Speak Up, Level Up

Stephanie Wedgeworth on the Power of Transparency, Strategy, and Sisterhood

For years, women have been told to stay quiet—especially about money, promotions, and power. But what if breaking that silence is exactly what we need to propel our careers forward?

Have you ever been told to “be patient” when asking for a promotion? Or to “just be grateful” for the opportunity you have? If those phrases sound painfully familiar, you’re not alone—and you’re definitely not imagining the frustration they bring.

Stephanie Wedgeworth, Director of Sales Content at RockEd and featured speaker at the Women In Automotive 2025 Conference, has spent two decades helping organizations grow through strategic training and, more importantly, brave conversations. Her upcoming keynote tackles a topic many women were raised to avoid: money. But as Stephanie discovered through her own journey with pay inequity, silence isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s costly.

“The silence is a trap,” Stephanie explains. “We are leaving money on the table by not taking action and demanding more.”

When Personal Experience Becomes Professional Mission

Stephanie’s passion for pay transparency didn’t emerge from abstract statistics—it grew from her own confrontation with workplace inequity. Like many women, she experienced firsthand how silence around compensation can derail even the most promising careers.

“My own personal experience with pay inequity is what drew me into wanting to tackle this,” she shares. The frustration of watching minimal progress—just a 25-cent increase in 62 years since the Equal Pay Act of 1963—fueled her determination to create change.

But here’s what transformed her approach: realizing that individual struggle could become collective power. “You always hear people say women and people of color are the minority, but the reality is collectively we are the majority,” she discovered. This shift in perspective changed everything.

The Hidden Cost of Staying Quiet

When Stephanie talks about the price of silence, she’s not speaking in abstract terms. The numbers tell a stark story, particularly in automotive where women earn just 71 cents to every dollar earned by men. For women of color, the gap widens even further—Black women earn 64 cents and Latinas earn just 55 cents.

But here’s what might surprise you: this isn’t just about individual paychecks. Women buy 62% of all new cars, making purchasing decisions for over 80% of large-ticket items like homes, furniture, and appliances. Yet despite this incredible economic influence, pay equity remains elusive.

The hidden costs extend beyond the obvious financial impact. When women don’t speak up about compensation, they’re more likely to accept lower offers, less equipped to negotiate competitively, and can go years—even decades—underpaid without realizing it. The lifetime loss? Between $400,000 and $1 million.

Know Your Rights: What Employers Cannot Do

Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), you have legal protection to discuss compensation:

❌ Employers CANNOT:

Fire or discipline you for talking about pay
Enforce a “pay secrecy” policy (illegal for most employees)
Threaten or retaliate against employees who compare wages

✅ YOU CAN:

Discuss salaries with colleagues
Share compensation data in trusted circles
Advocate collectively for fair treatment

Learn what the law is in your state and how it applies to your specific role.

Breaking the Silence: A Strategic Approach

So how do you start having braver conversations about salary and promotions, especially when your palms get sweaty just thinking about it? Stephanie’s approach is refreshingly practical and strategic.

Start with data collection. Research compensation for your role in your industry. Build a compelling case by documenting your accomplishments and achievements, specifically noting how they contributed to your company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR).

Develop your talk track. Practice what you’ll say before you need to say it. Stephanie plans to provide ready-to-use conversation starters in her WIA 2025 sessions that can be tailored for authenticity.

Build trusted networks and create salary circles. This might be the most powerful step. Gather 5-10 trusted peers from both inside and outside your organization. Share actual compensation data in a safe space. Meet quarterly with one clear goal: normalize pay talk.

But what does this look like in the real world of automotive? Picture this: You’re in a quarterly review where your manager says, “Let’s revisit your salary in six months.” Instead of nodding politely, you respond: “I appreciate that timeline, and I’d like to schedule our follow-up now. Based on my research and contributions to our Q3 ARR growth, I believe we should discuss a 15% increase. Can we set that meeting for next month so I can present my case?”

The difference? You’ve moved from passive waiting to active negotiation.

Take Action Today: Your Quick-Start Guide

Do This Right Now:

Research market rates for your position (use Glassdoor, PayScale, industry reports)
Document your achievements from the past 12 months with quantifiable impact
Text 2 women to start your salary circle conversation
Schedule time to practice your compensation conversation

This Week:

Build your case with specific examples of value you’ve added
Identify 5-10 trusted peers for your salary circle
Research your company’s promotion timeline and requirements

The Power of Sisterhood in Action

The concept of sisterhood in career advancement isn’t just feel-good rhetoric—it’s a strategic necessity. When Stephanie talks about sisterhood, she means being bold about your needs and embracing vulnerability in service of collective progress.

“Text 2 women today to start a salary circle,” Stephanie challenges. “Create honest, powerful conversation that lets another woman know: she’s not alone.”

If you’re in the C-suite, this means reaching back to elevate someone else. If you’re climbing the ladder, it means sharing your knowledge and creating pathways for those coming behind you.

“Be bold about your needs and embrace being vulnerable,” Stephanie advises. This vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s the foundation of authentic leadership and collective strength. When you share your salary, your struggles, and your strategies, you’re not just helping yourself; you’re building a roadmap for every woman who follows.

The Onboarding Revolution: Why Now Matters More Than Ever

One leadership trend has Stephanie particularly excited: the transformation of onboarding in automotive. “Hands down – onboarding!” she exclaims when asked about industry changes.

Post-COVID, the rules have changed completely. Gen Z, women, and remote work veterans “need a damn good reason to come into your dealership, or OEMs, into your office for the same job they can more effectively do at home.”

This shift represents massive opportunity for women entering or advancing in automotive. Employers are finally realizing they need to invest in their people and make them feel valued, important, and supported. They want employees who can shape the culture.

