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This past month, I had the privilege of speaking at the Ohio Lodging Association conference in Hamilton, Ohio for their Women in Lodging breakout session. Walking into a room full of powerhouse women from the hospitality industry, I felt both inspired and grateful—grateful for the opportunity to share my journey and excited to witness the incredible energy in the room. It was also wonderful to see a handful of male allies also joining the session.
The title of my workshop was Women in Lodging: Ignite Your Brilliance, Reclaim Your Power and Succeed Without Limits. It’s a topic that’s deeply personal to me, one that stems from my own struggles with burnout, self-doubt, and the realization that I needed to take control of my life and career. Research from the Center for Creative Leadership about the 4 Keys to Success for Women Leaders also influenced me to develop this workshop and share strategies to support women to integrate these success factors in their life and leadership career.
The Crossroads of Change
I shared a story from a pivotal moment in my life: after a major expansion of my family’s hotel, I found myself running on empty. Physically exhausted and emotionally drained, I hit rock bottom. It wasn’t just about being overworked; I had lost my sense of agency. Life felt like it was happening to me, not by me.
That moment of realization—that I could no longer operate this way—became a turning point. And as I looked around the room during the workshop, I knew I wasn’t alone. Every woman in that audience has likely had their own version of that moment—a time when they had to choose between staying stuck or finding a way forward.
Six Tenets to Reclaim Your Power
The heart of the workshop was a framework I’ve developed: six tenets to reclaiming your power. Each one is grounded in the lessons I’ve learned (often the hard way) about how to live and lead with intention.
Embrace Who You Are How often do we shrink parts of ourselves to fit in? I asked attendees to think about who they are beneath the surface—beyond titles, achievements, and appearances. Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a superpower. When we show up fully as ourselves, we attract deeper connections and live with greater purpose.
Dream Big When did ambition become a dirty word for women? Somewhere along the way, many of us were taught to temper our dreams. But here’s the truth: your dreams are valid. I shared how my vision for the Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel retreat grew from a quiet idea into an annual event empowering women across the industry. Dreams need champions—and the first champion has to be you.
Transcend Your Fears Fear is sneaky. It disguises itself as “preparation” but often holds us back from stepping into our potential. We talked about the importance of reframing discomfort as a sign of growth. My first leadership workshop was a disaster—I froze, forgot my material, and wanted to disappear. But that experience taught me resilience, and I’ve grown stronger with every presentation since.
Be Unstoppable During the session, I asked participants to ask themselves: To whom are you giving away your power? It’s not just about internal forces—sometimes, it’s standards or expectations of others that hold us back. And yes, bias too. We explored the importance of setting boundaries and being clear about what is and what is not acceptable for you to stay aligned with your values, needs and standards.
Make the Rules Too often, we follow outdated “rules” that don’t align with our goals. I shared how rewriting the standard operating procedures for my business enabled me to create the space needed to grow personally and professionally. Sometimes, breaking old patterns is the only way to make room for something better.
Succeed Without Limits One of the most vulnerable moments of the workshop came when I talked about self-sabotage and the Upper Limit phenomena written about in Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap. Have you ever avoided preparing for something just so you’d have an excuse if it didn’t go well? That was me—until I confronted the fear that maybe, just maybe, I deserved to succeed. By preparing and giving my all, I’ve shattered my own limits and achieved things I once thought impossible.
Powerful Connections and Big Questions
One of my favorite parts of the workshop was the small-group discussions. Women turned to one another and asked big, bold questions:
Who would you be if you felt safe enough to be truly seen?
What could you achieve if fear and expectations didn’t hold you back?
The conversations were raw, honest, and inspiring. It reminded me of the power of community—the way we lift each other up when we share our stories and dreams.
What’s Next for You?
As the workshop came to a close, I issued a challenge: What upper limit will you shatter in 2025? Because here’s the thing: sometimes the most inhibiting ceiling is the one we place over ourselves.
Reclaiming your power isn’t a one-time event; it’s a daily practice. So ask yourself: What rules will you rewrite? What fears will you face? And most importantly, what brilliance will you let the world see?
Let’s reclaim our power, ignite our brilliance, and succeed without limits—together.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear your thoughts or connect further. You can find me at The Travel Leader.
Here’s to living and leading with intention!
About Rachel Vandenberg: Rachel Vandenberg is a hotel owner and leadership coach. She has been co-owner of the Sun & Ski Inn and Suites, Stowe Bowl and Stowe Golf Park in Stowe, Vermont since 2012 and served as General Manager until 2023. In addition to her responsibilities as hotel owner, Rachel is the founder of The Travel Leader, a leadership content and coaching company. Rachel also sits on the board of her local destination marketing organization and founded a professional development retreat for women in travel called Accelerate Women Leaders in Travel. Outside of her career, she is a mom of three and loves to be in the woods on a bike or skis. Learn more at www.sunandskiinn.com, www.thetravelleadercoach.com and www.womenleadersintravel.com.
About the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association's Women in Lodging (WIL) CONNECT: This initiative aims to advance women's personal and professional growth in the hospitality industry. It focuses on eliminating barriers, fostering leadership skills, and encouraging political engagement within the sector. WIL CONNECT employs a three-pronged strategy around education, inspiration and connection.