Growth Activated | The B2B Marketing Leadership Podcast

Mandy Walker
  • 5.0 (11)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Growth Activated is a podcast for B2B marketing leaders who want to elevate their marketing strategies, lead confidently, and drive real business results. Each episode offers actionable insights and proven frameworks to help you activate growth for your team, your company, and your career.

  1. 1D AGO

    The 4 Mindset Shifts CMOs Need for AI Transformation - with Liza Adams

    In this conversation, Mandy sits down with Liza Adams — former CMO, Human+AI org advisor, and one of the clearest voices on AI transformation in marketing — to unpack the four mindset shifts every marketing leader needs before AI can actually move the business. They go deep on what real AI transformation looks like inside a marketing org: how to scale beyond Q&A into orchestrated workflows, how to navigate AI sprawl, and how to lead change inside a quarterly pressure cooker without losing your people in the process. Liza Adams is the founder of GrowthPath Partners and a recognized leader in AI transformation for go-to-market teams — named one of the 50 CMOs to Watch and a Pavilion Fractional/Advisor of the Year Finalist. Her engineering background plus multi-decade GTM expertise gives her a uniquely pragmatic lens on AI adoption. Her bi-weekly newsletter is required reading for marketing leaders operationalizing AI inside their organizations. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why "people-first, AI-forward" is the principle that should anchor every AI decisionThe four mindset shifts CMOs need to unlock real AI transformationWhy "doing more with less" is the floor of AI value, not the ceilingHow to move from democratized building to orchestrated AI workflows (and avoid AI sprawl)A simple framework for thinking about AI risk so governance protects — rather than blocks — your teamThe "law of thirds" Liza uses to lead AI transformation without burning out trying to bring everyone alongRESOURCES: Connect with Liza Adams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizaadamsGrowthPath Partners (Liza’s newsletter & advisory): https://www.growthpath.netReferenced episode: AI Agents and the Future of Marketing Teams — My Weekend Hackathon Wake-Up Call (E39)If this episode resonated, follow Growth Activated wherever you listen and leave a quick review — it’s the best way to help more marketing leaders find the show. Growth Activated is produced by Mandy Hornaday. Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    50 min

  2. APR 28

    Stop Running ABM Like It's Demand Gen: How to Build the Real Motion with Brandon Redlinger

    #48 - Most ABM programs don't fail because of tactics. They fail before a single campaign runs — because the accounts were wrong, the structure wasn't there, and nobody agreed on what success actually looked like. Brandon Redlinger has spent his career inside account-based marketing — from building ABM strategy at Engagio and Demandbase to running it across a portfolio of companies today as founder of Stack and Scale. In this conversation, he cuts through the noise on what ABM actually is, when it's the right strategy for your business, and the framework he uses to bring real structure and accountability to how resources get deployed against target accounts. If you're thinking about launching an ABM program or trying to understand why your current one isn't producing, this episode gets into the details most conversations skip. About Brandon Redlinger: Brandon Redlinger is a fractional CMO and the founder of Stack and Scale, where he leads marketing strategy across companies ranging from seed stage to $200M in revenue. He spent years inside some of the most influential ABM platforms in B2B — including Engagio, Demandbase, Chili Piper, and revenue.io — and now applies that experience across a wide range of go-to-market environments. In this episode, we cover: What ABM actually is — and how to tell it apart from just doing demand gen more carefullyThe ACV and TAM thresholds that signal ABM is the right motion for your businessThe account entitlements framework: how to deploy resources against target accounts with real SLAs and accountabilityHow to run a thoughtful ABM pilot — and the mistakes that sink most early programs before they get startedABM for expansion: why going deeper into existing accounts is often the highest-leverage starting pointWhat's actually working in ABM right now — events, direct mail, experiences — and what isn'tThe GTM engineer role and how it's changing what's possible in ABM executionStage-based attribution and how to prove ABM is working before the deal closesBrandon's emerging model for account-level sentiment analysis using AI — and why it may be where ABM measurement is headingWhy sales and marketing alignment still breaks ABM programs — and how incentive structure is almost always the root causeChapter Markers: (00:00) Welcome and Guest Background(04:13) Defining ABM and When It's Right(10:22) The Account Entitlements Framework(21:15) ABM Pilots, Expansion, and What Works(33:38) Measuring ABM and AI-Powered SignalsResources: Brandon Redlinger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonredlinger/ Stack and Scale newsletter: https://stackandscale.ai If this episode was useful, follow Growth Activated on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a review — it's the fastest way to help other marketing leaders find the show. Growth Activated is produced by Mandy Hornad Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    49 min

