Negotiation skills are incredibly valuable, whether you’re negotiating a salary in a new job, or even deliberating with your partner about who’s taking the trash out.

If you’re looking to rev up your negotiation skills, then you likely intend to use them to deliberate with a potential new employer. However, your negotiation skills can serve you in many aspects of your life.

In today’s competitive job market, it’s more important than ever to have strong negotiation skills. Whether you’re negotiating your salary, benefits, or other terms of employment, you’ll want to come prepared.

In this article, I’ll share some simple ways you can use negotiation skills in your career, but in other ways as well. I’ll also tell you some of the key negotiation skills I’ve used to succeed in my interviews and in new hire conversations with employers.

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My journey to FIRE (financial independence, retire early) began years ago, but I still dream of becoming a “mad fientist.” Or in other words, someone that achieves financial freedom and FIRE retirement.

It’s motivating to imagine what kind of lifestyle is possible with FIRE. I envision spending more time with family, enjoying the beach, traveling, playing with my kids, enjoying yoga, and other self-care activities.

You may also dream of achieving FIRE retirement, and if so, you may want to consider activities you’ll pursue when you reach your goals.

I’ll be honest, I hadn’t considered what I would do when I became a mad fientist, at least not until the last year or so.

It’s hard to envision the possibilities when you’re neck deep in a busy career, especially when you have little kids that rely heavily on you.

Even so, it’s important to put thought into your dreams for the future and to reflect on why pursuing a FIRE lifestyle matters to you. It isn’t an easy journey, but it can be worth it, especially when you spend time reflecting on what you’ll do when you achieve your FIRE goals.

In this article, I’m going to share 10 activities I plan on enjoying when I become a mad fientist.

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My career switch began when I started my first business in 2017, but it wasn’t until 2019 that I shifted from a full-time laboratory manager role into a marketing communications role.

To be truthful, it was a tough transition to make, but then again, I’ve never heard of a career switch being perfectly smooth.

Despite the challenge, I knew that the career change was right for me.

In this article, I’ll tell you exactly how I made my career switch. I’ll also share 7 tips from my own learning experiences. These tips will help you make your own career switch, regardless of where you start in your career or where you’d like to end up.

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After I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, I feared I’d never be able to build a successful career, and it was a dream that greatly mattered to me.

After my diagnosis, it was hard to face the reality that I would likely live with a chronic illness for the rest of my life.

While I didn’t give up on my dreams, I knew that my plans would need to shift, at least to some degree.

When I was young I dreamed of becoming an astronaut. I went to college with that intent and by the time I graduated, I’d become quite familiar with astronaut requirements.

The requirements were strict and incredibly difficult to overcome, even for someone in perfect health, so I knew my chances of becoming an astronaut were essentially 0.

However, I knew I could still become a scientist, and I dreamed of building a successful career and making a difference through science.

As you’ll soon learn, my career didn’t go exactly as planned, and I never foresaw making a shift like I would eventually make, but I did manage to build a successful career. In this article, I’m going to tell you exactly what I did to build my career while managing Crohn’s disease.

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If professional development matters to you and you’re balancing a chronic illness, you’re in the right place.

It’s not easy to balance a chronic illness with your professional pursuits, but if career advancement matters to you then it’s important to consider your professional development.

So how do you balance your professional and health needs? It’s not an easy balance to achieve, and if you’re anything like me, then you probably have to make frequent adjustments on your journey.

You don’t need to sacrifice your health or your career, but achieving that balance is essential if you dream of advancing your career.

In this article, you’ll get 10 tips you can use on your professional development journey so that you can better balance your chronic illness and your career goals.

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If you’ve already made a reasonable accommodation request from your employer, then good work! It’s tough to even have the guts to speak up about what you need (I speak from experience).

Ideally, your employer will approve your request outright, however, there is a chance that they may deny it. The law compels your employer to approve your request, assuming it follows ADA guidelines.

However, your employer may deny your request for one of the following reasons:

1. They have fewer than 15 employees and/or can prove the request causes an undue hardship
2. They are unfamiliar with ADA laws
3. Your request has nothing to do with a disability

Whether you’ve already made your request, or you’re preparing for what could happen if your request is denied, this article will give you 7 steps you can use to achieve a better resolution if your reasonable accommodation request is denied.

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Dream of turning one of your small business ideas into a profitable business?

If you have a chronic illness, it can be tough to make a living. You may not be able to work a so-called traditional job, or you may have to take time off work for doctor’s appointments or flare-ups. 

Even if you struggle to work, you can still start a business or side hustle and make some extra money. In fact, ramping up one of your small business ideas can be a great way to become your own boss and set your own hours.

In this article, I’m going to provide you with 10 key steps you can use to turn one of your small business ideas into a successful startup.

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It’s challenging to live with a disability, but you can still lead a happy fulfilled life, which might include building a successful career.

Many careers are well-suited for people with disabilities. The key is to find a career that matches your skills and interests, and that can be accommodated to meet your specific needs.

Reflect and determine which jobs are reasonable for you based on your condition. If you have back pain, for instance, then you may need to find a role that limits your need to lift a heavy burden. If you have a chronic illness that causes chronic fatigue, then you may need reduced or flexible hours.

There isn’t a one-size fits all approach, as your condition may impact your life in unique ways, so you’ll want to consider what you’ll need in your career to enable your success in the long term.

In this article, I’ll provide a brief overview of your disability rights, 7 tips to help you find a career that accommodates your disability, and 6 jobs that might be suitable for someone with a disability (depending on your specific needs).

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Ready to start your next side hustle as a chronic illness warrior? If so, you might be wondering how to get started.

There’s a lot to think about when you’re starting a new project for the first time. You might not initially be sure who your target audience (or customer) is, for instance, and you might not know what to invest your time in first.

Whether you decide you want to be a writer, painter, freelancer, or any other kind of side hustler, it will help to have a plan of attack.

In this article, I’m going to give you 10 simple steps you can take to get your new side hustle off the ground and running as a chronic illness warrior.

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If you have a legal disability, then you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation in the workplace, whether your condition is visible or invisible.

It’s tough to live with a health issue that impacts your life in some way, and it can be even tougher to keep working, but for a lot of people, it’s worth the challenge.

If you are a chronic illness warrior and you’re committed to continuing your career, then you may want to request a reasonable accommodation from your employer. That reasonable accommodation might even be just the thing keeping you in the workforce, and if so, you should strongly consider making the request.

In this article, I’m going to provide you with 10 tips to help you request a reasonable accommodation from your employer, plus I’ll provide a few examples of requests you may want to consider making.

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