Creating Superfans

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when plenty of people in Nashville didn’t think Taylor Swift would make it.

In this episode, Brittany welcomes back Washington Post pop culture reporter Emily Yahr to talk about her new book, Taylor Swift: The Debut Years, an extensively reported look at the early years that laid the foundation for Taylor’s extraordinary career.

After interviewing more than 100 people who knew and worked with Taylor during that era, Emily uncovered stories about the skepticism Taylor faced, the risks that helped launch her career, and the remarkable attention she paid to building genuine relationships with fans from the very beginning.

Brittany and Emily also explore how Taylor connected with an audience the country music industry had largely overlooked, why her deeply personal songwriting resonated far beyond teenage listeners, and the small, memorable moments that helped turn early supporters into lifelong superfans. Along the way, they uncover lessons that extend far beyond the music industry—from understanding audiences others overlook to creating emotional connections, making people feel seen, and recognizing that the smallest touchpoints can leave the biggest impressions.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why so many people in Nashville doubted Taylor Swift early in her career
• How Taylor helped country music reach an entirely new generation of fans
• The role personal connection played in building her fan base long before superstardom
• Why “shake a million hands, make a million fans” became an early guiding philosophy
• What Taylor’s early approach to fandom can teach brands about customer experience and loyalty
• What Emily learned from interviewing more than 100 people for Taylor Swift: The Debut Years
• How Taylor made fans—and people across the music industry—feel seen and remembered

Learn more about Taylor Swift: The Debut Years here, or grab a copy wherever you get books!

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

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How hard are your customers working just to do business with you?

In this solo episode, Brittany introduces the ACHE framework, a simple way to spot unnecessary friction in your customer experience. Where are customers having to Ask, Chase, Hesitate, or Explain again? Each one is a clue that something could be easier, clearer, or better designed.

And these friction points don’t just create frustration for customers—they create more work for your team, too.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to use the ACHE framework to uncover hidden friction
• Why repeated questions can signal an experience design problem
• How proactive communication keeps customers from chasing you for answers
• Why hesitation is one of the most invisible forms of customer friction
• The two questions leaders should ask their customer-facing teams during Customer Service Week
• Why the people closest to your customers are often closest to your biggest opportunities

Whether you have a dedicated customer service team or you are the customer service team, Brittany’s challenge is simple: find one ACHE in your customer experience and fix it.

Because sometimes the best customer service is the service your customer never has to ask for.

Catch up on the SUPER AMAZING Show here.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
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Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

In this episode, Brittany shares personal stories to explain the invisible “trust deficit” that prospects and customers bring into relationships and five lessons for overcoming it.

01:46 Stage Style Anxiety

03:49 Stylist Sticker Shock

04:29 Mean DM Wake Up Call

05:27 Finding Glamhive Match

06:29 Trust Deficit Explained

08:03 Make The First Yes Smaller

09:18 Make The Invisible Visible

10:37 Ask About Baggage

11:22 Teach, Don't Tell

13:51 Rewrite Expectations

14:59 Five Takeaways Recap

16:27 Transformation 

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

What does it take to build a brand people don’t just buy from—but genuinely want to be part of?

In this episode, Brittany sits down with Jesse McKinney, co-founder and CEO of Red Aspen, to talk about the mission, culture, and community behind the fast-growing beauty brand. Jesse and her co-founders, Jeannie Reese and Amanda Moore, started Red Aspen in 2017 with a mission to inspire women to stand up, stand out, and stand together—before they even knew what product they would sell.

They explore Red Aspen’s journey from launching with just a handful of false lashes to building a nine-figure beauty brand with thousands of passionate brand ambassadors. Jesse shares what it took to navigate explosive growth, challenge conventions in the direct-selling industry, and scale the company without losing the playfulness and personality that made people fall in love with it in the first place.

They also dig into why showing up consistently is one of the simplest ways to build loyalty, why progress matters more than perfection, and how Red Aspen intentionally brings its core values to life across everything from packaging and language to events and technology.

