YEAR FOUR

Women's Leadership Summit

July 22–24, 2026 · Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach · Dana Point, CA

120 senior women in marketing leadership. Three days of conversations that change how you lead, how you connect, and how you see yourself.

Our story

It started with a question.

Four years ago, we hosted our first Women’s Summit with a simple idea: what happens when you give accomplished women real space — not a stage, not a panel, just space — to be honest with each other?

What happened surprised us. Women who came as strangers left as something closer to family. Conversations that started over dinner turned into career pivots, business partnerships, and friendships that people say changed the trajectory of their lives.

Every year this community gets deeper. The walls come down faster. The conversations get more personal, more real, more life-altering. Year four is coming.

What to expect

Three days. No pretense.

substance

Marketing, parenting, caregiving, relationships, and advancing careers while holding everything else together.

conversation

Small groups, honest dialogue. Every session is a discussion — you won’t hear from experts, you’ll be surrounded by them.

Friendship

Lasting bonds that go beyond the summit. The women who attend want and nurture this network year after year.

renewal

Yoga, wine tastings, ocean air. The topics are serious but the setting reminds you to breathe.

the conversations

Previous topics covered

Workshops are designed and led by fellow participants — people who’ve been in your seat. Last year’s conversations included:

Mastering Your New Role: The Make-or-Break 90 Days

The critical first 90 days in a senior role — how to identify early wins, navigate C-suite politics, and establish the momentum that sets you up for long-term success.

How We Make It Better for Everyone Coming Next

Practical ways to support other women, collaborate to create real change, and build the kind of mutual support that benefits everyone — today and tomorrow.

Moving Beyond Self-Promotion to Thought Leadership

How to build meaningful influence by staying true to what you actually care about — why authenticity beats polish every time.

From Frantic to Focused: Choosing an Intentional Life

Practical strategies for saying no without guilt, aligning your time with your values, and restructuring your days around what you want to be present for.

Navigating the Generational Divide

Communication strategies, team structures, and management approaches that turn generational differences into real advantages.

Building Marketing Teams for the AI Era

Beyond the scary headlines — what marketing organizations actually need to look like in an AI-driven world.

Staying Cool When You're Literally Not

Managing menopause in the corner office — the experience that affects all women yet is rarely discussed. The frank support system we all deserve.

Designing Your Financial Architecture

How to shift from autopilot to architecture in your financial life — the hidden complexity of women’s mid-career wealth.

The setting

Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach

Dana Point, California. Perched above the Pacific on the Southern California coast. The kind of setting that makes people exhale before the first session even starts.

We chose this property because the best conversations don’t happen in conference rooms — they happen at sunset, on a walk along the bluffs, over a glass of wine with the ocean in the background.

The experience

Agenda

2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Registration

3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Marketer Only Meeting

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Welcome Networking Activity

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Welcome Reception & Dinner

10:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Late-Night Spot (Optional)

7:00 am - 8:00 am

Morning Sweatworking

8:00 am - 9:30 am

Breakfast

9:30 am - 12:00 pm

General Session

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Lunch

1:15 pm - 2:15 pm

Workshops Round 1

This is My Voice Now

The things that made us shrink didn't always happen at work. For a lot of women, the story starts earlier, quieter, and darker than a bad performance review. This conversation is for the whole woman, not just her title. We'll talk honestly about what we've carried, what we've overcome, and how we're using this moment to finally stop editing ourselves. You'll leave with perspective, solidarity, and a clearer sense of what reclaiming your voice looks like from here.

AI: Show Me How You Did That. Cut the AI Hype, Show the Work

Everyone's heard the AI concept pitch. What's actually harder to find is a room full of people willing to say "here's the specific tool my marketing team is using, here's what it does, and here's what it actually delivered." This session is squarely focused on AI-powered marketing platforms: think repurposing existing video assets into social content, stretching production budgets, and scaling what lean teams can actually execute. Come ready to share the tools you've found, the ones that disappointed, and what you wish someone had told you sooner.

Staying True to Yourself Without Torching Your Career

The line between adapting to your environment and losing yourself in it is rarely obvious until you've already crossed it. This session gets into the mechanics of that line: how to read an organization's tolerance for authenticity, how to push back without burning bridges, and how to make the call when the cost of staying true is higher than you expected. Peer conversation surfaces the real strategies, the ones that actually work when the pressure is on and the stakes are real.

Navigating Macroeconomic Instability

Planning horizons that used to stretch quarters out are now measured in weeks, and the ripple effects of tariffs, supply chain disruption, and CPM volatility are hitting brand and agency budgets from every direction at once. This session gets into how marketers are actually managing through it: the internal conversations happening with CFOs and procurement, how media investment decisions are being made when the ground keeps shifting, and what it looks like to protect long-term brand health when short-term pressures are relentless. Expect a candid exchange of what's working, what's not, and how to keep moving when stability isn't coming back anytime soon.

