circles for future leaders in banking.

You deserve unlimited attempts to fight for your ambition.

I’m here to teach you the skills of how to do it successfully.

Learn how we can work together at: www.natalieserebrennik.com

❤️ Natalie

The boldest move I ever made in my career and why I regret waiting so long.

Years into my career I discovered a truth that still stings to think about.

I was significantly underpaid compared to my peers.

I raised it with my manager, expecting action.

Instead, I got a string of empty promises, “Next year, we’ll fix it.”

Embarrassed to admit it, but I believed him.

Year after year, I let those reassurances stall my growth.

It wasn’t until I returned from my second mat leave, under a new manager, that something inside me snapped.

I was done waiting.

I made my intentions very clear:
“I’m not okay with this, and I’m taking it up the chain.”

What followed were the boldest conversations of my career.

One leader at a time, I made my value unmistakable 

The results I delivered, the revenue I drove, the gaps I filled.

And once they understood my true value, that’s when I brought up my pay gap and asked them to make it right.

It wasn’t easy. At the start, self-advocacy rarely is.

But it worked. I secured a six-figure bump by the end of the year.

My only regret is not taking bold action sooner.

Self-advocacy isn’t selfish, it’s your strongest corporate strategy.

If you’re working hard for that pay bump, make your life 100x easier and stop waiting for someone else to notice your worth. 

Be the one who makes it known.

What’s the boldest step you’ve taken to advocate for yourself?

♻️ Share this to inspire others to take control of their careers.
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Natalie Serebrennik, PCC

The Confident Leader Coach | I help you get recognized, promoted, and paid | Certified Executive Coach | 16+ years Sales & Trading at BMO Capital Markets

My promotion said VP.

My performance reviews said 10 out of 10.

But behind closed doors, I was a 6.

I had been on the trading floor for 2 years.
Just got promoted.
And already grinding for the next title.

Long nights.
Early mornings.
Carrying targets on my back.

On paper, I was crushing it.

I took on more impact work.
I was reliable to my own detriment.
Delivered results leadership actually cared about.

But still... not enough people knew who I was.

My visibility was small.
Limited to just my team.
Invisible to those who decided the senior promo I wanted.

So I kept working harder.

More hours. More output.
More over-delivering.
More proving myself.

Eventually, frustration took over.

Then imposter syndrome.
Resentment toward management.
Fear of being exposed as “not ready.”

Years passed.

Still VP.
Still “high performer.”
Still waiting to be chosen.

Back to grinding harder.
Back to hoping they'd notice.
Back to trusting the damn process.

It worked the first time. 
Why wasn't it working this time?

The breakthrough wasn’t more effort. 
It was owning the right to be selfish.

No new certifications.
No fancy leadership course.
No dirty corporate politics.

Just good ol hard, uncomfortable, intentional, strategic, direct, honest, self-advocating, reputation-building, spotlight-stepping-into...

work.

It took me 5 years of trial and error to crack the corporate code.

Now I teach my clients how to do it in 3 months. 

If you’re done being the underpaid workhorse, we should talk. 


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There are many mediocre leaders out there…

You’re not one of them.

I know because I see you:

✔️ You motivate yourself from within
❌ You don't wait for others to validate your worth

✔️ You own your decisions and actions
❌ You don't blame setbacks on external factors

✔️ You prioritize your well-being
❌ You don't say yes to everyone, except yourself

Great leaders know that leadership starts within.

We’re always asking ourselves:

“What type of leader do I want to be?”

Not for 'them', but for ourselves.

When you lead yourself with intention, you inspire others to do the same.

If you want to take your leadership to the next level in 2026, book a call today.

If there was one thing you had the power of changing in corporate, what would it be?


♻️ Share this to inspire stronger leadership in corporate.
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Most people wait for visibility.

Here's how my client created it.

He raised his hand to lead a company-wide fundraising initiative, something outside his day-to-day role, but deeply connected to his values.

At first, it just looked like a chance to contribute.

But together, we turned it into a strategic move:

→ We identified two senior leaders who were involved.

→ Mapped out how to build connection before, during, and after the event.

