Cognitive Performance Blog
When you're under pressure but still have to show up.
Handle interviews, bosses, and clients without crumbling.
Impostor Syndrome Never Goes Away. Make It Cheaper.
by: Dave WolovskyPublished on: 03/10/2026Impostor syndrome is never cured, because it's a signal you're still taking on new things. Make it cheaper instead: own it, lead with it, and call it out with humor.
Applications Are Worthless. Applying Is Everything.
by: Dave WolovskyPublished on: 01/10/2026Switching fields and haven't applied yet? Applications are worthless, but applying is everything: every cold application is rehearsal for the pitch you take to your network.
Trying To Hide Nervousness Is What Looks Incompetent
by: Dave WolovskyPublished on: 23/09/2026Being nervous doesn't make you look incompetent. Trying to hide it does, and the first step is to stop trying to calm down.
Find Out Why They'd Say No
by: Dave WolovskyPublished on: 23/09/2026Before you ask for a raise, find out what would make your manager say no. Ask weeks early, work on the answer, and the ask itself becomes a formality.
Meet Your Career Growth Engineer
Dave Wolovsky
I was home schooled until 13 years old.
Always a quiet introvert.
Overly sensitive to others' discomfort.
I was scared to ask for things.
Waited for others to offer.
Waited and waited.
After a horrible job experience...
⚠️ Strangled by my own anxiety.
⚠️ Desperate to impress my bosses.
⚠️ "Stuck it out" until I got physically ill.
I realized I needed to grow as a person.
To ask for what I needed.
To persuade with empathy.
To negotiate without conflict.
I dove deep into understanding people:
▪︎ Neuroscience (got a masters in it)
▪︎ Positive psychology (a certification)
▪︎ Negotiation (books, courses, teaching).
Then I realized lots of people had difficulties like me.
And I became committed to helping people get paid what they're worth.
An early client got a $35k raise, while cutting back to a 4-day workweek.
I wrote down everything we did.
Conversations along the way.
The mistakes along the way.
I created a set of principles.
Called it "Empathic Influence & Negotiation."
Applied it to salary negotiations.
Applied it to job interviews.
Applied it to networking.
And then I found Mindfulness.
That added some next level juice.
I created the "Mindful Sprint" process.
And now I help talented introverts become Mindful Sprinters.
This kind of personal growth creates:
✓ Better job opportunities.
✓ Higher compensations.
✓ Stronger boundaries.
Without creating:
🚫 Confrontational situations.
🚫 Resentful relationships.
🚫 Suffocating stress.
We navigate social complexities:
▪︎ Being a team player, not a pushover.
▪︎ Asking for a raise collaboratively.
▪︎ Making your value fully visible.
With me, you're not getting an extroverted former CEO.
I won't insist that you have to "command the room."
You ARE getting a partner to help you:
▪︎ Shine a floodlight on your value.
▪︎ Stay authentically introverted.
▪︎ Meet you where you're at.
Expect to be empowered:
▪︎ Do things you've never done before.
▪︎ Learn the science of negotiation.
▪︎ Experience true mindfulness.
I was home schooled until 13 years old.
Always a quiet introvert.
Overly sensitive to others' discomfort.
I was scared to ask for things.
Waited for others to offer.
Waited and waited.
After a horrible job experience...
⚠️ Strangled by my own anxiety.
⚠️ Desperate to impress my bosses.
⚠️ "Stuck it out" until I got physically ill.
I realized I needed to grow as a person.
To ask for what I needed.
To persuade with empathy.
To negotiate without conflict.
I dove deep into understanding people:
▪︎ Neuroscience (got a masters in it)
▪︎ Positive psychology (a certification)
▪︎ Negotiation (books, courses, teaching).
Then I realized lots of people had difficulties like me.
And I became committed to helping people get paid what they're worth.
An early client got a $35k raise, while cutting back to a 4-day workweek.
I thought, "this is interesting."
I wrote down everything we did.
Conversations along the way.
The mistakes along the way.
I created a set of principles.
Called it "Empathic Influence & Negotiation."
Applied it to salary negotiations.
Applied it to job interviews.
Applied it to networking.
And then I found Mindfulness.
That added some next level juice.
I created the "Mindful Sprint" process.
And now I help talented introverts become Mindful Sprinters.
This kind of personal growth creates:
✓ Better job opportunities.
✓ Higher compensations.
✓ Stronger boundaries.
Without creating:
🚫 Confrontational situations.
🚫 Resentful relationships.
🚫 Suffocating stress.
We navigate social complexities:
▪︎ Being a team player, not a pushover.
▪︎ Asking for a raise collaboratively.
▪︎ Making your value fully visible.
With me, you're not getting an extroverted former CEO.
I won't insist that you have to "command the room."
You ARE getting a partner to help you:
▪︎ Shine a floodlight on your value.
▪︎ Stay authentically introverted.
▪︎ Meet you where you're at.
Expect to be empowered:
▪︎ Do things you've never done before.
▪︎ Learn the science of negotiation.
▪︎ Experience true mindfulness.
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