In this episode, Joanna Lord, global CMO, board advisor, and multi-time tech executive, reflects on the moments that forced her to grow the most. She shares how being passed over for a promotion after a colleague threatened to quit cracked open her entire leadership style, as well as the AMA that sent her into a full-blown panic attack just days into a new global CMO role. These moments became turning points, pushing her to shift from a self-focused high performer to a more collaborative and self-aware leader.

Joanna also talks about impostor syndrome, recovering from public missteps, and learning to separate her identity from her job title. This isn’t just a conversation about leadership — it’s about resilience, reinvention, and what it really means to grow up in your career.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

Why your high performance won’t carry you past your people skills
How “qualified” and “capable” are two entirely different bets
What changes when you stop being the hero and start being the glue

Things to listen for:

(00:00) Intro

(01:29) Early life in Vermont and career beginnings

(02:24) Joanna’s journalism aspirations

(06:56) Receiving devastating career feedback

(10:30) Thank you to our sponsor, Navattic

(22:50) The AMA that led to a panic attack

(29:34) Being capable vs. being qualified

(33:14) Imbuing swagger on your team

(37:25) A major mistake and avoiding accountability

(43:51) Resilience and moving forward

(45:48) Unstitching identity from job titles

(50:23) Creating a healthy work environment

This episode is presented by:

Navattic: Interactive Product Demo Software - https://navattic.com/value

Resources:

Connect with Joanna:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannalord/

Official newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7003840481180749824/

Official website: https://www.joannalord.com/

Connect with Andrew:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcapland/

Substack: https://media.deliveringvalue.co

Hire Andrew as your coach: https://deliveringvalue.co/coaching

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