In this episode of Growth Talks, Tatiana Birgisson, COO at Serval, the AI-native enterprise service management platform, joins host Krystina Rubino to unpack the mental models that have carried her from founding a beverage company out of her dorm room to scaling go-to-market at Rippling to building an entire function from scratch in a category that barely exists yet.

Tatiana breaks down her "stacked S curves" framework for sustaining growth, explains why executional excellence is the only way to know when a channel is really fizzling out, and shares how Serval discovered it had less than 1% visibility in LLM search results—and what they did to fix it.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Growth isn't one curve, it's many. The best growth leaders launch the next channel before the current one peaks—waiting for the metrics to soften means you're already too late.

• Executional excellence comes before diagnosis. You can't tell if a channel is truly maturing until you've ruled out that you're just running it poorly.

• LLM visibility is the new SEO. Serval found they had under 1% visibility for their core terms in AI search tools—and treated it as a wake-up call, not a footnote.

• Management is changing. Fewer standing meetings, fewer layers, more "super ICs"—the best managers are still doing the hardest work themselves, not just coordinating it.

• Judgment beats hours. In an AI-native world, the edge goes to whoever can spot the highest-priority problem and apply exceptional taste—a skill Tatiana has seen consistently in parents.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Introduction with Krystina Rubino 01:25 From Founder to Operator: Lessons from Mati Energy 06:58 Building Rippling's Cross-Sell Function from Scratch 14:54 The Stacked S Curve Model, Explained 17:41 Knowing When a Channel Is Really Peaking 20:37 Defending New Bets to a Skeptical CFO 22:50 Why Serval Bet on LLM Search Over Google 30:22 The A/B Test 37:24 Unlearning "Professional Management" 44:42 GTM Strategy that Cuts through the AI Noise 46:49 Why Parents Make Great Operators in the AI Era 55:09 Tatiana's Favorite Growth Non-Hack

🔗 Mentioned in this episode: Serval: https://www.getserval.com/Rippling: https://www.rippling.com/

We'll be dropping episodes every other week. Want to follow along and listen to new episodes when they're released? Subscribe to Growth Talks on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of Growth Talks, Nikki Jackson, Head of Demand Generation at Gusto, joins host Krystina Rubino to share how she's spent the past year building AI fluency across her entire team—from scrappy, self-taught agent building to structured Learning Days and quarterly OKRs. Nikki breaks down exactly how she got a whole demand gen team comfortable experimenting, failing, and sharing in public, and why that discomfort is the real unlock.

Nikki also digs into how she measures the ROI of AI adoption, how she's using Claude as a "second brain" to move faster with data, and why staying customer-first and authentic matters more than ever in a world full of AI-generated noise. She closes with a candid take on women, AI, and marketing leadership—and why nobody actually has it all figured out.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Lean into the uncomfortable. Real AI fluency comes from hands-on building and failing in public—not waiting until you feel ready.

• Structure accelerates adoption. Dedicated AI Learning Days, IT/security onboarding, and quarterly agent-building OKRs turned curiosity into consistent team-wide progress.

• ROI isn't as fuzzy as it feels. Time savings and efficiency gains from AI agents can be tracked concretely—don't let "it's hard to measure" become a blocker.

• AI is a second brain, not a replacement. Conversational access to data frees up strategic time and elevates conversations with analysts instead of eliminating them.

• Authenticity is the differentiator. As AI content scales, a distinct voice and point of view—especially for women in marketing—become the real competitive edge.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00 Meet Nikki Jackson: Building AI Fluency at Gusto

01:02 How Nikki's AI Journey Started

03:34 Structuring a Team-Wide AI Rollout

07:24 Clearing IT and Security Hurdles

08:46 AI Learning Days in Action

09:56 Quarterly Agent-Building OKRs

12:07 Measuring the ROI of AI Fluency

16:10 Building a Prioritization Rubric with AI

19:04 AI as a Second Brain for Data

23:27 The A/B Test: Nikki's Quick-Fire Round

29:42 Women, AI, and Marketing Leadership

34:57 Staying Authentic Amid AI Slop

39:40 Marketing to Busy SMB Owners

44:44 Brand Storytelling at Gusto

46:16 Creating Demand Before the Search Begins

50:48 Nikki's Favorite Growth Non-Hack

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

Gusto: https://gusto.com/

We'll be dropping episodes every other week. Want to follow along and listen to new episodes when they're released? Subscribe to Growth Talks on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

As you look ahead to 2026, what's rising to the top of your marketing priorities?

In this special episode of Growth Talks with Krystina Rubino, we highlight our favorite CMO insights on building brands that customers trust and love.

It's packed with insights on subjects all CMOs should be thinking about today, such as brand versus performance marketing, incorporating AI into your marketing strategy, and how to build and enable your team.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Tamara Mendelsohn, COO at Overstory and former CMO at Eventbrite, shares why brand and performance aren't competing priorities and how real growth comes from bringing both teams together.
• Jaleh Bisharat, former fractional CMO at Skillshare, argues that the best CMOs think like CEOs, focusing on what the business truly needs, even if that means reallocating budget away from marketing.
• Katelyn Watson, CMO at Talkspace, recommends that leaders step into an AI-native mindset and rethink how teams create, connect, and scale brands.
• Aaron Magness, CMO at Full Glass Wine Co., highlights why effective marketing leaders should stop obsessing over tactics and instead focus on hiring great talent, setting clear expectations, and deeply understanding the business and its narrative.
• Cate Lochead, CMO at Bentley Systems, shares how leading with empathy creates more authentic campaigns and builds deeper connections with customers.
• Matt Gehring, CMO & Advisor, details how clear data definitions such as clarity around LTR versus LTV keep teams aligned and focused on the metrics that matter.

⏰ Timestamps

• 00:42: Tamara Mendehlson
• 04:21: Jaleh Bisharat
• 06:09: Katelyn Watson
• 08:41: Aaron Magness
• 10:30: Cate Lochead
• 13:09: Matt Gehring

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/
• Skillshare: https://www.skillshare.com
• Talkspace: https://www.talkspace.com/
• Full Glass Co: https://www.fullglass.wine/
• Bentley Systems: https://www.bentley.com/

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The fastest-growing brands treat customer insight like a strategy—not just a survey.

In this week's episode of Growth Talks, CMO & Advisor, Matt Gehring joins host Tyler Elliston, founder and CEO of Right Side Up, to unpack what it takes to succeed in your first 90 days as a marketing leader.

Drawing from his leadership roles at Dutch Pet, Everlane, and Rothy's, Matt shares how to map the customer journey, turn post-purchase insights into smart segmentation strategies, and use real-time data to drive repeat purchases.

Find out why acting on customer insights early is key to refining your product, aligning your team, and making informed decisions before you scale.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Start with listening. In your first 90 days as CMO, forget quick wins and shiny tactics. Your real job? Uncover the real issues, gain your team's trust, and align the org around a shared understanding of success.
• Smart teams adjust early. When customer insights tell a different story about your product, don't rush to scale. Hit pause, review feedback, and pivot. Sometimes the smartest move is starting over.
• Don't confuse revenue with value. Always calculate LTV using gross margin—not top-line revenue. It's the only way to get a true LTV:CAC ratio and avoid scaling based on a false signal.
• Personalization is about context. It's not about crafting the perfect one-to-one offer—it's about using what you already know, like ad intent or entry point, to create the customer experience at every touchpoint.
• Post-purchase is a powerful growth lever. Use customer data to track what they bought and when they bought it to inform segmentation. Then test upsells, cross-sells, and timing to drive repeat purchases and increase lifetime value.
• Insights drive action. When Rothy's opened its first store, it created a direct feedback loop. Store associates captured what drew customers in, offering real-time insights that led to smarter product decisions and more effective marketing.
• Start with why. Focus groups, surveys, and AI all have value—but only when used intentionally. As you scale, tools like AI and surveys can help synthesize insights, but they're no replacement for talking to real users.

⏰ Timestamps

• 02:52 Navigating the First 90 Days
• 05:45 Building Trust with Teams
• 08:59 Understanding Customer Dynamics
• 11:57 The Importance of Data Definitions
• 18:01 Defining the Customer Journey
• 21:12 Personalization in Marketing
• 27:02 Segmentation and Post-Purchase Strategies
• 32:59 Understanding LTV and CAC Calculations
• 40:32 DefiningCustomer Acquisition Costs
• 44:44 The Importance of Consumer Insights

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Lifeforce: https://www.mylifeforce.com/
• Dutch Pet: https://www.dutch.com/
• Everlane: https://www.everlane.com/
• Rothy's: https://rothys.com/
• Hims: https://www.hims.com/

👍 Did you enjoy this video? Don't forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

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Every marketing leader should give their team an AI framework for rethinking how they work.

In this week's episode of Growth Talks, Vanessa Hope Schneider, Head of Marketing at Decript, joins host Tyler Elliston, Founder and CEO of Right Side Up, to break down how AI is becoming core to every marketer's role and what that shift means for how modern teams operate.

