Women in B2B Marketing

Leslie Forde is the CEO and founder of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs, a long-time B2B marketer, a strategic advisor to HubSpot, and the author of Repair with Self Care. She also runs the longest running national parent study on pandemic and post pandemic mental health. In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, we talk about the emotional, mental, and logistical load carried by working women and why burnout has quietly become a default state for so many of us.Leslie shares why women struggle to ask for what we need, how the past five years have reshaped the caregiving landscape, and what leaders and companies can do to support caregivers instead of unintentionally burning them out. We also unpack the rise of the Hype Women movement, the importance of making space for asks, and how community can fuel both confidence and belonging.Here is what we cover:Why self care scores have dropped below pre pandemic levels in her national studyWarning signs of burnout that appear long before we notice themWhy high achieving women struggle to ask for help or supportThe unseen load mothers carry and how it affects work, relationships, and healthWhat employers misunderstand about caregivers and the simple changes that matterWhy ERGs often run on unpaid labor from women and how leaders can fix thatThe link between psychological safety, vulnerability, and the ability to ask for what you needHow the Hype Women movement creates space for community, courage, and honest requestingWhy many mothers feel like they are failing in every role and what actually drives that feelingHow women can start reclaiming time, rest, and care in realistic attainable waysKey Links:Guest: Leslie Forde: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliefordeHer book, Repair with Self Care: https://a.co/d/fu3UGesMom's Hierarchy of Needshttps://momshierarchyofneeds.comHost: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra––Like WIB2BM? A quick rating or review helps new listeners find the show.

Originally published on August 26, 2024This replay features the wonderful Surbhi Agarwal, 25+ year industry vet and former CMO at Applied Intuition. We talked about her path from engineering to product marketing to the CMO seat, what really changes when you leave companies like Intel and Google for a fast moving startup, and why she builds marketing around trust, clarity, and collaboration.Surbhi’s story as an immigrant navigating visa setbacks, rebuilding her career across three countries, and eventually helping grow a business to 10M ARR is powerful. Her honesty about leadership, resilience, and finding your voice as a woman in B2B has stuck with me ever since.- Jane-----------In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra sits down with Surbhi Agarwal, 25+ year tech exec. Surbhi shares how she went from engineering and sales into product, then product marketing, and into the CMO role, and why she still thinks like a product marketer every single day.This episode covers:Surbhi’s path from electrical engineer in India to CMO in Silicon ValleyWhat she learned moving from Intel and Google to a messy, fast paced startupWhy she believes product marketing is the strategic core of marketing, not a “support” functionHer “golden triangle” model connecting product marketing, demand generation, and brandHow she reorganized a 70 person global marketing team, broke down silos, and cut spend while improving performanceThe difference between running marketing in a hardware world where failure is not an option and in a software world where shipping at 80 percent is the normHow she uses OKRs, RACI, and skip level conversations to create clarity and psychological safetyThe early career visa setback that forced her to move back to India, then to London, Taiwan, and France, and how that built resilience and a deep customer mindsetHer “full glass of trust” philosophy and how she builds collaborative, high trust teams across cultures and time zonesWhy she tells younger women to stop assuming men and women are treated the same at work, and to find their voice and negotiate earlierSurbhi also shares the kind of honest advice we do not hear enough in leadership circles, including why waiting quietly to be rewarded rarely works, and how women can navigate ambition inside systems that are still far from equal.Key LinksGuest: Surbhi Agarwal, 25+ year Tech Executive/ CMO: https://www.linkedin.com/in/surbhiagarwal/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

