As we kick off 2026, co-hosts Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren take the stage to reflect on the biggest lessons from 2025 and what those lessons are telling us about the year ahead.

This episode has been shaped by dozens of interviews with CMOs, business founders, marketing experts, strategists, and growth leaders over the past year.

In this half an hour of value-packed content, Alec and Barb share with us why the most effective leaders in 2026 won’t be the ones who claim to have everything figured out, but the ones who know how to learn in public, adapt in real time, and make thoughtful trade-offs as the landscape keeps shifting.

You’ll hear their perspective on:

• The continued rise of fractional, interim, and advisory CMOs and why this model is expanding beyond marketing into the broader C-suite
• Why sizing marketing investments correctly is becoming one of the most valuable leadership skills
• Why the CMO CFO relationship is no longer optional and how it elevates marketing’s influence
• What’s really happening with AI in marketing, from search behavior to internal team adoption
• Why 2026 will reward leaders who embrace continuous learning over chasing expertise

Whether you’re a CMO, a VP of Marketing, a founder, or a growth leader navigating change, this conversation will help you think more clearly about what matters most in 2026.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to 2026 and why this episode is different
01:30 Reflecting on 2025 and the themes that kept coming up
02:05 The rise of fractional, interim, and advisory CMOs
06:00 Why sizing marketing investment is now a critical skill
08:20 Building a portfolio of marketing leadership skills
09:05 Marketing inside PE and VC owned companies
12:30 The growing importance of the CMO CFO relationship
15:45 Why CMOs still have the shortest C-suite tenure
17:20 AI in marketing: search impact vs internal adoption
19:00 Writing for humans again in an AI-driven world
21:45 From AI hype to measured evaluation
24:00 Creating a culture of continuous learning
26:40 Tool sprawl, ROI, and smarter tech adoption
28:40 Final thoughts and what excites us about 2026

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.

In this episode of The Marketing Share, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren have a conversation with returning guest Noah Goldfarb, Head of SEO at Fire and Spark, to unpack what’s actually happening to SEO in an AI-driven world, especially in digital health and B2C-heavy industries.

Noah shares insights from two recent studies: The Telehealth 20 and Fire and Spark’s AI Search in Digital Health report.

With this wealth of data, he explores why many fast-growing telehealth brands are still over-invested in traffic-driven SEO, under-invested in conversion-focused pages, and increasingly exposed to AI-powered search results that satisfy intent without sending clicks.

This conversation reframes SEO around a core shift:
websites are moving away from being information hubs and toward becoming decision-making environments.

You’ll hear why:

• Traffic from Google is declining, while conversions are holding steady
• AI and LLM-driven traffic converts at a significantly higher rate
• Informational content alone is no longer a sustainable growth strategy
• Diversification across SEO, AI search, brand, and conversion paths matters more than ever

Noah also breaks down what winning teams are doing differently, from fundamentals like UX, internal linking, and expert-led content, to more advanced strategies like programmatic SEO, branded AI search monitoring, and aligning marketing content with real sales and enrollment questions.

If you’re a CMO or growth leader navigating declining traffic, rising AI summaries, and pressure to prove business impact, this episode offers a grounded, data-backed framework for where SEO is headed — and how to adapt without chasing hype.

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.

Welcome back to The Marketing Share Podcast.

This week, we're excited to present Part 2 of our conversation with Alan Gonsenhauser, where we dig into what it takes to move from VP of Marketing to an effective, indispensable CMO.

Alan lays out practical advice on speaking the language of business, aligning with the CFO, and leading cross-functional teams for measurable impact.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How to focus on the three priorities that actually move the needle, and why “less is more.”
• The difference between activity metrics and business outputs, and how to present marketing as a financial contributor.
• Tactical steps for assessing a new marketing organization: relationship-first audits, six-week assessments, and the infrastructure checklist.

🔗 Connect with Alan Gonsenhauser
Website: demandrevenue.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alangonsenhauser
Email: ag@demandrevenue.com

🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast to get unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders about growth, strategy, and the future of digital.

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.

In this episode of The Marketing Share Podcast, Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren have an exciting conversation with Alan Gonsenhauser, interim CMO, advisor, and trusted voice in the CMO Coffee Talk community.

Alan has decades of experience guiding marketing leaders and stepping into complex growth environments, and he brings his expertise to the show to explore why fractional and interim CMOs have become essential in today’s rapidly shifting market.

Alan shares what’s driving the surge in interim CMO demand among private equity–backed companies, how leadership gaps affect momentum, and why many organizations rely on seasoned strategic operators during periods of acquisition, transition, or stalled growth. You’ll also hear how he evaluates organizations, keeps teams aligned during uncertain transitions, and uses his deep network to stabilize and accelerate marketing functions.

🔗 Connect with Alan Gonsenhauser

Website: demandrevenue.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/alangonsenhauser
Email: ag@demandrevenue.com

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.

In this episode of The Marketing Share Podcast, hosts Barb VanSomeren and Alec Cheung sit down with Brian McHale, CEO of Brandience, a full-service marketing agency based in Cincinnati that helps national and franchise brands grow while staying true to their identity.

Brian brings decades of experience in media, production, and brand strategy, including helping leading franchise and retail brands navigate expansion, maintain brand consistency, and build genuine local connections.

