109: Marketers of the Future Own GTM - and Build the Systems to Support It - with Chaenara O'Brien, Product Marketing Leader & Strategist at Thought Bakery

In this episode of "Women in B2B Marketing," host Jane Serra is joined by Chaenara O’Brien - a sharp strategist who splits her time between leading digital GTM at vFunction and consulting with startups via Thought Bakery.

Chaenara brings a refreshingly grounded, systems-first lens to modern marketing, shaped by a background in energy trading, operations, and engineering services. The conversation unpacks what it really takes to build future-ready go-to-market teams, avoid burnout, and lead with both curiosity and clarity in a time of constant change.

Jane and Chaenara dig into:

• How her career in ops + energy trading led to B2B marketing leadership
• What “scenario planning” actually means - and how to make it actionable
• Why marketers need to stop reacting and start building systems
• How AI is reshaping what it means to “do more with less”
• Creating space for failure and curiosity on high-performing teams
• Why outdated ideas of brand control and executive presence need to go
• What GTM leadership should look like - and where it’s headed
• Outgrowing tech and how to protect your spark

Key Links:

Guest: Chaenara O'Brien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaenara/

Host: Jane Serra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janeserra/

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