Kim Winter has spent nearly a decade building and scaling product marketing across Yotpo and multi product orgs. In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, we unpack how true product marketing starts with market context and the voice of the customer, then fuels everything from positioning to pipeline.Kim shares how to operationalize VOC with CS, why PMM should own recurring deliverables like quarterly competitive reviews and persona refreshes, and what changes when PMM reports into product, the CMO, or directly to the CEO. We also dig into the rising path from PMM to CMO, and how to keep marketing intentional instead of turning into a production shop.Here’s what we cover:The “bottom of the pyramid” for PMM: market context, competitive landscape, and VOCHow PMM focus shifts by product stage, from finding fit to scaling mature linesDesign partners vs customer advisory boards, and when to use eachRecurring PMM deliverables that create visibility and influence across the orgWhere PMM should sit and how KPIs shift under Product vs CMO vs CEOWhy PMM fuels customer marketing and tight alignment with Sales and CSDebunking the “PMM = messaging at the end” misconceptionMaking marketing intentional: tie every output to a clear goal and buyer needPractical ways to gather customer insight fast without boiling the oceanThe PMM to CMO trend and what makes product marketers strong marketing leadersKey Links:Guest: Kim Winter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-winter/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? A quick rating or review helps new listeners find the show.

Sidney Waterfall has led agencies, advised high-growth teams, and now runs marketing in-house at OpenBrand. In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, we unpack how focusing on process, not outcomes, builds momentum, clarity, and GTM efficiency that actually lasts.Sidney shares how her team runs PR without an agency, uses proprietary data to earn credibility, and measures what truly moves the business forward. From pipeline coverage to process discipline, she offers a refreshingly honest take on what modern marketing leadership really looks like.Here’s what we cover:Why “process over outcomes” is the mindset every marketing leader needsHow OpenBrand built long-term PR credibility through data, not hypeObsessing over inputs instead of chasing metricsPartnering with finance to tie marketing to business outcomesThe frameworks Sidney uses to track rolling pipeline coverage and GTM efficiencyRedefining pipeline sources to align sales and marketing around shared successHow to build a team culture that learns from what doesn’t workWhat Sidney learned moving from consulting to in-house leadershipKey Links:Guest: Sidney Waterfall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidneywaterfall/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? A quick rating or review helps new listeners find the show.

Molly George has spent her career inside B2B tech and on the agency side. Today she is the CEO and founder of Kickstand, a PR and research firm helping brands win in an AI-shaped search world.In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, we unpack why PR is having a comeback in B2B, how AI search is changing the playbook, and what modern comms leaders are doing to show up in the consideration set. We also get into Molly’s founder story, the power of setbacks, and practical ways to make PR work alongside demand, content, and product marketing.Here’s what we cover:PR’s real job in B2B and why quick wins are the wrong expectationAI search and brand visibility: how citations shape considerationOwned vs earned in 2025: your site, plus offsite owned profiles like G2, AWS, WikipediaPress releases today: when they help train models and when wires waste budgetFormatting for LLMs: structure, subheads, and consistent boilerplates across propertiesUsing query data to guide narratives, pitches, and thought leadershipReddit for B2B: participate with value, not a megaphoneBudget shifts: why teams are moving dollars from classic SEO to brand and PRStarting an agency while employed, finding the tipping point, and trusting your gutKey Links:Guest: Molly George: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-george-kickstand/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/Kickstand: https://meetkickstand.com/Kickstand Research Report on AI and GTM: https://meetkickstand.com/landing/the-zero-click-era-is-here-are-you-ready-to-show-up/––Like WIB2BM? A quick rating or review helps new listeners find the show.

