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Have you ever attended an event that completely changed the trajectory of your life? My guest today, Marina Middleton, certainly has.
In 2021, she walked into her first Create & Cultivate event as an attendee, looking to make connections and gain insights for her own business. Fast forward to today: she’s the CEO and Partner of the very brand that inspired her.
Create & Cultivate has been a part of my own journey, too! I had the honor of speaking at one of their events back in 2019 and I’ve been a friend of the brand for a long time.
Seeing how they continue to evolve and impact women at every stage of their careers has been incredible, and I couldn’t be more excited to have Marina on the show today!
Marina is a powerhouse when it comes to building communities, amplifying women’s voices, and helping them break barriers in business.
Before stepping into her leadership at Create & Cultivate, she worked with Fortune 500 companies at Yahoo! and Tumblr, strategizing digital media campaigns. She has since coached and consulted hundreds of female founders, helping them grow their brands with confidence.
In this episode, Marina shares the defining moments that shaped her career, from navigating the corporate world as a woman of color to stepping into the CEO role of a major media and events brand.
We’re diving into how mentorship, networking, and representation can accelerate career growth, plus the lessons she’s learned balancing leadership and motherhood.
If you’ve ever felt like an outsider in your industry or wondered how to cultivate the right connections to propel your career forward, this conversation is for you.
From First-Time Attendee to CEO
Marina’s journey from community member to CEO of Create & Cultivate is nothing short of inspiring. She shares how she used her first-hand experience attending events to shape how she now runs them: focusing on what made her feel seen, supported, and empowered.
Rather than trying to forget that nervous energy from her first time in line at a C&C event, she uses it as data to fuel how she leads.
That full-circle moment is a powerful example of how female leaders are often best equipped to serve the person they once were. Her leadership isn’t about detachment, it’s about empathy and refinement, rooted in lived experience.
Action, Not Perfection, Drives Clarity
One of the biggest lessons Marina brings to the table is that action drives clarity. As women in leadership, we can often find ourselves paralyzed by indecision, waiting for perfect timing or flawless execution before we make a move. Marina challenges that.
She believes that progress, not perfection, is what actually breeds momentum and confidence. It’s not about getting everything right; it’s about doing something and letting that movement shape the next decision.
This kind of leadership advice is gold for anyone who finds themselves stuck in analysis paralysis!
Leading with Strategy, Not Emotion
Marina is candid about how removing emotional attachment from her business has allowed her to scale more strategically.
While there’s often a narrative that tells women their business is their “baby,” Marina flips the script. She explains how treating your business as data, rather than an extension of your identity, can lead to more objective decisions and ultimately, stronger outcomes.
That doesn’t mean ignoring intuition or gut instinct. It means balancing emotion with insight. This shift in perspective is critical for women in leadership roles, especially when the stakes are high and clarity is key.
What Women Need to Advance Right Now
We also talk about the key trends Marina is seeing among modern female leaders. First, she highlights a growing demand for access over inspiration.
While feel-good content has its place, what women in leadership really need are tools, mentorship, funding, and tactical education. She’s on a mission to make those resources more available through Create & Cultivate’s programming.
Next, Marina emphasizes the rise of diversified income streams. Today’s leaders are not one-dimensional—they’re launching multiple businesses, juggling side hustles, and leaning into all of their skills to build wealth and freedom.
Finally, we dive into the power of micro communities. As Marina puts it, “Women gathering is how we change the world.”
Whether you’re hosting five women around a dinner table or leading a room of hundreds, connection on a deeper, more intimate level is how transformation really happens. She believes this intentional approach to community-building is essential for sustainable impact and personal support.
Redefining Leadership as a CEO and Mom
Marina opens up about what it really looks like to lead a team from scratch while also being a mother. Her leadership journey involved not just managing operations, but protecting her energy, establishing boundaries, and recognizing that balance is a myth.
Instead, she integrates her roles, bringing her son to events, letting him see her in CEO mode, and creating a culture at work that respects the realities of working moms.
She’s honest about the emotional load of leadership, especially when it comes to managing teams, navigating tough conversations, and being responsible for the livelihoods of others. Her insight that “energy is more valuable than time” is one every woman leader needs to hear.
The Power of Mentorship and Representation
Throughout the episode, Marina reinforces the importance of mentorship and representation in leadership.
She shares how investing in high-level masterminds and connecting with women ahead of her has not only shaped her mindset but expanded her possibilities. These relationships helped her avoid costly mistakes, push past imposter syndrome, and reimagine what success could look like.
Her best advice for other female leaders? Audit the rooms you’re in. If you’ve outgrown them, move on. Growth requires courage, and sometimes that means getting into rooms where you feel like you don’t yet belong, because that’s where the real transformation begins.
Final Thoughts
This episode with Marina Middleton is a masterclass in how women leadership can thrive when it’s rooted in intention, clarity, and community.
Her journey from scared event-goer to CEO of Create & Cultivate is a powerful reminder that you don’t need to have all the answers, you just need the courage to act, the discipline to reflect, and the willingness to evolve.
Whether you’re a new entrepreneur, a seasoned exec, or somewhere in between, Marina’s story is proof that scaling with strategy, not emotion, isn’t just possible, it’s powerful.
Let this conversation inspire you to lead differently, ask better questions, and surround yourself with the kind of support that calls you forward.
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