You’ll learn:

• Why Red Aspen started with a mission before it had a product
• What Jesse’s “200% committed” rule can teach entrepreneurs and leaders
• How Red Aspen turned its brand ambassadors into passionate superfans
• Why “playful” is one of Red Aspen’s core values—and how the company brings it to life
• What explosive growth taught Jesse about scaling a company and its culture
• Why Jesse believes people show up for you when you show up for them
• How progress over perfection can create a culture of trust and authenticity
• Why challenging industry conventions has helped Red Aspen continue to innovate
• What technology and AI can amplify—but never replace—when it comes to human connection

Learn more about Red Aspen here

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

How do you evolve a 40-year-old brand without losing what made people love it in the first place?

In this episode, Brittany sits down with Jeff Hetsel, President and Chief Operating Officer of Cicis Pizza, to talk about the people, principles, and decisions driving the iconic brand forward. Jeff has spent 34 years with Cicis, working his way through nearly every level of the organization and developing a perspective that spans both the corporate office and the restaurant floor.

They explore how Cicis has remained true to its core identity while continuing to evolve, from expanding its game rooms and launching a loyalty program to embracing technology as a way to eliminate friction and help employees better serve guests.

They also dig into what value really means beyond price, why Jeff sees franchising as an opportunity to change lives at scale, and how Cicis continues to invest in the people who bring the brand to life every day.

Whether you’re leading a legacy brand, managing a growing team, or thinking about how to evolve your customer experience, this conversation is a reminder that growth and innovation work best when you stay close to the people you serve.

You’ll learn:

• Why Jeff believes “the answers are all outside of this building”
• How staying close to frontline employees can make you a better leader
• How Cicis Pizza thinks about value beyond price
• Why evolving a legacy brand doesn’t mean abandoning what made it successful
• How Cicis uses technology to eliminate friction—not replace people
• Why Jeff sees franchising as a way to change lives at scale
• How Cicis is using loyalty to build stronger relationships with its guests
• Why the people closest to your customers can uncover opportunities you’ll never find in a boardroom
• Why great people remain the foundation of a great customer experience

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

It’s hard to think of another person who belonged to so many people quite like Dolly Parton.

In this special episode of Creating Superfans, Brittany reflects on Dolly’s extraordinary life and legacy, sharing personal stories from the times she was lucky enough to work with her and exploring why generations of people felt such a deep, personal connection to her.

Using the SUPER Model from Creating Superfans as a lens, Brittany breaks down some of the qualities that made Dolly truly one of a kind: her unwavering authenticity, her remarkable empathy, her ability to make every person feel seen and special, her commitment to exceeding expectations, and the consistency with which she showed up for her fans and her craft.

More than a celebration of an unparalleled career, this episode is a look at what happens when someone uses their platform to make other people feel like they matter. Dolly didn’t just build a fanbase—she created a sense of belonging that crossed generations, communities, and cultures.

It’s a tribute to an icon, a humanitarian, and a masterclass in what it means to leave people—and the world—better than you found them.

If you’re interested in Brittany’s leadership training video, “What Would Dolly Do?, make sure you’re subscribed to her newsletter.

Make a donation to the Imagination Library

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

Luxury isn’t about spending more. It’s about noticing more.

In this episode, Brittany sits down with Neen James, leadership strategist, keynote speaker, and author of Exceptional Experiences, to rethink what “luxury” really means—and why any business, at any price point, can make customers feel seen, heard, and valued.

Neen shares why she believes luxury is about moments, not money, and how the smallest details can often create the biggest impact. She walks us through her Experience Elevation Model and its five luxury levers, designed to help brands capture attention, create connection, and ultimately turn customers into advocates.

They also explore the importance of systemized thoughtfulness: creating repeatable systems that empower every team member to deliver an elevated experience, rather than leaving those moments to chance.

Whether you’re running a five-person business or leading a team of 50,000, this conversation is a reminder that you don’t need a luxury budget to create an experience that feels luxurious. You just need to pay attention to the moments that matter.

You’ll learn:

• Why luxury is a mindset, not a price point
• How to make customers feel seen, heard, and valued
• Low cost, high impact examples from hotels, real estate professionals, and more
• How to systemize thoughtfulness across an organization
• Neen’s five-part Experience Elevation Model
• Why consistency matters across every customer touchpoint
• The power of turning ordinary interactions into “champagne moments”
• How exceptional experiences turn customers into advocates—and superfans

Listen to the conversation with Joey Coleman. 

