Her Story
About Sarah
Sarah didn't take the straight line to product marketing. She started in sales, moved into customer success, led teams, and somewhere along the way realized that understanding every part of the customer journey was the thing that would make her exceptional at the work she really wanted to do. That instinct was right.
Today, she's a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Optimizely, leading go-to-market strategy for experimentation and AI. She shapes how the world's leading brands understand, adopt, and scale some of the most technically sophisticated products in the market. Her background across the full commercial funnel means she doesn't just write positioning. She understands what a sales team actually needs to close, what a customer needs to succeed, and what a market needs to care.
Sarah studied Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and Management and a minor in Digital Communications and Design at St. Catherine University. The combination was deliberate. Strategy and creativity have always lived together in how she works.
Outside her day-to-day, she co-chairs Women of Optimizely, the company's ERG for women in the business. It's work she takes seriously, because she knows how much it matters to see yourself reflected in the room you're trying to get into.
She's a marketer who leads with story, thinks like a strategist, and shows up like someone who's been on every side of the table. Because she has.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly? Never staying in one lane long enough to stop learning.
I've been in sales, in customer success, in leadership, and now in product marketing. Each role taught me something the next one needed. I know what it's like to be the person trying to close a deal, the person trying to keep a customer, and the person trying to build the story that makes both jobs easier. That perspective isn't something you can shortcut. You have to live it.
I also attribute a lot to the people who invested in me, which is part of why I co-chaired the Women of Optimizely ERG. I've had inspirational women in my corner at key moments, and I don't take that lightly. Paying it forward isn't an afterthought for me. It's part of how I measure whether I'm doing this right.
I also think success has a lot to do with being willing to be the person who asks the uncomfortable questions, or says "I think we're telling the wrong story here." That willingness to challenge the original is where the real work happens.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Growth rarely happens in the places that feel easy or familiar.
You don't have to have all the answers to have a seat at the table. Curiosity can take you further than expertise alone.
Relationships are your longest lasting career asset. Invest in people genuinely, not strategically.
Be yourself, not who you think the room wants you to be. The right opportunities will find you.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Your path does not have to be linear. Some of the best skills I bring to product marketing came from roles that had nothing to do with marketing. Every stop teaches you something the next one needs.
Find your people early. Not for networking. For real, genuine community. The women who will advocate for you, challenge you, and celebrate you are out there. Seek them out and be that person for others too.
Don't be afraid to speak up. The idea you're sitting on in a meeting is probably the one the room needs to hear. Get comfortable with the discomfort of putting it out there.
Learn the business, not just your function. Understand how your company makes money, how decisions get made, and what problems keep leadership up at night. That curiosity will set you apart faster than anything else.
Do not wait until you feel ready. Ready is a moving target. Say yes, figure it out, and trust that you are more capable than the moment of self-doubt is telling you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
AI is moving faster than most organizations are ready for. The opportunity is enormous, but so is the noise. The real work right now for us is helping teams cut through the hype and figure out where AI actually creates value in their specific context.
Experimentation is finally being taken seriously at the executive level. For years, testing was a "nice to have". Now it is a business strategy. That shift is creating a massive opportunity for marketers who can tell that story in a way that connects to revenue, risk, and growth.
Attention is the scarcest resource in B2B marketing. Everyone is publishing more content than ever, and most of it sounds like AI slop. The brands that win will be the ones with a clear, distinct point of view and the discipline to stick to it.
The definition of a marketer is changing. You now need to understand data, AI tools, 1:1 personalization, and customer psychology all at once. That is a challenge if you are standing still and an opportunity if you are staying curious.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
- Work-life balance. Period. It's so important to know your boundaries.
- Authenticity is the most powerful thing you can bring to any room, and on social media. How do you stand out among the rest? Be you.
- Curiosity. Never stop learning or asking questions. It pushed me across exciting new roles.
- Community over competition. As a woman in tech, we can go further together. Lifting up each other doesn't diminish your own success.
- Do work that actually matters. I want to make a real impact wether that's helping a customer or sales rep solve a hard problem, helping a colleague grow, or helping young professionals in a role they didn't think was available to them.
- Show up consistently. The relationships, reputation and results that mean the most are built on daily moments, not the big ones.
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