High Altitude Life

Living in the Colorado mountains as long as I had, the sign of fall and the coming of winter isn’t gauged by kids returning to school or cooler mornings, it’s the changing of the leaves.

I’ve gotten used to this pattern of taking what you get and building around it. That is why I love our local farmers market and the fruit and vegetable stand that shows up in the summer

I’ve had the absolute privilege of traveling a lot over the years. For much of my career, travel was simply part of the job. Along the way, all of those travel miles added up to status that comes with some pretty nice travel benefits.

It took me a while to get to this point and now I am so glad. Looking back, some of those closed doors may have been exactly what I needed.

Most mornings in my life are made for a hike. On a recent Sunday, the sun was shining and we had nowhere we needed to be. After I finished my cup of coffee, we jumped in the car and headed toward the Rio Blanco area to hike the Opal Lake Trail.

Newsletter: Musings from 7,500 feet - marketing, life, community

Genetics, overuse, and accident - causes of arthritis and how healthy marketing organizations function.

A lesson from my dog, CC, and my marketing career: not everything deserves your attention. Focus on what matters most.

I read a lot of great articles that come across my various news feeds - articles that resonate with me and the challenges in marketing. I want to share my knowledge and findings, so I’m starting a newsletter.

A company invests in brand marketing. The results can look promising. Web traffic is up and social engagement looks decent. But the pipeline doesn’t move, and Sales still says the leads aren’t great. Leadership is asking - what are we getting out of all the money we are investing?

I’m shifting to work alongside founders and marketing teams as an extra set of hands helping execute on priorities, fill gaps, and keep work moving.

I’ve always believed in brand marketing. In today’s world of AI-driven research, it’s becoming even more critical to the overall marketing plan.

What do open source projects and puppies have in common?

More than you’d think.

In honor of the 3rd day of SCALE, I’m introducing you to CC, my 3-year-old chocolate lab. She has become the best example I’ve found for explaining how open source projects actually grow.

Introducing McMahon Consulting. We work with founders and marketing leaders to align strategy, support execution, and develop teams into strong marketing organizations.

I’ve spent my entire career writing. Not books, but messaging, narratives, and content that help companies explain what they do and why it matters.

Oil & gas → tech → open source → AI.

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about what works (and what doesn’t).

So I’m writing it down.

Event ROI isn’t measured by badge scans alone. It shows up across awareness, ICP conversations, qualified meetings, pipeline influence, sales efficiency, and long-term community growth.

KubeCon is a brand marketing and ecosystem event first. By setting your expectations, building a simple pre-show plan, showing up with messaging that resonates, prioritizing relationships and learning onsite, and running disciplined follow-up, KubeCon becomes a meaningful driver of awareness, trust, and pipeline, now and in the months that follow.

If you’re a Head of Marketing reading this: you’re not imagining it. The job is that hard. It’s the same pressure loop the NFL head coach feels: expectations set at the top, outcomes measured at the bottom, and a single highly visible leader standing in the middle.

If you are wondering why marketing isn’t driving the results you expected, you don’t have a talent problem, you have a coverage problem. And that’s fixable.

Happy new year!