When traditional leadership norms (what we see as ‘leadership’) don't reflect our experiences as women, we often feel pressured to prove our capability, confidence, and commitment in ways others don't.

But must we choose between authenticity and credibility?

You'll connect with other women and gain practical tools to transform leadership challenges into opportunities for impactful leadership. Dr Sterling's approach has been described as "inspiring, refreshing and thought provoking".

This will be an empowering session that combines cutting-edge research with practical application, ensuring you leave with inspiration and strategies to recognise, reclaim, and role-model your leadership in authentically powerful ways.

This is a 1-hour interactive talk for women in leadership roles (or aspiring to be).

We will:

Explore research-based insights about privilege, power, and inclusion in leadership.
Highlight the importance of owning our values as we navigate our careers.
Learn practical strategies to recognise our leadership power and lead more purposefully.
Develop techniques to resist norms that don’t serve us and amplify our leadership strengths.

This is for women in leadership roles, who are on the pathway to be, or aspiring to be.

You’ll leave with insights for navigating your own careers into leadership, inspiration from women who have been there, and connection to other women on similar journeys.

Because this talk is one Amanda delivers to workplaces we will NOT BE RECORDING. However, you are welcome to use AI notetakers.

About your speaker: Dr Amanda Sterling

Dr Amanda Sterling is a principal Director and an award-winning consultant who partners with organisations to remove barriers for women into leadership and create inclusive workplaces where people and businesses thrive.

Amanda combines her decades of experience working in corporate leadership development and culture change, as well as deep expertise on leadership, gender, and inclusion, to help organisations attract and retain more women in leadership and close their gender pay gaps.

Amanda’s groundbreaking PhD research (completed in 2023) revealed critical insights into what is still holding women back from leadership roles and the opportunities to address this. Her research has been featured in NewsHub, The Press, The Dominion Post, NewsTalkZB, RNZ's The Panel, and was highlighted by Global Women and the University of Auckland.

Amanda is originally from the Kaipara region but has called Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland home for the last 20 years. She is also a proud parent to one son.

What people say about this talk:

"The feedback we received from the session was warm and positive. One attendee messaged following the session to say that Amanda was “one of, if not, the best speaker I’ve seen at any event all year. The actionable steps and guidance for considering individual leadership and navigating how we “show up” were also highly appreciated". Rebecca Armour, Corporate Mothers Network Founder; Partner KPMG

"Amanda created a truly safe and open space for reflection — something that’s often rare, especially in more traditional or hierarchical industries. What really stood out was her ability to weave together solid research, powerful personal storytelling, and practical tools. This wasn't just another diversity conversation — it was an invitation to rethink what inclusive leadership really looks and feels like, and how we can meaningfully embed it in our teams and organisations. Amanda’s authenticity, clarity, and warmth made complex topics feel accessible and actionable. I walked away not only more aware, but also empowered to lead in a way that genuinely makes space for others to thrive". Dr Olga Lozova, Auckland branch Lead at PMINZ, Project Management Institute of New Zealand

REFUNDS AND CANCELLATIONS

In the event you are unable to make it, you can action a self-service refund or cancellation using the Manage Order button on your order confirmation email. We will happily refund your ticket price (less any processing fees) if you action your refund no later than seven days before the event.