DEAR XIR

Letters from the Intersection

DEAR XIR –

Plot twist: I'm pregnant. 🥹

Like…pregnant pregnant. Like 6.5 months pregnant.

Growing a whole ass human while building a company across two countries, managing billion-dollar client deliverables, and proving that different drives millions in real time.

And honestly? It's been the most clarifying 6 months of my life.

While many mamas focus their “nesting” period on nursery colors and baby clothes, I’ve been heads down “nesting” the future of XIRs.

Judge me if you want to but this next chapter requires different moves.

Systems and products that move the needle forward for millions of cross-functional builders

All while giving me the ability to be fully present in the life of this sweet ‘lil bean.

I have zero intention on choosing between ambition OR family.

I’m a cross-functional founder for shit’s sake:

This has got power at the intersection written all over it. 🥰

The Identity Breakthrough

When I feel unique tension in the market (like everyone’s voice starting to sound the same on LinkedIn for example (probably due to the rise in AI-generated content – no shade I do it sometimes)), that’s usually my signal to stop posting and start listening.

Not always the “best” tactic but it always serves me well (especially this time).

So 2 months ago I got a little quiet and then Apollo.io came calling.

This super cool startup that just surpassed $150M ARR hired me as a Cross-functional Consultant on their Integrated Marketing team.

Now… they didn't call me an XIR exactly, but guess what they needed?

Someone to connect the dots across their GTM motion.

Someone who could spot where money was leaking across departments and plug those gaps before they turned into million-dollar problems.

And through this experience I realized something valuable:

XIR isn't just a role we're trying to get companies to create.

It's an identity. It's literally how our brains are wired.

Companies don't hire me because I fit some job description.

They hire me because of how I think.

Because I see patterns that other people miss.

Because I can walk into their org and immediately spot the disconnects that are costing them serious money.

This is what ALL of us do naturally. We're pattern recognition machines.

We see the whole system instead of just the parts.

So I doubled down on this insight.

Started having convos w/ XIRs across industries.

And every single conversation confirmed the same truth:

We're not just looking for roles. We're legitimizing a way of thinking that companies desperately need but don't know how to name.

What Cross-Functional Actually Means

What people think: Wearing multiple hats and doing 60 things at once.

The reality: Joining forces w/ other teams to connect dots across functions / departments (read more here).

1. Collabing via internal functions: e.g. product marketing and content marketing

2. Collabing via departments: e.g. between Marketing and Sales

It’s about how you THINK not just what you call yourself.

While specialists work to optimize their individual piece, cross-functional thinkers naturally see the whole system.

We spot patterns across departments. We identify where handoffs break down. We connect dots that prevent revenue leakage.

And it’s not just being different for the sake of being different –

Connecting these dots is measurable.

Most companies see one problem. We see 6 interconnected issues.

They decide to hire 5 siloed specialists.

We become the connective tissue that makes those 5 people actually work together.

They wonder why community engagement isn't driving revenue.

We build the bridge between engagement signals and sales outcomes.

Does this track yet?

It’s systems thinking. This is pattern recognition.

And it’s exactly what companies desperately need but don't know how to name (yet). 😉

The Next Step

Given these learnings, we decided to build the XIR Operating System (OS).

It’s a plug-and-play GTM framework that only works when operated by cross-functional thinkers. Not “roles” – cross-functional thinkers (e.g. people like you and me).

Instead of fighting for companies to create XIR roles based on “vibes” or “because we say so” energy (which…let’s be real, seldom works)

we went ahead and designed THE actual system that we envision every modern GTM org will implement over the next 2-3 years.

A system that has been proven at unicorn startups like Brex, Carta, and Stenn (with a few others in progress and pipeline).

No more screaming from the mountaintops hoping and praying that the market will adapt.

We are proving our value with actual data and actual systems.

It took us a minute… but you know the saying: patience is a virtue.

Your Implementation This Week

So what does all this mean for you? It means to stay close and keep watch.

Because soon and very soon, we will need brilliant XIR operators to run these systems.

In the meantime, stop listing what you've only done.

And start leading with how you think.

Instead of: "I'm a community manager with growth experience"

Try: "I identify revenue leakage between marketing and sales by connecting engagement signals to expansion opportunities"

The difference? One sounds like a job.

The other sounds like a solution to a $200K problem.

Closing Us Out

While it may sound appealing, the world doesn't need more specialists picking lanes.

It needs more people who can see across them, connect what's broken, and build innovative systems that actually work.

Different drives millions. And we're about to prove it at scale.

Welcome back to the intersection, my friend.

Thank you for being here. 🙏🏾 Now let’s get to work.

With love and energy always,

The future belongs to the intersection.