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October 9, 2025 54 mins
In this episode of Breaking Through the Mayhem, host Danielle Calciano, Senior Director of Sales at Sightly, sits down with Barbara Riley, President & CEO (and fractional CMO) of The AD Club of New England, to trace her path from Boston radio and early agency roles to leading a regional marketing community and advising brands. Barb shares how detours shaped her career—trading broadcast dreams for media and marketing, building client- and agency-side experience (Arnold Worldwide; CMO stints including Kaplan University and PopCorners), and why “showing up” changed her leadership style, from weekly New York runs to an 18-month Fort Lauderdale assignment. The conversation dives deep into:
  • Community as advantage: Why Boston’s unique mix of youth, heritage, and cross-industry depth powers creativity—and why in-person energy matters again.
  • Mentorship redefined: Barb’s “Fusion Hour” and “Walkie Talkie” formats that replace top-down mentoring with cross-learning (junior↔senior, peer, cross-functional) and intentional, small-group connections.
  • Authenticity vs. automation: A practical AI stance—use tech for speed and scale, preserve human empathy and trust at key moments across service, sales, and marketing funnels.
  • Brand values & consumers: How two-way dialogue and value alignment (employees and audiences) make brands better—and how partners help audit options and move faster.
  • Culture by design: Create spaces people want to return to; avoid punitive “must return” narratives; build respect and flexibility for real lives.
Barb closes with a call to action: help The AD Club be a “master connector and fueler” for marketers in New England—share what’s missing so the organization delivers real, measurable value.
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