Episode Details

Episode Title:

Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/why-black-women-build-ladders-when-traditional-pathways-wont-

Episode Video Link:

In this powerful audio episode of A Black Executive Perspective Podcast, Tony Tidbit and Chris P. Reed sit down with Felicia Smith, Founder and Chair of The Climb, to unpack what it really means to navigate corporate systems that were never designed for you.

From being overlooked for promotion to discovering the political and strategic realities of executive leadership, Felicia breaks down the invisible tax Black women carry in corporate America and why working hard is not enough.

This is a direct conversation about power, influence, emotional intelligence, sponsorship, and collective advancement.

If you are climbing the corporate ladder, mentoring others, or trying to understand leadership at a deeper level, this episode delivers clarity and strategy.

What You Will Learn

• Why performance alone does not guarantee executive promotion

• How political navigation and sponsorship shape leadership pipelines

• The hidden emotional and professional tax Black women face

• Why collective advancement, not individual success, changes systems

▶︎ In This Episode

00:00 – The System Was Never Built for You

02:01 – Meet Felicia Smith

07:12 – When the Promotion Didn’t Come

10:32 – The Emotional Fallout

15:14 – The “Indispensable” Trap

18:05 – Learning the Political Game

24:18 – The Invisible Tax

28:42 – Selling Out or Buying In

34:22 – Why The Climb Was Created

42:07 – Is There Only One Seat

52:41 – Inside The Climb Leadership Program

58:23 – It’s Not Your Fault

1:04:40 – Build the Ladder and Reach Back

If this episode resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone navigating leadership right now.

Because real executive leadership is not about rising alone.

It is about changing the system so others can rise with you.

🔗 Resources

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

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