Empowered Selling

In this episodeI sit down with the immeasurable, Roxanna Marazzi. Roxanna is an accomplished commercial leader, founder of RM Consultancy, and someone who has spent more than 20 years building high-performing teams across companies including Salesforce, Rackspace, WP Engine and Intuit. Roxy shares how a life-changing health challenge forced her to redefine success, rebuild her leadership identity, and create a new blueprint for sustainable high performance.
We dive into building cultures where people perform because they feel valued, hiring for long-term potential over short-term results, balancing operational rigour with startup agility, and why investing in people will always outperform investing in process alone. Roxy also shares the leadership lessons she learned the hard way—and the mindset shifts that transformed both her career and her life.
A must-listen for anyone in sales or sales leadership who wants to build high-performing teams, lead with authenticity, and create lasting impact.

We're back and back with a bang. In this episode we're answering a critical question -What does great sales leadership look like in 2026? 
I'm joined by the very brilliant Ronal Karia exploring what it takes to lead with impact in a fast-moving, high-pressure world. From coaching over command-and-control leadership to building trust, leading through change, and protecting time for what matters most, Ronal shares practical insights from over 20 years working at some of tech’s biggest names. This is a conversation about creating stronger teams, better leaders, and sustainable success — without burning people out.
Enjoy!!

In this episode, I sit down with Sabya Sen — one of the most respected sales leaders in tech and a true believer in running your patch like a CEO. With nearly 20 years across Salesforce and now Alteryx, Sabya shares how he builds resilient teams, aligns every GTM function, and leads through constant change.
We dive into hiring and retaining top talent, creating a “team sport” pipeline engine, balancing data with intuition, and using AI to sell smarter. Sabya also reveals the toughest leadership lessons he’s learned — and the mindset that keeps him growing through disruption.
A must-listen for anyone in sales or sales leadership who wants to lead with clarity, confidence, and impact.

In this episode of Empowered Selling, I sit down with Niamh McArdle, Head of SMB at Salesforce Ireland, to trace a career journey that runs from a Dublin department store shop floor to leading one of the most dynamic SMB businesses in tech.
Niamh shares how a “rite of passage” retail job became an accidental masterclass in sales culture and customer experience, why her chaotic early days in a fast-growing Irish SMB still shape how she sells to and supports SMBs today, and what six years at IBM (including winning the prestigious Best of IBM award) taught her about brand, sponsorship, and stepping into leadership before you feel “ready”.
Niamh and I also dig into:
How SMBs can punch above their weight by using AI and agents to operate like an enterprise—without enterprise headcount
A real customer story of deploying an agent to deflect repetitive service queries and free humans for higher-value work
The leadership shift from “let my work speak for itself” to intentionally building your brand and network
Why resilience is now a core sales skill—and how Niamh hires for it (including from high-performance sport)
How to build a genuine coaching culture where feedback is frequent, safe, and expected
Niamh leaves listeners with two powerful challenges: start acting for the role you want long before the title arrives, and get intentional about how you’ll use the time AI gives you back—to double down on the deeply human skills that truly differentiate great sellers and leaders.

I’m very excited to share this episode - a (super!) candid conversation with Lindsay Rios—a true sales leadership enigma (in the best way) who was also recognized as one of the  "Top 100 Sales Queen to Follow."
During our conversation Lindsay shares her incredible journey from nearly becoming a paediatric neurologist to crushing it in automotive sales, tech, and scaling startups. She opens up about her authentic approach to building her personal brand, embracing her unique personality, and sharing real struggles and victories.
We dive into practical advice on owning your confidence, sharpening your sales strategies, and fostering true leadership that’s all about people. Whether you’re looking for insights on overcoming challenges like forecasting, building resilience, or just being unapologetically yourself, Lindsay’s got you covered.
What you can look forward to:
Why being authentic and true to yourself is a game changer in sales and leadership
The value of building a personal brand that’s honest, raw, and relatable
Tips on defining and evolving your ideal customer profile—spoiler: it’s a game changer
How to improve forecasting accuracy by creating a healthy culture and alignment
Avoiding the perils of "Poopy Pipeline"
The importance of celebrating your wins and owning your achievements
Lessons on resilience, tenacity, and trusting your strengths
How being recognized as a top sales influencer has fueled Lindsay’s passion for supporting women in the workplace
Practical advice for supporting neurodivergent team members and leading inclusively
Hoping you'll enjoy this honest, inspiring chat as much as I did. Lindsay’s insights are truly empowering, and her approach to leadership and authenticity is something we can all learn from.

