"What if every customer and employee walked away feeling like a genius?" How one simple mindset shift turns ordinary moments into 'wow, I love this place' experiences.

CX: Turn coupon redemptions into compliments, make purchases feel like wins, help customers feel confident asking questions. These moments spark repeat visits and word-of-mouth buzz. 

EX: Show teams you trust their judgment without proving you're the smartest. Small language shifts change workplace culture and impact customer experience. 

These aren't fluffy tips—they're actionable strategies that strengthen morale, retention, and your bottom line. 

Perfect for CX leaders, retail managers, and team builders.

Join Maxine for a lively, energetic deep dive into the endless ways "Yes, and..." creates legendary Customer and Employee Experiences.

She cuts through the misconceptions with wit and passion: "I like it and thought I knew how to use it" - sound familiar?

This is FUN listening - no fluff, just Maxine's signature energy sparking your imagination and delivering aha moments you'll actually remember and want to practice.

These tools can't be intellectualized - they must be experienced. Discover the magic that delights customers, keeps them coming back, and empowers employees so they're genuinely glad to work for you.

Ready to experience it yourself?
Join Maxine's invitation-only workshop: "Yes, and..." - What Improv Actually Looks Like in CX and EX
Wednesday, August 6 at 11am PT
Contact details in the episode

Dr Alison Horstmeyer was doing research on anxiety.  Then she came across some work on curiosity.  “Is there a tie between anxiety and curiosity?”  Alison takes us on this ride into our own inquisitiveness.  “The way in which you explore is, is going to, determine how comfortable you are from leaving what you know, and also the degree in which you do that.”  Though she uses terms like uncertainty and fear of it, heard during the depth of the pandemic, terms that became generalized and almost unempathetic. No oversimplification here. Just profound knowledge and help.

Connect with Alison:
Website: www.dralisonh.com
LinkedIn profile: www.linkedin.com/in/dralisonhorstmeyer

As consultants how many of us have been contracted to come in and solve one problem, when the real issue was covered up by an “ambiguous and complex situation.” Justin Zalewski and Studio Science thrive on those challenges and come out victorious every time. Be ready to take notes – and smile a lot.  He covers it all, IT, overburdened, understaffed teams, etc.

In this spirited conversation, Justin Z (and his great voice) humbly share stories where their deep knowledge, agility, and not-quitting-until-they-got-the-right-answer-and-then-solved-it boldness were the most rewarding jobs for them.  Of course, their clients were thrilled too.  Still, when listening to Justin and his enthusiasm and wisdom about the connection between employees and Customer Experience and the executives, you know this man is on a mission to free all organizations from the old hierarchical way of doing things that barely get companies by. 

Connect with Justin:
Personal website: https://justinzalewski.com
Studio Science website: https://studioscience.com
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinzalewski//

If you’re a caregiver or carer who also has a passion that you love, having your own small online business may be your answer.  It’s been a godsend for Trudy Rankin’s Australia, and beyond, community.  AND, if you already have a small business or online biz, then you need to know how quizzes can up your Customer Experience. Trudy teaches her groups how to fill needs and not just assume what you’re offering everybody wants.  And just because she is the quiz queen, her work in helping the people that must be home all day, the angels that care for the people they love,  find even more fulfillment with a side biz that brings joy to those who give and ultimately those that receive. Trudy’s humility and wisdom are worth way more than 30 minutes of your time.  Thanks for listening!

From Caregives to Quizes, there’s Magic in Trudy’s Wisdom

Connect with Trudy:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trudyrankin/ 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMgbnu1oTHtAkEGf7JGCZSQ/ 

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/onlinebusinessliftoff 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/onlinebusinessliftoff/ 

With Clients like DOW, Hagerty, and UKG, Jim Tincher, CCXP, Founder and CEO of Heart of the Customer, LLC, knows How to “Do B2B Better: Drive Growth Through Game-Changing Customer Experience.” That’s also the title of his new book.

Tincher talks about the “Emotional Northstar,” (it’s real), the value of the right survey, and how confidence is the key to maintaining and growing the B2B customer. You’ll be mesmerized by how he tied this all up in our brief time together. 

One of the many tips he shares is for CX leaders and managers to spend a few minutes, (I’m sure more), building their relationship with Finance. Now that’s a collaboration we can all believe in. Through his unique surveying, Tincher can show how building loyalty is just above new prospecting. Face it, we all know Finance is about the “facts, please.” You’ll get plenty of those here.

Website: https://www.HeartoftheCustomer.com

Connect with Jim:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimtincher/

There are thousands of books out there that contain a plethora of ways to make your Customer Service and your Customer and Employee Experience Legendary.  And unfortunately, there are an equal number of manuals and scripts that help the CSR say exactly the right thing when a customer or guest says…. 

Here is where Maxine asks you to suspend your thinking and start teaching the components of improvisation.  She takes her years of training hundreds of teams and leaders and capsulizes it into 5 simple concepts and begs you to take it one step further and give the group the experience of it.  Until a CSR, Manager, or Team can really feel the difference between sincere empathy and rote responses, your CEX will never be Legendary. The beauty of this training is that improvisation changes the person. We call this employee empowerment and development. It’s a win for the customer, for your business, and for the employee.

Connect with Maxine:

• Maxineshapiro.com
• LinkedIn.com/in/maxineshapiro.com

In Part 2 of this rich conversation with Jamie Naughton-Henriod Chief of Staff for Tony Hsieh, ex-CEO of Zappos, we go beyond the walls of Zappos as she tells how hands-on they were when they had to outsource their call center. From tours to the global work environment to the current “power shift” from employer to employee, Jamie shares her experience and wisdom constantly reminding us of Tony Hsieh’s mission – and it’s not about shoes.  Enjoy.

Grab your tablet, pen paper, or crayon as Jamie Naughton-Henriod, Chief of Staff for Tony Hsieh, ex CEO of Zappos,  takes us for a deep dive into the culture and customer service extraordinaire, that organizations still wish they could duplicate.  Jamie was instrumental in creating, establishing, and evangelizing this dynamic culture that made the online retailer one of America’s most recognizable — and beloved — employer brands. And because of the richness of this conversation, I’ve made it into two parts. So be ready to go for a ride through time as Jamie reveals the real mission of Zappos.  I’ll give you a hint – it has everything to do with love for the customer and employee. 

Connect with Jamie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnaughton/ 

Let’s go back to the 1880s and see what life was like for the workers and what was the catalyst for Labor Day.  Maxine highlights a few facts on unionization and just a couple of stats and stories regarding minorities and their voice and influence in our labor movement.

Connect with Maxine:

• Maxineshapiro.com
• LinkedIn.com/in/maxineshapiro.com