By Kathy Groob, ElectWomen – Morning Joe Co-Host Mika Brzezinski and her colleague Joe Scarborough participated in the Know Your Value conference Friday in Hartford, CT aimed at empowering and educating women.  Brzezinski’s message resonates with women because unlike Lean In Author Cheryl Sandberg, Mika stumbled along the way in her career as a television anchor. Brzezinski worked well below her potential and pay level before finally standing up for herself with help from her MSNBC morning talk show co-host Joe Scarborough who intervened on her behalf, fighting to increase her salary because he understood her value to the popular political show.

In her book, Knowing Your Value, Mika Brzezinski says that at one time, she earned 14 times less than her co-host Scarborough and was ready to quit.  Often the only female sitting at a round table of four to five men each morning, she learned that she was the lowest paid.  After four or five tries at negotiating her salary, Mika realized that she was the problem, lacking confidence and good negotiating skills. Brzezinski is a living reminder that life’s hard lessons and failures can often lead to success, and she is sharing her wisdom with other women.

In Knowing Your Value, Brzezinski openly shares her story along with her mistakes, and encourages women to stop apologizing and start standing up for their worth.  She has taken her message and experiences forward by participating and sponsoring conferences and speeches to create awareness and empower women to become better negotiators.  “We’ve got to be able to communicate our value effectively,” says Brzezinski.

While the majority of political pundits and experts are men, Brzezinski stands out as a smart, fair and savvy politico who includes more women on her show and regularly features robust discussions about equality and women’s issues.

Tune in weekdays on MSNBC from 6-9 a.m. for Morning Joe.  More information about the conference available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Know-Your-Value-CT/261218330726571.