Courtney Stanley on Women's Empowerment in the Meetings Industry

Courtney Stanley, host of Meetings Today's Dare to Interrupt podcast, has championed women's empowerment in the meetings and events industry for more than a decade, including co-founding the #MeetingsToo movement.

Meetings Today's Tyler Davidson spoke with Courtney about how she got into the meetings industry, the inspiring women she's interviewed, and how women (and men) can further female advancement and influence in an industry that is roughly 80% female but underrepresented in C-level positions.

[Related: Courtney Stanley Explores Women’s Issues in the Meetings and Events Industry]

Listen Now:

Listen to Courtney Stanley's Dare to Interrupt Podcast: meetingstoday.com/dare-to-interrupt

Transcript:

Editors note: The following transcription was facilitated by AI program Otter.ai and proofed by our editors. Although it is very accurate, there inevitably will be some mistakes, so please consider that when reading. Thank you.

Tyler Davidson: How did you get into the industry?

Courtney Stanley: In college, I was lucky enough to have a hallway conversation with a fellow student who was doing an internship in Ireland for the summer, throwing events at a castle. To a 19-year-old, I don’t know if there’s anything that sounds better than that. 

So, I actually ended up switching my major over to event management, international tourism and business hospitality. I was really, really lucky that I had a phenomenal professor, Dr. Lorie Tuma, who introduced me to the world of networking and professional associations. She was the one who really plunked her students into MPI, and that’s where I began to learn the industry and meet people that today are still really, really good friends.

Tyler Davidson: Tell us about how you and Sarah Soliman launched #MeetingsToo.

Courtney Stanley: This was when the #MeToo movement had surfaced and there were a lot of different stories that were coming out in the news, specifically in Hollywood, and it led to a variety of conversations, not just with Sarah, but with other women and men in the industry about their own experiences. 

There had been a number of incidents that had occurred with both Sarah and I in our industry, whether it was onsite at events, networking events with clients or on volunteer boards and volunteer positions within chapters and committees. We realized that there was a whole lot of inappropriate behavior that was happening behind the scenes.

Quite frankly, [these issues] weren’t being discussed, and if something’s not being discussed, then there’s no opportunity to create a solution. So, it went from a conversation that Sarah and I had opening up about our own experiences to, “OK, what do we do about this?” 

We decided to create different types of educational programming and trainings for meeting professionals to create safer events and also reporting systems for any conference, any meeting, any networking event, so they had plans in place to be able to address any issues or prevent issues that could possibly arise.

Tyler Davidson: What kinds of conversations are women finally having in the meetings industry now that they weren’t having before?

Courtney Stanley: I’ve been in our industry for about 15 years and have experienced more vulnerable conversations in general [lately]. Whether it’s talking about stress management or burnout prevention, or we’re just being incredibly open about things that are going on in our lives because we are human beings—we’re not just worker bees. 

That’s a really positive shift that I’ve seen occur, and I think we’ll see a lot more of it, especially with younger generations that are coming into these workspaces who don’t have the same tolerance for some of the lack of work-life balance that we’ve seen in the past. I think there’s going to be a lot more advocacy for taking care of ourselves as people first and workers second.

Tyler Davidson: I’ve heard you talk about imposter syndrome on your podcast, and that you are frequently filled with doubt. Can you explain?

Courtney Stanley: I still suffer from imposter syndrome, and I think anybody who’s trying to grow or to level up in any kind of way will experience some kind of intrusive thought or inner critic or self-doubt. I don’t think it’s something that ever completely goes away if you’re willing to grow and willing to change. 

But two things really come to mind. The first is that it’s really important to surround yourself with people who remind you of who you are. Having a village to support you and to remind you of who you are is one of the most important ways to push forward. In addition to that, imposter syndrome can really only be resolved if you’re willing to continue doing the thing that scares you.

Tyler Davidson: What’s one belief about leadership you had to unlearn before you became who you are today?

Courtney Stanley: If you were to ask me about leadership say, 15 or 20 years ago, I might have looked at external factors as what defines leadership, such as successes, recognition, popularity; different external factors that position someone as a leader. Along the way I have very much learned that it’s quite the opposite. I believe that what makes great leaders is authenticity. It’s vulnerability. It’s self-accountability. It’s excellent communication skills and it’s a willingness to continue to reflect, to increase self-awareness and to improve.

What’s something you wish more women knew about their power in this industry?

Courtney Stanley: Everything that you need, you already have inside of you. We spend far too much time doubting ourselves and not practicing the power that we truly already have inside of us and through our experiences. We should be moving boldly. We should be taking risks. We should be asking for help. We should be positioning ourselves to be seen.

Tyler Davidson: If you could speak directly to the version of yourself just starting out fresh in the industry, what would you tell that person?

Courtney Stanley: I would tell her not to feel like you’re too big for any space or that your voice is too loud, and to not ever dim your light for anybody; for any boss, any leader, any co-worker, any dynamic. You are exactly who you need to be for this moment, and that’s enough.

Tyler Davidson: You’re gearing up to announce this year’s Women to Watch Awards. What inspired you to launch this recognition program?

Courtney Stanley: I founded the Women to Watch Awards program in 2021 to create an opportunity that not only celebrated women during Women’s History Month on International Women’s Day—when we always announce the recipients of the award—but I also wanted to give women an opportunity to be amplified. In our industry specifically, so much of the work that people do is done behind the scenes…and so many people in our industry don’t ever have an opportunity to be recognized by their peers. 

The Women to Watch Awards is a peer-nominated program. It’s not a popularity contest. It’s not how many votes can I get. It’s not pay-to-play. It’s an opportunity for people who are on the ground, working side-by-side, to say, “This woman has made a difference in my life. This woman has impacted her community. This woman has inspired me or has mentored me, or I’ve watched them grow and I’m so proud and this is her story.”

Tyler Davidson: How do you hope women feel when they encounter your work?

Courtney Stanley: Like they can do anything and that they have the support around them to do it. I really think confidence is such a gift, and I think it’s something that we learn and we build as we continue to take risks and not know the outcome.
I also believe that confidence is something that occurs and grows and develops when we do fail and when we fall down. Let yourself take those risks. Let yourself be open to learning. Let yourself be open to growing and know that you can do anything, and if you’ve got the right people around you, you definitely will be unstoppable.