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.

I sat down with Anna Belyaeva on The Career Diet podcast to break down the mistakes that kept me stuck at director for five years, and what I'd do instead. Looking for more? One week left to join my fall cohort: https://insightstoactioncc.com/signup

I was reporting straight to the CEO, running an entire function, and there was no VP above me. I still couldn't get the title. I had no idea what I was doing wrong. I was working harder than anyone, my team loved me, I knew the leadership team well, and none of it moved the needle.

That was five years of my life as a director before I finally figured out what was actually missing, and it wasn't more hustle.

In this episode, I'm doing something a little different. Instead of a solo teaching episode, I'm sharing the conversation I had as a guest on my friend Anna Belyaeva's podcast, The Career Diet. She asked me the questions I get asked the most: what were the biggest mistakes I made trying to move from director to VP, and what would I tell a woman today who wants to make that move in the next six months.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why grinding harder actually works against you once you're aiming for VP, and the two-part audit (calendar and task) I use to reclaim real strategic thinking time
• The exact language shift that turns "what do you think?" into "here's my recommendation, any concerns?", and why the second version gets you promoted
• Why confidence gets read as competence whether you like it or not, and the Harvard Business Review research behind it
• How to build a real stakeholder map instead of relying on people who just "like" you
• The three moves I'd make this week if I were trying to go from director to VP in the next six months

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• The Career Diet podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-career-diet-podcast/id1759430848
• Own Your Seat at the Table - fall cohort (one week left to enroll): https://insightstoactioncc.com/signup
• 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.