By Jane McManus

DANA POINT, Calif. — Three incredibly successful women — NFL VP of public policy Cynthia Hogan, EY global vice chair for public policy Beth Brooke-Marciniak and IMG president of business affairs Karen Brodkin — joined Sage Steele on Friday at the espnW: Women + Sports Summit to discuss their rise to the top of their fields.

All three discussed being the lone woman in the boardroom and having moments of anxiety as they started out, and all mentioned the satisfaction of working with more junior women in the current workforce.

Here are some of the big points for women trying to forge their own path.

1. Pre-meeting: Hogan discussed the importance of getting backing for an idea by talking about it ahead of time with a few people who will be in the meeting.

2. Amplify other women in the room: There’s a phenomenon where a woman raises a point and gets silence, while a man raises the same or a similar point a little later to applause. Hogan and Brooke-Marciniak said women can do each other a favor by taking a valid idea and starting a rally to support it.

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