Know your worth

Last month, we hosted a closed session with leaders across sport to discuss setting and asking for fees for public speaking and consultancy.

It’s a tricky area to navigate, and a huge thank you to our generous speakers for turning up so honestly.

We’ve summarised their advice and experience. We hope it helps members feel more confident in valuing their expertise.

Thank to Preeti Shetty and Arianna Criscione from Valeur Sport for coordinating this session

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Notes from ‘Know Your Worth’ a closed session for the Women’s Sport Collective – July 2025

1. Pay Transparency & Gender Equity

• The central issue tackled by Valeur is the lack of transparency around pay for women in sport

• Persistent inequalities and the discomfort many women feel around discussing money were highlighted

• Valeur seeks to normalise financial conversations and create an infrastructure (like benchmarking tools and data dashboards) for transparency

2. Valuing Time and Experience

• Repeated emphasis on recognising and charging appropriately for one’s time, expertise and lived experience

• Many speakers noted how women often undervalue themselves - doing work “for the profile” or accepting low fees

• A strong message: If a man wouldn’t do it for free, you shouldn’t either

3. Building Tools and Language for Negotiation

• Useful terms were introduced to help frame conversations around money:

• “Disturbance Fee”: A nominal payment for even short media appearances.
  You might ask this if approached about being appearing on a radio or TV programme. Might only be £75-100, but can add up if you do a few interviews in a week

• “Favoured Nations”: Ensuring everyone on a panel is paid equally.
  You might ask ‘is it favoured nations’ if invited to sit on a panel at an event / on TV

• “What’s your budget?”: A simple way to shift the conversation.
  You might ask this rather than ‘is there a budget’.

• “Portal to portal”: Charging for full travel time and effort.
  The assumption that your travel costs will be covered door to door.

4. How to Determine Your Rate

• Speakers described a variety of methods:

• Basing it off agency rates or past experiences
  Someone suggested she would charge half her old agency’s day rate and there was push back from the group about why would it be half?

• Adjusting depending on the organisation (eg corporate vs charity)

• Going higher initially to leave room for negotiation

• Recognition that there are also emotional and physical costs (fatigue, lost family time) that need to be factored into the price too

• The group shared specific numbers, e.g. £500–£2,000 for a day rate, £250-5,000 for speaking at an event, or $10,000 at the top rate for a US keynote which included travelling to another state
  

5. Courage and Community

• Valeur means “courage and worth,” underscoring that asking for fair pay takes bravery

• Community conversations (like WhatsApp groups and closed sessions) are helping normalise money talk and build collective knowledge

PRACTICAL ADVICE

For Individuals:

• Know your number: Have a clear rate in mind and justify it confidently

• Start high: It’s easier to negotiate down than up

• Be upfront: Ask for budget details early

• Match effort to value: Recognise when you’re bringing storytelling, lived experience, or domain-specific knowledge—those are chargeable assets

• Prepare language: Have phrases ready to advocate for yourself without discomfort

• Track everything: Expenses, hours, and other hidden costs (eg legal, emotional toll)

• Say no when needed: Don’t be afraid to walk away if it’s not worth your time
  

For Employees:

• Check your company’s policy: Some employers are fine with side gigs if not in conflict

• Declare outside income: You may need to handle tax separately

• Ask for carve-outs: Include clauses in contracts allowing freelance/side consulting
  

For Freelancers & Founders:

• Itemise project budgets: Be detailed and professional—break down legal, design, prep time, etc.

• Charge for prep: Talks aren’t just the hour on stage—they require research, rehearsal etc.

• Use talks strategically: Prioritise events that bring new audiences, reputational value or potential leads.
  

For Everyone:

• Talk openly with peers: Normalise salary and fee discussions

• Help others set their rates: Especially early-career women or those switching sectors

• Don’t equate speed with lack of value: You can do it fast because you’re skilled