An Interview with Leah Drotch: The Pulse of Progress at PulsePoint

Leah Drotch

Growth Marketing Manager

Leah Drotch is the Growth Marketing Manager at PulsePoint, a role she has excelled in since 2021, following her transition from Client Strategist. With a background in media planning and client strategy, Leah brings a well-rounded perspective to her marketing efforts. She holds a degree in business and psychology from the University of Rochester, allowing her to combine creativity with data-driven insights to develop impactful and results-oriented marketing strategies.

Before joining PulsePoint, Leah gained valuable experience working at a health SaaS startup and an agency, where she collaborated with a diverse range of clients across the finance and healthcare sectors. Her passion for continuous learning and growth drives her to stay on top of industry trends, execute innovative campaigns, and analyze performance metrics to drive success.

Outside of work, Leah is an advocate for personal growth and well-being. She enjoys group fitness classes and is currently working on improving her running. When she's not in the gym, you can find her exploring New York City on long walks, always seeking new adventures and opportunities for discovery.

Intern: Hello Leah! I’m so excited to chat with you today. 

Leah: Me too! I love that we’re doing this.

Intern: Now let's see, where are my questions for you and don't worry about your answers. It's not like they're going to be published on the website or anything. There's no pressure. Are you ready for this?

Leah: Yes, I’m ready! Let’s do this.

Intern: Great! First question, Leah. What motivated you to pursue a career in this industry, and how did you first get started?

Leah: I think I’ve always been drawn to marketing. Back in college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Initially, I thought about becoming a teacher, but my school didn’t have a teaching program. In the end, I started out as a psychology major, but quickly realized that in order to pursue psychology professionally, I would need to do more school. 

So, I took some business classes on the side while pursuing my major, and when I took Intro to Marketing, it just clicked. I found a way to combine these two disciplines, psyche and business, and understand what makes people make decisions, what makes people trust, and what gets people's attention.

I ended up double-majoring in Psychology and Business, but with a ton of marketing classes under my belt. I started my career at a small health tech startup in Boston with just six people at the company. It gave me the opportunity to collaborate closely with the woman that led the company’s marketing, and that’s where my love for digital marketing tools like HubSpot grew, and trying to solve the issues in the healthcare industry, which is a difficult challenge, but fun to solve. 

In hindsight, it was really important that my first experience was one where I was part of the decision making and my voice was celebrated, even though it was the start of my career. On top of that, I’ve always tried to balance the creative and analytical sides of my brain. It’s important for me to use both, and marketing is the perfect place to merge them, balancing each part every day. It’s what keeps me motivated and engaged. 

Intern: That sounds like a great start. You mentioned your double major—do you think it’s had an impact on your day-to-day work? Is it something you use often?

Leah: Absolutely. The business side of my education taught me the fundamentals of how organizations run and how businesses generate revenue, which is key when you're in any corporate job. But the psychology side has been incredibly valuable, too. You learn about the things that you think are silly, like how people are drawn to the color yellow - because it’s happy, but then when you’re creating ads or trying to market something, you need to know what keeps people intrigued and what makes them trust. That’s what marketing is at the end of the day.

Intern: I think I might need to pick up a few psychology books myself. Ok, so let’s shift gears a bit. You studied abroad during university. How did that experience shape your perspective on leadership, culture, and women in the workplace?

Leah: Oh, that’s a great question. I’ve always wanted to study abroad, and it was something that my school offered. At that point, I was a junior and I was more on a business track. I was still trying to catch up and take more business classes to finish my major. With a lot of options, the only things I knew were that I wanted to have an internship and to go somewhere with a different culture, but without a language barrier. I chose Sydney, and I went in February 2020. I showed up, I started working, and it was the most amazing thing ever. I was taking international marketing classes, and most of my professors were women. It was really interesting to hear other perspectives, especially since they had experiences outside the U.S. I also had an internship at a company called Grok Learning, which provided a platform for teaching kids to code. It was an awesome experience, even though I only had a month and a half there before I had to come home because of COVID. I still got to finish my classes and internship online, and it was just a cool place to learn about business culture. It seemed completely different there. They’re more relaxed and excited to do marketing, create reports, and it was definitely the right thing for me.

Intern: That’s incredible. Even though it was a short time, it sounds like you gained so much from the experience. OK, let’s dive into a more personal question now. Can you describe a pivotal moment in your career that really helped shape the woman you are today?

Leah: For me, the pivotal moment came when I decided to switch teams at PulsePoint, moving from client strategy to growth marketing. It was a huge leap because I had to navigate a completely new set of challenges and responsibilities. There was a lot of learning, a lot of change, and I had to step out of my comfort zone. 

What really made it impactful was the trust that my team placed in me to take on a role that didn’t exist before at PulsePoint. It showed me that embracing change can be a powerful way to grow, both personally and professionally. It was an opportunity to broaden my skill set and then continue contributing to the company's growth just in a different capacity. It taught me how to be flexible, resilient, and the value of embracing change. 

I always had this idea that embracing change was a good thing, but this just reinforced that belief that stepping into unfamiliar territory can lead to incredible growth. You can be comfortable in a job, you can be okay, but it's when you put yourself in opportunities to be an individual and be strong that it can get a little uncomfortable. That's when the magic happens. So, it not only shaped my career, but it reinforced my commitment to continuous learning, continuous education, evolving as a professional, and it's been rewarding. So I'm excited to see where this new path takes me.

