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The Headless Holodeck: Joel Varty of Agility CMS on Warp-Speed Demos, AI, and the Next Generation of CMS

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<h4 id="-"> </h4><h4 id="listen-to-the-full-episode-of-“the-critic's-corner”-podcast-&gt;"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-there-is-a-will-there-is-a-way-with-jasmin-guthmann/id1801794414?i=1000725953323">Listen to the full episode of “The Critic's Corner” Podcast &gt;</a></h4> <hr /> When <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jguthmann/">Jasmin Guthmann</a> joined me for a recording of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cms-critic-the-critics-corner-podcast/id1801794414">“The Critic’s Corner” podcast,</a> I already knew about her impressive professional credentials. We’ve known each other for a few years through our board roles at the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/agency-powered-ai-wpp-and-mach-alliance-partner-to-help-brands-win-in-the-age-of-ai">MACH Alliance,</a> and we shared the stage for the opening keynote at the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cms-critic-the-critics-corner-podcast/id1801794414">Boye &amp; Company CMS Summit in Frankfurt</a> earlier this year.What I didn’t know was just how accomplished an athlete she is. Over the years, I've seen periodic LinkedIn posts of her posing with medals at some festive finish lines. As I learned during our call, she’s completed two of the grueling <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ironman.com/races">IRONMAN full-distance triathlons</a> and 12 shorter IRONMAN 70.3 races (the latter are half the distance, but still a massive grind). If you don’t “run” in these circles, the IRONMAN is recognized around the globe as the pinnacle of all triathlons. It’s a punishing 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride, and 26.2-mile marathon rolled up in one race. Only elite athletes attempt this breathtaking competition – and many struggle to even complete it.  Get this: In 2023, she was a Championship finisher, meaning she successfully completed the challenging, long-distance IRONMAN World Championship race within the event's strict time cutoffs. For her next act, she's tackling mindboggling ultramarathons. <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:47.11%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/09/image-1758140217898.png" /></figure>A medal-moment after completing a 56KM ultramarathon. Source: LinkedIn As a long-distance runner myself with multiple half and full marathons under my belt (along with a bunch of other crazy training distances), I have mad respect for the mental and physical hurdles of such an endeavor. But admittedly, I find her IRONMAN accolades impressive – and even swoon-worthy. Competing at this level was more than a goal for Jasmin. It was a passion. It sparked joy. Still, getting there required a huge commitment. As she told me, it took 15 to 20 hours of training each week, to say nothing of the persistent fatigue, aches, and pains that accompanied it. But like she says: “If there is a will, there is a way.” That’s been a guiding principle for this inspiring trailblazer. Along with her athletic achievements, Jasmin is an accomplished digital leader with deep experience in the CMS space. She spent over three years at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/contentstack">Contentstack</a>, shaping corporate communications and supporting the marketing strategy as the headless player transformed into a composable DXP – one that’s now challenging the top of the market with its agentic vision. But she also worked on the other side of the partner fence. Her agency heritage includes global heavy hitters like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/valtech/posts/?feedView=all">Valtech,</a> and today she’s the Vice President of Composable Consulting at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/accenture-song/">Accenture Song</a> – the technology-powered creative arm of the mammoth professional services firm.As mentioned, I know Jasmin from our intersection within the MACH Alliance. She was a fixture all the way back in 2020, working with co-founder and former Alliance president <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonjakeerl/">Sonja Keerl.</a> As she related to me, their conversations at the time revolved around a common phrase in Jasmin’s lexicon: We’re better together. <h3 id="navigating-change,-from-mach-to-ai">Navigating change, from MACH to AI</h3>But getting to that plateau of collaboration took more than just the planets aligning. There was serious effort involved – and the gut-feeling of knowing when to take a few risks to put things into action. “When we say, ‘Opportunity presents itself,’ it doesn’t just present itself,” she said. “Your hard work is what puts you where the good luck can find you.”During our recording, Jasmin talked about her journey to CMS, which is seldom a straight line. She got frank about the evolution of the MACH Alliance, particularly in the age of AI. We also discussed what’s at stake as vendors compete for the same RFPs and wallet share – and how the agentic race is reshaping the landscape. In the mounting chaos and complexity, the biggest challenge she sees for companies is finding uniformity.She also reflected on the pressures that agencies