What We Learned About Risk, Sincerity, and Leadership on 'Negotiation Secrets'

From Imposter Syndrome to Intentional Pivots: A Three-Part Deep Dive on Mastering Career Negotiation with Dr. Gloria Esoimeme

If you are a regular listener of The Dollar Diaries, you know that our mission is simple: to explore the paths to professional success, learn from those who have built incredible careers, and share that knowledge straight to you. Our whole team is driven by a desire to learn, grow, and bring that expertise to our community. That is why we were incredibly honored—and yes, a little star-struck—to be invited onto Dr. Gloria Esoimeme’s highly esteemed Negotiation Secrets podcast.

For this special three-part feature, Dr. Gloria hosted three of us from The Dollar Diaries team: Gazala Parkar, Abubakr Sajith, and Anas Memon. Stepping into the guest chair instead of sitting in the host seat gave us a unique opportunity to reflect on our individual journeys and the shared principles that guide our work together. Dr. Gloria’s focus is on how professional women and men negotiate their way through life, and the conversation we shared was far more than a typical interview. It was a deep dive into mindset, mentorship, risk calculation, and the necessity of taking a leap of faith. And now, we are bringing those secrets back home to The Dollar Diaries community.

The Power of the Intentional Pivot: Calculated Risk as a Growth Strategy

The discussion began where every professional journey does: at the beginning. As Gazala shared in her segment, her career path has been anything but linear, starting with a brief dream of being a police officer and then pivoting to hospitality management, before finally discovering her true calling in public relations. This initial exploration led to a foundational lesson that resonated across the entire team’s experience: the importance of the intentional pivot.

Gazala found herself locked into PR—the world of media, advertising, and the meticulous work of bringing campaigns to life. She realized that PR was the extended arm of marketing, the place where companies shine, and the go-to when a crisis hits. That moment taught us an invaluable lesson that we now champion on The Dollar Diaries: keep exploring until you find the work that captures your full attention and passion.

This career exploration set the stage for one of the biggest themes Dr. Gloria and the three of us discussed: the philosophy of taking calculated risks early in your career. The statistics show that if you want to grow fast, you need to be willing to move roles every two to three years. The alternative is becoming proficient in one niche, which certainly has its advantages, but can slow the pace of your overall career trajectory. For Gazala, moving from tech and finance PR to lifestyle and hospitality PR was a deliberate choice to broaden her skill set and avoid stagnation.

But here is the real secret behind that decision, a philosophy we believe every young professional should adopt: timing the risk. Gazala realized that her early career stage was the safest time to fail. She had the financial and emotional support of her family. The logic we presented to Dr. Gloria was simple and one we highly recommend you adopt: if we fail now, we learn, and we will not suffer serious, life-altering consequences. If we wait five or ten years, when our circumstances might change and our responsibilities are greater, the risk becomes significantly higher. This is the very principle Dr. Gloria advises when making decisions: ask yourself, “What is the worst that can happen?” If the worst-case scenario is manageable, then the decision is worth the risk. This strategy is precisely why we were able to take the leap to start The Dollar Diaries—the risk of failure was high, but the potential reward and learning were higher, and the personal cost was manageable.

The Principle of Sincerity: Earning Mentorship and Building Bridges

Dr. Gloria was quick to note that Gazala seemed “lucky” to have a professor who alerted her to her first job opportunity, and then a director who became a dedicated mentor. But Dr. Gloria quickly corrected herself, stating that she does not believe in luck, but in principles. She asked the core question that applies to all of us on the team: what traits make someone worthy of mentorship? Why did Gazala’s former director continue to take her calls for advice even after she left the company?

The answer, which we all wholeheartedly agree on, is simple, yet profound: sincerity in work.

It is about showing up and actually caring about your job. It is not enough to just pass the time. As Gazala explained, you can give a job your absolute best effort and still fail due to circumstances beyond your control, or from inexperience. But people can always tell when you are truly giving your best, and once you care about it, it shows.

Gazala’s first job was instrumental because of the amazing mentors she found. They were crucial in bridging the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world application. For example, the way we were taught to write press releases in university was entirely different from the demands of a PR agency. She recalled submitting her first press release, where only two of her words remained in the final 500-word copy. Her director, instead of simply criticizing, was patient. He carved out a huge sacrifice of time, 30 minutes every single week, to sit down with every newcomer.

A mentor is someone who teaches you the ropes, but a true mentor also instills confidence. This is where the biggest personal challenge for many of us comes into play.

The Battle with Imposter Syndrome: The Shoes Are Yours

While we are proud of the quality of the work we produce on The Dollar Diaries, we are all naturally a bit shy, and like many young professionals, we deal with intense imposter syndrome. We know our work is good, but when it is time to present it, the jitters appear, and the voice in our heads says, “We do not deserve to be here.”

