Raise the Tide™SurgE
You Don't Need to Change. You need Me,
And Women who Get it
My year-long program for ambitious, high-achieving women leading communications in-house, from Senior Manager to VP. Coaching, mentorship, professional development and community, because all four are needed to keep rising. Two crews. Up to eight in each. I review every application.
Raise The Tide Surge
You Don't Need to Change. You Need Me,And Women Who Get it
My year-long program for ambitious high-achieving women leading communications in-house, from Senior Manager to VP. Coaching, mentorship, professional development and community, because all four are needed to keep rising. Two crews. Up to eight in each. I review every application..
You’re Already Good At What You Do
(Ironically, That’s The Problem)
People trust you. You always deliver. You’re the one that executives turn to when things are sensitive, messy, or high-stakes.
And yet…
- You’re carrying far more than most people ever see.
- You’re making critical calls on expertise and gut. Everyone thinks they know your work. No one knows it well enough to weigh in or challenge you.
- You’re already doing the work of the next level, but recognition of that eludes you … for maybe the first time in your high-achieving career.
- You’re the only one in the meeting who fully understands the impact communications has on real business outcomes.
You’ve figured out everything else on your own. This one takes other people.
I built Raise the Tide Surge for women in exactly that spot. If that sounds like you, request an invitation.
A flaming tightrope
(Speak up and you’re abrasive. Hold back and you stall)
You want to be taken seriously as a business advisor, and you want your field taken seriously too.
But how do you advocate for a field people misunderstand and oversimplify when you’re a woman? Push, and you risk being called abrasive or unlikeable, which can stall your career and your department’s growth.
Then there’s the doubt. They’re senior executives, so they must be right. Right? You start questioning what you see, even though you’re the one who sees it every day.
And you’re told never to get defensive about feedback. You believe that, too, because defensive never got you anywhere. So you take the feedback and try to make sense of it.
But it conflicts with itself, and it’s rarely about results. It’s about personality.
Be less abrasive. Work on your executive presence. (Ask what that means and you get “gravitas,” delivered with a sigh.) Speak up more in meetings. Work on the inflection in your voice. Soften your hard edges. Stop saying um. Be more likeable. Be less of an advocate and more of a problem solver. Be less of a helper and more of a leader. And let’s not forget the latest fan favorite: be more strategic.
You hear all of it, and you end up overcorrecting until you don’t recognize yourself, or stuck, with no idea what to fix or which direction to go.
I heard every version of that in my corporate years. It’s why I don’t ask women to change.
You Need All four
To Keep Rising
Raise the Tide™ Surge is my year-long program of coaching, mentorship, professional development and community. Coaching alone can’t give you peers who get it. A peer group alone can’t give you someone who’s been where you are. You need all four to keep rising, so I put them together.
It’s where:
- You stop explaining what you do..
- You have peers to gut-check your calls with, peers who actually get your work.
- The mentorship is specific, because it comes from someone who’s lived this work.
- You get pushed further than you’d push yourself.
And where the results speak for themselves.
Small On Purpose
Here’s Why
Eight isn’t an accident. I studied small group communication and gender differences in how we connect. Women build deeper, tighter networks, and eight is the size where that still works. Small enough for real connection. Big enough for a community that shares what it knows.
Each crew has up to eight women. I review every application myself, with the whole crew in mind, because a crew is only as good as the women in it. If it looks like a fit for you, me and the crew, I’ll invite you to a vetting call. If it isn’t, I’ll tell you.
Crew members have walked away with:
- Promotions (yep, several of them)
- New perfect-fit roles (planned or not)
- Raises of 10 to 40%
- Expanded teams
- Bigger budgets (even after an initial “no”)
- Peers they couldn’t find anywhere else
Ready for results like these in your career?
Most programs try to change you.
This one works with who you are.
Most leadership programs are broad and theoretical, and they’re built to change you. This one isn’t. The work is specific, and it starts with how you already lead. The next level isn’t more work, and it isn’t a new you. It’s making sure people see who you are. It’s knowing the difference between self-promotion and advocacy. And it’s reclaiming your love for this field again while you do it.
Here’s how it works:
Coaching, mentorship & professional development, with me
- Monthly peer-level leadership calls blending communications topics with real-life application
- Direct access to me for experienced mentorship rooted in decades of in-house and advisory leadership
- One-on-one goal setting and progress check-ins
- One break-the-glass call for the “I need you now” moments
There’s no pre-set agenda for group calls. We work on what’s actually happening for the women in the crew in the moment.
Plus bonus learning
- Bonus calls with outside guests like Chief Communications Officers and AI in communications experts
- Bonus resources on the topics you’re being asked about, from AI to strategy to career advocacy
Peers Who Get it
- One-of-a kind in-person retreat each year, for deeper learning, reflection and connection
- Small peer mentorship groups
- Women at your level who are invested in your success, not aspirational networking
- Relationships you can’t build inside your own company
It’s not your grandfather’s networking group. It’s finding a crew who understands the stakes and shows up when it matters.
A CONFIDENTIAL PLACE FOR REAL CONVERSATIONS
- A place to speak honestly, ask the questions without judgment, and say the actual thing without editing yourself
- Real talk about power, boundaries and trade-offs, the conversations that don’t happen anywhere else
- Confidentiality that’s required, not negotiated
- Access to the crew between calls, for questions and decisions in real time
What’s said in Raise the Tide stays in Raise the Tide. Confidentiality matters. These are the conversations that don’t happen anywhere else.
Together, In Person
Face-to-Face Once a Year
Once a year, the whole crew gets together in person. It’s a chance to step out of the day-to-day for honest conversation, real reflection and meaningful connection with women who understand the complexity of this field.