are under as AI casts the specter of job displacement and automation. There's a lot of uncertainty ahead, but this is a moment for change. Even revolution. “As agencies, we all need to rethink our revenue models,” she said. “Billing by the hour may not be very relevant moving forward. That’s the pink elephant in the room. Who goes first to challenge the market with new models? We're all seeing the same things, and we need to discuss them together.”Jasmin also reflected on her involvement with programs like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/mach-alliance-empowers-gender-equality-with-new-women-in-mach-deib-scoring-tool">Women in MACH,</a> where she's helping to elevate her peers in the technology industry through mentorship and community. It's just another inspiring example of how she has turned passion and resolve into real impact.Here’s a few minutes of the podcast to whet your appetite:<figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/YFr_1UfkTFQ"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YFr_1UfkTFQ" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure><h3 id="finding-your-‘true-north’">Finding your ‘True North’</h3>It’s not surprising that Jasmin has now added “author” to her illustrious resume. In fact, there might not be anything she can’t do if she's passionate enough – and that’s kind of the point of her new book. Finding your passion is the key to everything, but to take action, we might need a little help unblocking ourselves. In <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.amazon.com/If-There-Will-Way/dp/1035879395">If There Is a Will, There Is a Way,</a> Jasmine draws on her professional and life experiences, sharing big-picture mindsets and practical ideas for dreaming big, taking bold action, and mastering the behaviors that can lead to success. She gets real about her early challenges, eventually finding a passion that “lit her up like a Christmas Tree.”Jasmin’s story blossoms from the early trauma of losing her father and feeling, in her own words, that “Dreams were not for me. Dreams were for the more fortunate.” And while many labeled her perseverance as brave, she never saw it that way. Instead, she used her pain to build a relatable narrative – and help others.Borrowing from her personal and professional tribulations, Jasmin’s book offers a framework for navigating authentic and illusory goals and uncovering your “True North.” She shares strategies for planning, taking action, and (she says irreverently), “getting shit done.” As she relayed in our conversation, becoming an IRONMAN triathlete required diligence, commitment, and consistency – and she translated those lessons for readers who are eyeing big goals.“We often want to rush things, and we’re setting ourselves up for failure,” she said. “Instead of trying to do it all in a day, instead of running a full marathon, look at the reality and take incremental steps.”As Jasmin explained in the pod, we’re all trapped by the limitations of time. None of us has more than 24 hours in each day, so regardless of your goal – whether it’s business or personal – the real resistance is around making space, and saying “no” is your real superpower.<h3 id="the-finish-line">The finish line</h3>Jasmin Guthmann is a champion – and she keeps breaking through with her personal and professional accomplishments. Much like her IRONMAN training, she's always preparing for the next race, and we're lucky to have smart, motivated people like her helping to shape the trajectory of our industry. Regardless of your field or background, If There Is a Will, There Is a Way is a fantastic primer for inspiring bold action toward your dreams. This book is the real deal: it's honest, authentic, and truly written from the heart. Whether you’re considering a new personal goal (like running a marathon) or a big shift in your career, this quick read will give you practical tools, a relatable foundation, and a whole lot of hope that you can get what you want from life.You can run to your local bookseller and order a copy – <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.amazon.com/If-There-Will-Way/dp/1035879395">or buy it here. </a><h3 id="“the-critic’s-corner”-podcast-with-jasmin-guthmann">“The Critic’s Corner” podcast with Jasmin Guthmann</h3> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-there-is-a-will-there-is-a-way-with-jasmin-guthmann/id1801794414?i=1000725953323">Listen to the full episode &gt;</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cms-critic-the-critics-corner-podcast/id1801794414">Subscribe on Apple Podcasts &gt;</a> <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50.07%"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/09/critics-corner-apple-podcast-jasmin-guthmann.jpg" alt="" /></figure> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.61%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/storyblok-joyconf-2025-logo.jpg" /><h4 id="storyblok-joyconf-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Storyblok JoyConf 2025</a></h4>October 14-15, 2025 – Amsterdam, Netherlands November 4, 2025 – New York, NY November 6, 2025 – Los Angeles, CAJoin us at JoyConf 2025, where the future of content meets the people shaping it. Built for developers, marketers, and digital innovators, this free conference goes way beyond product updates or yet another strategy playbook. It’s where you’ll get inspired, get real, and get connected – to ideas, to the community, and to what’s possible when you build joyfully. Whether you're building lightning-fast frontends or launching cross-channel campaigns, this is where content becomes connection and collaboration becomes second nature. Come for the talks. Stay for the community. Leave with joy. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://joyconf.storyblok.com/">Save your spot.</a> <img style="width:28.9%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/sitecore-symposium-2025.jpg" /><h4 id="sitecore-symposium-2025"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Sitecore Symposium 2025</a></h4>November 3-5, 2025 – Orlando, FLAt Sitecore Symposium, you’ll learn how to meet your customers where they are – across channels, moments, and touchpoints that didn’t exist a year ago. You’ll hear how the boldest brands in the world are transforming content into outcomes and creating experiences that are fast, relevant, and human. Join 1,500 marketers, digital leaders, and technologists in Orlando to see what’s possible when personalization scales, AI accelerates creativity, and trust becomes your competitive edge. This is the Third Wave of the Internet. And this is your moment to lead in it. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://symposium.sitecore.com/">Get your tickets today.</a> <img style="width:31.44%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/cms-kickoff-2026-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-kickoff-2026"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">CMS Kickoff 2026</a></h4>January 13-14, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FLMeet industry leaders at our fourth annual CMS Kickoff – the industry's premier global CMS event. Similar to a traditional kickoff, we reflect on recent trends and share stories from the frontlines. Additionally, we will delve into the current happenings and shed light on the future. Prepare for an unparalleled in-person CMS conference experience that will equip you to move things forward. This is an exclusive event – space is limited, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmskickoff26">so secure your tickets today.</a>

‘If There Is a Will, There Is a Way’: Jasmin Guthmann talks MACH, AI, triathlons, and her new book on living your best life

<h4 id="-"> </h4><h4 id="listen-to-the-full-episode-of-“the-critic's-corner”-podcast-&gt;"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://tinyurl.com/bdzj4t2d">Listen to the full episode of “The Critic's Corner” Podcast &gt;</a></h4> <hr /> Last year, a new word was added to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/">Merriam-Webster's</a> Dictionary called enshittification, a slang term used to criticize the degradation in the quality and experience of online platforms and experiences over time. Fun, right?Er… not so much.From a website or e-commerce perspective, enshittification typically manifests as an increase in things like ads, costs, or features, but the definition has been expanded to encompass any state of deterioration – even politics and culture.One might conclude that our world is in a current state of enshittification, but for the purposes of my latest episode of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/asteroids-and-dinosaurs-a-moment-in-time-on-ai/id1801794414?i=1000720435502">“The Critic's Corner” podcast,</a> we'll stick with the decay of modern digital experiences. Something we're all familiar with. On that note: my guest <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellygoetsch/">Kelly Goetsch</a> was enshittified upon, something he wrote about recently on LinkedIn. If you don't know Kelly, he's what you might call an industry luminary, someone who has been shaping and influencing the DX and commerce landscape for quite some time. He's currently the COO at an outfit called <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pipe17.com/">Pipe17,</a> an OSM alternative that's make waves in its category.In our podcast conversation, Kelly shares more about his recent brush with "abysmal" CX during a retail TV purchase, exposing how online experiences have truly degraded in quality over time as the pursuit of profit takes over. He digs into the prevailing winds that brands face and how a lot of discovery and transacting is happening off-platform and off-site – and that's changing commerce pretty substantially.“A lot of e-commerce over the traditional web is very, very broken,” he said. “And generally, it's a lot harder to drive people to your brand.com website.”Maybe this abysmal reality is a sign of the times. Simultaneously, AI is dismantling the SaaS landscape before our very eyes. It's now possible to build apps faster than ever with less developer reliance, and there's a conscious move to consumption-based pricing. All this uncertainty is disrupting the roadmaps for software vendors and enterprises, and it's all accelerating at a breakneck pace. <hr /><h4 style="text-align:center" id="-"> </h4><h4 style="text-align:center" id="“value-is-not-created-by-that-which-is-different,-but-that-which-is-unique.-that's-something-that-took-me-a-while-to-fully-understand,-but-it's-true.-there-are-a-lot-of-legacy-platforms,-or-even-newer-versions,-but-still-fundamentally-legacy-approaches.”">“Value is not created by that which is different, but that which is unique. That's something that took me a while to fully understand, but it's true. There are a lot of legacy platforms, or even newer versions, but still fundamentally legacy approaches.”