Best Story Wins

AI isn’t replacing your team. It’s exposing how replaceable your thinking is.Everyone’s obsessed with speed—but no one’s talking about the real problem: mediocre work at scale. So what’s actually happening here… is AI making you better, or just faster at being average?In this episode, Josh sits down with Julien Palliere, Business Development Lead at Column Five to unpack how we cut through the hype and get real about how AI is changing B2B—from strategy and content to client trust and sales. Josh and Julien break down why “what AI says about your brand” is the new SEO, how smart teams are winning before the first call, and where most companies are getting it completely wrong.No fluff. Just what works—and what quietly kills your credibility.We also explore:Why “what AI says about you” is the new SEOThe hidden risk of over-automating your workflowsAI etiquette—and why most teams are getting it wrongHow AI is reshaping trust in B2B sales and marketingWhy small, scrappy teams are about to outcompete everyone

In a world flooded with AI-generated noise, most B2B brands are still treating social like a billboard—when it’s actually the front page of their brand.In this episode, Jacqui Morgan, breaks down why most content gets ignored and what it really takes to earn attention, build trust, and drive results. We get into why social is a business driver (not a support channel), why chasing the algorithm is a losing game, and how to shift from “posting to exist” to creating content people actually want. From B2B influencers to employee advocacy, this is a no-BS playbook for making social work. If your feed feels like a ghost town, this episode will tell you why and how to fix it.We also explore:Why “likes” are a vanity metric—and what actually signals real impactThe death of the follower and the rise of interest-based algorithmsHow to turn employees into brand advocates (without forcing cringe posts)Why most CEOs fail at personal branding—and how to not be one of themThe shift from mass reach to small, high-value communities that actually convert.

Google used to be your gatekeeper. Now an AI can summarize your entire category… and forget your brand exists.In this episode, Lexi Croisdale Director of Global Content Marketing at Varonis breaks down what happens when search stops being clicks and starts being answers. We talk about why the old SEO playbook is getting cooked by AI discovery (AEO/“AI search”), and how B2B teams need to shift from “more content” to more credibility—the kind that gets quoted, sourced, and repeated by LLMs.We also explore:Why “being the right answer” beats “being #1” in an AI-first worldHow to write so LLMs understand your context (and stop mislabeling you)The new content stack: search + video + social distribution as one systemEmployee advocacy as the new influencer marketing B2B didn’t see coming

If your product isn’t in the protected AI budget line, you’re about to become an “optional tool” with a UI.In this episode, Julien Sauvage CMO at Cordial delivers the reality check B2B teams don’t want—but need: the AI wave isn’t just changing how software gets built, it’s changing where money goes. And if you’re still running marketing like it’s an infinite-seat-count world, you’re basically trying to win Formula 1 with a tricycle.AI spend is ballooning, everything else is fighting for scraps, and the CMO job is mutating from campaign conductor to capital allocator. We get into what it takes to stay relevant when “more pipeline” isn’t enough, how to prove brand impact with actual data (yes, he built a custom GPT for it), and why “do more with less” is a trap—unless you’re willing to do less, but better. We also explore: Why AI gets you to “V1”… and the real work starts afterThe new CMO mandate: get closer to product, budgets, and workflows—or get ignoredHow to use AI for competitive intel + VoC mining without pretending it’s magicAI search visibility: why it’s Greenfield chaos, and how to measure without chasing ghostsPOV that cuts through: pick a villain, or sound like everyone else

If your B2B “strategy” is still a funnel diagram and a stack of specialists, you’re not building growth — you’re maintaining a bureaucracy with a logo.In this episode, Devin Bramhall, Fractional Chief Growth Officer delivers the uncomfortable truth most teams avoid: B2B companies don’t fail because marketing “needs to do more.” They fail because the funding model doesn’t fit the moment… and the math doesn’t math. And when budgets tighten, the classic response (more content, more tools, more “motions”) isn’t leadership — it’s denial with a weekly standup.We unpack the real shift happening in modern go-to-market: the collapse of “marketing” as a fixed set of activities. The teams that win aren’t chasing the next SEO hack — they’re thinking from first principles: What are our assets? What are our constraints? What’s the fastest experiment that proves signal? Then repeat until growth shows up.We also explore:Why VC-era expectations are still sabotaging “profitable growth” teams.The case for killing funnels, playbooks, and “marketing work” in favor of growth loops.Why community + IRL + bespoke experiences are the real post-SEO advantage.How to get executive buy-in without drowning leaders in tactics.Why the “creator-consultant” era is rising — and what it means for modern teams.

