YOU'RE INVITED
EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT
Chicago, June 20/21st
Hosted by APCO
We bring together C-level executives, founders, board members and change-makers to navigate transitions, get clarity on goals, and tell the story of our value and accomplishments – to ourselves and others – in a powerful and confident way that accelerates outcomes.
You’ll leave with amazing new connections (and friends), a clear action plan for leveling up to where you want to be next, and a powerful way to declare your value to the world. This is an actionable, pragmatic, and uplifting experience that will directly influence your life, your work and your leadership.
Empowerment Summits are facilitated by award-winning author, keynote and TedX speaker and leadership expert Tissa Richards.
Learn more below.
Register HERE.
"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 event 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
Executive Producer, The Humanity Code | President, Women's Executive Channel Advisory Board
The Empowerment Summit:
A one-of-a-kind curated journey
2 days in cities around the US to dive deep with Tissa Richards and a small group of remarkable women just like you. Check the calendar for upcoming Summits!
1- Learning
Join us for an extensive – and intensive – agenda to uplift your professional and personal journey. Get clarity on your goals and learn how to stand out in a crowd by developing a memorable, confident catalyst statement that clearly conveys your ‘so what.’ Navigate transitions and identify your values and non-negotiables. Learn how to build a fulfilling next chapter – including how to accelerate your board portfolio. And, dive into actionable techniques to become a compelling communicator and self-advocate.
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. Learn techniques to optimize your own network – where your social and professional capital is highest – to realize your goals.
3 - Fun
Let down your hair over dinners and coffee and get to know your peers. We work hard, so we're also here to relax!
Tissa Richards is a repeat software founder & CEO, TedX and keynote speaker and leadership expert who works with global F500 companies and fast-growing startups. She helps organizations directly connect leadership development to desired outcomes: revenue, productivity, and innovation. Her mission is to equip leaders and teams with the skills and confidence to become unshakable no matter the situation. She regularly delivers keynotes and workshops to some of the largest private equity, investment, and technology firms in the world. Her book, “No Permission Needed” has won multiple awards and is an Amazon best-seller. Tissa guides hundreds of women to the C-Suite and public and private board positions each year. Learn more at www.tissarichards.com.
"I joined 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. 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
"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!!"
- Lynne Smith
Board Member, VP, United Way
"I walked out with momentum to face what's next and a group of girlfriends who cheered me on."
- Joanna Joniec
Board Member
"This 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 again."
- Carol Shen
Founder, CSC Learning Design
"I was SO inspired, energized and motivated after meeting these amazing ladies ! 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
Thank you to our generous sponsors...
APCO is a global advisory and advocacy firm helping clients navigate a complex world and create lasting impact. As trusted and strategic advisers, consultants and creators to some of the world’s leading corporations, foundations and governments, we discover and foster valuable connections, insights and solutions that drive our clients’ missions and objectives forward.
For 20 years, Ritz Communications has been delivering on a simple commitment to provide the best client service possible. We’re honored by the awards we’ve earned for healthcare public relations and integrated marketing communications. What makes us most proud, however, are the clients who retain us year after year and expand their work with us based on the results we achieve for them. Experience and talent matter to our clients. That’s what they get when they work with us. Skilled practitioners guide every project and campaign. That’s how we consistently deliver success.
Summit Workshop Sessions
*These sessions are samplings and are subject to change based on agenda timing and attendee interest.
The Art of Declaring Yourself: How to be Memorable and Develop Professional and Personal Swagger to Accelerate Your Career
Value proposition, visibility, and reputation play a critical part in the later stages of your career journey. When you are ready to take the next step, how do you set yourself apart and show that you are ready for the role? Learn how to speak about yourself unapologetically, memorably, and confidently. You’ll learn how developing personal and professional swagger – and a short and powerful narrative – translates to establishing yourself as a top candidate, proving your value, and creating opportunities for yourself to gain valuable visibility.
Closing the Gap on Self-Doubt
You’ve identified the value you bring to the world – but if you don’t internalize it to ensure you face the world with confidence, a vacuum of self-doubt can open up. Self-doubt can lead to missed opportunities, reduced resilience, and a lack of self-advocacy. In this session, we’ll dive into how to internalize your indisputable value and approach the world with factual confidence.
Clarity Catalyst
Whether you are looking for ‘your next chapter’ or simply exploring what you’d like your legacy to be, clarity is critical. And clarity is intertwined with your goals, values, personal priorities, and non-negotiables. In this session, we’ll surface the values you operate on, why they are important, and how they manifest to lead you to “what’s next.”
Accelerating Your Board Portfolio by Optimizing Your Messaging & Network
You’re ready to scale your board portfolio, stand out from the crowd and come to mind as soon as a board opportunity arises. How can you ensure your name is mentioned when you’re not in the room, for the most number of opportunities? You’ve probably been advised to have a compelling ‘elevator pitch,’ board bio, CV and LinkedIn profile to accelerate your board journey. Do you know what makes your board story and materials compelling and memorable?
In this session, learn how Tissa has guided hundreds of directors to public and private board positions. We’ll cover
- What makes the most compelling, memorable board story
- How to create a crisp, concise value proposition
- Tips to refresh (or create) your board materials and LinkedIn
- How to stand out from the crowd of candidates
Communications Mastery
Communicating with confidence and skill is a key success factor in navigating a wide variety of situations with ease and efficiency. When you excel as a communicator, you can advocate for yourself and your team, and accelerate your career. Good communicators don’t always make great leaders – but good leaders tend to be good communicators. In this session, we’ll dive into specific strategies for mastering executive communications and learn how to stand out as a confident, powerful communicator.
Confidence Catalyst - Embracing Difficult Conversations to Optimize the Outcome
95% of people dread difficult conversations with teams and peers. Imagine if you never had to dread a conversation or situation again! In this session, you’ll learn practical – and immediately actionable – tools to navigate difficult, challenging, or dreaded conversations up and down your organization so you can optimize the outcome for yourself and your team. Learn how to become comfortable in situations so you can approach all conversations fearlessly, build trust and collaboration. And most importantly, never dread a difficult conversation again!
Register for the Empowerment Summit now!
Register HERE
Get reimbursed by your employer
Many companies cover all or part of the cost of the Empowerment Summit 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.
Previous Empowerment Events....
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 SUMMIT!
Register HERE