My incredible guest this episode provides a tonne of invaluable insights centre on helping you succeed in today’s competitive sales leader environment. I'm thrilled to have had a sneak-peek behind the scenes at hyper-growth organisation, Snowflake and the chance to chat to one of their seasoned Sales leaders, Adam Metherell.
We covered a tonne of bases in this discussion - from how to thrive in fast-growth environments and the adaptions required to succeed in an ever-changing sales landscape!
A further flavour of what you can look forward to hearing:
Career pivots late in life, demonstrating resilience and a growth mindset
Building a purpose-driven team culture through clear communication and shared vision
Hiring for character—focusing on intelligence, coachability, and effort—and designing rigorous interview processes to attract top talent
Developing authentic customer relationships based on trust and long-term value
Simplifying complex sales scenarios to focus on key drivers and strategic questioning
Navigating the post-pandemic sales world
Enjoy!

I’m excited to unveil this episode of Empowered Selling, featuring the phenomenal Amy Blanthorne Hazel, now Senior RVP at Salesforce UKI. Amy’s journey from her early days at IBM to leading some of Salesforce’s most dynamic teams is packed with actionable insights on leadership, sales excellence, and building lasting client relationships.
Here are some key highlights from the episode:
🔥 The Power of a Playbook
🔥 Building Trust and Authentic Relationships
🔥 Mastering Objection Handling
🔥 Sales Leadership in Large vs. Small Organizations
🔥 From First-line to Second-line Leadership
🔥 Resilience in Tough Times
🔥 Self-sufficiency and Speed 
This episode offers inspiring lessons on strategic leadership, building trust-based relationships, and embracing a growth mindset — all from one of the most impressive leaders in the sales world today.
🎧 Don't miss out—listen now and elevate your leadership game!

In this latest episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Doreen Pernel, CSO at Scaleway, a trailblazing European cloud and AI solutions provider. With a stellar background at Bloomberg, Facebook, and Dataiku , Doreen shares her insights on transforming organisations, building high-performance teams, and embracing innovation.
Highlights of our conversation include:
The power of relationship-building in sales—trust is your true superpower.
How a culture of enablement and coaching drives scalability and talent retention.
Creative strategies for outbound sales engagement—surprise touches, video outreach, and team challenges.
The role of AI in automating mundane tasks and freeing up sales teams to focus on strategic in-person interactions.
The importance of daring to take risks—asking for forgiveness, not permission—and seizing growth opportunities.
Doreen’s growth-mindset, authenticity, and adaptability make her a truly inspiring leader. Her advice? - Be bold, stay curious, and never be afraid to "ask for forgiveness"—the most successful often do.
Enjoy!

In the latest episode we had the great pleasure of speaking to the awesome Scott Barghaan, an inspiring Senior GTM leader with an impressive career spanning over 25 years in sales and consultancy. From his impactful roles at EMC and Salesforce, where he shaped sales strategies and developed a groundbreaking global seller experience, Scott shares insights into his work and the lessons learned along the way. As ever this episode is packed with actionable insights, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to elevate their sales leadership game.
Some of the key topics discussed:
Evolving landscape of selling and the role of Sales Leaders
The need for sales leaders to adapt their strategies to stay relevant
Scott's own journey as a cancer survivor, providing him with a unique perspective on the balance between work and personal life
Fostering a culture of experimentation
The crucial role of understanding buyer behaviour
Leveraging AI for improved sales processes
The need for sales leaders to adapt their strategies to stay relevant
The art of asking the right questions to enhance customer engagement
We also dive into Scott's role in advising and investing in early-stage sales technologies, while also teaching at a prestigious MBA program and contributing to a national nonprofit that empowers individuals with disabilities. His passion for helping others is highlighted through the touching story he shares of  getting his daughter into skiing with the help of the National Ability Center.
 
Enjoy!

Sales leaders, if you’re ready to level up, this podcast is a must-listen!
I was thrilled to reunite with a friend and former coachee of mine who also happens to be one of the most successful Sales Leaders in the UK, SVP of Cloud Services at Salesforce, Maddy Storr. 
Maddy starter in career in her (small) family business, later working in recruitment which she says proved the foundation for her future success. She joined Salesforce a decade ago as an Account manager and has enjoyed tremendous success ever since. She transitioned into first line leadership in 2019, and was promoted into 2nd line leadership in 2022, and in 2024 she transitioned into a third-line leadership role with responsibility for leading the Salesforce Digital business, Revenue & Commerce Clouds, Slack and Service Cloud organisations across UKI. 
In this episode we covered a wealth of topics including:
How to truly build and lead a high performance sales team
Insights on how to hire great talent (teaser: Experience matters less than core characteristics + potential!)
Importance of doing the (future) job before you get the job
Overcoming the most challenging aspects of Sales Leadership
Approaches for (two-way!) feedback and coaching 
The value of clarity & expectation setting + consistency
Listen now and gain insights that’ll elevate your sales strategy and leadership skills!