You leave with new ideas, shared momentum, renewed love for this crazy field of ours, a crew you know you can count on, and more laughing than you’d expect.
Why it Works
The Design
Year-Long By Design
The People
The People
Me
Me
Are You A Fit For The Crew?
The women I invite are already doing serious work at important jobs.
They don’t need to change to keep rising in their careers. They need the right people around them.
That’s you if:
- You’re a woman leading communications in-house, Senior Manager to VP level.
- You’re an ambitious overachiever who expects more from yourself and your role.
- You’re making complex decisions with real business, reputational, and people impact.
- You’re eager to learn from others in the field and you'll take a push when it's warranted.
- You value hands-on mentorship, peer-level collaboration, and conversations that treat communications as the critical business function it is.
And you want:
Checking all the boxes?
- More authority and greater influence with executive leaders, without burning out to earn it.
- To shape decisions, advocate more effectively, and set (and hold) healthy boundaries.
- A confidential place to vent, test ideas, and learn without fear of judgment.
- To be surrounded by women who understand this field. No explaining required.
- Growth that translates into real outcomes ... promotions, expanded teams, increased budgets, and greater impact ... without requiring you to be someone else to earn them.
Meet Your Mentor & Coach
Tara McDonagh
CEO, Chief Communications Strategist, and Founder of Raise the Tide™
I’ve spent decades leading communications inside complex organizations, and I know what it’s like to lead when the pressure is high and there’s no obvious right answer.
I’ve also watched strong women get told to change, and get stuck because of it. Be less abrasive. Be more likeable. Work on your executive presence. They try to fix themselves, and the wall doesn’t move, because they were never the problem.
So I created a place to get unstuck. Raise the Tide Surge brings honest conversation about real challenges alongside women who understand this field.
As your mentor, coach and a fellow communications leader, I’ll help you sort through what matters, challenge your assumptions when it’s needed, and help you advance in your career.
This work isn’t theoretical for me. It’s the leadership reality I’ve lived and advised inside for decades.
It’s the kind of group I would have loved to be in. It didn’t exist
So I built it.
Let’s Talk About The Investment
The investment reflects a full year of mentorship, coaching and professional development from me, peer engagement, and an in-person retreat I lead. This isn’t a light-touch networking program.
Many crew members secure full or partial funding through their communications department budget, professional development budget or employer sponsorship. If that’s your plan, I can arm you with what others have used to win over even skeptical or scary bosses. Others pay out of pocket. The choice is yours.
“I got promoted within six months of joining Raise the Tide, after being told it wasn’t going to happen. Not only did Tara coach me through getting the promotion anyway, but my company decided to sponsor my membership in Raise the Tide too! I had been paying myself up until that point. My husband ‘s reaction was, ‘Well, Raise the Tide just paid for itself and then some.’ – J.O., Former Raise the Tide member.
If you want to talk through what the investment looks like and whether it makes sense for where you are, the vetting call is the place to do that.
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW
(AND THAT’S OKAY)
Have questions? I have answers.
Here are the ones I hear most from women applying
What’s the time commitment?
I built this around the reality of senior leadership. You already carry a demanding job and a full life, so this isn’t about adding to your plate. It’s about making space to think more clearly and lead more effectively. Here’s where and when you show up:
- A monthly 90-minute live group call
- Small peer mentorship groups inside the crew
- One in-person retreat each year
Throughout the year, you also get:
- One-on-one goal setting and progress check-ins
- One break-the-glass call for the “I need you now” moments
- Bonus calls with outside guests, and bonus resources
Will things I share here ever make their way back to my company?
No. Vegas rules apply—what’s shared in the Surge stays within the Surge.
In this room, you’re encouraged to speak openly and honestly about real situations and challenges without worrying about risking your job or reputation. Trust and confidentiality aren’t optional; They’re essential to what makes The Surge work the way it does.
Come as you are. No editing required.
Can my company sponsor this?
Yes, and many members are fully or partially sponsored.
It’s a personal experience, but the impact reaches your team and your company: the authority and influence you build strengthen your team, improve decisions and raise how communications shows up across the business. That’s something companies invest in.
I’ll share how to position it internally for an easier yes.
What if I experience a major life change during the program?
Life happens, and I’ll work with you when it does. A few real examples:
- Pregnancy or expanding your family? I offer maternity leave and we’ve happily welcomed lots of Raise the Tide babies to our crew! (warning: we require pictures)
- A job change or layoff? We adjust your goals. Sometimes that means pausing your contract, and sometimes it means using the support to land your next role. That’s your call.
- A medical or family emergency? We make a plan so you can hit pause, step back and focus where it matters.
How is this different from executive coaching or other leadership programs?
Really? After reading everything you’re asking that? (Yes, I’m judging)
This It isn’t “just coaching.” It’s coaching, mentorship, professional development and community, because you need all four to keep rising at this level.
You’re learning from me, and you’re also testing decisions and perspectives with women who understand this misunderstood and oversimplified field.
So no, it’s not just coachi ng.It’s not just a peer group either. It’s all four, because that’s what it takes..
Will I be grouped with women at my level?
Yes. There are two crews: one for Senior Managers and Directors (typically), and one for Senior Directors and VPs. I review every application with the whole crew in mind, not just the individual, because it only works when the women in it are facing comparable challenges.
What happens after the year is complete?
You’re not limited to one year. Many women renew for another year, or two, or more.
As long as you have new goals and new challenges, and in this field there are plenty, I’ll help you keep rising.
Still Here? Good.
The Next Move Is Yours.
Tell me what you’re hoping for. If it looks like a fit, we’ll talk, and we’ll know whether this is right for you, for me and for the crew. If it isn’t, I’ll say so.