Ruta Sudmantaite and Emma Davies have built their careers across marketing, consulting, and now tech entrepreneurship. After meeting as teammates at a B2B SaaS company, they went on to become fractional CMOs, podcast co-hosts of Blame It On Marketing, and founders of their own startups - Lava Metrics, a marketing analytics platform, and Thesmia AI, a low-cost AI assistant for HR teams.In this episode, we talk about building while bootstrapping, the realities of fractional consulting, what it’s like to start companies with your friends (and partners), and how they bring kindness, candor, and community into every room they enter.Here’s what we cover:How Ruta and Emma went from coworkers to fractional CMOs and co-foundersThe differences between starting a consulting practice and a tech companyWhy they believe “two heads are better than one” in fractional workBuilding products without outside funding - patience, scrappiness, and first customersHow to disagree kindly, give feedback, and earn trust with in-house teamsWhy executive presence doesn’t have to look like a suit or a scriptCreating community through honesty: confessions walls, career couches, and real talkThe power of female allies, industry besties, and personal boards of directorsAnd yes, Ruta’s side business selling sourdough starter - and what it taught her about SEOKey Links:Guests: Ruta Sudmantaite: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rutasudmantaite/Emma Davies: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmadavies1989/ Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/Thesmia AI: https://www.thesmia.ai/Lava Metrics: https://lavametrics.com/Blame it on Marketing Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3X0IiwUIupVa4tCNg8AMpR?si=5d01dceb2c6d4c86Ruta's Epic UK Sourdough co: https://getsourdough.co.uk/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more

Recorded IRL at Pavilion’s GTM2025, Washington DC!Amanda McGuckin Hager has worn many hats in her career—sales, marketing, fractional consulting—and today she holds two big ones: CMO and CRO at TrueDialog. After starting out in sales and quickly realizing her heart was in marketing, Amanda built a path through Austin’s B2B tech community, leading teams, experimenting with growth plays, and eventually taking on dual leadership of sales and marketing.In this episode, we unpack Amanda’s journey, her approach to building strong cultures without “duds,” why she’s protective of her CMO title, and how she’s testing AI and search in practical, creative ways.Here’s what we cover:Amanda’s early pivot from sales into marketing (and why it stuck)What it really looks like to be both CMO and CRO at the same timeResetting a sales org from comp plans to quotas to team structureWhy fewer silos and more shared accountability reduce finger pointingHow to spot (and avoid) “duds” when building teamsThe role of fun and positivity in high-performing leadershipFractional marketing lessons: variety, freedom, and choosing clientsWhy Amanda protects the CMO title (even while running sales)Experiments with LLM optimization, long-tail queries, and AI toolsGuarding deep work time with “no meeting” blocks and shitty first draftsKey Links:Guest: Amanda McGuckin Hager: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/Recorded live from Pavilion's GTM2025: https://attendgtm.com/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more

**Originally published on October 16, 2024**This replay features the brilliant Liza Adams - AI advisor, fractional CMO, and one of the top 50 CMOs to watch in 2024. We talked about her journey from Manila to Michigan, why gratitude fuels her leadership, and how she’s spent 20+ years helping B2B tech companies elevate marketing from “tactical” to truly strategic.Liza’s perspective on AI, trust, and building defensible moats is refreshing and practical - I left this convo inspired and with about ten new quotes for my wall.- Jane-----------In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra sits down with Liza Adams, AI advisor and fractional CMO. Liza shares how her engineering roots shaped her early entry into AI, and why she’s passionate about marketing’s role as a strategic driver of business growth (not just the “campaigns and events team”).This episode covers:Liza’s journey from immigrant roots in the Philippines to tech executive in the U.S.Why marketing must reclaim its North Star: deep customer understandingThe three passions guiding her career: elevating marketing’s strategic value, championing diverse voices, and using business as a force for goodPractical frameworks for evaluating product-market fit and building defensible moatsHow AI can shrink research cycles, spark alignment, and elevate marketers from tacticians to strategistsTrust as the ultimate differentiator - why “brand building” is really “trust building”Examples of how teams are using custom GPTs to boost productivity and decision-makingHer advice to CMOs in today’s “pressure cooker” environmentLiza also shares the golden rule of modern marketing: be an amazing human first, then an amazing marketer. (yesssssss!!)Key Links:Guest: Liza Adams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizaadams/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/ Discussed in Episode:Disrupt or Be Disrupted: AI's Verdict on Your Product's DefensibilityCompetitive Defensibility Analyzer GPT––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more listeners. <3

Paige Tills didn’t set out to be a marketer. After starting in international relations and higher ed, she pivoted into business development at #samsales - where she built her way into marketing and ultimately grew into the role of VP of Marketing. Paige has built her role from the ground up, shaping the company’s content engine, experimenting with paid and organic channels, and scaling what started as one newsletter into a multi-channel brand presence.In this conversation, we dive into Paige’s journey, her lessons learned on newsletters, social, ads, webinars, YouTube, and AI, and what it takes to market with personality, precision, and scrappiness.Here’s what we cover:Saying yes to pivots and building a career in unexpected placesHow #samsales scaled from one newsletter to a full content ecosystemZero-click content and why click-through isn’t always the goalLinkedIn ads, thought-leader campaigns, and what not to do with targetingYouTube lessons: shorts, long-form, and CTAs that actually workWhy founder-led brands win - and what to do if you don’t have oneMaking webinars engaging without the slide deck snoozefestEarly AI + LLM experiments: traffic, Wikipedia, and Reddit potentialThe role of personal storytelling and motherhood moments on LinkedInKey Links:Guest: Paige Tills: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-tills/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more listeners. <3

Michelle Denogean has one of those careers that makes you stop and take notes. From dreaming of Super Bowl ads to running marketing at eHarmony and Edmunds, advising dozens of startups, writing a book, and now leading as CMO at Mindtrip—she’s lived the full spectrum of B2B and B2C.In this conversation, we dig into what’s working in B2B marketing today, how to scale reputation and relationships, and the career lessons Michelle learned the hard way (and turned into her leadership superpower).Here’s what we cover:Why “reputation” resonates more than “brand” with startup foundersCustomer-as-hero marketing and the power of relationships in B2BScrappy (not crappy!) ways to build brand without big budgetsHow to “punch above your weight” as a startup and look bigger than you areThe decline of email as a pure demand channel (and what to do instead)Why culture is your frontline brand assetHow tough feedback reshaped Michelle’s leadership styleBreaking out of the box: taking on projects beyond your roleNetworking early and outside your company to open career doorsThis one is packed with practical takeaways and some real talk about the realities of leading teams, advising founders, and building reputation in 2025.Key Links:Guest: Michelle Denogean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelledenogean/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more listeners. <3

**Originally published on April 12, 2023**This episode features the one and only Thao Ngo - SVP of Marketing at Uptempo and a total gem of a leader. We talked about building team culture across time zones, leading through three back-to-back acquisitions, and why she ditched PR and the company podcast (and what’s actually working instead).Thao’s smart, hilarious, and brutally honest in the best way. One of my fave convos.- Jane-----------In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra interviews Thao Ngo, SVP of Marketing at Uptempo. Thao shares her unique journey from early-career marketing student to global marketing leader - and the lessons she’s learned from decades in high tech, M&A chaos, and building high-performing, human-first teams.This episode covers:Leading through three acquisitions (and merging tools, teams, and time zones)The chaos and lessons of combining CRMs, MAPs, websites, and work culturesHow to actually build team culture on Zoom (hint: not forced virtual lunches)Why they paused their podcast, PR, and newsletter, and what’s working betterThe live, no-recording MOPs huddles that build real communityHer onboarding playbook, including a slide on "how to work with the CMO"Burnout prevention tips like calendar audits, Slack boundaries, and no-meeting blocksHow Thao uses Slack photos and custom statuses to lead with personalityWhat it's like to lead as an Asian woman in tech, and how she speaks up when it countsThao also shares why building trust and being yourself is the most powerful tool a marketer can have.Key Links:Guest: Thao Ngo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thaongo/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more listeners. <3

In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, Jane Serra sits down with Neha Verma, founder of the Partner Marketing Community and a 15+ year marketing leader, to explore the evolving world of partner marketing.Neha shares her journey from studying economics in New Zealand to becoming a global voice in partner marketing - and how an “accidental” career move turned into her passion and purpose. Together, Jane and Neha dive into:How Neha pivoted from economics into marketing and discovered a career in partner marketingThe story behind the Partner Marketing Community and why it’s intentionally focused on collaboration, not sellingWhy partner marketing is resurging as companies lean on ecosystem growth and relationshipsThe top challenges for partner marketers today: budget cuts, AI adoption, and navigating layoffsWhy partner marketing is a critical revenue driver that should never be first on the chopping blockHow to measure partner marketing impact when attribution is messy (and why “marketing vs sales credit” should end)The role of partner enablement and field marketing in staying top-of-mind and driving account growthHow to manage partnerships when a partner goes silent - and when it’s time to move onNeha’s advice for marketers: focus on impact, people, and health more than titlesIf you’ve ever wondered how to thrive in partner marketing, build stronger collaborations, or simply get off the “marketing vs sales credit” hamster wheel, this conversation is packed with insights you can put to work.Key Links:Guest: Neha Verma – LinkedIn Host: Jane Serra – LinkedIn––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us get these amazing women in front of the bigger audience they deserve.

In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, Jane Serra sits down with Sheevaun Thatcher, VP of Revenue Enablement at Demandbase, to unpack what enablement really means when done right.With decades of experience spanning pre-sales, sales, and enablement leadership, Sheevaun shares the lessons learned from building programs that actually move the needle on productivity, retention, and revenue influence. Far from “just training” or “content delivery,” her approach treats enablement as a true business within a business - complete with strategy, investors, and measurable outcomes.Jane and Sheevaun dive into:Sheevaun’s career path from pre-sales into enablement and the lessons learned through each “version” of enablement she builtWhat revenue enablement really means (hint: it touches everyone who influences revenue, not just sales)The difference between being responsible to sales versus responsible for revenueThe five key questions that keep enablement focused on what matters mostThe four pillars of enablement: GTM clarity, aligned content, just-in-time training, and tribal knowledgeHow to align enablement with marketing and product to ensure content is actually adopted and useful in customer conversationsWhy “standard demos” and “budget questions” don’t work - and better approaches to bothThe role of coaching, why high performers don’t always make strong managers, and how to train managers to actually coachHow AI and just-in-time enablement are changing how sellers learn and apply skillsWhen a company is really ready for enablement (and why your first hire should be senior, not junior)Key Links:Guest: Sheevaun Thatcher – LinkedIn Host: Jane Serra – LinkedInSheevaun's LinkedIn Articles Mentioned:https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/r2n4-enablement-keystone-sheevaun-thatcher-cpc-tsqcc/https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/my-5-fave-enablement-questions-sheevaun-thatcher-cpc-xr7gf/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us get these amazing women in front of the bigger audience they deserve.

In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, Jane Serra chats with Ashley Artrip, GTM Engineering Manager at Clay, author of Career Design, and host of Career Advice You Never Got, to demystify one of the fastest-emerging roles in revenue: go-to-market engineering.Ashley shares her unconventional path from career coaching and entrepreneurship to helping companies architect systems that accelerate growth and create better buying experiences. From her work at Clay (where GTM engineering was born) to her own startup journey, she reveals why intentionality and creative problem-solving are at the heart of every successful go-to-market motion.Jane and Ashley cover:What GTM engineering actually is – and why it’s not just “rev ops with a new name”How to design systems that reduce friction across marketing, sales, and customer successReal-world examples of value-led prospecting from brands like Canva and VantaWhy GTM engineers need both systems chops and business acumenThe role AI plays in building smarter, more efficient revenue processesWhen to hire your first GTM engineer (and when to recognize you already have one)How to approach tools like Clay without falling into “blank canvas syndrome”The career skills that make great GTM engineers – and how to build themKey Links:Guest: Ashley Artrip – LinkedIn Host: Jane Serra – LinkedInAshley’s Newsletter: Engineering Revenue - a GTM engineer’s playbook for success, written by Ashley Artrip.Ashley’s Book: Career Design: Design Your Career to Change Your Life by Ashley Artrip, published December 2022.Ashley’s Podcast: Career Advice You Never Got - a career‑transition playbook hosted by Ashley Artrip, tackling all those questions you wish you’d been told. Clay University / GTM Resources: Clay University and blog for learning GTM and Clay tools.––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us get these amazing women in front of the bigger audience they deserve.

