Own The Room Summit
About this Event
For Directors and Senior Directors who are tired of being "almost there." You're not missing effort or experience. You're missing a different way of showing up.
This is for you if...
- You've been passed over for VP at least once, and the feedback was vague: "not quite ready," "needs more executive presence."
- You're the hardest worker in the room, and somehow that keeps working against you.
- You watch people with half your output get promoted, and can't quite name why.
- You're done with generic "lean in" advice and want the actual playbook.
- You want to walk into a senior room and feel like a peer, not a guest.
- You want to own your career instead of waiting for someone to notice you.
Here's the thing: it's not you.
You've just never been taught how to operate at the executive level. Nobody has. Most women at your stage are running the same plays that got them to Director: working hard with their head down, waiting to be recognized, letting the work speak for itself. That playbook runs out right before VP, on purpose, because the game changes.
This is not your average leadership conference.
No theatre-style rows. No speaker after speaker with zero change by Monday. At Own The Room, you're seated at a round table with nine other ambitious women, using a Learn–Do–Share model: you learn a real skill, apply it in the room, and connect with the women beside you in real time. You leave not just inspired, but with a plan and the tools to make it happen.
What's inside your day:
- Leadership Identity Statement
Build yours in the room, so you stop second-guessing how to describe yourself in senior rooms. - Communication With Impact
Real language, real reps, so your ideas land the first time. - Authentic Leadership
Presence without the performance. - Strategic Visibility
Get the right work seen by the right people, without bragging or burning out. - 4 Paths to the C-Suite
A panel of women who've actually done it. - Values-Based Leadership
A fireside chat with a leader who didn't take the traditional route. - Round-Table Networking
Your next sponsor, mentor, or board intro is probably three seats away. - Cocktail Hour
End the day with a drink and the women you just built trust with.
By 6 pm on October 23, you'll walk out with:
- A clear Leadership Identity Statement
- A Communication With Impact toolkit
- A Strategic Visibility plan
- Real relationships with 100 ambitious women
- A written action plan you built in the room, not a notebook of inspo you'll never open again
About your host
Katy McFee spent 18 years climbing the corporate ladder in biotech and tech, eventually making EVP, but it was an ugly climb. She was stuck as a Director for five years, told she wasn't "VP material," and was often the only woman at the table with no mentors or sponsors to guide her. She figured it out the hard way, and now her mission is making sure no woman has to figure it out alone. Everything she teaches is 100% learnable; it's about knowing how the game is actually played at the executive level, and then playing it on your own terms.
What last year's attendees said
"It was tangible. The sessions were practical, and I used them right away."
"The room was full of like-minded women with ambition and drive, all actively supporting each other. No competition."
"IN PERSON is everything. The energy is unmatched, being surrounded by other women on a similar journey."
100% of 2025 attendees said the day was way better than expected. 100% would recommend it to a friend. 4.8 out of 5 overall rating.
Only 100 seats are available for 2026, and the room is already 75% full. Save your spot before it sells out again like last year.
Agenda
🕑: 08:30 AM
Coffee & check-in
🕑: 09:15 AM
Welcome
🕑: 09:30 AM
Visualization & Journaling
Info: Stepping into the leader you want to be
🕑: 10:00 AM
Workshop: Communication With Impact
Info: The Power of Language
🕑: 10:45 AM
Coffee break
🕑: 11:00 AM
Workshop: Authentic Leadership
Info: Leading Without the Mask
🕑: 12:00 PM
Lunch
🕑: 12:50 PM
Panel: 4 Paths to the C-Suite
Info: Four different routes, told honestly
🕑: 01:40 PM
Workshop: Intentional & Strategic Visibility
Info: Be seen for the work you’re already doing
🕑: 02:25 PM
Coffee break
🕑: 02:40 PM
Fireside Chat: Values-Based Authentic Leadership
🕑: 03:30 PM
Signature Workshop: Your Leadership Identity Statement
Info: You’ll build this in the room
🕑: 04:15 PM
Recap, action plan, closing
🕑: 05:00 PM
Cocktails & networking
Info: Stay, mingle, build the relationships
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
CAD 367.25
