More Women Promoted

I went from a beet-red 12th grader who couldn't get the words out to someone who is energized by being on stage. I share the three things that got me there, and none of them are about building confidence. Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter
Does your face go hot and your heart start pounding the second you have to speak up in front of a room? You're not alone, and it does not mean you're not leadership material.
The higher you go, the more of your job requires speaking publicly: sharing your point of view in a leadership meeting, presenting a recommendation to the exec team, updating the board, leading an all-hands. At the VP level, people form their opinion of you in those moments, and if you freeze or ramble, your thinking never gets seen, no matter how good the idea is.
In this episode, I take you back to the day in grade 12 when I couldn't choke the words out, and walk through the three specific things that took me from there to energized on stage. Public speaking is not a personality trait. It's a muscle you can build, and it is 100% learnable.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why nerves are your body treating the spotlight like a threat, and what actually convinces it you're safe
Where to get low-stakes practice speaking in front of people, and the habit to build in your regular meetings so the moment never gets bigger in your head
How to over-prepare on purpose, including what to script word for word and what to have ready for impromptu questions
The shift that takes the spotlight off you, and why most people aren't judging you nearly as much as you think
Why needing to prepare doesn't mean you're not a natural
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Own the Room summit: owntheroomsummit.com  
Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a 
Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter 
Curious what it’s like to work together? Send me a message on LinkedIn or Instagram (Katy McFee) and tell me what you are working toward, and we can take it from there.
Join me live in Ottawa, Canada, on October 23rd. Save your seat at owntheroomsummit.com.
Not sure if you're ready for VP? Take the free assessment and find out at morewomenpromoted.com/quiz
Remember, there's room for all of us at the table.

I sit down with negotiation expert Attia Qureshi to break down why smart, capable women freeze in high-stakes conversations, and the science-backed techniques that get you unstuck. Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter 
You're in a meeting, or a salary conversation, or a moment where you need to advocate for yourself. You know exactly what to say. You've practiced it. And then the moment comes, and you freeze.
That's not a confidence problem or a competence problem. It's a biological response, and it's costing smart, capable women the raises, the promotions, and the seats at the table they've already earned.
In this episode, negotiation and influence expert Attia Qureshi joins me to break down exactly what happens in your body when you freeze, why it hits women differently, and what to do about it, both in the moment and long before you ever walk into the room.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The exact biological reason your brain goes blank under pressure, and why the fog lasts longer for women than for men
The breathing pattern Attia uses to calm her nervous system in seconds, with no one able to tell she's doing it
What to do in the two minutes after you've already frozen, so you can get back in the room
Why women get labeled difficult for the same directness that reads as confident in men, and the framing that works instead
The internal negotiation most women skip, and how putting it off for years can cost you two raises instead of one
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Attia Qureshi's free guide, Why You Freeze: attiaqureshi.com/freeze  
Attia Qureshi's free Emotion Wheel tool: attiaqureshi.com/emotionwheel
Attia Qureshi's book, Never Settle: Persuasion and Negotiation Skills to get what you want: amazon.ca/Never-Settle-Persuasion-Negotiation-Skills/dp/1668070375 
Connect with Attia on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/attiaq
Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead: amazon.ca/Lean-Women-Work-Will-Lead/dp/0385349947 
Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a
Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter 
Curious what it’s like to work together? Send me a message on LinkedIn or Instagram (Katy McFee) and tell me what you are working toward, and we can take it from there.
Join me live in Ottawa, Canada, on October 23rd. Save your seat at owntheroomsummit.com.
Not sure if you're ready for VP? Take the free assessment and find out at morewomenpromoted.com/quiz
Remember, there's room for all of us at the table.

