This spring I attended Mark Schaefer’s The Uprising retreat for marketing leaders.
When I returned, I was immediately swept into a storm of business travel, an out-of-town wedding, and end of year celebrations for my kids. It delayed my reflection, but not its impact.
After a few days of stillness, conversation, and reflection, something clicked:
There’s a hidden thread that connects all marketers, whether we’re shaping strategy, writing copy, or navigating cross-functional chaos in-house.
That thread is validation and it’s a lot like striking a match. You can have all the tools, prep the kindling, even stack the logs just right. But until the spark is there, nothing ignites. Marketing works the same way. Strategy, creativity, and execution are essential, but it’s validation that lights the flame. It’s the spark that makes our work visible, meaningful and impossible to ignore.
The Moment That Shifted My Thinking
At The Uprising, what stood out most wasn’t a framework or funnel, it was the generosity in the room.
Every person had something they were deeply passionate about. And no one held it back. They shared. They coached. They encouraged.
It was only later I realized that many of my fellow attendees were also presenters, leading breakout sessions, giving talks, and offering stories that stuck with me long after they finished.
They weren’t posturing. They were participating, and that authenticity made their insights even more powerful.
The Quiet Undercurrent: Validation
Despite the inspiration, it was hard not to feel a little imposter syndrome.
I wasn’t an entrepreneur, I wasn’t running an agency. And I couldn’t point to fancy dashboards or metrics.
But as I listened closely, I started to hear it everywhere:
- Validating why marketing can’t be replaced by AI
- Validating why our strategies had business impact
- Validating that our insights should be heard.
- Validating why we even took time to attend the retreat
Even the most experienced marketers in the room were still seeking validation, just like the rest of us.
This realization helped me reframe my own inner critic. It reminded me that doubt isn’t a disqualifier. It’s a sign that we care.
This is Why ‘Marketing Your Marketing’ Matters
AI can summarize presentations
AI can generate copy
But what AI can’t do is spark the kind of human connection that happens when marketers get into a room and remind each other:
What we do has meaning.
Those of us who give up three days of our lives to learn, to listen and to grow are not replaceable.
We are the ones who drive strategy, shape stories, and hold that fragile thread between product and people.
That’s why marketing your marketing matters.
Because if we don’t communicate our value inside the organization clearly, confidently, and consistently, who will?
This is the work I want to do, help marketers build the confidence, language and visibility to own their impact.
Conclusion
I came home exhausted, but energized in a way that really mattered.
Not because I had new (cool) tools or metrics, but because I was reminded that:
There is power in showing up
There is power in sharing what you know.
And there is power in helping other marketers be seen for what they already are: strategic, irreplaceable, and worth listening to.
Validation is the spark. It’s the thing that turns a pile of effort into a flame that others can feel. When we recognize our own value, and help others recognize it too, we don’t just warm the room. We light it up. What about you? When was the last time you felt that spark of validation in your work?