“When you are welcomed into an organization with a clear career path and a mentor, that changes everything,” Stephanie explains. “Gone are the days of throwing someone into the pool and hoping they can swim.”

For women in automotive, this means advocating for comprehensive onboarding programs, mentorship opportunities, and clear career pathing. It means positioning yourself as someone who can help shape this new culture of investment and support.

Creating Learning That Sticks

With over 1,000 micro-learning videos and countless leadership programs under her belt, Stephanie understands what makes professional development actually work. It’s all about the WIIFM—What’s In It For Me—and being relatable.

“People want to know how these 2-3 minutes are going to impact their life and who is this person in the video advising me?” she explains. This principle applies directly to your career strategy.

When you’re building your case for promotion or negotiating salary, think like Stephanie creates content: What’s the “cliff notes version” of your success story? How can you present your achievements in clear, concise nuggets that show immediate value?

“People don’t like training, they love coaching,” she notes. Apply this to your career conversations. Instead of listing what you’ve done, coach your manager through why it matters and what you can do next.

The Elements of High-Impact Development

What does a development program look like that actually supports women in advancing quickly? Stephanie identifies three critical elements that you should look for—and advocate for—in your automotive career:

Visibility: Women need to see themselves represented in all aspects of automotive, especially in leadership roles. This means clear career pathing, access to female leaders, and content highlighting real success stories—not just the polished ones. “If she can see it, she can believe it.”

Relevance: Generic training falls short. Development content must reflect the specific challenges women face in this industry—navigating pay negotiations, being heard in male-dominated environments, balancing career and personal growth.

Advocacy: Advancement accelerates when women have champions. Programs should integrate mentorship, sponsorship, and peer support, including training leaders (especially men) to recognize and eliminate bias in hiring, feedback, opportunity, and promotion decisions.

Stephanie has witnessed this transformation firsthand through her content work in auto retail: “When women see themselves represented and are welcomed, empowered, and invested in early, the entire business benefits from their leadership sooner.”

Authenticity as Strategy

What fuels Stephanie’s approach to both career and life? Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a strategic advantage.

“I am passionate about the details and strategic about the process because all my work is a direct reflection of me,” she shares. “Organic, real, and raw is what you get with me.” As a strict vegan who was raw vegan for four and a half years, she believes deeply that “what fuels your body, fuels your mind.”

This authenticity principle translates directly to career advancement. “I am at my very best when I am allowed to be authentic, creative and free,” she explains. In a industry that’s often focused on fitting in, being genuinely yourself becomes a differentiator.

For women in automotive, this means sharing your unique perspective, and not dimming your light to make others comfortable. Your authenticity is your competitive advantage.

The Urgency of Now

Perhaps the most powerful message from Stephanie’s upcoming WIA 2025 session is about urgency. For women who’ve been told to “be patient” or “just be grateful,” she has a different message entirely.

“Every minute you wait is another dollar lost,” she states plainly. Those familiar responses—”let’s revisit it in 6 months,” “we don’t have the money right now”—are precisely why negotiating upfront is so critical.

The uncomfortable truth? You may need to change jobs every 3-4 years to get paid fairly. “Until employers truly understand and appreciate the value you bring and the cost of replacing you, leaving is the only path forward. Staying is not an option.”

Red Flags vs. Green Flags: Identifying Your Workplace Culture

🚩 Red Flags – Time to Take Action:

“Let’s revisit your salary in 6 months” (without scheduled follow-up)
“We don’t have budget right now” (with no timeline for when budget will exist)
Discouraging pay discussions among employees
Lack of clear career advancement paths
Absence of women in leadership positions

✅ Green Flags – You’re in the Right Place:

Transparent salary bands and promotion criteria
Regular compensation reviews with clear timelines
Women represented at all levels of leadership
Mentorship and sponsorship programs
Investment in employee development and onboarding

Starting Your Own Revolution

If Stephanie could whisper one piece of career advice to her younger self, it would be this: “Negotiate your first salary when you get out of college and always negotiate your salary asking for the highest amount for every role you apply for.”

The statistics are sobering: 93% of women don’t negotiate their first salary out of college. Men do. Men will apply for jobs even when they don’t meet all the requirements. Women won’t.

“We need to honor the value we bring and stop being more loyal to our employer than we are to our own worth.”

This loyalty trap affects women at every career stage. We stay longer, work harder, and expect recognition to come naturally. But as Stephanie learned through her own experience and now teaches others: recognition without strategy is just hope.

Your Next Step Forward

The conversation about pay equity, career advancement, and women’s leadership in automotive isn’t just happening at conferences—it’s happening in coffee shops, conference calls, and car dealerships across the country. The question is: are you part of it?

Stephanie’s session at the Women In Automotive 2025 Conference represents more than just another presentation. It’s a call for “actionable change not just in mindset but in closing these systemic pay inequities that have plagued women for far too long.”

“We need a hard reset,” she declares. “Women have been misled and held back for too long.”

The time for patience has passed. The time for gratitude without action is over. The time for silence has ended.

Your voice, your worth, and your career matter. The automotive industry needs what you bring to the table—and it’s time to ensure you’re compensated accordingly.

Ready to elevate your automotive career and join conversations that could change everything? Explore the resources and community at Women In Automotive, where sisterhood meets strategy and where your next career breakthrough is waiting. Because when we trade silence for strategy, we don’t just change careers—we change the industry.

Start today: Text 2 women to begin your salary circle. Connect with other women who are ready to break the silence, share their worth, and propel each other forward. Your journey starts with one conversation, one connection, one brave step toward the career you deserve.

Remember Stephanie’s words: “Every minute you wait is another dollar lost.” Your revolution starts now.