YOU'RE INVITED

 

 Fourth-Annual Invitation-Only Empowerment Collective Women's Leadership Retreat

Dallas, TX, October 3rd & 4th 2025

 

You've been selected to join us at the Empowerment Collective retreat! We bring together C-level executives, founders, board members and change-makers to amplify our networks, share insights about our professional and personal journeys, and increase resilience and effectiveness in an intimate and private setting.
Get ready for actionable, pragmatic, and uplifting experiences that will directly influence your life, your work and your leadership - a way to level up to where you want to be next! (And leave with meaningful new connections and friends.)
The Empowerment Collective Retreat was founded by award-winning author, TedX speaker and leadership expert Tissa Richards. 

Registration is now closed. If you'd like to register, please reach out to Tissa directly!

 

"A powerful and generous brain trust of women"

Tissa assembles a powerful and generous brain trust of female executives who help each other with whatever they need, from brainstorming solutions, making strategic connections, or workshopping ideas. Everyone gets so much from the retreat and the powerful network: lifting others up to enrich each other’s lives and careers. You’ll leave the weekend accomplishing your goals, and also developing enduring friendships that become like your personal advisory board.

Heidi Lorenzen

SVP, Accela & President, Women's Executive Channel Advisory Board

 

The Empowerment Collective:

A curated journey with your peers

1- Learning



Join us for an extensive and wide-ranging agenda covering critical topics, from trends in the market, thought leadership, optimizing your online presence and brand, adding to your board portfolio, securing and retaining top talent, and a yearly crowd favorite (unexpected travel hacks for frequent travelers).

2 - Networking


Spend time with your peers in structured breakout sessions and informal networking activities to share the experiences - and pressures - of being a woman in senior leadership. You'll be joined by hand-selected CxOs, senior-level leaders, founders and business owners, and board directors from multiple domains who bring diverse perspectives and experiences. Attendees stay in touch with each other throughout the year and form close friendships.

3 - Fun


Let down your hair and enjoy tequila tastings, food pairings, meditation, yoga, and other fun experiences. We work hard, so we're also here to relax! 

                                

Why Women Are Coming Back Again...and Again

"I joined the retreat with a desire to finesse my personal value statement and broaden my professional network. What an amazing and fulfilling experience! Tissa is a natural connector who instinctively places like-minded leaders together. In just 2.5 days, I started without knowing a single individual, and finished with a group of powerful and FUN women whom I can call upon for connection, personal and professional support, and authentically delivered encouragement. This is a must do for anyone who wants to expand their professional circle, grow confidence in their business value, and realize ambitions. Don’t walk, but RUN! Take advantage of this unique experience. I’ll return again and again!"

-Karen Stuckey

Board Member (The Container Store), Former SVP, Walmart

"The retreat was a delightful experience that provided a cozy space for introverts like me to forge camaraderie and nurture confidence. We shared stories, built friendships, and focused on leadership development. It struck the perfect balance between creating meaningful connections and fostering personal growth."

-Joyce Li

Board Director, Founder & CEO 

 

"This is a must-attend. I got more clarity on how to approach situations at work, strategize my board portfolio, and met a remarkable group of women who I have stayed in close touch with throughout the year. Tissa carefully curates the women who attend and thoughtfully puts together an agenda that addresses professional and personal topics impacting senior executive women. Fun, impactful and meaningful."

 

- Shar Kassam


COO, Nasdaq Asset Owners Solutions; Board Director & Audit/Nom/Gov Chair

"It is rare to feel supported professionally and personally….the time spent with this group of accomplished women was an unexpected gift to myself!!  It’s also a gift that has kept on giving since our retreat during 1:1’s and monthly reunions."


- Lynne Smith
Board Member, VP, United Way

 

"I walked out of this retreat with momentum to face what's next and a group of girlfriends who cheered me on."


- Joanna Joniec
Board Member

"Coming to this retreat completely re-energized me! It's very special when you find a group of women who embrace you for who you are, celebrate you and support you in reaching your professional (and personal) goals. I'm so grateful I attended last year, and can't wait to attend the next retreat."

