Talk to The Memo like its author wrote you back.
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What it argues
The Memo is Minda Harts's career guide written specifically for women of color navigating professional environments that were not built with them in mind. The title refers to the unwritten set of rules and insider knowledge that gets passed informally among those who already belong — the memo that women of color often never receive. Harts argues that the gap is not one of ambition or ability but of access to networks, mentors, and the unspoken norms of corporate culture.
Harts draws on her own experience building a career in nonprofits and starting her own company, The Memo LLC, after finding that the career advice she encountered was written from a perspective that didn't fit her reality. The book addresses concrete career stages: navigating entry-level roles, building a professional network, finding sponsors (not just mentors), negotiating salary, and managing visibility in organizations where women of color remain underrepresented at senior levels.
What it gets right
- 1.
The 'memo' is the informal network of career knowledge that circulates among the already-connected — and women of color often don't receive it through traditional channels.
- 2.
Mentors give advice; sponsors use their capital to advocate for you publicly. Both matter, but sponsors are rarer and more directly tied to advancement.
- 3.
Negotiation is not optional. Women of color who don't negotiate salary and title cede ground that compounds over the course of a career.
What it covers
Who wrote it
Minda Harts is the founder and CEO of The Memo LLC, a career development platform focused on women of color. She has worked in politics, nonprofits, and media, and speaks widely at corporate and academic events on equity and professional development. The Memo, published in 2019, was a national bestseller and was followed by Right Within, which focuses on healing from workplace trauma. Harts is based in New York and hosts the Secure the Seat podcast.