From Doer to Leader (and Back Again)

The advice is consistent and well-intentioned: get out of the weeds, delegate, clear the runway. But as companies bring more capabilities in-house and push teams to do more with less, women who've been told to "lead, not do" are suddenly being asked to do both anyway. This session gets into what the micro-movements of that transition actually look like in practice, and how other organizations have navigated it without the scars. Peer conversation surfaces the real mechanics: how you build trust in your team fast enough to let go, how you protect your leadership identity when the work keeps pulling you back in, and where others have drawn the line.

Leading Through the Sandwich Generation

Aging parents on one side, kids on the other, a full leadership role in the middle, and the expectation that you show up fully for all of it. For a growing number of women in this room, this isn't a future concern, it's the current reality. This session is a candid peer exchange on how to manage the logistics, the emotional weight, and the professional impact without burning out or checking out. The conversation focuses on what's actually working: how women are setting boundaries, communicating needs at work, and building support systems that hold up under real pressure.

She Works Hard for the Money

More women in senior marketing roles are the primary earner in their household than the culture around them tends to acknowledge, and the identity questions that come with it rarely get airtime. This session creates space for the real conversation: how you carry the financial weight without letting it redefine your relationships, your sense of self, or the kind of partner and parent you want to be. Less about logistics, more about the internal negotiation of holding power at work and balance at home, and how other women are navigating it without losing either.

2:15 pm - 2:30 pm

Transition Break

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Workshops Round 2

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Networking Activity

7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Dinner

10:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Late-Night Spot (Optional)

At attendee's discretion.

7:00 am - 8:00 am

Morning Sweatworking

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Breakfast

8:00 am - 1:30 pm

Shipping Desk

9:30 am - 10:30 am

Workshops Round 3

Training the Next Generation (Without Losing Your Mind)

The osmosis learning that used to happen just by being in a room, overhearing a client call, sitting in on a strategy session, absorbing how senior people think, evaporated with remote work, and nobody has fully replaced it. This generation isn't the problem; the systems that were supposed to train them are. Add AI to the mix and the gap gets sharper: "just use it" isn't a training strategy, prompt engineering is a real and teachable skill, and most organizations are leaving people to figure it out alone while the tools change underneath them. This session is a practical exchange on what leaders are actually doing to close both gaps, how to build the foundational training that got lost, and how to get ahead of AI skill development before it becomes an organizational liability.

You Can't Outsource Your Village

This session explores community as a deliberate leadership practice, not the incidental byproduct of proximity or tenure. We'll get into how senior women are intentionally building and sustaining community across career moves, city changes, and the kind of political and cultural noise that makes isolation feel like the safer option.

It's a Lot. For Everyone. Including You

The world has been loud, and it's landing on you before it ever reaches your team. For senior women leaders, there's a specific pressure: you're processing your own response to what's happening culturally and politically while being the person your team looks to for steadiness. We'll trade real approaches for staying grounded when the noise is relentless, supporting younger colleagues who are more visibly affected, and building cultures where people feel less alone without it becoming a group processing session.

Stop Leaving It on the Table

The gap isn't information, it's empower. Senior women who know exactly what they're worth are still walking into negotiations underselling themselves, talking themselves out of the ask, or not making it at all. This session is about changing that: getting clear on your actual worth, building the information and community that makes self-advocacy possible, and learning to ask for what you deserve without apologizing for it. We'll trade real experiences and the kind of honest peer intelligence that turns "I didn't know I could ask for that" into "I would never settle for less."

Redefining What the Top Looks Like

For a lot of women in this room, the path to the top is visible but the life at the top is not one they want, and that tension is quietly reshaping how they think about ambition. This session is about whether a different deal is actually possible: how women are reengineering senior roles to work on their own terms, what you have to give up to get there, and how to stop using someone else's definition of success as the benchmark.

