What if the reason you’re not getting promoted isn’t your performance but how your leadership is being interpreted? In this episode of Leaders Creating Rukus, Aashi Arora sits down with Maddy Viswanath, career coach and former HR leader. With 20+ years in HR, Maddy shares how she went from being overlooked and underpaid to increasing her compensation by over 110 percent simply by changing how she communicated her value. From navigating cultural barriers as an immigrant to rebuilding confidence after setbacks, her journey reveals what really drives promotions at senior levels.

In this episode:

🔸 Why “not ready” often means your leadership is being misread
🔸 How over-explaining weakens your impact
🔸 The shift from doing the work to shaping direction
🔸 Why documenting your wins matters
🔸 How to control how you’re perceived in the room

💬 “If you can’t speak up for yourself, no one else will.”

Maddy’s approach is built on real-world insight and practical tools, from redefining your executive narrative to upgrading how you show up across meetings, communication, and visibility. Because at senior levels, promotions don’t happen based on effort alone, they happen based on perception.If you’ve ever felt overlooked, misunderstood, or stuck despite delivering results, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss.