Podcast
Women in B2B Marketing
Hosted by Podcast Host: Jane Serra, 17+ years in B2B marketing across all industries from SaaS to Marketing Agencies and International Outsourcing. · EN
Women in B2B Marketing is a weekly podcast dedicated to motivating marketers at all levels in their careers through real-life stories of victory and defeat, challenge and triumph. Our goal is to inspire listeners to achieve more, strive for success, and feel a sense of understanding and community.
This is a place where CMOs, VPs of Marketing, and all strong women B2B marketing leaders discuss their top tactics, strategies, and tips for building teams, leveraging trends, and ultimately rocking their marketing careers - however that looks to them.
Leading marketing teams everywhere from fortune 500s to startups and challenger brands, these women share their stories of rising to the top - and how they overcame any obstacles that came their way.
Made by and for women, insightful for all.
Podcast Host: Jane Serra, 17+ years in B2B marketing across all industries from SaaS to Marketing Agencies and International Outsourcing.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninb2bmarketing/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/womeninb2bmktg
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
128: Burnout, Boundaries, and the Power of Asking for What You Need - with Leslie Forde, CEO and Founder of Mom's Hierarchy of Needs
Nov 2600:45:13Tap to summarizeLeslie 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.
Transcribe →127: Inside the Golden Triangle of Product, Brand, and Demand - with Surbhi Agarwal, 25+ Year Tech Executive | REPLAY EP 76
Nov 1900:46:56Tap to summarizeOriginally 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/
Transcribe →126: The Core of Product Marketing: Curiosity, Context, and Customer Obsession - with Kim Winter, VP Marketing at (announcing soon!)
Nov 1200:45:22Tap to summarizeKim 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.
Transcribe →125: Process Over Outcomes: The Real Path to GTM Efficiency - with Sidney Waterfall, VP Marketing at OpenBrand
Nov 500:42:25Tap to summarizeSidney 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.
Transcribe →124: How AI Is Changing PR (and Why It’s Having a Comeback) - with Molly George, CEO & Founder of Kickstand
Oct 2900:40:55Tap to summarizeMolly 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.
Transcribe →123: Building, Bootstrapping, and Doing It Your Way - with Ruta Sudmantaite of Lava Metrics and Emma Davies of Thesmia AI
Oct 2300:53:35Tap to summarizeRuta 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
Transcribe →122: Fun, Focus, and No Duds: Life as a CMO + CRO - with Amanda McGuckin Hager, CMO/CRO at TrueDialog
Oct 100:31:28Tap to summarizeRecorded 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
Transcribe →121: Reclaiming Marketing’s North Star with AI - with Liza Adams, AI Advisor & Fractional CMO at GrowthPath Partners | REPLAY EP 83
Sep 2400:48:56Tap to summarize**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
Transcribe →120: Scrappy (Not Crappy!) Ways to Build Brand and Pipeline Without Big Budgets - with Paige Tills, VP of Marketing at #samsales
Sep 1700:44:41Tap to summarizePaige 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
Transcribe →119: Punching Above Your Weight Starts with Reputation - with Michelle Denogean, CMO at Mindtrip
Sep 1000:45:53Tap to summarizeMichelle 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
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