She's So Suite: The Actress Turned SVP of Marketing at Pavilion ft. Kathleen Booth
- Kristi Faltorusso
- Sep 8
- 3 min read
LISTEN TO THE LATEST SHE'S SO SUITE PODCAST
IN THIS EPISODE KRISTI AND LESLIE DISCUSS:
1.Owning Your Own Business =/= Work-Life Balance
Quitting your 9-to-5 doesn’t automatically create work-life balance. Being an entrepreneur often means working odd hours, weekends, and always being “on”—unless you truly love what you’re doing.
2.Love What You Do
If you’re going to venture out on your own or work in a demanding space, make sure you love your work. Passion sustains you through late nights and challenging periods.
3.Entrepreneurial DNA Can Be Learned & Leveraged
Even if you come from a family of entrepreneurs or not, you can build entrepreneurial skills over time—through freelancing, starting side businesses, or simply seizing opportunities to “own your thing.”
4.Your Path Doesn’t Have to Be Linear
Kathleen’s career trajectory, from international development to agency founder to B2B tech marketing, shows there’s no single “right” way to the top. Pivoting is part of growth.
5.Build Confidence as a Learnable Skill
Kathleen shared that confidence can be built—sometimes by “playing a role” until it becomes second nature. Repeatedly putting yourself out there (public speaking, theater, etc.) strengthens this “muscle.”
6.Introversion Isn’t a Limitation
Being an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t succeed in public roles. Understanding the difference between shyness (which can be overcome) and introversion (which describes how you recharge) is crucial.
7.The Reality of Fractional/Freelance Work
Modern freelancing comes with challenges: You must build a strong personal brand, continually fill your pipeline, and be prepared for revenue volatility (unless you have financial safety nets).
8.Legacy Is About Relationships and Impact
Kathleen finds deep satisfaction in the success of women she’s mentored, worked with, and befriended through her businesses. Building lasting professional relationships is a major career success indicator.
9.Personal Brands Open Doors You Don’t Expect
Investing in your online presence (e.g., posting regularly on LinkedIn) can lead to opportunities, job offers, and relationships, even if you’re not “selling” anything.
10.Define and Communicate Your Own Work-Life Balance
Balance looks different for everyone, and it often changes with life stages. Openly communicate needs and priorities with your support system, whether that’s family at home or partners at work.
Sponsored by: ClientSuccess and WednesdayWomen
Produced by: Manali Bhat
Listen to the She's So Suite Podcast:
Podcast Episode Overview:
In this episode, host Kristi Faltorusso sits down with Kathleen Booth, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Growth at Pavilion. The conversation is an honest and empowering exploration of Kathleen’s unconventional career journey, from her early days as an international development consultant working on clean water projects, to becoming an entrepreneur, agency owner, and eventually a C-suite executive in B2B tech.
Kathleen shares how her childhood inspirations (from aspiring actress to social justice advocate) and her family’s entrepreneurial background shaped her willingness to take risks and pivot throughout her career. She talks candidly about the realities of entrepreneurship, dispelling romanticized myths about work-life balance and emphasizing that running your own business requires a deep love for your work, significant resilience, and often, financial safety nets.
The episode delves into Kathleen’s experiences as a woman navigating male-dominated industries—describing how she built confidence through her background in theater and learned to project assurance in environments where she wasn’t always welcomed or believed in. The conversation highlights the distinctions between introversion and shyness, and how self-awareness allowed Kathleen to participate in activities like public speaking and networking, even as an introvert.
Kristi and Kathleen also discuss the importance of building strong relationships and networks, particularly for women. Kathleen shares her pride in the personal brand and community she’s cultivated, notably through her work at Pavilion and the Women of Pavilion subgroup, designed to help more women rise to executive roles in go-to-market leadership.
About Kathleen Booth:
Kathleen Booth is SVP of Marketing and Growth at Pavilion, a 10,000+ member private global community of go-to-market executives. Prior to joining Pavilion, Kathleen was Founder and CEO of Quintain Marketing, a digital marketing agency. After selling her company, she held marketing leadership roles at VC-backed B2B technology companies including Attila Security, clean.io, and Tradeswell and continues to serve as an advisor and fractional CMO to early stage B2B SaaS startups. She has been named one of 50 Top B2B Marketers to Watch by TopRank and 6 Global Marketing Advisors Who Are Rising Stars by USA Today.
Timestamps:
00:00 Career Shift: Development to Tech
05:16 Pioneering Remote Worker Journey
09:18 Post-College Move to Barcelona
10:04 Abroad Experience Shaped Career Path
15:31 "Financial Stability Enables Work-Life Balance"
18:31 "Navigating Global Consulting Challenges"
21:16 Theater Boosted My Confidence
25:44 Evolving Personal Brand Beyond "Broetry"
26:57 LinkedIn Growth Without a Purpose
31:56 Prioritizing Diversity in Events
34:25 Balancing Work and Personal Life
37:32 Prioritizing Present Happiness
39:26 "Find Joy in What You Do"
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