In this episode of The Business of Thinking, Richard Reid speaks with Sherilyn Shackell, founder of The Marketing Academy, about leadership, talent development, purpose and why marketing deserves a stronger voice in the boardroom.
Sherilyn founded The Marketing Academy in 2010 after a successful career as a headhunter. Although she was not a marketer herself, she had always been fascinated by talent and leadership development. Her experience in executive search showed her how much potential existed within marketing, media and advertising, but also how underdeveloped and underrepresented that talent often was at senior levels.
The Marketing Academy exists to develop exceptional talent across marketing, media and advertising. Its programmes operate in the UK and EMEA, the US, and Australia and Asia Pacific. They support both emerging leaders and senior chief marketing officers, with the aim of helping top talent become even more effective, influential and impactful.
What makes the Academy unusual is that it is a not-for-profit and its programmes are free of charge. However, they are highly selective. Scholars and fellows go through a competitive process before joining intensive development programmes focused on personal growth, leadership, professional skills, mentoring and executive coaching.
A powerful part of the conversation explores Sherilyn’s own turning point. Despite being commercially successful, she reached burnout and became seriously ill. That experience forced her to question whether the life she was living was aligned with what truly gave her energy and meaning.
She describes this as living a “discordant life”, where your work, values and passions are not aligned. For Sherilyn, the wake-up call led to a complete career change and the creation of work that now brings her joy every day.
Richard and Sherilyn discuss how many people end up on a path shaped by external expectations rather than conscious choice. Parents, peers, status, money and lifestyle can all create a treadmill that becomes difficult to step off. Sherilyn calls this the “treadmill of doom”: the cycle of working harder to maintain success that may not actually fulfil you.
The conversation also explores why marketing needs a stronger position in leadership. Sherilyn argues that marketing, media and advertising have immense influence over people, culture and business performance. Yet historically, chief marketing officers have often been overlooked in boardrooms.
For Sherilyn, marketers must also take responsibility for changing this. CMOs need to become better at advocating for their function, speaking the language of CEOs and CFOs, and positioning themselves as trusted advisors. That means understanding what matters to the board and translating marketing impact into commercial, strategic language.
The episode closes with a powerful message about responsibility and choice. Sherilyn reminds listeners that while life can be difficult and unpredictable, how we respond is within our control. The way we think shapes the way we experience life, leadership and possibility.