Drawing on her leadership experience from Airbnb, Eventbrite, and Descript, Vanessa outlines a framework for helping teams adopt AI while preserving the human element that defines great marketing.

Find out why learning AI tools and experimenting with real workflows is key to understanding where AI adds value and setting your team up for success.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Lead with identity. Every disruptive brand starts by tapping into something deeper than function—it connects to pride, purpose, and self-expression. When people see themselves in what you're building, adoption follows.
• Try out this AI framework. 1) Use AI to research and synthesize insights, 2) automate repeatable workflows, and 3) connect your tools to create smarter systems that improve efficiency and decision-making.
• Turn personas into prompts. Build GPTs trained on real customer research to test messaging and ad creatives to sharpen your GTM strategy. One setup can boost speed and alignment across every campaign.
• Expand your creative options. From early brand concepts to visual patterns, use AI to help your design team explore ideas faster, gather feedback, and make more confident creative decisions.
• From prompt to production. Turn a single video concept into a first draft with scripted scenes and multilingual voiceovers. Use AI in creative ideation so your team spends less time setting up and more time storytelling.
• New AI-native marketing teams need two key roles. AI-native builders who design the workflows, and people with taste who choose the strongest creative direction. Together, they'll set your team up for future success.
• Take an AI vacation. Block off a week to immerse yourself in the tools. Upload strategy docs, test workflows, and explore new use cases. The best way to lead your team into AI is to experience it yourself.

Timestamps

• 02:51 Balancing Culture and Performance
• 05:09 Disruption and Identity in Marketing
• 08:07 Expanding the Customer Base with AI
• 11.22 User Profiles and Market Education
• 16:51 Practical Frameworks for AI Marketing
• 22.54 AI's Impact on Video and Storytelling
• 31.43 Navigating the Future of Synthetic Media
• 34.28 Inside Airbnb's Superhost Success
• 43.31 Building AI Marketing Teams

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Descript: https://www.descript.com/
• Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/
• Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/
• Replit: https://replit.com/ai
• Lindy: https://www.lindy.ai/
• Bolt: https://bolt.new/
• ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/
• Claude: https://claude.ai/
• Zapier: https://zapier.com/
• Relay: https://www.relay.app/

👍 Did you enjoy this video? Don't forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝 Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals.

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When everyone can generate AI content, taste and storytelling are the new performance metrics.

In this week's episode of Growth Talks, Everett Butler, Head of Marketing at Lindy, joins host Krystina Rubino to unpack what it takes to bring a brand-new product category to market when there is no roadmap, no search volume, and no shared language.

With over fifteen years of experience scaling teams at Tesla, Uber, and Affirm, Everett shares how to apply first principles thinking to build a go-to-market strategy grounded in fundamentals, aligned with real customer needs, and focused on clarity over complexity.

Tune in to learn the key traits Everett looks for in modern AI marketers — and why taste, product-led storytelling, and genuine curiosity are more valuable than ever.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Vision shapes strategy. When you're launching a product, don't copy a playbook. Create one. Start from first principles: know who needs you, what problem you solve, and tell that story clearly.
• Ship, Test, Learn. When you're defining a new category, don't get stuck on semantics. Use real language in campaigns and see what engages your audience. Go-to-market is part marketing and part anthropology.
• Embrace the Uncertainty. In the age of AI, no one has all the answers. The best marketers balance curiosity for new tools with a steady focus on timeless principles and solid fundamentals.
• Scale What Sticks. Sustainable growth starts with retention. The best teams track activation quality, prioritize lifetime value, and reward customer loyalty.
• Lead with Storytelling. As AI handles more of the mechanics of marketing, the edge belongs to those who can curate taste, tell meaningful stories, and create emotional connections that last.
• Build for Tomorrow. The teams that scale best invest early in process, shared language, and cross-functional alignment. Those foundations create leverage that lasts well beyond the next campaign.
• Use AI to Elevate. AI can handle the tasks, but it can't replace your creativity or intuition. The next generation of marketers will use that freedom to think strategically and lead the next wave of innovation.