</h4> <hr /> When I invited Kelly on “The Critic's Corner," I was hoping to catch up on our alignment within the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/the-deep-dish-on-composable-6-tasty-takeaways-from-the-mach-alliances-2025-conference">MACH Alliance.</a> We've been in each other's orbit for several years, and I've watched him drive success at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://cmscritic.com/products/commercetools">commercetools</a> while building a strong community of interest around composable architectures and practices. But our conversation took some intriguing twists and turns. During the episode, Kelly gets real about what’s at stake as consumers seek new and better ways to search and engage with brands – namely, AI-powered answer engines like <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chatgpt.com/">ChatGPT</a>, where simplicity seems the norm (for now). No more combing through blue links or battling search ads to get a straight answer, and we can expect more ads and transactions to move there as well. Of course, this is resulting in a precipitous decline in classic search traffic, which is bad for marketers. He likened all this change to the moment an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.Dark? Sure. But from the ashes rose new life, and he sees the same potential.At the same time, as revolutionary as ChatGPT is, Google isn't going anywhere tomorrow. Websites will continue to be relevant for a while as consumers adapt to this new digital reality. You can catch a two-minute snippet of Kelly's observation about “living in the future” right here: <figure class="media"><div data-oembed-url="https://youtu.be/fcaczDULJ-c"><div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:100%;height:0;padding-bottom:56.2493%"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fcaczDULJ-c" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div></figure> On the content and enterprise software side, we also discuss CMS and its own category challenges. He recently asked in another LinkedIn post if we really need another content management system in an already crowded and mature space. This isn't a problem that's exclusive to our industry, but with hundreds of choices battling it out, it's a common question. I ask Kelly how we navigate this commoditization, where platforms – particularly legacy players – are compositionally the same, and AI is shifting expectations. He's focused beyond the legacy “dinosaur” story and looking for real differentiation.“Value is not created by that which is different, but that which is unique,” he said. “That's something that took me a while to fully understand, but it's true. There are a lot of legacy platforms, or even newer versions, but still fundamentally legacy approaches.”Asteroids… dinosaurs... could this be the end as we know it? Maybe. But as Kelly maintains, this is where the opportunity lies. So things get a little dark, but there's some light at the end of the tunnel. I promise. I have mad respect for Kelly's thinking, and this podcast episode is chock-full of wisdom nuggets. We spend a little time talking about his “origin story,” which colors some of his perspective. That collective experience – and success – might also be why he's firmly grounded despite these seismic changes. So strap in, turn up the volume, and watch the skies for falling objects.<h3 id="listen-to-“the-critic’s-corner”-podcast-with-kelly-goetsch">Listen to “The Critic’s Corner” podcast with Kelly Goetsch</h3> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://tinyurl.com/bdzj4t2d">Listen to the full episode </a>&gt;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://tinyurl.com/bdzj4t2d">Subscribe on Apple Podcasts</a> &gt; <figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:58.49%"><a href="https://tinyurl.com/bdzj4t2d" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/08/critics-corner-apple-podcast-kelly-goetsch.jpg" alt="" /></a></figure> <h3 id="upcoming-events">Upcoming Events</h3> <img style="width:31.83%" src="https://cmscritic.com/ms-content/uploads/2025/01/cms-connect-2025-logo.png" alt="" /><h4 id="cms-connect-25"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">CMS Connect 25</a></h4>August 5-6, 2025 – Montreal, CanadaSee Agility CMS at the second annual summer edition of our signature global conference dedicated to the content management community! CMS Connect will be held again in beautiful Montreal, Canada, and feature a unique blend of masterclasses, insightful talks, interactive discussions, impactful learning sessions, and authentic networking opportunities. Join vendors, agencies, and customers from across our industry as we engage and collaborate around the future of content management – and hear from the top thought leaders at the only vendor-neutral, in-person conference exclusively focused on CMS. Space is limited for this event, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.boye-co.com/conferences/cmsconnect25">so book your seats today.</a>

Asteroids and Dinosaurs: A Moment in Time on AI, Commerce, and CMS with Kelly Goetsch

Can we heal the ‘open sores’ in open source? For WordPress, Karim Marucchi has a prescription

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