Embark on a journey with Kristi in each podcast episode as she engages in insightful conversations with accomplished women in the C-suite. Explore their unique stories, triumphs, challenges, dreams, and valuable advice that will inspire and empower you. Tune in for an enriching experience as Kristi delves into the depth of their professional journeys and brings you closer to the dynamic world of female leaders at the top.
The Doctor turned Founder & CEO at Quantum Networks Group ft. Charlene Li
Charlene Li dreamed of being a doctor. She became a serial disruptor instead. The New York Times bestselling author and Quantum Networks Group founder joins Kristi Faltorusso on She So Suite. Charlene traces her path from Harvard neurobiology to the early internet to founding Altimeter. She shares how she built an analyst firm that beat Gartner by giving research away free. She talks managing people, knowing when to stop, and disrupting with a smile.
Timestamps
0:00 - Preview & Introduction
0:50 - Meet Charlene Li
2:45 - Childhood dream: becoming a doctor like dad
3:25 - The pivot from medicine to social sciences at Harvard
6:10 - "Everyone in business is tall, white and male"
7:55 - Monitor Group, HBS, and betting on the internet
9:10 - A career in disruption and finding superpowers
11:30 - Why she stopped wanting to manage people
17:00 - Working at Forrester
20:13 - Researching and Experimenting
22:51 - AI's ability to shift powers
26:30 - Challenges in setting up the company
28:30 - A painful layoff and the shame around failure
30:56 - Lessons from selling the company
33:55 - Building Altimeter & The free-research disruption strategy
40:30 - Empowered women empower women
43:15 - Be honest with yourself
Join over 16,000 professionals who have signed up to hear real and relatable stories, expert advice from a c-level executive, and gain access to resources to help make them better CS professionals and leaders at https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/the-journey-cs-newsletter (https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/the-journey-cs-newsletter)
Connect with the guest:
Charlene Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleneli/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleneli/)
Connect with Kristi Faltorusso:
Website: https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/ (https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/)
Follow the Podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_ (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP (https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499)
To learn more about Wednesday Women check out their
Website: https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/ (https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/)
LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/)
Connect with the Show Producer:
Manali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/)
_____________________
About She's So Suite Podcast:
Embark on a journey with Kristi in each podcast episode as she engages in insightful conversations with accomplished women in the C-suite. Explore their unique stories, triumphs, challenges, dreams, and valuable advice that will inspire and empower you. Tune in for an enriching experience as Kristi delves into the depth of their professional journeys and brings you closer to the dynamic world of female leaders at the top.
2 Jun 2026
The Children's Book Author turned CCO at Point of Reference ft. Alison Bukowski
Allison Bukowski wanted to be a children's book author at age five. Today she's the Chief Customer Officer at Point of Reference. And the through-line between those two things is storytelling.
In this episode, Allison walks KristI through a career built on writing, advocacy, and a fierce belief that customers deserve a seat at the table and not just a mention in the mission statement.
Reflecting on her career journey, Allison shares the real talk: the years she slowed her own climb by refusing to self-promote, deprioritising the the VP title she worked really hard after her second daughter was born, and the moment she finally realized that advocating for customers and advocating for herself were the same skill.
She also gets candid about women competing instead of collaborating, the guilt of being a traveling mom, and why imposter syndrome is actually a green light and not a stop sign.
