Schedule a personalized demo with VWO: https://bit.ly/4tXw61JThe Initial: https://the-initial.com/Lucia's Quarterly Impact Calculator: https://the-initial.com/impact-calculatorIn this episode, host Shilpa Bharti sits down with Lucia van den Brink, who has spent over a decade helping teams figure out how to conduct experimentation effectively, not just more frequently.Lucia has worked with teams running anywhere from one test a month to hundreds, helping them improve both velocity and quality. But after years as both an in-house practitioner and agency leader, Lucia realized something critical: You can't rent a data-driven cultureNow, through The Initial, she's focused on helping organizations make the shift from dependency to ownership.In this conversation, Lucia shares why external help has its limits, how to transition teams from guided support to independence, and what it actually takes to sustain experimentation when leadership changes or budgets shift.Lucia shares insights on:✅ Transitioning teams from close guidance to independent ownership ✅ Common concerns leaders raise about owning experimentation in-house ✅ Building systems and habits vs. running isolated tests ✅ How teams can quantify the value of their CRO program with the Quarterly Impact CalculatorChapters:[00:00] A quick sneak peek into the episode [01:57] Shilpa and Lucia kickstart the conversation [05:08] What led Lucia to start The Initial after years as a consultant and agency leader [09:10] Transitioning from closely guiding teams to stepping back [11:23] Common concerns leaders raise when hearing "own experimentation." [13:35] Dependency patterns teams need to unlearn before building in-house capability [15:49] Building an experimentation culture within different teams[19:11] Reactions from the CRO community[21:37] Does in-house ownership change how teams think about metrics and accountability?[23:40] Where advanced experiments fit in and common pitfalls when teams start too big [27:04] What teams should expect tools to handle and where capability takes over [30:00] Does AI add value beyond automation in experimentation?[31:52] One piece of advice for sustaining ownership long-term [35:30] Final thoughts[37:16] Rapid fire round: One thing Lucia would do differently starting in CRO today [38:30] What Lucia's non-industry friends don't understand about her job [39:14] CRO professionals to follow[40:11] Go-to travel destination[40:30] What AI will take over in the next 3 years [41:04] If not CRO, what alternative profession would Lucia have chosen?[41:43] One CRO metric people should stop obsessing over[00:00] Shilpa and Lucia sign off