- Carol Shen
  Founder, CSC Learning Design

"I was SO inspired, energized and motivated after meeting these amazing ladies at the retreat! The conversations boosted my confidence and set me up for success in my board interviews.” 

- Lynda Grindstaff 


Vice President, McAfee; Founding Partner, How Women Invest; Committee Member, Society of Women Engineers 

"Tissa curated a remarkable group of women, and created a safe space for personal and professional growth, with inspiring conversations. I gained newfound confidence and a genuinely supportive group who I continue to turn to anytime, anywhere. I can’t wait for this year’s retreat!" 

- Barbara Shurtleff 


Board Director, Former CTO, SAIC

Ready to Join the Empowerment Collective Retreat?

Registration is now closed. If you'd like to register, please reach out to Tissa directly!

Thank you to our generous sponsors...

McAfee® is a leading online protection company that strives to make life online safe and enjoyable for everyone. We deliver comprehensive protection to safeguard people’s privacy and identity in addition to our award-winning antivirus that helps keep them safe — across activities, devices, and locations. Our protection frees and empowers our customers to confidently live life online. 

Whether you’re in need of individual financial counsel or robust institutional strategies, at SilverTree Wealth Partners, we’ve built our business to address the varied needs of our diverse clientele. Our clients deserve our full attention, and we deliver that attentiveness with guidance that’s tailored to your unique challenges and objectives. We take the time to get to know your values and long-term goals, carefully crafting plans that support the future you’re working toward. 

As a focused and experienced group, we provide the resources and expertise of a large firm, with the consideration and service typically found at a small boutique. With over 200 years of collective wealth management experience, we develop strategies with an emphasis on mitigating risk and pursuing long-term success, fortified by thorough, objective investment research and selection. 

We work alongside our clients, ensuring our strategies are consistently aligned toward their ideal financial outcome. We see your goals as an extension of our own, and work tirelessly to help you strive for every one of them.

The Greenberg Traurig Real Estate Practice is a cornerstone of the firm and a recognized leader in the industry. The firm’s real estate attorneys deliver diversified and comprehensive counsel for property acquisition and investment, development, management and leasing, financing, restructuring, and disposition of all asset classes of real estate. The team draws upon the knowledge and experience of more than 700 real estate lawyers from around the world, serving clients from key markets in the United States, Europe & the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. The group’s clientele includes a broad range of property developers, lenders, investment managers, private equity funds, REITs, and private owners. The real estate practice advises clients on a variety of matters across a broad spectrum of commercial, recreational, and residential real estate, including structured equity and debt and hybrids.

ThoughtCollab was founded by Joanna Furlong, an executive communication strategist, thought leadership coach, and writer, to help leaders and organizations discover, build, and amplify their unique perspective. Joanna helps leaders directly connect thought leadership to achieving their goals—allowing them to shift their external positioning to unlock opportunity. Whether you’re in career transition, looking to launch a new business, or re-thinking your digital presence, Joanna can help you think through practical strategies for how to show up in a more intentional and powerful way. Joanna spent more than 20 years in a variety of marketing and communications roles, serving as an executive thought partner in every role along the way. She drives brand cohesion, executive communications, and content for venture-backed startups and small to medium-sized businesses in diverse industries. C-suite executives and organizations of all sizes have consistently relied on Joanna to transform their ideas into compelling stories—and to help them think reimagine both the way they perceive themselves and how they want others to view them, through the power of story and thought leadership.

We believe it's always easier to get amazing results when you bake with the best possible ingredients, which is why we're proud to make the first-ever organic ready-to-use frostings and organic baking mixes that taste like they were made from scratch, without any of the weird stuff. We want to feel good about what we’re feeding ourselves, our friends, and our family, while offering the very best baking essentials we can find. Our innovative line of baking mixes and frostings eliminate the worry of consuming unpronounceable ingredients, while delivering high-quality, baked-with-love results every time! About our products... - All products are Certified Organic - All products are vegan, soy-free and dairy-free - Do not contain hydrogenated oils or trans fats - Do not contain artificial flavors or colors - Made in the USA

The Empowerment Collective Retreat is a combination of structured sessions, free time to network and brainstorm, and fun, curated experiences. Here are examples of sessions from previous years.