→ Planned 1:1 debriefs after to reflect, share lessons, and talk about what’s next.

This wasn’t luck.
This was smart visibility in action.

And now those same senior leaders see him differently.

Not just as a strong performer, but as someone worth investing in.

When you’re growing into the next level of leadership, being good at your job isn’t enough.

You need to show up as someone who can lead beyond your lane.

Someone who can connect with people on a shared vision and actively take part in creating it.

This single initiative set up my client for incredible support from the very same decision makers who will be deciding his next step.

This is what growth really looks like.

Small moments, used strategically.

This was just one example. I help my clients create wins like this every day inside my program.

If you're working towards that next promotion, we should chat.

♻️ Share this to inspire others to take control of their careers.
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No one actually knows what they’re doing.

Even the best of leaders fall into this bucket.

They’re just making decisions without waiting for certainty.

The best leaders I know keep moving, keep learning… even in the unknown.

They don’t cling to outdated processes.
They don’t spiral when they hit resistance.
They don’t freeze when things don’t go to plan.

They reset.
They ask better questions.
And they keep leading forward.

This is what I coach my clients to do every day, especially when things feel messy.

Because true confidence lies in your ability to trust yourself to figure it out as you go.

If you’re navigating a stretch season and want support that actually meets you there, let’s talk.

Book your free call and let’s build the clarity, strategy, and support you’ve been missing.


When did you figure out no one actually knows what they’re doing?


Happy Friday friends ✨

There are two ladders inside every company.

The performance ladder.
And the trust ladder.

Most people climb the first one.
Then they wonder why they’re “top talent” but not promoted.

Because promotions happen on the trust ladder.

Here are 6 plays I would be focusing on right now if I was working on that next-level promotion:

1️⃣ Decide who needs to trust you

Not everyone. Just three groups:

- Your manager
- One cross-functional partner
- Two leaders who influence decisions

2️⃣ Make your work land and easy to align

Smart work that no one understands is invisible.
Summarize impact in one sentence.
Repeat it until people can repeat it.

3️⃣ Turn updates into leadership signals

Don’t say, “Here’s what I did.”
Say, “Here’s what changed, what’s at risk, and what I’m doing next.”

4️⃣ Give away small power

Share templates. Introduce people.
Make others look competent.
This is how you build your trust army.

5️⃣ Become easy to back

Advocacy is risky.
Make it safe for someone to vouch for you.
Be consistent. Be clear. But also, reciprocate. 

6️⃣ Create moments of earned reputation

A mistake owned quickly.
A hard conversation handled well.
A problem solved when it mattered.

There's a lot of talk about "playing the game" in corporate.

But not enough about what those lived actions actually are.

These are my favorite underestimated plays, what are yours?

The hardest part of senior leadership isn’t strategy.

It’s knowing your decision making can directly hurt someone.

Most mid-level professionals think the next promotion is about bigger thinking.

More influence.
More visibility.
More impact.

And yes, that’s part of it.

But here’s what no one tells you.

The higher you rise, the heavier your calls become.

A budget cut kills someone’s project.
A restructure reduces someone’s status.
A promotion means someone else doesn’t get it.

You can make the right call
and still disappoint good people.

Something no one prepares you for.

When one of my clients stepped into his senior title, he assumed the pressure would be performance at a higher standard.

It wasn’t.

It was emotional.

He struggled with the fact that his clarity could feel like someone else’s loss.

So his instinct was to:

Delay the hard calls.
Soften the message.
Over-explain the decision.

He didn’t want to be “that leader.”

But avoiding discomfort didn’t make him kind.

It made him unclear.

And unclear leadership creates something far worse than disappointment:

It creates confusion.

And confusion = lack of trust.

I wish more manager appreciated this:

High performers don’t resent tough decisions.

They resent unclear ones.

They can handle pressure.
They can handle stretch targets.
They can even handle disappointment.

What they can’t handle is not knowing where they stand.

Or where the team is going.

If you’re aiming for that next promotion, this is the real upgrade.

Because without fail, this is the best way to build genuine trust that follows you throughout your whole career.

Agree?

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