If your content marketing strategy still depends on gated PDFs and vanity metrics, you’re basically shouting into a void and calling it demand gen.In this episode, Matt Hemsley, Marketing Operations Team Lead at Asana delivers the unsexy truth: the funnel isn’t “broken”—it’s been replaced. He breaks down what happens when AI becomes the new front door, web traffic gets weird, and attribution starts lying to your leadership team with a straight face.We get into the real power shift happening inside modern B2B orgs: marketing ops moving from order-taker to architect, building guardrails and self-serve systems that let teams ship faster without turning the brand into a global game of telephone. Matt also calls out the silent killer of high-growth marketing: data overload that creates analysis paralysis—and how the best teams balance measurement with judgment.We also explore:Why ungating content isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s survival in an AI-first buyer journey.The self-serve model that removes bottlenecks and protects brand consistency.Why attribution oversimplifies enterprise buying (and how it misleads execs).The difference between automating “work about work” vs automating decisions you’ll regret.Why retention is still the most ignored growth lever in B2B.

Search isn’t broken—it’s been replaced. Buyers are skipping funnels, ignoring gated PDFs and asking AI to decide who’s credible before they ever talk to sales. If your content still assumes attention is linear, you’re not behind—you’re irrelevant.In this episode, Amanda Verdino, Director of Content Marketing at Forma dismantles the comfortable lies B2B marketers tell themselves about storytelling. We talk about why differentiation without defensible substance collapses under AI scrutiny, how first-party data becomes your only real narrative advantage, and why most “thought leadership” is just recycled opinion dressed up as confidence. Amanda shares how Forma keeps humanity and joy alive inside HR tech, what actually earns trust in AI-mediated discovery, and why restraint—not volume—is the new power move.We also dig into:Why louder messaging accelerates brand decay instead of stopping itHow original research outperforms hot takes in AI-driven buyer journeysThe mistake teams make when they treat clicks as commitmentWhy LinkedIn credibility now matters beyond LinkedIn itselfThe uncomfortable shift marketers must make from persuasion to diagnosisThis episode is for B2B teams still polishing templates while the buyer rewrites the rules—and for the ones ready to build stories that survive contact with AI.

Search is decaying, attention is fragmented and AI is rewriting the rules faster than most teams can update their decks. If you’re still planning content like it’s 2019, you’re already invisible.In this episode, Kyle Denhoff, Sr Director of Marketing at HubSpot, pulls the curtain back on what happens after the inbound era. We get brutally honest about why channel-first thinking is dead, how HubSpot rebuilt itself as a media company inside a SaaS giant, and why “always-on” isn’t a buzzword—it’s survival. Kyle also breaks down how AI is actually being used behind the scenes (no, not to replace marketers), and why taste, editorial judgment, and distribution matter more than ever in a world flooded with machine-made content.We also explore:Why “more content” is the fastest way to lose relevanceHow audience-first strategy replaces blogs, funnels, and campaign calendarsThe real way HubSpot uses AI to drive conversion—without killing the brandWhy creators and practitioners now beat brands in buyer trustThe uncomfortable truth: nobody has the playbook, and pretending you do is the riskThis is a reality check for B2B teams still clinging to templates while the ground shifts under them.

AI proof isn’t “building trust.” It’s getting ignored—or worse, backfiring—because it’s generic, gated, and wildly irrelevant. In a world of risk-averse buying committees and AI-driven discovery, your “best case study” might be your biggest liability.In this episode, Jillian Hoefer (Head of Content at UserEvidence) delivers the reality check B2B teams keep dodging: buyers don’t need more claims—they need credible, searchable, situation-matched evidence that makes choosing you feel safe. Jillian breaks down why the classic “one giant ROI story for everyone” approach erodes trust, how AI search punishes gated proof, and why the winners in 2026 will treat customer evidence like a living system—not a dusty PDF trophy. If your strategy is “big stat → blast it everywhere,” this one’s going to sting (in a helpful way).We also explore:The trust-killer nobody tracks: irrelevant proof that makes buyers think you don’t get themWhy evidence belongs at the top of the funnel, not just the “deal’s stalling” panic buttonThe “no one gets fired for buying Salesforce” problem—and how proof reduces career-riskThe content moat play: original research + human thought leadership in an age of AI slopHow to repurpose one report into a year of credibility (without turning into a content farm)

Your brand content isn’t “showing up.” It’s getting summarized, re-ranked, and sometimes straight-up misrepresented by AI—and your pipeline won’t tell you why. In a world where buyers ask ChatGPT first, the homepage isn’t your front door anymore. The chat box is.In this episode, Kevin White (Head of Marketing at Scrunch) delivers a much-needed reality check on AI Search: there are no true “experts” yet, the platforms are a black box, and anyone selling guaranteed hacks is basically selling essential oils for your funnel. We also explore:The one metric that matters first: “brand presence” (aka: do explaining you?)Why AEO vs GEO is just acronym cosplayThe long-tail play that converts 6–10x because the bot did the research for your buyer