  3. APR 21

    YouTube for B2B: From Zero to Results in 90 Days with Samu Kovacs

    #47 - Most B2B marketing leaders know YouTube is the second-largest search engine on the planet. Almost none are actually using it well — and that gap is still wide open. Samu Kovacs, founder of KS Media, has built a YouTube-first agency that works with over 40 B2B clients — including Adam Robinson of RB2B — to turn YouTube into one of their top pipeline channels. In this conversation, he breaks down why B2B YouTube strategy is one of the most underleveraged opportunities in marketing right now, what's keeping most companies from cracking it, and what a real YouTube-first approach actually looks like in practice. If you've been circling YouTube but haven't been able to justify the investment, this is the episode that gives you a clear-eyed picture of what it takes. About Samu Kovacs: Samu Kovacs is the founder of KS Media (ks-media.co), a YouTube-first agency helping B2B companies build high-performing channels that generate measurable pipeline. His clients include some of the most recognized names in B2B SaaS, including Adam Robinson of RB2B. In this episode, we cover: Why 90% of B2B companies still haven't cracked YouTube — and why that gap is the opportunityWhat has to be true before YouTube is worth the investment (ICP, product-market fit, and beyond)The realistic timeline to results: the 90-day, 4–6 month, and 6–12 month milestonesYouTube-first content strategy vs. repurposing what already exists — and why the distinction mattersFounder-led channels vs. company-branded channels: how to decide what's right for your businessLong-form vs. Shorts: where B2B YouTube ROI actually comes fromHow YouTube is beginning to show up in LLM citations — and what that means for your B2B YouTube strategyChapter Markers: (00:00) Welcome and Episode Overview(04:25) The B2B YouTube Opportunity(12:25) Timeline to Results(20:53) YouTube Content Strategy(32:44) Case Studies and TakeawaysResources: Samu Kovacs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samu-kovacs/ KS Media: https://ks-media.co If this episode was useful, follow Growth Activated on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a review — it's the fastest way to help other marketing leaders find the show. Growth Activated is produced by Mandy Hornaday. Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    41 min

  4. APR 14

    Elevating the CMO Role: Becoming a Chief Market Orchestrator with Matt Heinz

    #46 - The CMO has the shortest tenure in the C-suite. The most scrutiny. And right now, more opportunity than ever — if you can see it clearly enough to seize it. Matt Heinz has spent 18 years helping B2B companies build more predictable revenue, and he talks to more CMOs on a weekly basis than almost anyone. In this conversation, he lays out exactly how the CMO role is evolving — from chief MQL officer to chief market officer to what he calls the chief market orchestrator — and what that shift actually demands of the leaders trying to grow into it. From how you tell your story internally, to where AI fits in the marketing org, to the one place in go-to-market where most companies are leaving the most on the table, this is a conversation worth your full attention. About Matt Heinz: Matt Heinz is the founder of Heinz Marketing, a B2B marketing consultancy focused on helping companies with complex buying journeys build more predictable pipeline. He's also the host of CMO Coffee Talk, a community of 3,700+ CMOs and heads of marketing. He has spent 18 years in the trenches of B2B go-to-market strategy. In this episode, we cover: The CMO role evolution — from chief MQL officer to chief market officer to chief market orchestratorWhy the CMO who best understands the market should own more of the business than most org charts allowRevenue predictability: how to approach it from the top down and the bottom upThe "messy middle" — the highest-leverage gap in most B2B go-to-market motionsHow to tell a smarter story to your CFO (stop showing where you're spending; show what you're buying)Where to start with AI adoption — and why the broad training session approach almost always failsWhat the future of marketing org design looks like as agentic workflows take over repetitive workThe most common places CMOs are still stubbing their toes right nowChapter Markers: (00:00) Welcome and Episode Context(05:03) Chief MQL Officer to Market Orchestrator(12:25) Revenue Narrative and Attribution(23:21) Future of Marketing Teams and AI(31:58) Where CMOs Keep Stubbing Their ToesResources: Matt Heinz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattheinz/Heinz Marketing: https://heinzmarketing.comIf this episode was useful, follow Growth Activated on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a review — it's the fastest way to help other marketing leaders find the show. Growth Activated is produced by Mandy Hornaday. Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    36 min

