Taking the Lead

In today's episode of Taking the Lead, our host Christina Brady has an interesting conversation with Gabriella DeFlorio, the Co-Founder and CEO of Prelay. They talk about things you can and can't control in life and explain how important it is to find balance.Gabriella explains what it takes to become an entrepreneur, how to find a great business partner, and points out that luck is very important for success. But, of course, there's much more you'll need to become an entrepreneur and run a company.During this insightful interview, Gabriella remembers her path through the industry and provides us with great pieces of advice on how to pave the road toward your dreams. She thinks it's important to be disciplined, emphatic, and aware of your strengths.

How fluent are you in Customer Success? We could all be a little better no matter what line of the business we’re in. And most companies have different approaches and definitions regarding this CS.Luckily, some people have proven to be experts in the field, and it's our pleasure that one of them is with us today. Meet Romaine Buck, the VP of Customer Success at Articulate.With over 20 years of experience in CS, sales, account management, and recruiting, Romaine is a professional you would want to run to if you need advice regarding business growth.In today's episode of the Taking the Lead podcast, Romaine joins our host, Christina Brady, to discuss the most common misconceptions regarding customer success. Romaine also shares details from her prolific career, encouraging women not to be afraid to raise their hands, ask questions and show how amazing they are.

The universal key to success does not exist. One's aspirations don't necessarily correlate with the desires of others. People have different goals, and if someone is content with their current job position, business leaders should show understanding and support.On the other hand, those who show interest in climbing the career ladder should not be afraid to ask for feedback. Therefore, fruitful business relationships depend on open communication.Anna Talerico is an operating partner at Arthur Ventures. She is our guest today. Anna is also the co-founder of SaaSX and the advisor for Founders Advisors. In today's episode of the Taking the Lead podcast, Anna and our host, Christina Brady, discuss the importance of mastering the skill of managing up. As our guest explains, those who want to prosper need to understand their company's modus operandi. They also talk about women's position in the business world. Diversity is such a powerful word these days, but we should not stop there. Women should free themselves from imposter syndrome and not be afraid to ask for what they deserve in the business space. 

What’s it like to work in Silicon Valley, especially as a woman? Jenny Coupe, the VP of Global Revenue Marketing at ActiveCampaign, shares her experience of being a part of Silicon Valley during the nineties. She explains that Silicon Valley has a special vibe and culture and that she would do some things differently if she could turn back time.Jenny has a Bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy, but she ended up being a marketer when it was all said and done. She thinks that innovations aren't always promising, mainly when companies tend to innovate without a particular purpose, but believes in companies with progressive cultures, where people can be their true selves, regardless of their skin color or sexual orientation.In this new episode of Taking the Lead, Jenny Coupe and Christina Brady discuss the impact COVID has had on companies, whether the salary depends on the cost of living in these circumstances, the future of Silicon Valley careers, and other exciting topics.

The role of a leader consists not only of guiding their team professionally but also of empowering them to make progress in their personal life. What leaders must recognize are the roles that skills and habits have in shaping work culture. That way, they can pave a path for a better, more inclusive culture.Roquita Williams is a fantastic female leader and a professional speaker with over 25 years of business experience. As a keynote speaker at Habits at Work, Roquita sees habits and skills as two different yet equally important concepts that encourage the creation of a healthy, inclusive culture at the workplace.In this episode of Taking the Lead, Christina Brady and Roquita Williams discuss the key differences between skills and habits and other concepts that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion. Besides, Roquita defines the four key habits every culture should possess in order to achieve revenue goals - giving and receiving feedback, listening emphatically, posing the right question, and telling stories to change minds.

What makes a great leader? What core qualities do bad managers have? And how to create a safe, respectful work environment open to two-way feedback? Catie Ivey is here to talk about all things leadership.Catie has a rich background in leadership, from being a Vice-President of Sales to now the RVP of Sales at Demandbase. She's on a mission to help sales leaders be better and find ways to propel more women into the highest levels of leadership. She thinks sales leadership is hard sometimes, especially if you thrive on being great at it. But the key is to learn, get feedback from others, and evolve constantly. Feedback plays a significant role in sales leadership, and it's not reserved only for employees. Leaders also need to be open to receiving feedback if they want to become better at their job. In this episode of the Taking the Lead podcast, Catie and Christina talk about everything a sales leader should know. They exchange ideas on how to ask for feedback constructively, and they share some key traits that ineffective leaders have. Tune in to this episode to find out more.

In this episode of the Taking the Lead podcast, Christina Brady introduces Anna Baird, the CRO at Outreach. Anna is an amazing woman with an astonishing resume. Before coming to Outreach, she was the CFO responsible for providing financial and strategic leadership at Livongo Health. Anna was also the President & CFO of RadiumOne and CFO & Head of Operations at SAY Media.Anna loves software and B2B SAAS tech. She is passionate about developing solutions and helping people improve their businesses. She is aware of the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and believes companies must focus on buyers, their needs, and purchasing strategies. Vendors should be partners with their customers. Anna and Christina also talk about the time to value. Many products and services take time to mature, and it seems hard to evaluate their value at an early stage. However, interlocutors agree some things can happen in those early stages that can show whether the product or service is right for you as a customer.Throughout the whole conversation, Anna emphasizes the importance of taking risks. She believes in joint action and embracing possibilities whenever they show up in front of you. 

It may not be common to see a brave, educated, and immigrant woman in the tech field. Her bravery reflects in chasing her dreams and making tough decisions despite the struggle of being in a foreign country, far away from home. What is the position of Mexican women in tech? How do they overcome common fears and obstacles?Lorena Morales, a VP of Marketing at Go Nimbly, shares her incredible story of coming to the USA and becoming the VP of the first revenue operations consultancy. She reveals the common gaps within companies, especially now, during the pandemic and the most viable problem solutions. She also focuses on CRM and tool creation, including the most common mistakes people make during the process.In this episode of Taking the Lead, our host Christina Brady and guest Lorena Morales discuss the struggle of being a woman in a foreign country, especially in terms of finding a job. Lorena also reveals a defining moment in her life and how education helped her deal with unpleasant situations and difficult questions.

The tech industry is a male-dominated place, but it shouldn't make women less eager to enter this field. Young girls should be motivated and empowered to choose this path, which would result in an increase of women in technology in the next ten to fifteen years.Rita Patel Jackson is a versatile woman whose goal is to keep empowering other females to follow their dreams and overcome the fear of public speaking. She used to work for great companies, including IBM and GE Healthcare. The rich experience she has gained has helped her excel in what she does now - product marketing.In this episode of the Taking the Lead podcast, Christina Brady and Rita Patel Jackson talk about women's position in technology, what young women need to be heard, and how marketers and sales teams should join their forces towards a common goal - the customer.

The world is continually changing, whether we like it or not. The question is, how do we navigate change and turn the odds in our favor? One thing is for sure, businesses all around the globe had to go through a major change due to circumstances caused by the pandemic. They had no choice but to adapt. One of the most impacted industries was certainly the events industry. Tracey Tennyson is here to share her experience.Tracey is currently the VP of marketing and brand strategy at XSELL Technologies. Before that, she spent a long time leading complex client-facing events. And then, COVID happened. Not only did she find herself with six months of already planned events, but she also changed her job mid-pandemic. There's no denying that she is the expert on change and dealing with the unknown.In this episode of Taking the Lead, our host, Christina, talks to Tracey about the importance of flexibility and empathy in the business world. Also, they touch upon important topics such as leadership, growth, and perseverance. Tune in to our latest episode to hear more.