⏰ Timestamps

• 02:12 Defining New Product Categories
• 05:34 How New AI Marketing Shift
• 10:38 Channel Selection and Sequencing
• 15:45 Retention in Growth Marketing
• 21:13 Marketing Clarity Comes From Context
• 30:47 Common Mistakes in Scaling Teams
• 35:56 Storytelling in the AI World
• 42:03 Challenging the Status Quo
• 45:31 The Quintessential Growth Non-Hack

Mentioned in this episode:

• Lindy: https://www.lindy.ai/
• Uber: https://www.uber.com/
• Affirm: https://www.affirm.com/
• Tesla: https://www.tesla.com/
• Thumbtack: https://www.thumbtack.com/
• Elena Verna: https://www.elenaverna.com/
• Rick Rubin: https://www.thewayofcode.com/

👍 Did you enjoy this video? Don't forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝 Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals.

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If your messaging isn't aligned with your product experience, you're just buying churn.

In this week's episode of Growth Talks, Jordan Hwang, VP of Marketing at OpenPhone (now Quo) joins host Krystina Rubino to unpack how B2B marketers can adopt a smarter growth mindset; one that prioritizes product alignment, experimentation, and trust.

With over 15 years of experience at fast-moving startups like Gusto andEvernote, Jordan shares how to translate product value into messaging that resonates, build buy-in for bold bets, and design experiments that create impactful insight, not just short-term results.

Find out how today's most effective teams connect brand, product, and performance across every stage of the funnel.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Build small. Test often. Smart marketers experiment frequently and explore new channels with low lift and low risk. They set expectations early and invest in learning, not just outcomes.
• Transparency builds trust. Senior leaders don't need perfection. They need clarity. When you're upfront about the risks, you create space for real alignment and stronger team support.
• Change starts with alignment. Before refining product messaging, get clear on what's working, what's not, and why. Keep what resonates with customers and be willing to change what doesn't.
• Start with your customer. Business buyers don't want complexity; they want to know your product will work, won't waste their time, and won't put them at risk.
• Test to learn. A healthy experimentation culture starts with consistency and strong design. When tests are built around clear hypotheses, you generate repeatable insight, not just lucky wins.
• Speed beats perfection. The cost of waiting often outweighs the risk of being wrong. A test-and-roll mindset helps you outlearn the competition while they're still calculating.

⏰ Timestamps

• 01.42 Building Gusto's Growth Engine
• 05:42 Importance of Trust in Growth Strategies
• 08:47 Balancing Risk and Reward in Growth
• 11:32 Navigating Change Management
• 18.28 Positioning Product Marketing and Messaging
• 23.02 Understanding Buyers Needs and Outcomes
• 41.12 Lessons Learned from Scaling Growth
• 44.15 How to Speak Your Audiences Language

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Quo (formerly OpenPhone): https://www.openphone.com/
• Gusto: https://gusto.com/
• Test & Roll Methodology: https://ron-berman.com/2020/01/26/test-and-roll/

👍 Did you enjoy this video? Don't forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝 Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals.

‣ Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

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Brand is the promise you make to customers and the experience you deliver every time.

In this week's episode of Growth Talks, Tamara Mendelsohn, former CMO of Eventbrite, joins host Krystina Rubino to share her marketing playbook for building brand value across every touchpoint.

From designing scalable growth loops to tracking the metrics that actually matter, Tamara breaks down the core drivers behind Eventbrite's success and the mindset shift every marketer needs to drive long-term growth.

Find out how great marketers align brand and performance teams, choose the right signals, and use curiosity and customer insight to build brands people love.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Connection drives retention. Your funnel should mirror what your customers truly care about. If people don't see themselves in your brand, you're missing the real growth opportunity.
• No silver bullet metric. Monitor brand health by tracking signals like search volume and traffic. When those numbers start to climb, it's a clear sign you're building both awareness and intent.
• Beyond the funnel. Marketers should think in loops, not just stages. Follow where customers enter, how to nurture them, and how to accelerate their path to purchase.
• Test your value prop. Early on, paid marketing shouldn't be about juicing growth. Use it to validate product-market fit, refine your messaging, and identify the best customer segments.
• Brand is the promise. It's not your logo or campaign. It's the promise you make to your customers and how well you deliver on it. The best brands win by offering real value, not by outspending the competition.
• Lean into AI. The best marketers use AI to help their teams move faster, test smarter, and drive customer impact. Embracing new technology is how you stay ahead of the competition.

⏰ Timestamps

• 01:34 Building a Scalable Marketing Strategy
• 05:06 Full-Funnel Marketing That Converts
• 10:15 Why Ads Alone Won't Build Your Brand
• 14:20 Brand Metrics That Actually Matter
• 17:52 Top Measurement Mistakes to Avoid
• 23:53 How to Pick the Right Channels
• 32:06 Avoiding Risk in Marketing Spend
• 34:04 Key Stages of Marketing Strategy
• 49.38 The Core Drivers of Brand Success

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/
• Casey Winters Growth Loops
• Simon Sinek Ted Talk

👍 Did you enjoy this video? Don't forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝 Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals.

