129. How to Say No at Work Without Blowing Up Your Career

129. How to Say No at Work Without Blowing Up Your Career

From You're Overqualified Podcast - Career and Leadership Strategies for Women by Dani Tan - Leadership Coach and Speaker

June 6, 2026 · 22 min · Season 3 · Episode 129

About this episode

This episode discusses strategies for high achievers, particularly women, on how to say no at work without jeopardizing their careers.

In episode 129, we're talking about how to say no at work without it costing you your career, your credibility, or your peace. You have been rewarded for saying yes. It's gotten you promoted, recognized, and into the room. So it makes sense that saying no feels dangerous. This episode is for the high achievers, especially women, women of color, and first-gen professionals, who know they need to start saying no and just need the language to do it. In this episode, I break down The Three No's, the exact framework I walked my private coaching clients through in a recent workshop, plus how to hold your position when someone keeps pushing back. In this episode, I cover:→ Why high achievers struggle to say no (it's conditioning, not weakness)→ The three types of no: the hard no, the redirect, and the negotiated no→ What to do when a one-time ask becomes a pattern→ How to make your trade-offs visible instead of just absorbing more work→ What to say when someone won't take no for an answer Key Takeaways: No is not the opposite of ambition. No is what ambition looks like when you have a strategy. Saying yes to everything gets you labeled as execution. Saying no strategically gets you seen…

People in this episode

Host: Dani Tan

Topics covered

  • saying no at work
  • career strategies
  • women in leadership
  • high achievers
  • work-life balance

Keywords

  • saying no
  • career
  • leadership
  • high achievers
  • workplace strategies
  • women empowerment
  • negotiation

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