Timestamps
0:00 - Preview & Introduction
0:30 - Meet Alison Bukowski, CCO at Point of Reference and a mom
2:52 - Childhood dream of becoming a children's book author
5:07 - Changing writing style in the light of AI writing
6:45 - First job out of school and career waves
9:12 - Alison's Mission to take customer advocacy from a single role to an organization-wide discipline
12:00 - Moving from execution to influencing strategy and speaking CFO language
13:50 - Lessons from the career journey
16:50 - The challenge of not being good at politics and learning to advocate
19:22 - How she started advocating for herself
22:55 - VP before 30 and Titles matter, but so does timing
27:57 - Being asked for mentorship and watching someone she mentored get promoted
29:00 - You can have it all, just not all at once
30:10 - Empowering women: Collaboration over competition
38:17 - How Alison balances work and life
40:26 - Phone boundaries and being present for the "last firsts"
43:15 - Imposter syndrome means you're ready
Connect with the guest:
Alison Bukowski: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-a-bukowski/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-a-bukowski/)
Connect with Kristi Faltorusso:
Website: https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/ (https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/)
Follow the Podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_ (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP (https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499)
To learn more about Wednesday Women check out their
Website: https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/ (https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/)
LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/)
Connect with the Show Producer:
Manali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/)
_____________________
About She's So Suite Podcast:
Embark on a journey with Kristi in each podcast episode as she engages in insightful conversations with accomplished women in the C-suite. Explore their unique stories, triumphs, challenges, dreams, and valuable advice that will inspire and empower you. Tune in for an enriching experience as Kristi delves into the depth of their professional journeys and brings you closer to the dynamic world of female leaders at the top.
19 May 2026
The Accountant turned Chief Marketing & AI Officer at 2X ft. Lisa Cole
Lisa Cole didn't plan to be a marketer. She started college as an accounting major, landed a sales job, and discovered a broken relationship between sales and marketing that would shape her entire 25-year career. Now Chief Marketing & AI Officer at 2X, Lisa shares what it really takes to transform marketing from a "make things look pretty" function into a company's primary growth engine.
In this episode, Lisa and I dig into her path from retail cell phone sales to the C-suite, including the mentor who named her successor, a CEO who told her to "find her swagger," and the moment her team accepted an award in front of 4,500 CMOs. She also gets candid about managing layoffs of former peers, finding work-life integration as a mom of three, and why every CMO needs to personally get their hands dirty with AI.
Timestamps
0:00 - Preview & introduction
1:15 - Meet Lisa Cole, her current role at 2X & an overview of 2X
4:45 - From 12-year-old aspiring accountant to marketing major
7:40 - First job as an account executive & discovering the sales/marketing divide
11:20 - What does sales really do? And why the future is bright for marketing
13:40 - Deciding to own the outcome & her first CMO role
15:02 - Biggest pivotal decisions: owning outcomes and driving disruptive change
16:20 - The CEO who said "find your swagger" & learning to say no
18:20 - Becoming a business leader, not just a functional leader
21:33 - Eliminating former peers & inheriting a broken operating model
25:20 - Advice for leaders navigating layoffs with empathy
28:38 - Bagging the Sirius Decision award
33:00 - Pulling other women through the door — mentorship as a commitment
33:55 - The "find your Sarah" story; writing The Limitless CMO
35:31 - Work-life integration & setting boundaries
39:20 - Don't outsource AI to your team — understand it yourself
Connect with the guest:
Lisa Cole: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacole01/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisacole01/)
Connect with Kristi Faltorusso:
Website: https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/ (https://www.kristifaltorusso.com/)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/)
Follow the Podcast
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_ (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmKTIOWzy8e3kbzHr4f9VMr1oGfK5Qc_)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP (https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pf1SZMvfwvSJTA6WnpNjP)
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shes-so-suite-podcast/id1730535499)
To learn more about Wednesday Women check out their
Website: https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/ (https://www.wednesdaywomen.org/)
LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/ (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wednesday-women/)
Connect with the Show Producer:
Manali: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manalibhat/)
_____________________
About She's So Suite Podcast:
Embark on a journey with Kristi in each podcast episode as she engages in insightful conversations with accomplished women in the C-suite. Explore their unique stories, triumphs, challenges, dreams, and valuable advice that will inspire and empower you. Tune in for an enriching experience as Kristi delves into the depth of their professional journeys and brings you closer to the dynamic world of female leaders at the top.
Who has been a guest on She's So Suite Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Sydney Sloan
Dora Boussias
Ashley Faus
Celeste Berke Knisely
Ashleigh Early
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
29 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 51 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
82
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Contact She's So Suite Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
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