60: Landing your first VP role with Katy McFee

Are you an ambitious female professional struggling to finally break into a VP-level role?In this episode, I interview Katy McFee—former executive VP, Forty Under 40 recipient, and certified executive coach—about how she spent five years stuck in a director role before turning her corporate career around.You’ll hear how she shifted from a reactive employee mindset to an intentional executive presence, stopped getting trapped in day-to-day execution, and learned to communicate with true authority to land her first VP and EVP roles.What you’ll learn in this episode:Why outworking your team and relying on hustle stops working once you aim for senior leadership.How to conduct a calendar and task audit to carve out two hours of protected time for deep, strategic thinking.Why your communication style and asking for approval might accidentally signal that you aren't ready for the VP title.How to stop bringing problems to your manager and start presenting firm, executive-level recommendations instead.The importance of creating a stakeholder map to build strategic visibility and influence beyond your direct boss.About Our Guest:Katy McFee is a former executive (VP/EVP), Forty Under 40 recipient, and host of the More Women Promoted podcast. As a certified executive coach, she's helped hundreds of women transition to, and thrive in, senior leadership. Drawing from her own challenging path to the executive suite, Katy is dedicated to closing the gender gap by helping women step into senior roles with confidence and authenticity. Katy has been featured in Business Insider and has published multiple articles about women and leadership in Forbes.com as a contributor.Take Katy’s free assessment to see how close you are to being VP-ready: Follow Katy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-mcfee-3880b4a/Connect with me:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecareerdiet/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annabelyaeva/