  5. MAR 31

    AI Reality Check: What CMOs Are Actually Building - with Nicole Leffer

    #45 - LinkedIn would have you believe your competitors are running fully autonomous AI teams. They're not. The real picture of AI adoption in B2B marketing is far more varied — and far more instructive. Most marketing organizations are somewhere in the middle: using AI through a chat interface daily, but nowhere near the agentic workflows the feed suggests are already table stakes. Understanding where you actually stand, and where you intentionally want to go, turns out to be the strategic question most CMOs haven't stopped to ask. Nicole Leffer is an AI consultant who works exclusively with B2B marketing leaders and their teams — from Series B companies through Fortune 50 brands. She spends her days inside marketing organizations helping them build AI marketing strategies that are grounded, intentional, and built to last. This is her second appearance on Growth Activated, and a lot has changed in a year. In this episode, Mandy Hornaday and Nicole dig into the real state of AI adoption, why intentionality is the piece most CMOs are missing, the security risks of building without IT support, and the one AI strategy decision Nicole believes will separate teams built for the long term from the ones who will have to rebuild. What we cover: The real state of AI adoption across B2B marketing — not LinkedIn's version, the actual oneWhy intentionality is the most important thing most marketing leaders are skipping right nowThe security risk of expecting marketers to build like engineers — and what smart orgs do differentlyBuild vs. buy: when your core AI tools are enough and when they're notHow to build a platform-agnostic AI marketing strategy that won't lock you inChapter Markers: (00:00) Welcome & Real AI State(09:58) The Intentionality Imperative(22:21) Building Without Silos(31:44) A Framework for CMO Action(41:54) Build vs. Buy & Final AdviceConnect with Nicole Leffer: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleleffer/ If this episode challenged the way you're thinking about AI strategy, share it with a marketing leader who needs to hear it. And follow Growth Activated on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Growth Activated is produced by Mandy Hornaday. Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    48 min

  6. MAR 17

    GTM AI Adoption That Actually Sticks: Optimization, Amplification, and Reinvention (with Jonathan Kvarfordt)

    #44 - You're feeling the pressure. Every board meeting, every LinkedIn scroll, every all-hands - AI is the expectation. But here's what the data actually shows: as of mid-2025, only 7% of companies had truly operationalized AI. Not just handed out a ChatGPT license. Actually embedded it into how their teams work. So if you've been wondering whether everyone else is further ahead than you - they're not. And what you do in 2026 to close that gap will determine how far ahead you get to be. In this episode, Jonathan Kvarfordt (Coach K) joins Mandy Hornaday to break down what operationalizing AI actually looks like inside go-to-market teams - not the hype version, but the version backed by real conversation and pipeline data. Jonathan is VP of Go-to-Market Strategy and Marketing at Momentum.io, a conversational data platform recently acquired by Salesforce. He also teaches AI and sales at Bryant University and advises over ten companies on AI strategy and go-to-market. If you're a CMO or marketing leader trying to figure out where to place your bets right now, this conversation will give you a much clearer lens. In this episode: The 3 levels of AI change — optimization, amplification, and reinvention — and how to know which one your team is ready forWhy operationalizing AI amplifies what already exists in your systems (good and bad) — and what to fix firstA real example: how one sales team went from 15 BDRs generating 15% of pipeline to 4 BDRs generating 30% — and what it actually tookWhy your human genius may be the most durable competitive moat you have — even as AI gets smarterThe AI tools Jonathan recommends for marketing leaders right now, including MindStudio, Profound, and SearchableHow to stay cutting-edge when you're in a security-constrained enterprise environmentChapter Markers: (00:00) Welcome & Guest Introduction (05:43) The Real State of AI Adoption (09:08) 3 Levels of AI Change for GTM Teams (19:14) Favorite AI Use Cases in Marketing (27:14) Tools, Skills, and Where CMOs Should Start Connect with Jonathan Kvarfordt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmkmba/GTM AI PodcastIf this conversation sparked something for you, share it with a CMO or marketing leader in your network. And if you found it valuable, leaving a review goes a long way in helping other leaders find the show. Growth Activated is produced by Mandy Hornaday. Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    33 min