Intern: That’s amazing. It sounds like you really trusted yourself to take that leap, especially past such intimidating barriers.

Leah: Yes, even making an internal move within a company can be a little complicated. It’s easier to find opportunities elsewhere, but I felt that at this point, I was given trust. I was given a platform where I could try something new and have incredible support doing it. In the end, all the risks pay off. 

Intern: Now, I have a question that I didn’t give to you in advance. You used a quote on your LinkedIn from W.E.B. Du Bois. It reads “There is no force equal to a woman determined to rise.” How would you relate that to your move at PulsePoint?

Leah: That quote stuck out to me. Someone said it at an MM+M conference, I believe. I think when you have drive and want to do something, particularly as a woman, there is nothing that can take you down if you believe in yourself and you know that you can do something, whatever that might be. It’s the most powerful thing when a woman wants to do something because she will get it done. I've wanted to do marketing. I got into the industry through media and media planning, and when this opportunity was on the table, I knew this had to happen, and I wanted to do a really good job once I got there. I think anyone that has some sort of wanting or need, if they're motivated to do it, it's an incredible thing.

Intern: I love that. Now, let’s talk about mentorship. How has mentorship or support from other women influenced your career progression?

Leah: That goes back to my team at PulsePoint, the current marketing team. We're fortunate to be surrounded by 9 women, which is crazy, but it's talented, forward-thinking women who constantly motivate me in different ways, and the diversity on our team brings unique perspectives to the table. All of that enriches the collaboration process. 

I'm always learning from the way that each of us tackles challenges and contributes to the much larger picture. We each bring our individuality to our work and come together to problem solve, to innovate, and to celebrate all of our collective successes. I think that's the thing too with our team, everyone is genuinely happy for each other's success. That's the whole point of International Women's Day, right? It's not looking at someone and being jealous. It’s feeling like I'm so proud of you, woman to woman for doing this thing. 

I would say for mentorship, it's definitely my team, it's definitely Amy Fieber and Maria Simeone. They believed in me and let me take on this role when I had experience that was helpful, but I had not been a marketing manager before. They lift me up and let me take on new challenges.

Intern: That’s quite inspiring. With that, what kind of influence would you like to have on other female colleagues already in or looking to enter the industry?

Leah: I’d love to be an example of how passion, resilience, and strategic thinking can help women succeed in the marketing industry. I want to inspire others to embrace challenges as opportunities to grow. To grow and learn, to never stop learning, and to never underestimate their own capabilities. I also believe in the power of community, and I hope to create a supportive environment where young women feel like they don’t have to do it alone. In today’s world, especially post-COVID, young women entering the workforce often don’t have the same kind of in-person support that we might’ve had, so it’s important to foster a sense of connection and collaboration.

Intern: You’ve already been a huge influence on me, Leah, when I first started out as an intern! If I ever needed help or had a question, you were always the one I could turn to. 

Leah: I love that. I think that is really important and my advice to anyone that is just starting out would be to try and get as much experience as possible. If someone offers to show you a new tool or teach you a new skill, take them up on it. That is the priority, because when you’re new and don't know what you want to do yet, it’s important to be a sponge, soaking everything up and asking a lot of questions. No question is dumb when you're new to a job and it shows that you care. Raise your hand to shadow projects or come sit on calls just to absorb how people talk, what's important to them. Then, once you get going, don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. If you want a new opportunity, it’s important not to sit in the comfortable.

Intern: It does make a huge difference. For our next question, how do you balance ambition with self-care, especially in a high-pressure environment?

Leah: I think balancing ambition and self-care is essential for a healthy brain. In my life, especially in the health marketing space, I found that setting clear boundaries, and prioritizing tasks helps reduce stress. Also making time for activities that recharge me, whether it's spending time with my friends and family, scheduling a fun workout class after work, or even taking short breaks in the middle of the day just to get sun on my face. 

It's important to exercise, socially and physically, and I've learned that taking care of my mental and physical health allows me to perform better. It's not always easy. It's easier said than done to balance ambition and self-care, but it's crucial for long-term success and avoiding burnout.

Intern: It takes less time to go on a 10-minute walk, than it does to recover from burnout. 

Leah: Exactly. Bringing it back to COVID, it's been more difficult in our day and age to have that self-care aspect. It's hard to separate yourself if you have your computer in your apartment. You and I didn’t get the chance to experience the workforce before a lot of businesses went remote, but I can imagine that there was more of a separation. When you logged off for the day and left the office, you were able to separate your work life from your personal one. Now the computer is always sitting there. You could easily get back on later. Nothing is stopping you. You have to tell yourself that you need time and space for self care, even if the computer's in the room. Everything will be waiting for you tomorrow.

Intern: Now, for our final question: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Leah: International Women's Day is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women across all industries and reflect on the progress we've made, both at work and in life. It's a reminder that there's still work to be done and stuff that lies ahead that we need to tackle. 

It's also a day for me to reflect on the women who have supported and inspired me throughout my career, as well as to acknowledge the collective power we have when we come together to uplift each other,  and celebrate each other's successes. There is power in numbers, and I think being a woman is a different experience for each person, and we should celebrate how far we've come because, imagine what it was like to be a woman in the workforce 50 years ago. We've come a long way. There's more work to be done and it's great to reach out to the people that support you.

Intern: That’s a beautiful way to look at it. Thank you so much for sharing your story, Leah! It’s been amazing hearing about your journey.

Leah: Thank you! I loved chatting with you. Happy International Women’s Day!

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