197: Anna Leary: The Art of saying no and other mental health strategies in marketing ops

Episode notes

What’s up everyone, today we have the pleasure of sitting down with Anna Leary, Director of Marketing Operations at Alma. (00:00) - Intro (01:15) - In This Episode (04:38) - How to Prevent Burnout (05:46) - What Companies Can Do Better (07:50) - Agility of Planning (08:53) - Why Saying No Strengthens Marketing Operations (13:48) - How to Decide When to Push Back (18:03) - Hill To Die On (20:03) - How to Handle Constant Pushback (29:55) - Wishlist (37:06) - How to Use Asynchronous Communication to Reduce Stress (44:24) - How To Evaluate Martech Tools Based On Real Business Impact (48:45) - Why Marketing Ops Needs Visible Work Systems (51:24) - Health Awareness (52:56) - How to Recognize and Prevent Burnout in Marketing Operations Summary : Anna built systems to keep marketing running smoothly, but the real lesson came when those same systems failed to protect her. In this episode, she shares how saying no became her survival skill, why visibility is the antidote to burnout, and how calm structure (not constant hustle) keeps teams sharp and human. It’s a story about boundaries, balance, and learning to lead without losing yourself.