In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy meets with the brilliant Sinead Willis for a very honest conversation about the messy reality of the modern CMO. Because sometimes the role you’re sold in the interview process and the role you actually walk into are two very different things.

Together, they explore why so many senior marketers end up in businesses that say they want strategic marketing leadership, but don’t actually create the conditions for it to work. They get into red flags, due diligence, broken systems, moving goalposts, and the difference between a role that stretches you and one that slowly grinds you down.

They also unpack why communication matters so much at this level, because being good at marketing is one thing, but being able to hold your own in rooms full of strong opinions is another.

As Sinead puts it, “They’re not stretching, they’re basically eroding.”

If that hits a nerve, this episode is for you.

Music clip by Filo Starquez, Divergence

Being a marketing leader in a big brand is one thing… but stepping into a startup? That’s a completely different sport. In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy is joined by Sharon Hergarty, who’s done both - from global giants like Samsung and the BBC to getting properly hands-on as a fractional CMO in a startup where you’re essentially the entire marketing function.
Together they unpack what actually transfers (the principles), what needs to be unlearned (hello, endless process and over-engineering) and why decision-making suddenly feels a lot more personal when there’s nowhere to hide. They also get into the reality of building without infrastructure, staying focused when everything feels urgent and how your network becomes your secret weapon when the “team” is… well… you.
As Sharon puts it,“You can’t optimise yourself into oblivion… sometimes you’ve just got to try stuff and see what happens.”
If you’re navigating the shift between big brand muscle and startup hustle, this episode is packed with honest, practical insights you’ll actually use.
Music clip by Filo Starquez, Divergence

In this episode of CMO Therapy, Lucy sits down with the brilliant Mel Barfield, Managing Partner and Brand Voice Lead at Copy or Die, to talk about why tone of voice still matters massively… especially now AI can produce polished content in seconds.
We get into why tone of voice is not just a nice little brand exercise or a page buried in the guidelines, but a real leadership choice that shapes trust, consistency and how your business actually shows up. Mel shares why so many brands end up sounding the same, where tone-of-voice work usually falls apart and why implementation matters just as much as the strategy itself.
We also dig into the growing tension between speed and quality in the age of AI. How do you use AI without letting your brand voice get replaced by bland, robotic beige-ness?
As Mel puts it: “The language that you use is so important. It can make trust and it can break trust.”
If you care about brand, credibility and sounding like an actual human, this one’s for you.Music clip by Filo Starquez, Divergence