C-Suite Strategies

Stacie Sussman
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C-Suite Strategies is the podcast for revenue-minded leaders who know that sales and marketing aren't separate functions. They're one engine. No fluff. No theory. Just straight talk from people who've sat in the seat. Hosted by Stacie Sussman, Founder and CRO of RevUp Advisory and named a 2026 Women to Watch by both Thrive Global and Her Agenda — with 17 years leading sales teams in Manhattan, 100+ consulting projects, and a track record of scaling companies to exit — each episode digs into what growth actually looks like for mid-market operators, founders, CMOs, and CROs. Because growth isn't just about data and metrics — it's about mindset, showing up, and surrounding yourself with the right people. This is a space for the conversations that go beyond the dashboard. The ones about alignment, accountability, and what it really takes to build a revenue engine that lasts. If you're ready to stop treating sales and marketing as separate problems and start leading like they're one — this is your podcast. If you want to learn how to turn the chaos of growth into clarity and confidence, subscribe to C-Suite Strategies. Your next breakthrough is just a listen away.

  1. APR 14

    S2E24: Stop Hiding Behind Jargon: The Art of B2B Brand Storytelling That Wins

    In this episode, Stacie Sussman — Founder and CRO of RevUp Advisory — sits down with Lauryn Warnick, CEO of Villain Branding, to dig into one of the most underestimated levers in B2B growth: brand storytelling. Most B2B leaders think storytelling is a nice-to-have. Lauryn’s here to prove it’s a revenue driver. When your story is murky, your sales cycles stretch. When your messaging is inconsistent, deals go quiet. When your team can’t agree on what you do, neither can your buyers. This is the conversation that changes how you think about brand — from a marketing expense to a business asset with a measurable ROI. Want Stacie’s hot take first? This is Part 2 of a two-part series on B2B brand storytelling. In Part 1, Stacie breaks down brand debt — what it is, why it’s costing you deals, and what to do about it before you ever bring in outside help. Listen to Part 1 here → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s2e23-youve-got-brand-debt-heres-what-its-actually/id1766582344?i=1000758388118 What We Cover Why B2B Leaders Hide Behind Jargon The real cost of a complicated message — and who’s paying it Why complex portfolios make the storytelling problem worse, not better How a confused brand story shows up in your sales cycle before it ever shows up in your pipeline data Verbal Strategy: The Foundation You’re Skipping What a “verbal strategy consultancy” actually does — and why visuals without words first is backwards How to build a message that travels coherently from the CEO’s keynote to the SDR’s cold email The three pillars every B2B brand story needs: differentiation, credibility, and relevancy The Villain Framework in Practice What “raising the bar” actually means when you’re a mid-enterprise B2B company Why category creation is usually a trap — and what to do instead How to close the gap between what your business does and what the market thinks you do Measuring Brand ROI (Yes, You Can) The three levers that define brand value: choice, premium, and loyalty What Interbrand and Kantar actually track — and why your CFO should care Why brand-led organizations capture up to 70% of their value through the brand itself — and what the band-aid companies are leaving on the table Brand Storytelling in the Age of AI Why your buyers are researching in ChatGPT and Perplexity before they ever fill out a form How to make sure bots and humans alike can find you — and understand you Why jumping into AI execution without a clear verbal foundation just scales your confusion faster When Leaders Get It Right — and When They Don’t What Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Coca-Cola are doing that most companies aren’t Why CEOs going rogue on keynotes is a brand debt problem, not a communications problem The moment when you know the work landed — and the moment you know it didn’t 3 Things to Do Before the Next Episode Ask five people at your company what you do — cross-functional, no briefing. Count how many different answers you get. That gap is your brand debt. Look at your last three sales cycles that went dark — was your story clear enough that the buyer could explain your value internally without you in the room? Search your category in ChatGPT or Perplexity — see if your company shows up the way you think it does. If it doesn’t, your verbal foundation needs work. Connect with Lauryn Warnick Website: villainbranding.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laurynwarnick Email: lauryn@villainbranding.com Connect with Stacie Sussman Subscribe to the RevUp Advisory newsletter on Substack: https:// Connect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    42 min

  2. MAR 31

    S2E23: You've Got Brand Debt. Here's What It's Actually Costing You.

