September 14, 2026
Influence & Negotiation
Session 4 of Advance empowered the cohort to take their seat at the table, equipping them with strategies to own their influence, lead with data, and back themselves in any situation.
The Advance program is hosted at the University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business, and we’re extremely grateful to our partners, National University and the Port of San Diego, for their support of women leaders and the Advance program.
LEAD’s Executive Director Veronica Perondi welcomed back the cohort, noting that the program is already more than halfway through, with graduation coming up soon. She then introduced the first speaker of the day, CEO and Founder of Franklin Revere, Jamie Moraga (11). Jamie is the author of Revered: The Power of Female Leadership, and her talk centered on taking the road less traveled, believing in yourself, and doing it scared. She spoke about the start of her career, where she led with curiosity, and how that mindset still guides her today. She also touched on authenticity, noting that many women feel pressure to become harder, less approachable, and less empathetic to earn respect in leadership, when in fact leading authentically is what drives lasting success.
Next, the cohort heard from President & Founder of Redbone Recruiting, Karla Torosian, whose presentation opened by acknowledging the heavy load women carry every day, often before they even walk out the front door. She shared a clip from the Barbie movie that captured the societal pressures women face, and discussed how those pressures create a constant need to be perfect, including with themselves. She spoke about the importance of giving yourself grace, noting that it isn’t easy, but like most things, it becomes possible with practice. She also addressed the tendency for women to over-apologize, encouraging the cohort to advocate for themselves instead, reclaim their space, and own their role as the subject matter expert in the room. The second half of her presentation focused on relationship building, starting with communication. She emphasized that authenticity and intentionality shape the impressions that matter most in the long run, and encouraged the cohort to seek out mentors and sponsors through curiosity and shared goals rather than formal requests, as well as to advocate for themselves through salary negotiation before starting a new role.
The day closed with a presentation from Alessandra Lezama (19), CEO and Founder of TOOTRiS. Alessandra led the cohort through an information-packed session centered on relationship multi-threading and navigating complex decision-makers, encouraging them to take the bull by the horns. She walked through the five essential decision-making personas and stressed the importance of building future success on a stable foundation. Her core message: face the bull, take it by the horns, and lead with intentionality. Know your roadblocks, use multi-threading to your advantage, and be the subject matter expert.
Session 4 left the cohort with a clear understanding of how important it is to advocate for themselves. Whether through salary negotiation, taking their seat at the table, leading with authenticity, or pushing for the benefits they deserve, the class left the seminar feeling determined and ready to put themselves out there.