I break down why the leadership playbook was built for someone who isn't us, and why leaning into how women actually lead is your biggest competitive advantage. Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter
When you picture a leader, who comes to mind? For most of us, it's an image shaped by decades of one type of person being in charge, and that person built the whole playbook. Executive presence. Be more assertive. Project more confidence. So much of the feedback women get is really just "lead more like a man." And when we try, it doesn't work, because it isn't who we are.
In this episode, I break down the research showing women actually lead differently, why that difference is a measurable competitive advantage, and why having other women in your corner is what makes it possible to lead this way with confidence.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The leadership style that's proven to build more trust and better performance, and why most of us were never taught it
The real data behind why companies with more women in the C-suite and boardroom significantly outperform
What the COVID crisis leadership numbers revealed about countries led by women
Why being over-mentored and under-sponsored keeps so many capable women stuck, and the difference between the two
The specific skill I teach that lets you be direct without losing what makes your leadership style work
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Stacy Sims: drstacysims.com/ 
Caroline Criado Perez’s book, Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men: https://a.co/d/05KjbMcH 
Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a 
Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter 
Curious what it’s like to work together? Send me a message on LinkedIn or Instagram (Katy McFee) and tell me what you are working toward, and we can take it from there.
Join me live in Ottawa, Canada, on October 23rd. Save your seat at owntheroomsummit.com.
Not sure if you're ready for VP? Take the free assessment and find out at morewomenpromoted.com/quiz
Remember, there's room for all of us at the table.

I burned out in 2021, and earlier this year I felt those same warning signs creeping back in. In this episode, I break down why so many women leave senior leadership right after they get there, and what actually prevents it. Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter
For every one woman who becomes a director, two leave. Women's representation at the VP and C-suite level has been stuck at around 30 percent for years, and it is not because women aren't getting there. It's because once they arrive, too many decide it isn't worth staying.
I know this firsthand. At the end of 2021, I hit a wall I had never experienced before: crying every day, disengaged, convinced I was losing my mind. It took me almost a year to feel like myself again. And earlier this year, I noticed those same warning signs creeping back in, so this topic is personal, not theoretical.
In this episode, I break down why women are leaving senior leadership right when they get there, what's actually driving it, and what I did differently the second time around to catch it before it became a crisis again.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The three root causes behind burnout at the senior level, and why working fewer hours isn't automatically the fix
Why an invisible caregiving load, plus midlife changes like perimenopause, quietly compound the pressure on women executives specifically
The daily, non-negotiable habits I use to catch burnout before it becomes a crisis, not a once-a-year trip to Mexico
Why not feeling aligned causes more burnout than people realize, and how I used an energizing versus de-energizing list to find mine
The support audit I recommend before you take on, or stay in, a senior role
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a 
Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter 
Curious what it’s like to work together? Send me a message on LinkedIn or Instagram (Katy McFee) and tell me what you are working toward, and we can take it from there.
Join me live in Ottawa, Canada, on October 23rd. Save your seat at owntheroomsummit.com.
Not sure if you're ready for VP? Take the free assessment and find out at morewomenpromoted.com/quiz
Remember, there's room for all of us at the table.

I once worked for a boss who couldn't stand me, and it taught me the real difference between a difficult manager and a genuinely toxic one. In this episode, I break down how to tell them apart and what to do either way. Sign up for my newsletter to keep getting weekly insights like this: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter 
Ever been convinced your boss just doesn't like you? You're not imagining it, and you're also not stuck.
"Toxic boss" gets thrown around for almost anything now: tough feedback, a manager who plays favourites, someone who changes their mind. But a difficult manager and an actually toxic one call for completely different responses, and mixing them up can keep you stuck in a relationship that's actually worth fixing, or keep you staying somewhere you should have left a long time ago.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The exact pattern of behaviour that separates a toxic boss from a difficult one, and why lumping them together backfires
Three ways to actually strengthen a rocky relationship with a manager who isn't your biggest fan
How to keep growing your career even when your boss isn't championing you
The clear signs it's time to stop trying and start job searching
Why building a personal relationship with a difficult manager changes everything, even if grabbing lunch with them is the last thing you want to do
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a 
Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter 
Curious what it’s like to work together? Send me a message on LinkedIn or Instagram (Katy McFee) and tell me what you are working toward, and we can take it from there.
Join me live in Ottawa, Canada, on October 23rd. Save your seat at owntheroomsummit.com.
Not sure if you're ready for VP? Take the free assessment and find out at morewomenpromoted.com/quiz
Remember, there's room for all of us at the table.