I lead a team of rockstar BDRs at Sprout Social. But what I’m here for is to share MY story. 

Because I’ve lived the pressure. The rejection. The anxiety that hides behind “hustle culture.”

I believe high performance doesn’t have to come at the cost of your peace.

Here, I talk about:
🧠 Mental health and mindset in sales
❤️ Leadership through empathy
🔥 Sustainable success without burnout

If you’re an aspiring SDR,  brand new leader in sales and trying to keep your head (and heart) in the game then this space is for you.

👉 Follow for honest stories, mindset shifts, and reminders that you’re not alone in the grind.

🍵 Always open to a coffee chat (although I don’t drink coffee!!) … human first, title second.

I disappeared for a month.

My dad passed away in December so I took the rest of the month off.

No plan.  No self-care.  Just pure grief.

So this was my first week back to work.

What sucks is that grief doesn't follow a PTO schedule.  

It shows up whenever it feels like it.  In meetings. During random memories. In between sentences.

And my focus this week was a MESS.

Some moments, I felt sharp, present, and productive.  I really tried to be there for my team.

Other moments I would sit in a meeting in awkward silence and not really know what was being said.

My body was at work, but my heart was somewhere else.

Here's what I learned this week:
- You don't need to be "better" to be back.
- You don't need to hide from pain with productivity.
- And you're allowed to not be ok ... without explaining yourself.

If you're experiencing ANYTHING at all right now .... loss, burnout, heartbreak, or LIFE, this is your permission slip.

Show up as you are (or don't)
Do what you can (or don't)
But rest when you need to.

Healing isn't linear.
And neither is being human.

And if the only thing you did today was 'try', then you did plenty.

Shoutout to Paige Dorfman and Matthew Loria for their continued support, kindness, and space for me to feel.

Marco Santa Maria

I have spent the last decade of my 18-year Sales career in the B2B Tech industry.  I started in the trenches as a Sales Development Rep, building up my foundational skills of prospecting, relationship building, and discovery.  

I worked my way up to a Sales Development Leadership position where I built, scaled, managed, and coached SDR Team Leads and SDR teams across the USA, UK, and Ireland. 

As a Sales Development Leadership Consultant, my aim is to help your B2B company achieve wider brand recognition through the use of Sales Development teams. 

Areas I can help with:
- Fractional Sales Leadership
- Recruitment/Interviewing/Hiring Strategy
- SDR team Training and Development
- SDR Management Coaching 

If you are looking to build or overhaul your B2B outbound function, or if you’re thinking of expanding your sales development operations globally, get in touch to discuss. 

Get your Sales Development function the focus it deserves.  

Contact me to learn more. 
contact@marcosantamaria.info

*I no longer offer monthly 1:1 SDR coaching, but still have availability for one-off sessions.

Sales Development Leader, Coach, & Mentor ⚡️ Mental Health + Mindset in Sales ⚡️ BDR Manager @ Sprout Social🌱

Now that I’m starting to get over the flu, I can finally muster the energy to post these pics from my wonderful time at our Sprout Social, Inc. Revenue Kickoff last week in Chicago 😂😷. 

Great to see my leadership team, BDR team, and former SDR team outside of Zoom squares!

Let’s go 2026!

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