  7. MAR 10

    AI-Powered GTM: 3 Founders → $30M ARR with Amos Bar-Joseph

    #43 - What if one person could run your entire go-to-market motion — marketing, sales, and customer success — backed by a system of AI agents? That's exactly what Amos Bar-Joseph is building at Swan AI — and in this episode, he pulls back the curtain on the AI-powered GTM model that generated over $1.5 million in pipeline in a single month. As CEO and sole go-to-market operator, Amos runs every stage of the funnel with a lean agentic system designed from the ground up for human-AI collaboration, not headcount growth. This conversation will reframe how you're thinking about AI-powered GTM — what it actually takes to move from system engineering to context engineering, and why the real opportunity for marketing leaders isn't replacing your team, it's scaling them. Guest Bio: Amos Bar-Joseph is the CEO and co-founder of Swan AI, a platform building what he calls the first AI go-to-market engineer — a coding agent designed specifically for GTM professionals. A three-time founder with two previous B2B startups under his belt, Amos is now testing a radical thesis: building a $30M ARR company with just three co-founders, powered by autonomous AI agents. What we Cover:  Why 90% of AI implementations fail — and the mindset shift that changes everythingSystem engineering vs. context engineering: the new operating model for CMOsThe MQL-to-SQL handoff problem — and how AI agents can bridge the gapWhat "zone of genius" actually means for your marketing team — and how AI protects itChapters:  (00:00) Welcome and Episode Context(04:39) Building the Autonomous Business(13:03) The AI-Powered GTM System(28:05) Best AI Use Cases for CMOs(45:31) Advice for CMOs Bridging the GapResources & Links: Swan AI: swanai.comAmos Bar-Joseph on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amosbarjosephThe Autonomous Age Newsletter: swanai at Beehive (search 'Autonomous Age')If this episode shifted how you're thinking about AI and your go-to-market motion, share it with a marketing leader in your network. And if you're not already following Growth Activated, now's a good time — a new episode drops every week. Growth Activated is hosted by Mandy Hornaday.  Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    51 min

  8. MAR 3

    How to Build a B2B Podcast That Drives Pipeline (with Tom Hunt)

    # 42 - Most B2B podcasts plateau or quietly fade out. The difference between shows that stall and shows that build pipeline often comes down to three strategic decisions made before you ever hit record. Tom Hunt, CEO of Fame and one of the most experienced B2B podcast strategists in the space, joins the show to break down what actually separates the top-performing B2B podcasts from everyone else. After six years of building and running shows for B2B companies, Tom has seen the patterns — and the mistakes — up close. In this conversation, we cover: Why most B2B podcasts aren’t niche enough — and what Tom calls the "edge" that makes listeners tell their friends about your showHow to use your guest strategy to show ROI to your CFO within the first six monthsThe three roles every podcast needs (and what it actually costs to run a show)Growth tactics that work: vertical video snippets, best-of list placements for LLM discoverability, and podcast SEO basicsWhy Tom believes a podcast should be the last channel you launch — not the firstThe green flags that signal your podcast is working (and when to double down)A real case study: how Fame grew CFO Weekly into a relationship engine for their clientAbout Tom Hunt: Tom is the CEO of Fame, a leading B2B podcast agency that has spent six years helping companies turn their podcasts into pipeline and relationship engines. He previously built Famer.AI, an AI tool for podcast post-production, and hosts Confessions of a B2B Entrepreneur. Connect with Tom on LinkedIn. Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(02:47) Tom’s journey from management consulting to B2B podcast agency(07:56) How the B2B podcasting landscape has evolved(10:26) The 3 reasons B2B podcasts fail: positioning, guest strategy, and consistency(14:50) What the top-performing podcast clients do differently(18:45) Guest strategy vs. building your own show(20:42) Investment, green flags, and proving ROI in the first six months(24:24) How AI is changing podcast production(26:17) Video-first strategy and YouTube for podcast growth(27:26) Growth playbook: snippets, best-of lists, and podcast SEO(32:50) Case study: CFO Weekly as a B2B relationship engine(35:07) Tom’s advice: why a podcast should be the last thing you launchIf this episode helped you think differently about B2B podcasting as a growth channel, share it with a fellow marketing leader who’s considering the investment. And if you haven’t yet, follow Growth Activated wherever you listen so you never miss an episode. Lead Like a CMO - Group Coaching Lab: Join the Waitlist Let’s Keep the Conversation Going! Loved this episode? Connect with me for more insights on B2B marketing leadership and strategies to grow your business. 🌐 Visit my website: growthactivated.com 🔗 Connect with me on LinkedIn: Mandy Walker 🔗 Get Your Free Marketing Planning Guide Today! Don’t forget to subscribe to Growth Activated and share this episode with fellow marketing leaders. Let’s activate growth—together!

    38 min
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5
out of 5
11 Ratings

About

Growth Activated is a podcast for B2B marketing leaders who want to elevate their marketing strategies, lead confidently, and drive real business results. Each episode offers actionable insights and proven frameworks to help you activate growth for your team, your company, and your career.

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