*These are a sampling of topics - our agenda is fluid; please also come with topics in mind!

  • How to Thrive in a Two Career Family
  • Private Equity 101: Intro to Private Equity
  • Optimizing Interpersonal Communication With a Communication Styles Framework
  • Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile 
  • Discovering and Amplifying Your Thought Leadership  
  • The Travel Products and Hacks You Didn’t Know You Need
  • Hiring & Retaining Top Talent in a Challenging Market
  • Preparing for a Career Transition: Trends in the Hiring Market
  • Gotcha’s & Things to Negotiate in Employment Agreements (Equity & Accelerators in Different Ownership Structures)
  • How to Manage Millennial & GenZ Team Members (Navigating a Multi-Generational Workforce)
  • How to Succeed in Board & Operator Interviews
  • Creating Your Value Proposition & Catalyst Statement - a Visual Map of Your Value
  • Tips to Becoming a Compelling Communicator & Public Speaker
  • How to Network Effectively to Increase Your Board Portfolio
  • Strategic Planning: How to Get More Team, ELT & Board Mindshare
  • Having Difficult Conversations Fearlessly
  • Finding Balance, Happiness and Resilience Without Guilt
  • Gives & Asks: Intentional Networking

                              

The Agenda...(Final Agenda to be Provided ASAP)

 

Thursday, October 2nd

Arrive in Dallas (evening)

TBD - Networking and drinks

Hotel: Dallas/Plano Marriott at Legacy Center, 7121 Bishop Road, Plano, Texas 75024

Airport(s): Dallas Forth Worth / Dallas Love Field

Friday, October 4th

 

Agenda TBD 

Saturday, October 5th

 

Agenda TBD

Tissa's book launch!

Sunday, October 6th

Depart for home

Register for the Empowerment Collective Women's  Leadership Retreat now!

Registration is now closed. If you'd like to register, please reach out to Tissa directly!

 

                              

Meet Your Empowerment Collective Retreat Founder & Host

As a software founder and leadership advisor, Tissa Richards has emerged as a prominent authority on fostering innovation, organization resilience and anticipating and adapting change into competitive advantage. Her models have been embraced by global organizations across industries. A renowned TEDx and keynote speaker, Tissa regularly delivers keynotes for top tech, CPG, retail, and finance sector organizations worldwide including private equity, Nasdaq, Forbes, and the NYSE. Tissa is also a passionate advocate for increasing board diversity and has helped guide hundreds of leaders into public and private boardrooms. Her award-winning bestseller, No Permission Needed is available on Amazon. Learn more at www.tissarichards.com.

Get reimbursed by your employer

 


 

Many companies cover all or part of the cost of the Empowerment Collective Retreat as part of leadership and professional development or diversity initiatives. If you need help getting reimbursed by your employer, you can click here to download a proposal template. Or, reach out to us for personalized assistance. Questions? Email us.

BASED ON TISSA RICHARDS' WORK WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE CLIENTS - A SELECT SAMPLING

BASED ON TISSA RICHARDS' WORK WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS AND PRIVATE CLIENTS - A SELECT SAMPLING

A Message From Tissa:

This is the fourth annual Empowerment Collective Retreat - we started small and it's grown every year. The women are remarkable. YOU are remarkable. The power of a tribe like this, is remarkable. You will leave with friends, a network, and with energy. This isn't "just" a 2.5 day event. It's a group of women who will uplift you throughout the entire year. Don't take my word for it - ask the tribe

JOIN US AT THE EMPOWERMENT COLLECTIVE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP RETREAT!  

Registration is now closed. If you'd like to register, please reach out to Tissa directly!