YOU'RE INVITED
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Ā Invitation-Only Empowerment Collective Women's Leadership Retreat
Scottsdale, Arizona, October 5-8, 2023
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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. Hosted and facilitated by award-winning author, TedX speaker and leadership expert Tissa Richards.
You'll leave with amazing new connections (and friends), and a clear action plan for understanding your skills, and next steps to level up to where you want to be next. This is an actionable, pragmatic, and uplifting experience that will directly influence your life, your work and your leadership.
Learn more below.Ā REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. Please contact Tissa if you have questions.
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"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, try on jewelry, explore historic downtown Scottsdale, and kick back in your yoga pants (or pajamas!) with a glass of wine on the last night of the retreat, or enjoy our surprise outings. We work hard, so we're also here to relax!


"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, 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

- Barbara Shurtleff
Board Director, Former CTO, SAIC
Ready to Join the Empowerment Collective Retreat?
Registration is now closed. Please contact Tissa with any questions.
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Thank you to our generous sponsors...
JM Search is the leading retained executive search firm for private equity, and other growth-oriented private and public organizations.Ā With over 40 years of experience, our partners are immersed in your search every step of the way, supported by a passionate, cohesive team of recruiting experts. With deep sector and functional-specific expertise, our partners have built expansive professional networks from decades of firsthand experience to ensure the best possible outcomes for our clients and their businesses.Ā One firm, focused on you.
Throughline is an enterprise design and strategy firm that helps organizations tell their stories, and then make those stories come true. Using the combined powers of science and art we explore the leaders’ mission in-depth, envision it with courage and execute relentlessly — using the Throughline system to help leaders drive enterprises from intent to measurable impact. Our ever-curious mindset and our passion for co-creation enable us to remain open and versatile as we work not around but through challenges.
At Throughline, we help leaders codify, communicate and continually reinforce their mission, vision, strategy and values, using visualization and visual language that is easy to understand, and articulates the leaders’ ethos in pursuit of becoming a more adaptive enterprise. Learn more at Throughline.com.
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.Ā
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.Ā
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.
USI is one of the largest insurance brokerage firms, delivering property and casualty, employee benefits, personal risk and retirement solutions to companies and individuals. USI leverages the USI ONE Advantage(R), an interactive platform that integrates proprietary and innovative client solutions, resources and enterprise-wide collaboration to deliver customized results.Ā

Workiva Inc. (NYSE:WK) is on a mission to power transparent reporting for a better world. We build and deliver the world’s leading cloud platform for assured integrated reporting to meet stakeholder demands for action, transparency, and disclosure of financial and non-financial data. Workiva offers the only unified SaaS platform that brings customers’ financial reporting, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) together in a controlled, secure, audit-ready platform. Our platform simplifies the most complex reporting and disclosure challenges by streamlining processes, connecting data and teams, and ensuring consistency. Learn more at workiva.com.
Primo Water Corporation is a leading pure-play water solutions provider in North America and Europe and generates approximately $2.1 billion in annual revenue. Primo operates largely under a recurring razor/razorblade revenue model. The razor in Primo's revenue model is its industry leading line-up of sleek and innovative water dispensers, which are sold through retailers and online at various price points. The dispensers help increase household penetration which drives recurring purchases of Primo's razorblade offering. Primo's razorblade offering is comprised of Water Direct, Water Exchange, and Water Refill. Through its Water Direct business, Primo delivers sustainable hydration solutions across its 21-country footprint direct to the customer's door, whether at home or to businesses. Primo sells dispensers online and in approximately 10,000 retail locations. Complementing the dispenser business, Primo offers pre-filled Water Exchange in approximately 14,000 retail locations and approximately 24,000 self-service Water Refill machines at retail locations. Primo also offers water filtration units across its 21-country footprint.
- Organic Maca known to balance blood sugar and support hormones
- Ā 29% of a women's daily fiber needs to feel full & satisfied
- 8 grams of plant-based protein to maintain muscle and support metabolism
Cabal is like class: never purchased, always earned. The word cabal means precise, exact, thorough and on point. That describes our aspirations as a tequila company to do tings the right way. Our bottles are sourced from recycled glass and familial ties, ensuring that the vessel that carries our sprit also carries the spirit of our culture. We focus on organic, single-estate, and biodynamic practices. We distill with stainless steel and copper coils, providing a cleaner and smoother end product. Our processes provide a better yield per kilo and a natural sweetness that our customers love without any added additives at any point.
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc. is a processor, packager, marketer and distributor of nut and dried fruit-based products that are sold under a variety of private brands and under the Company’s Fisher®, Orchard Valley Harvest®, Squirrel Brand®, and Southern Style Nuts® brand name.