In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, Jane Serra sits down with Shannon Howard, Director of Customer and Content Marketing at Intellum, to talk about the real work behind building lasting customer relationships that drive retention, advocacy, and long-term brand love.From her early days in B2C to leading customer marketing in SaaS, Shannon shares how she has learned to scale connection without losing the human touch. The conversation covers what customer marketing really owns (hint: it is not just case studies), how to enable internal teams to advocate alongside your customers, and the power of being relentlessly curious about the people you serve.Jane and Shannon get into:Why customer marketing is about more than just advocacy and what else belongs under its umbrellaHow to stay close to your customers even without a big team or budgetThe overlooked art of marketing internal programs like customer educationWhy reverse multithreading and relationship redundancy matter more than everApproaching customers for feedback in ways that feel natural, not transactionalTurning negative experiences into opportunities to create new advocatesThe value of surprising and delighting customers, including supporting causes they care aboutHow customer marketing can also play a big role in Customer Success enablementExpanding the definition of “customer” to include past, future, and even non-paying advocatesBuilding trust with customers by treating them like people, not just personasKey Links:Guest: Shannon Howard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonlagassehoward/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more women marketers ready to take the mic.

** Originally published on May 8, 2024 **Katie Berg coined a phrase in this episode that stuck with me so much I literally made stickers: F*ck it Energy. It’s about saying yes to big, scary opportunities, chasing fear instead of avoiding it, and putting yourself out there even when you’re not sure you’re ready.And honestly? I think we could all use a little more of that energy right now - which is why I’m bringing this one back from the archives. Katie’s story of building Klue’s Compete Network from scratch and carving her own path in marketing is just as powerful today as it was when we first recorded.Should I bring Katie back for a follow-up? DM me, comment, or leave a review to tell me what you’d love us to cover next. – Jane-----------In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra sits down with Katie Berg, VP of Marketing at Klue, to dive into how she turned a scrappy idea into one of the most innovative owned media plays in B2B: the Compete Network.From starting her career in events marketing and taking a bold leap to work in Zambia, to building Klue’s media hub that now fuels their category leadership, Katie shares the real story of saying yes to big risks, chasing fear, and creating content that actually lands.Jane and Katie dig into:How the idea for the Compete Network was born (on a run!) and why it stuckThe scrappy steps Klue took to build a media hub before owned media was “a thing”What it really takes to launch and scale multiple shows under one brandWhy consistency and format matter as much as the content itselfLessons learned from producing four podcasts at once - and what Katie would do differentlyHow teasers and “movie-style” launches helped Klue’s shows break throughThe future of B2B media hubsWhy attribution alone isn’t enough - and how qualitative feedback can be a marketer’s gold mineWhy women need more “f*** it energy” in content creationKey Links:Guest: Katie Berg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiepberg/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more listeners. <3