During this interview, our marketing experts explore the tension every expanding brand faces. The central question: how to enter new markets without losing authenticity?

This episode covers what it is like to manage brand integrity, prepare your operations for growth, and adapt to AI-driven marketing and generative search (GEO).

You’ll learn:
🔹 How agencies can embody the brand while entering new markets
🔹 Why franchisees’ local insights are invaluable for brand success
🔹 How to align marketing and operations during expansion
🔹 What generative search (GEO) means for SEO and web design

Whether you’re leading a marketing expansion, managing franchise growth, or navigating AI’s impact on brand visibility, this episode is a masterclass in marketing leadership and adaptability.

🔗 Connect with Brian McHale

👉 Website: https://www.brandience.com/
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmchale/
🎙️ Podcast: Go Beyond by Brandience

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.

In this episode of The Marketing Share, our co-hosts Barb VanSomeren and Alec Chung sit down with Chae O’Brien, GTM specialist and principal strategist at Thought Bakery, for a grounded conversation about what it really takes to build a modern go-to-market strategy.

Chae has worked with leading SaaS brands like Bombora, G2, and Simulogic, helping them refine how they connect with customers and scale with purpose. She brings a mix of operational insight and marketing depth that’s rare and incredibly relevant for today’s marketing leaders.

This interview covers how customer intimacy drives great GTM decisions, why understanding your ICP matters more than ever, and how AI is reshaping the way marketing teams think, work, and lead.

Whether you’re stepping into your first marketing leadership role or guiding a team through change, Chae’s practical perspective will help you think more clearly about how to adapt, differentiate, and build momentum that lasts.

🎯 Key Takeaways:

• Know your customer deeply. Understanding what a day in their life looks like is the foundation of great marketing.
• Use AI thoughtfully. It’s not about faster content — it’s about freeing time for deeper strategy and connection.
• Differentiate through value. Messaging matters, but the real edge comes from how your product creates impact.
• Community is a growth pillar. Collaboration and shared learning are essential parts of a modern GTM approach.
• Leadership drives change. Teams need space to learn, experiment, and build new skills as the market evolves.

Resources:

Substack: Understanding Your GTM Floor

🔗 Connect with Chae O'Brian
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaenara/

Connect with our Podcast Manager
👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.

What if we told you that your copy isn't the problem, but your messaging is?

In this episode of The Marketing Share Podcast, our co-hosts Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren have an insightful conversation with message market fit expert Chris Silvestri, founder of Conversion Alchemy.

With a background that spans software engineering, UX design, and behavioral psychology, Chris brings a unique perspective to copywriting and messaging strategy that all marketing and C-suite leaders should take note of.

He dives into the idea of the “messaging gap”, which is the disconnection between what companies think they’re saying and what customers actually hear. Chris explains how to spot the gap, why clarity and differentiation matter as much as emotion, and how aligning product, sales, and marketing narratives leads to conversions.

The conversation also dives into practical frameworks, psychological principles, and how AI can supercharge (but never replace) thoughtful messaging.

Whether you’re a CMO, marketing leader, or CEO frustrated with “meh” conversions, this episode will help you sharpen your message, align your teams, and connect with customers on a deeper level.

🔑 You’ll walk away with:

How to spot the “messaging gap” inside your organization
The 3 pillars of great messaging: clarity, emotion, differentiation
Why AI is a powerful tool but never a replacement for human reasoning.

🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast for more unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders on growth, AI, and what’s next.

🔗 Connect with our Podcast Manager
👉 Cinthya Zeledón: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cinthyazeledon/

🔗 Connect with Chris Silvestri
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christophersilvestri/
🌐 Website: https://christophersilvestri.com/

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.

How do you go from corporate law to leading one of the most innovative social media management platforms? In this episode, Emeric Ernoult, CEO of Agorapulse, shares his entrepreneurial journey, the lessons learned from pivots and challenges, and the evolution of social media strategies over the years.

Emeric dives into how Agorapulse transformed from running Facebook contests to pioneering the social media inbox, and explores the growing role of AI in creating personalized, effective content. He also shares practical insights on content strategy, platform selection, and how businesses can adapt to the rapidly changing social media landscape.

🔑 You’ll walk away with:

Why pursuing passion over comfort can redefine your career path

How Agorapulse’s innovation and adaptability fueled its success

Ways AI is reshaping social media management for efficiency and personalization

The importance of useful, engaging content to build a loyal audience

How to select the right social media platforms for your business goals

🔗 Connect with Emeric Ernoult:
👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ernoult/

🎧 Subscribe to The Marketing Share Podcast to get unfiltered conversations with marketing leaders about growth, strategy, and the future of digital.

Connect with your hosts:
👉 Barb VanSomeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbvansomeren/
👉 Alec Cheung: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleccheung/

Explore the video content of each podcast episode on YouTube

Want to be a guest on The Marketing Share Podcast? Send us your bio and proposed interview topic to marketingsharepodcast@gmail.com, and our Podcast Manager will get back to you.

Want to connect with Alec and Barb to talk all things marketing and how they can help you leverage the marketing wing of your organization?

Connect with Alec here
Connect with Barb here
Connect with Cinthya, Podcast Manager, here

Cheers.