Fractional CMO · Advisory · Speaking

The paradox of marketing is that 80% of the time, you don't need more leads to grow.

Most companies think they need more leads. Usually they need better retention, clearer positioning, stronger lifecycle systems, or faster learning loops. I help subscription, DTC, and B2B2C brands identify the real constraint and build the systems that drive compounding growth.

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20+

Years in brand
and performance

CMO across DTC,
SaaS, and CPG

$1B+

Revenue brands
led and scaled

The POV

Growth is already in your funnel. Most brands aren't looking there.

After 20 years leading marketing at startups and billion-dollar brands, I keep seeing the same pattern. Companies keep pouring money into acquisition while underusing the customers, systems, and data they already have. The fastest-growing companies usually aren't doing more. They're learning faster.

I work across the systems that actually shape growth: positioning, lifecycle, retention, automation, and data.

Brand and positioning Lifecycle programs Marketing automation Data architecture Subscription scaling Retention strategy

80%

of the time, the growth you're looking for is already inside your business.

Engagement drives retention

Retention drives revenue

Acquisition Grows Efficiently

What I do

Senior leadership without the full-time overhead.

🎯

Fractional CMO

Senior marketing leadership embedded inside your business. I work alongside your team on strategy, brand, positioning, messaging, and execution, without the full-time hire. Good for teams that need experienced leadership, clearer priorities, and faster decision-making.

Let's talk →

📊

Advisory

Strategic counsel for founders, CEOs, and marketing leaders who want a sharp outside perspective. Go-to-market, retention, growth strategy, messaging. I help teams clarify priorities, identify constraints, pressure-test strategy, and make smarter decisions faster.

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⚡

Project Sprints

Focused, time-bound engagements on a specific problem: a retention audit, a lifecycle rebuild, a data and automation assessment, a brand and messaging overhaul. Tight scope. Fast learning. Clear outcomes.

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🎤

Speaking

Keynotes and workshops on retention, subscription growth, brand, executive leadership, and marketing strategy. Real stories, real numbers, real takeaways. I have spoken at brand events, leadership summits, and in classrooms, and I adjust the room every time.

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✦

Not sure where to start?

Book a 30-minute call. We will figure out where to start and what to focus on first.

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About Karen

I've led marketing at both ends of the spectrum.

From scrappy startups to billion-dollar brands: Ancestry, Chatbooks, Lendio, BrainStorm. Subscription, DTC, B2B2C, CPG. Building teams, scaling programs, and figuring out what actually drives customers to stay.

I started Parallel because I'm most useful at the point where a company needs clarity. Understanding what's driving growth, what's slowing it down, and what needs to change for the business to scale intelligently.

There's probably more growth in your business than you think.

Work with me

Results

What people say.

"Before Karen, we had been running campaigns by repeating what we had always done. She helped us build a strategic foundation, and we now have a comprehensive 2026 campaign calendar across NewlyNamed and DailyDocs, plus a campaign framework we’ll build from for years. She also led our Mother’s Day campaign and supported our new Brand Marketing Manager. Karen moved us forward in the quality of our campaign planning years within a matter of weeks."

Dan Jimenez, CEO

NewlyNamed

"Before working with Karen, we didn’t have in-house marketing experience or a clear growth strategy. She helped us simplify the complexity of marketing by building a strategic foundation across acquisition, customer journeys, email flows, and brand positioning. Karen has been an incredible thought partner in helping us grow awareness on a startup budget, and since implementing her recommendations, we’ve already grown our welcome email list by more than 150% in one week. She completely changed the way we think about growth."

Katarina Seamons, Founder

Scribbi

The paradox of marketing is that 80% of the time, you don't need more leads to grow.

Growth is already in your funnel. Most brands aren't looking there.

Senior leadership without the full-time overhead.

I've led marketing at both ends of the spectrum.

What people say.

Ready to find the growth you already have?