Tory Archbold has spent more than two decades shaping some of the world’s most influential leaders, entrepreneurs and brands. What sets her apart is her focus on authenticity and a genuine care for others when it comes to nurturing leadership.
As the CEO and Founder of Powerful Steps, an online community and platform for women making global impact, Tory encourages C-suite level women to own their story and take their careers to the next level.
Since 2019, she’s made waves with her Powerful Stories podcast and has partnered with ASX-listed companies to grow their leadership teams while writing a book and hosting and speaking at national events.
Here, she shares some of her key advice to building the best.
Your Business Attraction Program has helped many women elevate their careers. Can you share a specific strategy from this program that our audience can implement immediately to enhance their personal brand?
I created this program because I was a career woman who was stuck. Mid-life, I had skills and valuable global connections. Yet, I did not know how to own 100% of who I was and what I had to offer despite the fact I had created one of Australia’s most recognised PR and brand communications agencies. After a near-death experience, I discovered this was a common theme with women in senior leadership roles. I confronted my greatest fear which was judgement, took ownership of who I was – the good, the bad, and the ugly – and transformed the frameworks I used to create and build some of the world’s top-performing retail brands, thought leaders, and influencers into a 5 point story framework that would empower women like me to step forward to create and deliver impact on a global scale.
The framework is based on the law of attraction and is simple – take ownership of your life story, be unafraid of who you are and what you have been through, and use it to lead with heart, not ego. Anyone can do this – simply open a Google doc, and by breaking down your life and business journey into five simple sections, you will begin to see the golden thread of your story and what makes you unique. Infuse this with your values (mine are passion, integrity, delivery, intent, and purpose) and your story will allow you to create a personal brand narrative that resonates through the power of heart, not ego to attract versus hustle for that next leadership, board role or M & A deal. People want to see and get to know the real you. That’s why so many images you see of me when you google my name are not retouched, and I don’t wear make-up. I show up as the real deal. That’s how you become a voice of change.
How does your “coffee date strategy” work, and how can professional women leverage it to build powerful connections in their industries? Can you share an example of how you’ve seen this play out in real time?
I have been coffee dating for 25+ years. It’s a strategy I used to create and build TORSTAR and how I founded Powerful Steps. It started with me being unable to afford to buy people lunch; coffee was a more cost-effective option. I honoured the fact that people were gifting me their time, which is a valuable commodity because time equals money, and people have a choice of who they want to invest their time and resources in.
I map out my coffee dates 12 weeks in advance as my business and family commitments are between Sydney, Riyadh and Los Angeles. The strategy is simple:
- With someone I know
- Someone I wish to partner with
- Someone completely outside of my comfort zone
By giving your time based on a mutual exchange of energy aka how can we help each other, you can maximize the impact of the conversation and the outcome. Come prepared by understanding exactly what you have to offer and how that may benefit the person you are meeting with. Know that they will 100% google you before they say yes to see if it is an energetic fit, which is why the 5-point story framework and the power of showing up as your authentic self matters on platforms such as Linkedin and Insgra as they drive the AI version of what people see online.
Through a partnership coffee date with a Los Angeles PR agency, I was referred to Drew Barrymore, who launched her Flower Beauty Brand into Australia. Through an outside-my-comfort-zone coffee date, I was asked to speak on a panel at SoFi stadium with David Meltzer, Tim Storey, and Marie Diamond. Through someone I know from Forbes USA I was introduced to Shelley Zalis, the Founder of The Female Quotient on a coffee date in Santa Monica – Shelley is now coming to Australia next week to speak at our Powerful Steps Global Impact Leadership Event. Each one of these opportunities came through the power of coffee dating was based on a mutual exchange of energy and each person asking, ‘how can I help you’. Remove the ego of who you think you are and lean into the heart of how you can help others. That’s the key to building global connections that create impact.
In your experience, what’s the most common obstacle that holds women back from stepping into their full leadership potential?
People pleasing and judgement. People pleasing leads to burnout and judgement holds back your true potential.
Can you share a personal example of how owning your story has opened doors in your career?
What I feared most during my career leading my team and partnering with the world’s best brands, was judgement, as nobody knew what was going on behind closed doors. For over a decade, I was stalked, harassed and intimidated by an ex-partner and I felt a lot of shame around this fact. It was a near-death experience a decade ago, which switched my thinking. I learned that a happy heart is a magnet for miracles and if I was to become happy I had to reshape my thinking and the way I showed up for myself. So I did – I stopped people pleasing, created boundaries, learned the power of the word no, and became unafraid of what others thought of me. Marie Claire Magazine asked if they could do a story on my life as a single mum running a global business, and I remember very clearly I said – that is not my story. For the first time, I owned my story, which they transformed into a 3 page feature. It not only transformed my life, it transformed the lives and thinking of thousands of people. I felt free to be me and that is how Powerful Steps was created and built – by me saying it is OK to stand in your authentic truth.
Why is heart-led leadership critical in the business world?
Nobody wants to work with someone who bases their decisions on what is right for them. That’s the ego talking. Decision-making should be about what is right for ‘us’- which is the heart talking. We are all so lucky to be working in a world where we have the opportunity to create and make a difference. How we show up and include others on that journey makes the difference between stagnating and extraordinary growth. To have a heart does not mean you do not know how to create boundaries to protect your mental well-being – it means you understand the power of your life and business journey and how that can add value to the teams or businesses you lead. Leading with heart also means you attract higher vibration opportunities and you can see and receive more green lights in all parts of your life. If you’re feeling stuck you are not owing who you are and it is 9/10 you ego stopping you from taking that next powerful step.
What advice do you have for women who struggle to articulate their achievements without feeling like they’re bragging?
Firstly, you are not alone in that feeling. Everyone feels that at some stage of their life. I felt very uneasy when I started posting on social media and had a panic attack the night before my first Powerful Step post as I was making a big, bold move nobody saw coming. Fast track to now, and I post with the energy of my intent and purpose, and I share my wisdom to serve others. If someone doesn’t like what I post, then they are not my person – I am ok with that. I don’t count likes or engagement – I track action, and action builds a business. Remember, not everyone will agree with who you are and what you stand for. When you find the flow in your message, you will receive the alignment with the community you are creating and building. Lastly, never pay to play. Only the braggers pay to be on the cover of a media outlet. Your story should be enough.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your own leadership journey that shaped your approach to mentoring other women?
Tory 1.0 and Tory 2.0 are very different people, yet one cannot operate without the other. My first journey was success and survival. My journey of 2.0 is more powerful because I learned valuable lessons in 1.0 that I can apply to who I am and how I lead today, which is a woman who has claimed and is unashamed about the power of her story and is 100% anchored in her decision-making process with three core values, intent, and purpose. When you lead by example, others follow.
Looking ahead to the future of women in leadership, what skill or mindset do you believe will be most crucial for success in the next five years?
Life can be tough. Business can be challenging. If it doesn’t feel like a good fit, then back yourself to walk away and start again. The most powerful tool any woman can use 24/7 is a free resource, and it’s called self-belief aka your intuition. I wrote a book on it called Self Belief is Your Superpower and every week I receive messages from women around the world who apply the frameworks to tap into their own self belief to make powerful decisions to live a life of alignment.
Here are three tips:
- Own your story – your experiences and challenges shape who you are.
- Confidence is built through action. Show up for yourself, even when you don’t have all the answers.
- Surround yourself with people aligned with your values, intent, and purpose. Who you spend time with influences your mindset and belief in yourself.