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Not everything that drives growth shows up in Google Analytics.

IIn this week's episode of Growth Talks, Matt Bahr, Co-Founder of Fairing, joins host Krystina Rubino how survey data is reshaping attribution, helping brands uncover what truly influences customer decisions in today's complex media landscape.

Drawing on 15 years of experience from leading global e-commerce at Master & Dynamic to building Fairing, Matt shares why PR might matter more in an AI-driven world, how post-purchase surveys complement ad pixels, and the key strategies marketers need to move beyond the last click.

Find out how Fairing is helping leading brands turn real-time insights into smarter strategies and long-term growth.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Brand is the ultimate differentiator. Launching $400 headphones against Bose and Sony, Master & Dynamic matched ad spend with PR, because in crowded markets, the brand story wins.
• PR is the new SEO. Every article, feature, and mention becomes searchable proof of your brand. Press today fuels AI tomorrow and drives continued visibility, trust, and growth.
• Surveys complement ad pixels. Post-purchase surveys drive 70–80% response rates, turning traditional research into clear, real-time customer attribution marketers can trust.
• Triangulation reveals the bigger picture. Perfect attribution doesn't exist, but actionable insights do. Layering surveys, promo codes, and MMM reveals a fuller view of the customer's path to purchase.
• Measure beyond the last click. If the final click is all that counts, podcasts, influencers, and streaming ads get erased. The customer journey is always bigger than what Google Analytics shows.
• Continued learning is the real growth hack. Testing without an agenda wastes data. The best teams document insights so every experiment improves sales, product, and marketing.

⏰ Timestamps

• 02:12 Launching Products in Competitive Markets
• 05:20 Brand Storytelling as a Growth Multiplier
• 06:55 Building a Scalable E-commerce Engine
• 13:27 How Fairing is Solving Market Gaps
• 24:05 Surveys That Map the Customer Journey
• 27:45 From Measurement to Customer Insight
• 42:03 Fixing Attribution's Biggest Blind Spots
• 46:24 Avoiding Survey Design Mistakes
• 49:48 Learning Faster with Collective Intelligence

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Fairing: https://fairing.co/
• Master & Dynamic: https://www.masterdynamic.com/

👍 Did you enjoy this video? Don't forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

Great work happens at the intersection of enthusiasm and conviction.

In this week's episode of Growth Talks, Mallory Contois, VP of Growth at Maven, joins host Krystina Rubino to discuss her marketing philosophy for building brands and communities that people love.

Drawing on lessons from her time at Pinterest and Mercury, Mallory shares how a customer-first approach fosters genuine connection and lays the foundation for long-term success.

At Maven, Mallory is now focused on championing adult learning, bringing more smart people together to teach and learn from one another. And as Founder of The Old Girls Club, she unpacks why and how she's built a thriving network where women in tech can connect, grow, and support one another.

🗝️Key Takeaways:

• Deep user empathy is a competitive edge. The best products aren't built on assumptions; they're built by teams who truly understand their users.
• Authenticity scales when it's real. Pinterest's early growth came from real users sharing what they loved. No incentives, no performance, just authentic enthusiasm.
• You can't buy community. Real community-led growth starts with showing up, listening, and earning trust—not with events, swag, or splashy budgets.

• The best work happens at the intersection of belief and passion. When you have both conviction that something will work and personal enthusiasm for it, you're in the sweet spot.
• Learning is the new currency. Great leaders don't just hire talent; they cultivate it. Teams that prioritize upskilling outperform when the market shifts.
• Experience is the best teacher. Setbacks aren't failures, they're feedback. The best marketers use them to adapt fast and make better decisions.

⏰ Timestamps

01:56 Lessons from Pinterest's Early Growth

05:20 How Social Platforms Shape User Behavior

10:05 Leveraging Data for Smarter Marketing

12:12 Scaling Community on a Startup Budget at Mercury

17:02 Maven and the Future of Upskilling

20:06 Balancing Enthusiasm and Conviction in Work

32:24 How Old Girls Club Helps Women Thrive

46:23 Favorite Growth Marketing Non Hack

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Maven: https://maven.com/
• Mercury: https://mercury.com/
• The Old Girls Club: https://www.jointheogc.com/
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/
• Cameo: https://www.cameo.com/

👍Did you enjoy this video? Don't forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals. Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

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