In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra chats with Shachar Oren, co-founder, CRO, and CMO at EX.CO—a rare triple-title leader with a journalist’s storytelling soul and a sharp eye on revenue.Shachar’s unconventional journey from writing film reviews to building a video-first adtech company is full of insight for any marketer navigating career pivots, cross-functional leadership, and the ever-blurry line between brand and revenue. She shares what it’s really like owning both sales and marketing, how it’s changed her approach as a CMO, and why she believes marketers need to stop undervaluing themselves.Jane and Shachar dig into:What it’s like to lead both marketing and sales as a co-founderHow a background in journalism led Shachar into B2B tech and startup leadershipThe power of sitting in on sales calls - and how it transformed her team’s approachWhy sales decks often fall short, and how to build enablement materials that sellers actually useWhat led EX.CO to eliminate webinars and double down on eventsHow offline tactics like in-person events and direct mail became their top growth channelsWhy marketers struggle to get internal credit - and how to start changing thatThe nuances of tying marketing roles to revenue goals and compensationWhat the lack of CMOs on corporate boards says about how marketing is perceivedHow reframing our own value as marketers can shift our influence inside the orgNavigating the balance between creativity, storytelling, and business outcomesBuilding community through thoughtful, hybrid campaigns that connect people online and offKey Links:Guest: Shachar Orren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shacharo/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/Shachar's Article on Fast Company: https://www.fastcompany.com/91265760/numbers-and-narratives-the-strategic-advantage-of-uniting-the-cmo-and-cro-roles ––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more women marketers ready to take the mic.

In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra sits down with Natalie Cunningham, a two-time SaaS CMO, former agency leader, and one of LinkedIn’s most refreshingly honest voices in marketing.Natalie’s journey from rural Tennessee to the C-suite is packed with lessons on resilience, leadership, and pushing past “professional” expectations. She opens up about what it really means to step into a CMO role, lead through rebrands, and advocate for yourself—without shrinking your voice.Jane and Natalie explore:The real difference between being a VP and a CMO (beyond the title)How to lead with honesty and impact, even when it comes with riskWhy rebrands fall apart after the “fun part”—and how to avoid itThe power of healthy conflict and treating peers as your first teamHow being vocal on LinkedIn can cost you... and why it’s still worth itWhy “managing a team is like parenting” is a tired (and harmful) tropeThe importance of community when you’re the only woman in the roomKey Links:Guest: Natalie Cunningham: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliercunningham/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/ ––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more women marketers ready to take the mic.

In this episode of Women in B2B Marketing, host Jane Serra chats with Kim Tran, a full stack marketing leader who helped take Gimmal to a successful exit as Head of Marketing and Business Development.Kim's path into marketing was anything but linear. She started in First Amendment law before building a career focused on growth, brand transformation, and operational rigor across fintech, edtech, and data governance. With a background in psychology and a clear-eyed view of how teams and businesses scale, Kim shares the mindset shifts and tactical lessons that shaped her journey.Jane and Kim explore:Why marketers need to become financial and data stewards to earn trust and influenceHow to market marketing internally and build advocates across the orgWhat it really takes to modernize a legacy brand without losing its coreHow to approach marketing during an acquisition and speak to buyers, not just customersThe importance of protecting your team’s emotional and mental bandwidthHow to pitch yourself and take up space, especially as a woman in leadershipWhy failing safely is more realistic than failing fastKey Links:Guest: Kim Tran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimtrandc/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/ ––Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review. It helps us reach more women marketers ready to take the mic.

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra is joined by Chaenara O’Brien - a sharp strategist who splits her time between leading digital GTM at vFunction and consulting with startups via Thought Bakery.Chaenara brings a refreshingly grounded, systems-first lens to modern marketing, shaped by a background in energy trading, operations, and engineering services. The conversation unpacks what it really takes to build future-ready go-to-market teams, avoid burnout, and lead with both curiosity and clarity in a time of constant change.Jane and Chaenara dig into:How her career in ops + energy trading led to B2B marketing leadershipWhat “scenario planning” actually means - and how to make it actionableWhy marketers need to stop reacting and start building systemsHow AI is reshaping what it means to “do more with less”Creating space for failure and curiosity on high-performing teamsWhy outdated ideas of brand control and executive presence need to goWhat GTM leadership should look like - and where it’s headedOutgrowing tech and how to protect your sparkKey Links:Guest: Chaenara O'Brien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaenara/Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/ --Like WIB2BM? Show us some love with a rating or review today! <3