Dr. Gloria, an accomplished public speaker, reminded us that this is a normal feeling, even for extroverts. But she gave us a powerful tool for reframing it: rather than seeing the jitters as fear, reframe them as excitement. It is a mental trick that shifts your perspective from self-doubt to enthusiasm for sharing your accomplishments.

She also hammered home a truth that we all need to internalize: if you did the work, you deserve to be there. She shared a potent anecdote from her time at Mayo Clinic, where after being introduced with all her accolades, someone said, “Those are big shoes.” Dr. Gloria was told in reply: “Those are your shoes”.

This is a life-changing perspective for all of us. When that imposter feeling creeps in, we need to forget about ourselves and focus on the message. It is our work we are presenting. We should aim for excellence, not perfection, and trust that the message itself is what matters.

Negotiating in the Trenches: Logic Over Emotion

To illustrate the principle of sincerity and the brutal reality of negotiation, Gazala shared a story about a campaign that, by her personal measure, failed—a moment that caused a complete professional meltdown and a major learning curve for our team. She had opted to lead a campaign for a new brand, her first time taking complete ownership. The challenge was securing 15 male influencers, which are much more difficult to find. After two weeks of intense back and forth, they had everything locked in.

Then, one week before launch, the brand completely changed the campaign messaging from a normal styling campaign to a Father’s Day campaign.

The next challenge was immense. They had to pivot, and seven of the fifteen male influencers politely declined because their fathers had recently passed away during the COVID pandemic. This was a deeply sensitive, completely circumstantial situation. While they explored other options, they ultimately had to respect their boundaries. As Gazala noted, an influencer’s page is their currency, and if a campaign does not align with their profile, we have to respect that decision.

The campaign did not succeed as they had hoped, and the team felt a sense of personal failure. This is where the wisdom of a true mentor shines through, reminding us that one circumstantial failure does not define our careers.

The lesson here, which Abubakr and Anas also reinforced, is twofold:

1. Failure is an Aspect of the Job: We must understand that failures come with every aspect of your job, but the key is to still care about it. That sincerity, that care, is what a mentor sees and invests in.

2. Negotiation is Logical, Not Emotional: In PR and in business development for a podcast like ours, we are the middle person between two parties. We cannot rely on empathy or emotions alone to get a deal done; we have to use logic, data, and statistics. If we manipulate an influencer into taking a bad deal based on emotion, we damage the long-term relationship. Our job is to present facts and facilitate a logical compromise, knowing that both the client and the partner have their own limitations and people to report to. It is the long-term relationship you build that allows you to tap into trust and get results later.

Ultimately, the best strategy for any professional negotiation is empathy—seeing the other person’s side. When you understand where the client, the brand, or the influencer is coming from, it helps you build a logical case, even when you cannot agree. That empathy prevents you from getting angry and allows you to find common ground.

The Dollar Diaries: A Case Study in Team Negotiation

We could not end our discussion without touching on The Dollar Diaries itself. We are a team of eight young people, all around the same age (22 to 25), producing a major podcast. As Dr. Gloria rightly questioned, how do we, as a large group of peers, manage to stay together when even some marriages cannot last six months? The same principles of negotiation apply internally.

Our “glue” is a similar value system. We all see the massive value in the podcast: we want to meet people, we want to learn from them, and we all get something out of it. We have clear responsibilities—Gazala handles social media, others like Abubakr and Anas handle editing, guest outreach, and business strategy—but the success is rooted in that shared vision. It is a constant negotiation of priorities and tasks, driven by a collective goal: success through learning and collaboration.

Our own growth from The Dollar Diaries has been massive, transforming us from people who would have definitely said “no” to hosting, to people who found a true love for asking questions and connecting with others.

The Collective Call to Action: Take the Risk

Our final words to Dr. Gloria’s audience, and now to our own, were simple and unanimous: take as many risks as you can while you can.

Do not wait for certainty. Do not wait for the perfect moment. Figure out what the worst-case scenario is for a professional move, a new project, or even a hard conversation. If the worst is manageable, then the potential reward of massive personal and professional growth is worth the leap.

Be sincere in your work. Care about what you do, and that sincerity will attract the mentors who will propel you forward. When imposter syndrome strikes, remind yourself that the shoes you are standing in are yours, and you earned the right to be there. Focus on the message, focus on the excitement, and just do it.

We are so grateful to Dr. Gloria Esoimeme for having the three of us—Gazala, Abubakr, and Anas—on Negotiation Secrets. The conversation was a powerful reminder that every professional secret starts with a principle, and every success story is built on the willingness to risk, learn, and be sincere. Now get out there and start negotiating your next big win!