    In this solo episode, Stacie Sussman — Founder and CRO of RevUp Advisory — breaks down one of the most expensive problems hiding in plain sight across mid-market B2B companies: brand debt. This isn't just about having weak messaging or a tagline that needs a refresh. Brand debt is what happens when your story doesn't keep up with your business — and your buyers feel the disconnect long before you do. It shows up in longer sales cycles, deals that go dark after the second call, and a pipeline that's colder than it should be. The fix isn't better copy. It's building a system. What We Cover The Brand Debt Diagnosis Why asking five people at your company "what do you do?" will get you six different answers How brand debt compounds over time — just like financial debt The warning signs hiding across your org right now Why This Is a Revenue Problem, Not a Marketing Problem What the Interbrand research actually says about brand value (your CFO will care) Why unclear storytelling is costing you deals you don't even know you're losing How buyers experience the disconnect — even when they can't name it The System Behind the Story Why a great brand story sitting in a Google Doc does nothing for revenue How to build messaging that travels coherently from first touch to signed contract Why every channel has its own funnel logic — and what happens when you measure them all the same way Brand Debt in the Age of AI Your buyers are researching in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude before they ever fill out a form Why a broken brand story doesn't just cost you human attention — it makes you invisible to AI What AI tools actually surface (and what they ignore completely) 3 Things to Do Before the Next Episode Run the five-person experiment — cross-functional, no briefing, just ask Map your content by channel and be honest about what role each one is actually playing AI yourself — search your category and see if your company shows up the way you think it does Up Next Stacie sits down with Lauryn Warnick, CEO of Villain Branding, to go deep on solving the brand story problem at the mid-to-enterprise level. Lauren's working with billion-dollar companies and has a methodology that is equal parts clever and genius. You won't want to miss it. Connect with Stacie Sussman Subscribe to the RevUp Advisory newsletter on Substack: https://staciesussman.substack.com/subscribe Connect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    19 min

  3. MAR 10

    S2E22: From SEO to AEO: The Four Pillars of AI Search Strategy

    In this episode, Stacie sits down with Jenna Hannon—first marketing hire at Uber Eats and founder of GetHatter.ai—to break down the shift from SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), and what it means for your attribution model, your pipeline, and your competitive position. This isn’t just about “showing up in AI search.” It’s about making sure your company, your founders, and your thought leaders are the ones being cited when your buyers are doing that invisible dark funnel research. Guest: Jenna Hannon Founder of GetHatter.ai and former first marketing hire at Uber Eats What We Cover SEO Fundamentals (And Why They’re Not Enough Anymore) How SEO has worked for the past 20 yearsThe constant chase of Google’s algorithm changesWhy keyword strategies and backlink volume dominated the gameThe Rise of AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) What AEO actually is and how it differs from SEOWhy 97% of searches still happen on Google—but summaries are changing everythingHow LLMs decide whose content to cite (spoiler: it’s not about hacks)Why AEO actually rewards good marketing better than Google ever didThe Attribution Blind Spot Your buyers are researching for weeks before filling out formsAI-assisted research makes the dark funnel even darkerHow to influence research you can’t see or measureWhy this is a revenue strategy conversation, not just a marketing tacticThe Four Pillars of AEO Strategy Jenna breaks down the four key areas where you can move the needle in AEO—and why most companies are starting from 1% visibility (or 0%). She explains which pillar matters most, where to start if you’re overwhelmed, and why this isn’t about abandoning your SEO investment. The Truth About “AEO Hacks” There is no magic button (Jenna tried to build one—Google shut it down overnight)LinkedIn influencers selling shortcuts? Jenna’s tested them. They don’t work.What actually works instead (and why it’s better than you think)Why You Shouldn’t Be Intimidated The fundamentals haven’t changed—you’re just extending your strategyAEO rewards strong marketing better than Google’s algorithm ever didThis isn’t a complete rework of your marketing prioritiesWhere to focus your energy for maximum impactKey Takeaways SEO isn’t dead—97% of searches still happen on GoogleBut AI summaries are changing how buyers consume informationMost B2B brands show up 1% of the time (or less) in AI search resultsThere are no shortcuts—AEO rewards good marketing fundamentalsConnect with Jenna Hannon Email: jenna@gethatter.aiLinkedIn: Jenna Hannon (book a 15-minute call directly from her profile and ask about her free AI visibility tracker)Company: https://www.gethatter.ai/Please note: The audio quality in the opening minutes of this episode is not up to our usual standard. Rather than delay sharing this important conversation, we chose to release it as-is because the insights are too valuable to wait. We appreciate your understanding and hope you enjoy the episode! Connect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    32 min

  4. FEB 24

    S2E21: SEO is Dead. Long Live AEO. (What B2B Leaders Need to Know Before It's Too Late)

    What We Cover What SEO is — and why it’s no longer the whole game What AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) is and how it fundamentally differs from SEO How your buyers are already using AI tools (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude) to research before ever visiting your website Why you can have great SEO scores and still be completely invisible to an AI answer engine The “dark funnel” problem — and how AI makes it even harder to track buyer intent Why this is a revenue strategy conversation, not just a marketing or technical SEO conversation Three immediate actions B2B leaders can take right now Key Concepts Explained SEO — Search Engine Optimization The practice of making your website content discoverable by search engines like Google and Bing. The playbook centers on keywords, backlinks, site speed, technical structure, and domain authority — all with the goal of getting a human to click through to your website from a search results page. AEO — Answer Engine Optimization Optimizing your content so that AI-powered tools — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and others — pull from your content to generate direct, synthesized answers. There’s no click, no scroll, no website visit. If your brand isn’t showing up in those answers, you don’t exist in that buyer’s world. What Answer Engines Look For Clarity — Is your content answering questions directly and in a structured way? Authority & Trust — Are credible sources referencing your content? Is your brand seen as a subject matter expert? Schema Markup & Structured Data — Is your content technically formatted so AI can parse it? Freshness — Is your content current and regularly updated? Key Takeaways for B2B Leaders Your buyers are already using AI to research. Your ICP is typing questions into LLMs before they ever book a demo. If you’re not showing up there, you’re not in the consideration set. This is an attribution problem you need to get ahead of. The dark funnel is already hard to track. AI-assisted research makes it darker. If you’re not monitoring AI-driven brand mentions and traffic, you’re flying blind on a critical part of the buyer journey. SEO and AEO are not either/or — they’re both/and. Don’t abandon your SEO strategy. Build a content ecosystem that works for search engines and answer engines simultaneously. This is a strategy conversation, not just a technical one. AEO requires thinking about what questions your buyers are asking and whether your content answers them directly and authoritatively. A disconnected content strategy will not cut it in an AI-first research environment. 3 Things You Can Do Right Now 1. Audit your existing content for answer readiness. Review your top content pieces. Are they answering specific questions directly? Do they have clear headers that map to what someone would actually ask an AI? Can an AI pull a clean, accurate answer from them? If not — that’s your starting point. 2. Test AI research behavior in your category. Use ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, or Gemini to ask the questions your buyers ask. See who’s showing up, what language is being used, and where you stand. This is free competitive intelligence that will change how you think about content. 3. Get your technical foundation in order. If your website has messy structure, outdated schema markup, or poorly organized content — fix it. Don’t scale chaos. Fix the foundation first. Connect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    15 min

  5. FEB 10

    S2E20: The Invisible Architecture of Success

    What does it actually take to build an Inc 5000 business without letting it eat you alive? That's exactly what we dig into with Brittany Fox. Brittany and her husband bootstrapped Focus Global Talent Solutions from their second bedroom in Miami — no outside funding, no playbook — and hit $2M in revenue their first year. Last year, they made the Inc 5000 list. But here's the thing: Brittany didn't just build a successful business. She built a sustainable one. And that distinction? It changes everything. In this episode, we get into the real stuff. The psychology behind why high achievers burn out, what it actually took for Brittany to go from "grinding and hiding" to building a community of ambitious women who are done with surface-level conversations. We talk about morning routines that aren't just checklists, the power of doing hard things before they're trendy, and why showing up to one room can completely change the trajectory of your life. This one's for the founders, the co-founders, the C-suite leaders who are crushing it professionally but quietly wondering: is this pace actually sustainable? Key Takeaways: 80% of business is psychology. The other 20% is strategy. Brittany learned this early — and it became the foundation of how she runs everything.Brittany bootstrapped Focus Global from a condo in Miami with two dogs and hit $2M revenue in year one. No VC. No safety net. Just her, her husband Dave, and a whole lot of hustle — done intentionally.The Inc 5000 recognition in 2025 wasn't the goal. It was a byproduct of building something real, something sustainable, and something that actually worked.Brittany's 75 Hard story (before it was an Instagram trend) is one of the best "proof that you can do hard things" stories I've heard. She didn't think she could do it. She did it. And it rewired how she thinks about what's possible.Meditation isn't just a buzzword for Brittany — it's a practice she's had to actively protect. She actually stopped meditating for a while because it became a checklist item. That level of self-awareness is rare.She Created — her community for high-achieving women — was born from a very real frustration: the networking events that are all "tell me what you do" and zero depth. Brittany built the alternative.The advice that stuck with me: Don't make it so overwhelming. Start with one. One room. One book. One action. The compound effect does the rest.About the Guest: Brittany Fox is the CEO and Co-Founder of Focus Global Talent Solutions, an Inc 5000 AI and Martech staffing firm based in Miami. Before staffing, she was part of one of the top 10 real estate teams in Manhattan — her team closed $600M in sales, just the three of them. Brittany and her husband Dave bootstrapped Focus Global from scratch and built it into one of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. In 2024, Brittany founded She Created — a community for high-achieving women who want to go deeper than business. Through curated dinners, intentional social events, and immersive retreats, She Created creates the space for women to have the real conversations that most networking events never get to. Find Brittany: Website: shecreated.coInstagram: @BEFoxyResources & Links Mentioned: Focus Global Talent Solutions Tony Robbins Business Mastery Connect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    41 min

  6. JAN 13

    S2E19: Financial Truths CMOs and CROs Can't Ignore

    Season Two opens with a necessary reset for growth leaders. In this episode, Stacie sits down with Jennifer Yousem, Founder of iHeartEBITDA, to unpack the financial realities behind marketing and sales performance—and why CMOs are often asked to defend results without being given the right financial context. They explore why top-line growth is a vanity metric, how margin degradation creeps into service businesses, and why honesty in forecasting matters more than aggressive targets. This conversation bridges the gap between marketing strategy and financial truth. If you’re a CMO expected to drive growth, justify spend, and align with finance—this episode is required listening. Key topics covered • Why top-line growth is a vanity metric • What CMOs need to understand about margins • How margin degradation happens quietly over time • Why “not all revenue is good revenue” • Forecasting honesty vs. hockey-stick storytelling • Cost control as the only true lever of certainty • How marketing, sales, and finance should align around truth Who this episode is for • CMOs responsible for growth and budget accountability • CROs managing optimistic pipelines • Founders scaling through the messy middle • CFOs pushing for financial rigor • Operators tired of growth theater About the guest Jennifer Yousem is the Founder and CEO of iHeartEBITDA, a fractional CFO, controller, and bookkeeping firm serving mid-market companies. After years leading finance inside large media organizations, she now helps founders and leadership teams turn messy numbers into clear growth decisions—without the BS. Links & resources • iHeartEBITDA: https://iheartibda.com • Learn more about Stacie Sussman & RevUp Advisory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/staciesussman/ Connect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    42 min

  7. 12/09/2025

    S1E18: From CMO Confidence Gaps to AI Wake-Up Calls: My 2026 Predictions

    In this solo episode of C-Suite Strategies, Stacie Sussman breaks down the five biggest trends she’s seeing as we head into 2026—starting with a surprising pattern: CMOs at $30M companies quietly fearing their next board meeting. Stacie shares why brilliant marketing leaders are losing confidence in the C-suite, what’s driving the rising demand for clean attribution, and why most companies are wildly overestimating their AI maturity. She also unpacks how leaner teams will depend on stronger processes, and how consulting roles will evolve as AI becomes a core operating system rather than a shiny add-on. If you’re a CMO, CRO, founder, or executive trying to scale without chaos, this episode offers a sharp, unfiltered look at what’s coming—and what it will take to stay ahead. You’ll learn:  • Why the CMO confidence gap is widening  • The revenue language every marketing leader must master  • Why attribution is no longer optional  • The coming AI reality check for mid-market companies  • How lean operations and process excellence will drive growth  • The new consulting model: human expertise powered by AI If you’re ready to build real capabilities instead of patching cracks, this episode is your roadmap for 2026. Connect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    14 min

  8. 11/11/2025

    S1E17: The C-Suite Network Strategy: How to Land Your Next Role Before It’s Even Posted

    Networking isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s a leadership strategy. In this episode, Stacie Sussman sits down with Rachel Rozen, a former hospitality executive turned connection strategist, to break down how high-performing leaders can turn authentic relationships into career-defining opportunities before they ever start job-hunting. Rachel shares how meeting 300 people in one year reshaped her career and how you can apply the same mindset to build a future-proof professional network. Key Topics Covered: How to reframe networking from transactional to transformationalThe Three I’s Framework — Introduction, Invitation, Information — that keeps your network aliveWhy your dormant connections might open your next doorHow CMOs, CROs, and Founders can strengthen internal trust across teamsThe right time to leave professional communities that no longer serve youPractical outreach scripts to reconnect without the awkwardnessThis conversation is a masterclass in turning “icky” networking into sticky, strategic relationship-building. The kind that gets you the meeting, the opportunity, or even the next C-Suite role. Guest Links: LinkedIn: Rachel RozenWebsite: Connection CatalystApply to attend her NYC Executive & Entrepreneur DinnersConnect with Stacie: Book a free growth consult LinkedIn Website

    43 min
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About

C-Suite Strategies is the podcast for revenue-minded leaders who know that sales and marketing aren't separate functions. They're one engine. No fluff. No theory. Just straight talk from people who've sat in the seat. Hosted by Stacie Sussman, Founder and CRO of RevUp Advisory and named a 2026 Women to Watch by both Thrive Global and Her Agenda — with 17 years leading sales teams in Manhattan, 100+ consulting projects, and a track record of scaling companies to exit — each episode digs into what growth actually looks like for mid-market operators, founders, CMOs, and CROs. Because growth isn't just about data and metrics — it's about mindset, showing up, and surrounding yourself with the right people. This is a space for the conversations that go beyond the dashboard. The ones about alignment, accountability, and what it really takes to build a revenue engine that lasts. If you're ready to stop treating sales and marketing as separate problems and start leading like they're one — this is your podcast. If you want to learn how to turn the chaos of growth into clarity and confidence, subscribe to C-Suite Strategies. Your next breakthrough is just a listen away.

Information

  • Creator
    Stacie Sussman
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 C-Suite Strategies
  • Show Website
    C-Suite Strategies