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.

You have a personal brand at work whether you're intentional about it or not. The question is whether it's working for you. Steal the playbook from brand marketing: three concepts that drive market share and apply them to your career. morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter

Most women I know are heads-down doing good work and assuming that's enough. It's not. The women who get promoted to VP and beyond aren't just talented. They've built a career brand, and they've done it intentionally.

In this episode, I sit down with Shea Cole, CMO at Field Effect and former VP at FullScript, to break down the three brand marketing fundamentals that drive market share and show you exactly how they apply to your career. If you want to be the name that comes up when a big opportunity opens, this episode is your playbook.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why your personal brand is just your reputation and how to start building it intentionally, even if you have zero social media presence
• How differentiation works in your career: what makes you different doesn't have to be what you're best at today; it just has to be authentic and sustainable
• The two-part framework for "meaning," including the part about making people want you in the room (and what happens when strong opinions get mislabeled as difficult)
• What top-of-mind awareness actually means in a workplace context and why a single standout project isn't enough to get you on the succession plan
• The one habit Shea's former boss swore by: "merchandise your work" and why doing it benefits your boss as much as it benefits you

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Shea Cole on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sheacole
• Shea's brand strategy course through Electives: electives.io
• Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a
• Weekly newsletter: morewomenpromoted.com/newsletter
• Lewis Howes School of Greatness podcast: lewishowes.com/school-of-greatness
• More Women Promoted Podcast S3 Ep2: Why Your Boss Can't Promote You (Even If They Want To)

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 spent years trying to figure out leadership on my own, then more years asking the wrong people for help. Here's what changed everything, and how you can start building your own circle: morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass

Have you ever gotten advice that was completely wrong for your situation, from someone who genuinely wanted to help? That disconnect isn't random. It usually means you asked the right person the wrong question, or the wrong person entirely.

I used to believe that once I made it to director, I was supposed to have all the answers. So when I got stuck, I either tried to solve it alone, or I asked whoever happened to be successful, whether or not their life looked anything like mine. Both mistakes kept me spinning my wheels for years.

In this episode, I break down the two advice mistakes that quietly stall careers, and the exact process I now use to find people who can actually help.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why asking for help gets harder the higher you climb, and what it's actually costing you
• The difference between getting bad advice and getting no advice at all (and why bad advice can set you back further)
• How to spot when you're asking someone who simply doesn't share your context, even if they're smart and successful
• The 3-step process I use to find the right people before I even need them
• What the research says about why women with strong peer networks are more likely to reach senior leadership

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Free Masterclass: morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass
• 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 was stuck as a director for five years. And the whole time, I was already doing the VP job.

Reporting to the CEO, running the function, on the senior leadership team, no VP above me. I kept waiting for the title to follow. It never did. If you're in that waiting place, here's what I wish someone had told me sooner: it's not because you're not good enough, not because you're not working hard enough, and not because you need another certification. It's a perception problem, not a talent problem. And the good news is that perception is fixable once you can see it. Want help spotting which gap is yours? I'm running a free masterclass on September 8th: morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why being stuck at director is almost always a perception problem, not a talent or qualifications one
• The most common gap I see: doing strategic work but only communicating execution, and how to flip it
• Why flawless execution can quietly typecast you as "she handles things" instead of "she's our next VP"
• How VP promotions actually get decided, and why your manager's advocacy alone leaves you exposed
• The stakeholder-mapping move that gets the right leaders talking about you in rooms you're not in

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Free masterclass, September 8th: the 3 things keeping you stuck from VP and how to fix them - morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass
• More Women Promoted Podcast S3 Ep2: Why Your Boss Can't Promote You (Even If They Want To)
• 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.

My corporate career looks great on paper. VP, then EVP. But the road to get there was so much messier than it needed to be.

Here's the part that still gets me. The skills were already there. My strategic thinking, my expertise, my talent, none of that changed when I finally broke through. What changed was how I was showing up. Today I'm not teaching a framework. I'm telling you the truth about the four things I'd do differently if I were starting my VP push today, knowing what I know now. And if you want help spotting which one is holding you back, I'm running a free masterclass on September 8: morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why slowing down, as in doing less, is what actually accelerated my leadership career
• The simple weekly habit that turns your manager into your best advocate in the promotion room
• How the way you treat yourself as a human shows up in whether you're seen as VP-ready
• The kind of value I left on the table for years by staying quiet in the room, and how to stop
• Why the skills that keep you stuck at director are rarely the real problem

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Free masterclass, September 8: the 3 things keeping you stuck from VP and how to fix them - morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass
• 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.

Your boss loving your work is not enough to get you promoted. Not at the senior level.

Most of us believe that if we impress our manager and make ourselves indispensable, the promotion will follow. But once you're being considered for director, VP, and beyond, your boss is rarely the only person deciding. Promotions at that level are made by committee. And if the leaders in that room don't know you, your boss is fighting an uphill battle on your behalf. Ready to get in the room? Get VP-ready in my free masterclass: morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

How senior-level promotions actually get decided, and why it's almost never a one-person call

• Why "my boss loves me" can be the exact thing keeping you stuck at director
• The three things that make it easy for your boss to win the room when your name comes up
• How to build real visibility with leaders outside your function without feeling braggy or political
• The single mindset shift that separates the women who get promoted from the ones who stay stuck

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Get VP-ready: free masterclass - morewomenpromoted.com/masterclass
• 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.