The Accountant turned Chief Marketing & AI Officer at 2X ft. Lisa Cole

Lisa Cole didn't plan to be a marketer. She started college as an accounting major, landed a sales job, and discovered a broken relationship between sales and marketing that would shape her entire 25-year career. Now Chief Marketing & AI Officer at 2X, Lisa shares what it really takes to transform marketing from a "make things look pretty" function into a company's primary growth engine.In this episode, Lisa and I dig into her path from retail cell phone sales to the C-suite, including the mentor who named her successor, a CEO who told her to "find her swagger," and the moment her team accepted an award in front of 4,500 CMOs. She also gets candid about managing layoffs of former peers, finding work-life integration as a mom of three, and why every CMO needs to personally get their hands dirty with AI.Timestamps0:00 - Preview & introduction1:15 - Meet Lisa Cole, her current role at 2X & an overview of 2X4:45 - From 12-year-old aspiring accountant to marketing major7:40 - First job as an account executive & discovering the sales/marketing divide11:20 - What does sales really do? And why the future is bright for marketing13:40 - Deciding to own the outcome & her first CMO role15:02 - Biggest pivotal decisions: owning outcomes and driving disruptive change16:20 - The CEO who said "find your swagger" & learning to say no18:20 - Becoming a business leader, not just a functional leader21:33 - Eliminating former peers & inheriting a broken operating model25:20 - Advice for leaders navigating layoffs with empathy28:38 - Bagging the Sirius Decision award33:00 - Pulling other women through the door — mentorship as a commitment33:55 - The "find your Sarah" story; writing The Limitless CMO35:31 - Work-life integration & setting boundaries39:20 - Don't outsource AI to your team — understand it yourselfConnect with the guest:Lisa Cole:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacole01/⁠Connect with Kristi Faltorusso:Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow the PodcastYouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To learn more about Wednesday Women check out theirWebsite: ⁠⁠https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/⁠⁠LinkedIn page: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/⁠⁠Connect with the Show Producer:Manali: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/⁠_____________________About She's So Suite Podcast:Embark on a journey with Kristi in each podcast episode as she engages in insightful conversations with accomplished women in the C-suite. Explore their unique stories, triumphs, challenges, dreams, and valuable advice that will inspire and empower you. Tune in for an enriching experience as Kristi delves into the depth of their professional journeys and brings you closer to the dynamic world of female leaders at the top.