10:30 am - 11:00 am

Networking Break

11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Workshops Round 4

12:00 pm - 1:15 pm

Lunch & Town Hall

The Women

Last Year's Discussion Leaders

Alicia Lisowski

Old World Industries

Allison Clarke

VIZIO Ads

Amanda Kramer

Albertsons Media Collective

Ami Sirlin

Response Media

Andrea Javor

Starcom

Ashley Hart

Stanley 1913

Beth Hoff

National CineMedia

Beth Mach

The Room

Bianca Da Silva

Suntory Global Spirits

Cathy Collette

PadSquad

Charlotte Hansen

MobileFuse

Deva Bronson

dentsu Media

Diya Basu

American Dairy Association

Emily Schmitt

Aristocrat Gaming

Jamie Byrdak

billups

Jenni Finch

Luxottica

Jennifer Huber

AmeriSave Mortgage

Johanna Bauman

PubMatic

Julie Berger

JBM Consulting Group

Lauren Busch

BlackRock

Lauri Baker

KERV.ai

Lisa Collings

Mindshare

Liz Reeves

Crate and Barrel

Marla Newman

Raptive

Maureen Falvey

Strong Training & Coaching

Michelle Chester

General Mills

Nicole Healy

The Room

Summit Sponsors

The companies making this year possible

For underwriter inquiries, please reach out to partnerships@theroom.vip

Get involved

Two ways into the room.

Whether you’re a marketing leader or a company that wants to reach them — there’s a seat for you.

I'm a marketer

Participation is complimentary for qualified senior executives — women in brand or agency leadership at the Director level and above. Every participant is personally vetted and invited.

I'm want to reach this audience

Sponsorship is the only path into this room. The intimacy of the setting creates conversations that never happen at a conference — three days embedded in a community of decision-makers.

Hayley Nelson

Moderator

Bio coming soon.

Duncan Houldsworth

Moderator

Bio coming soon.

Beth Mach

Advisor / Moderator

Beth Mach brings over 25 years of experience driving growth through marketing, media, and technology solutions for Fortune 500 brands. She is currently the Co-founder and COO of Spacely and a moderator and advisor for The Room. Beth actively contributes to several start-ups such as Compliant, Brandstory Architech, and Influential and is also an accomplished public speaker, mentor, investor, and active volunteer.

Aaron Cohen

Advisor / Moderator

Before The Room, Aaron was the CEO of five digital media companies from 1998-2018 including Bolt (sold to GoFish), The GirlsOn Blog Network (sold to Oxygen) and Menupages (sold to Grubhub). 15 years ago, he became a professor of Internet media history at NYU where he continues to teach undergraduates.

Lou Alaimo

Lou Alaimo

Advisor / Moderator

Bio coming soon.

Nicole Healy

SVP, Experience

Nicole is the SVP of Experience at The Room where we define ‘experience’ as the intersection of community and event operations. She previously held leadership roles as Chief Strategy Officer for a VC backed start-up and as Co-Founder of VMA Media, a marketing events company she took through acquisition in 2018.

Micca Tuason

Community Supervisor

Micca is passionate about creating exceptional event experiences. As part of the Community team, she contributes to the entire event lifecycle, from planning and execution to post-event follow-up.

Lauren Carlucci

Community Manager

Bio coming soon.

Laiza Cabarrubias

Community Growth Coordinator

Bio coming soon.

Katie Burke

Senior Community Manager

Katie currently serves as a leader in community and event management, driven by her innate creativity and passion for fostering connections. Her career spans roles in business development, event management, field marketing, and community building. In her free time, Katie runs a thriving global community of 50K+ 20-somethings called ‘Not Wasting My Twenties.’

Justin Buen

Sales Coordinator

I have over five years of experience in sales operations, executive assistance, and customer service. I enjoy supporting teams by keeping schedules on track, improving workflows, and ensuring clients are well taken care of.

Josh Messinger

Partner

Josh has been bringing together marketers for over 20 years. He has seen multiple companies through acquisitions, held leadership roles as VP, Online, President, and founder at media companies including dmg :: events, iMedia, ad:tech, and VMA Media.

Jess Porec

Experience Manager

Bio coming soon.

Doug Bandes

Doug Bandes

VP, Sales

Bio coming soon.

Danny Fishman

Partner

An authority in the converging media space, Danny is known and respected for his accomplishments in the entertainment, media, advertising & marketing, digital, and technology industries. For the past two decades Fishman has been a highly successful serial entrepreneur, leading multiple companies to exponential revenue growth, category dominance, and financially lucrative exits.

Dan Orcino

Senior Experience Coordinator

With 20 years of experience delivering exceptional customer service in the BPO industry, Daniel Orcino is a passionate advocate for sales and leadership. He excels in operations management, team leadership, and facilitation. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel enjoys traveling and exploring the great outdoors, always seeking new adventures.

Cathleene Tagari

Executive Assistant

Prior to joining The Room in September 2023 as an Executive Assistant, Cathleene honed her skills in client relations. She now leverages this experience to provide comprehensive support to the partners, collaborating closely with them to optimize workflows, enhance productivity, and reach goals.

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Request your place aboard.

Space is limited to qualified marketers. Every seat is personally considered.

Cocktails & Canapés
Private Dinner
Thursday boat excursion