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.
CSC Learning Design LLC partners with clients to elevate the people side of their business. As founder, I started CSC Learning Design because of my experience and passion for figuring out the key to helping employees reach their potential. Our areas of expertise include: Strategic advisor to leadership teams on OD and Learning & Development strategy, talent and culture, change management, leadership and professional development, succession planning, onboarding, career development planning, instructional design & facilitation skills. Private markets industry, ESG and philanthropic sector expertise.
Planned Breakout Sessions
- 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

Thursday, October 5th
TBDĀ - Networking and drinks
Hotel:Ā MarriottĀ Scottsdale Old Town, 7325 East 3rd Avenue, Scottsdale AZ
Airport(s):Ā Phoenix Sky Harbor
Friday, October 6th
8:00am - Breakfast
8:00am - Breakfast, Welcome & Breakouts (Dress code: business casual - be comfortable!)
12:00pm - Lunch
1:00pm - Breakouts
4:30pm - Break
6:00pm - Meet for Dinner (Dress code: comfortable!)
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Saturday, October 7th
8:30amĀ - Day-long programming at offsite location, including breakfast and lunch. (Dress code: business casual - be comfortable!)
5:30pm - Meet for Dinner (Dress code: comfortable!)
8:00pm - Wine & Desserts at the hotel (Dress code: totally comfortable!)
Sunday, October 8th
8:00-10:00am – Breakfast and coffee, location TBD
Register for theĀ Empowerment CollectiveĀ Women'sĀ Leadership Retreat now!
Registration is now closed. Please contact Tissa with any questions.Ā

Tissa Richards is a bold, trusted, authentic technology founder, TedX/keynote speaker and executive coach. She has founded, invested in, and run software companies in Silicon Valley, and holds over a dozen software patents. She has won awards for her innovative software products from some of the world’s largest companies. Tissa has navigated the tough worlds of entrepreneurship, executive leadership, and fundraising. Today, Tissa works with the world’s largest private equity and investment firms and corporations as well as innovative startups. She prepares boardroom candidates, coaches leadership teams and executives, and facilitates corporate workshops. She speaks globally on topics affecting executives and leaders.
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.















A Message From Tissa:
I’m so excited about the transformation that happens whenever someone goes through these leadership events. You gain clarity, confidence, and the ability to say clearly: “[This] is the exact value I bring to [this] kind of board looking to do [this]. [This] is how I help guide companies needing [this] or facing [this] kind of challenge.”
Having that laser focus and succinct story makes you stand out. Your value is clear and compelling. People immediately understand, “why you?” They immediately start thinking about who they should introduce you to. They advocate for you. They scale and amplify your career with and for you. This maximizes and accelerates your success.
This approach isn’t theoretical. It works, over and over again. My clients secure private and public board seats and see rapid career acceleration. They are confident going into – and coming out of – interviews. They know how to activate their networks. They tap into the tens of thousands of opportunities available each year and become successful, impactful leaders.
Many people tell me they don’t have a value proposition. They tell me it’s hard to come up with something that is crisp, concise and compelling. I know it’s hard, and I promise you, you have one. The same people who tell me how hard it is go through the exercises and the discovery process and they are excited to see theirs come to life. I’ve never had someone not discover theirs.
You have a compelling story. I’m here to help you surface and tell it. And I’m here to help you cut through the frustration and the feeling that this is hard. It doesn’t have to be. Nothing makes my day more than someone calling or texting me to announce, “I got it! I got the role!”
This is my approach to executive and board coaching. Pragmatic, practical, and actionable. (And empathetic.) I want you to leave not just with inspiration but also with transformation. With a clear plan. With Fearlessness, Authenticity, Resilience, and Effectiveness.
I want to help as many people as possible do this. Let’s transform work. Let’s bring new perspectives, skills and voices to the C-suite and to the boardroom. Let’s bring your voice to the table. Let’s do it now. Let me show you how. It would be an honor.
See you inside!
Tissa
JOIN US AT THE EMPOWERMENT COLLECTIVE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP RETREAT!
Registration is now closed. Please contact Tissa with any questions.