The CMO Turning Therapy Into a Daily Habit

A sit-down with Talkspace's CMO, Katelyn Watson

Author

Carlo Palomino
August 15, 2025

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! It’s August 14th, and the vibe is somewhere between “summer slowdown” and “oh no, Q4 is around the corner.” Whether you’re pretending that iced coffee is lunch or ghosting your inbox for a few more rooftop evenings, this is your moment to hit pause and power up.

Each week, we spotlight the boldest thinkers in marketing, people turning big ideas into even bigger results. And this week’s feature? A masterclass in how to evolve a mission-driven brand without losing its soul.

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

  • A sit-down with Talkspace CMO, Katelyn Watson

  • Hulu x Disney+

  • The best ads of 2025 (so far)

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone turning empathy into a marketing superpower, it’s Katelyn Watson, the Chief Marketing Officer of Talkspace. With a career shaped by high-growth startups and mission-driven brands, Katelyn’s journey is proof that thoughtful storytelling and smart strategy can break through even the most stigmatized spaces.

Katelyn’s path to Talkspace started at NURX, where she helped launch a mental health service to an existing base of over half a million women. That experience revealed just how deep the need was and just how much trust mattered. So when Talkspace came calling, the mission was already in her bones.

The brand, known for its high-profile partnership with Michael Phelps, had mass awareness, but it needed a new chapter. Katelyn stepped in with a vision to evolve beyond celebrity association, repositioning Talkspace as something more essential: a provider you could access through your insurance, not just your credit card.

That meant changing the offering from a monthly subscription to an in-network service covered by most major insurers. It also meant shifting the story from crisis management to everyday mental fitness, where therapy isn’t a one-time fix but part of a sustainable wellness journey.

To tell that story, Katelyn leaned into real people over paid actors. She brought in Talkspace members from every walk of life, like teens prepping for college, seniors navigating isolation, professionals dealing with burnout, and used their voices to normalize care and expand relevance.

She also pulled off something remarkable: Talkspace sessions grew 90% year-over-year on half the budget. That kind of lift didn’t come from doubling down on paid media. It came from strategic partnerships, like their work with Oura Ring, where users could share sleep data with their therapist and from smart shifts in media buying. Big splashy Times Square ads gave way to more nimble, performance-driven buys, often reaching the same audiences at a fraction of the cost.

But Katelyn’s not just thinking about today. She’s focused on the future and right now, that means AI. One of the team’s boldest moves was launching TalkCast, an AI-powered podcast personalized to each user’s therapy journey. After a session, users are invited to listen to an audio recap curated just for them, reviewed by their therapist and designed to keep the momentum going between appointments.

Still, she knows AI in the mental health space brings its own kind of skepticism. For her, success comes down to clarity. Internally, the team works hard to communicate that AI doesn’t replace therapists, it helps them do their work better. Whether it’s auto-generating session notes or surfacing past insights, it’s about freeing up time for deeper human connection.

Katelyn’s Takeaway

For Katelyn, the future of mental health care is about weaving support into the everyday. “Mental health care is not a once-a-week, hour-long session and then you go away and everything’s fine,” she explained. “It’s really how it’s woven in and out throughout your day, throughout your week.”

That belief is shaping everything from product innovation to messaging. And it’s why Talkspace feels less like an app, and more like a partner in your well-being.

To hear more about how Katelyn is pushing the boundaries of accessible care while honoring the humanity at its core, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team