Learn more about Neen James on her website.

Buy her book “Exceptional Experiences” on Amazon.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

What if your customers are telling you exactly how to improve your business... and you've never heard a word of it?

In this episode of Creating Superfans, Brittany sits down with Kevin Farley, Chief Customer Officer at InStore AI, a company that helps convenience store retailers understand what customers and employees are really saying during in-store conversations. By using AI to analyze millions of real-world interactions at the point of sale, InStore AI uncovers insights that help retailers improve customer experience, coach employees, and make smarter business decisions.

Together, they explore why the most valuable customer feedback often isn't found in surveys, how AI can reveal hidden opportunities inside everyday conversations, and why the future of customer experience isn't about removing human interaction—it's about making it more meaningful.

You'll learn:

• Why neutral customer interactions are more dangerous than many leaders realize
• How AI is uncovering customer insights that traditional surveys never could
• Why employee friction is often the hidden cause of customer friction
• How leading retailers are using conversation data to coach—not police—their frontline teams
• Why the best customer experience strategies still depend on human connection
• How retailers can identify unmet customer needs before they show up in sales reports
• Why listening at the point of purchase can transform merchandising, operations, and employee engagement
• Kevin's prediction for how AI will reshape retail over the next five years

Learn more about InStore AI here.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

What if the reason your customer experience strategy isn't working... is simply because nobody can remember it?

The best processes in the world don't matter if your team can't recall them when a customer is standing right in front of them.

In this episode, I'm diving into one of my favorite (and most overlooked) tools for creating consistent customer experiences: mnemonic devices. From "righty tighty, lefty loosey" to Starbucks' LATTE service recovery model, I'll share why simple frameworks stick—and how the world's best brands use them to help employees make better decisions under pressure.

Then I'll walk you through my own five-step STICK framework so you can create memorable, actionable systems tailored to your business. Whether you're training new employees, improving service recovery, or looking for a way to make your customer experience more consistent, this episode will help you build processes your team will actually remember—and use.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why most customer experience frameworks fail (even when they're good)
• How mnemonic devices make training more memorable and repeatable
• Real examples from brands like Starbucks, Apple, Marriott, and McDonald's
• My five-step STICK framework for creating your own memorable customer experience systems
• How to turn complicated processes into simple habits your team can execute with confidence

Because if it doesn't stick... it doesn't scale.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon

What does it take to create an experience that makes kids beg to come back—and turns parents into superfans?

In this episode of Creating Superfans, I sit down with Ed Kim, Vice President of Education & Training at Code Ninjas, a brand my family knows well. As a self-proclaimed Code Ninjas superfan, I ask Ed how the company has built an experience that inspires such passionate loyalty from kids and parents alike. Together, we discuss the challenges of delivering a consistent experience across a global franchise network, the role curiosity plays in learning, and how Code Ninjas is preparing students to thrive in a rapidly changing technological world.

You'll learn:

• Why experience design is just as important in education as it is in business
• How Code Ninjas creates a space where kids feel ownership, independence, and belonging
• The role curiosity plays in developing lifelong learners
• Why adaptability may be the most important skill kids need for the future
• How parents can think about AI, technology, and online safety without fear
• What today's kids can teach us about customer experience and innovation
• How Code Ninjas inspires students to become creators, not just consumers, of technology
• Ed's vision for the future and the impact he hopes today's students will have on the world

Learn more about Code Ninjas here.

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About Brittany 

Brittany Hodak is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, and customer experience speaker who helps businesses turn customers into superfans. She’s delivered keynotes to hundreds of organizations around the world, including American Express, Benihana, and Keller Williams. Her trademark SUPER Model™ framework has empowered teams in every industry to transform customer apathy into advocacy. 

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, leave a rating and review, and share this episode with someone who wants to create more superfans.

Subscribe to Brittany's biweekly newsletter
Follow Brittany on LinkedIn and Instagram
Grab a copy of Creating Superfans on Amazon