The Marketing Share
Running a marketing department requires expertise in many domains, from branding, media and positioning to demand generation, sales enablement, and much more. As a business leader or a new department head, you may be an expert in one or more marketing areas but usually not all of them. The Marketing Share aims to close this gap.
Co-hosts Barb VanSomeren and Alec Cheung are experienced marketing leaders who have been down the path of learning on the fly while managing a marketing team. They interview domain experts and ask the right questions so business leaders can learn what they need to know to run marketing.
The Marketing Share
Becoming a CMO: What You Learn in Your First Year as a Marketing Leader (Ep 57)
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Welcome back to The Marketing Share Podcast.
In this kickoff interview episode of 2026, hosts Alec Cheung and Barb VanSomeren are joined by Michael Barber, CMO at StarTech, to talk about what it’s really like stepping into a CMO role for the first time.
Michael brings a unique perspective shaped by an entire career on the agency side, with experience across creative, media, and account strategy.
After years of advising brands from the outside and working early in his career alongside Jay Baer, Michael recently made the transition into an in-house executive role and is now navigating the realities of leading marketing from the inside.
This episode unpacks the real challenges of marketing leadership, especially for those newly stepping into the CMO seat. You’ll hear:
- What changes when you move from agency partner to internal marketing leader
- How broad agency experience across creative, media, and strategy shows up in a CMO role
- The mindset shift required when you go from advising to owning outcomes
- Early reflections from Michael’s first year as a CMO
- Why more marketing leaders are navigating similar transitions today
This episode is a must-listen if you’re a first-time CMO or considering a move in-house as the next stage of your career as a marketing leader.
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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.