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: https://www.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.