What if you could unlock executive buy-in—and real alignment—by channeling the breakthrough strategies of world-famous celebrities in your customer experience approach?

In this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, guest Ania Rodriguez flips the script on how CX leaders can influence their C-suite and drive transformative change. By drawing on the archetypes of iconic figures like Oprah, Lady Gaga, Richard Branson, Mark Cuban, and Taylor Swift, Ania reveals how leaders can meaningfully connect with stakeholders, avoid the "hero's trap," and move from mere buy-in to active organizational alignment. The impact? A more dynamic, emotionally intelligent, and business-savvy customer experience program that gets noticed—and gets results.

Listeners should tune in to hear from Ania Rodriguez, an award-winning CX and UX advisor to Fortune 500 companies—and the founder behind both Key Lime Interactive and JourneyTrack. Ania’s hands-on experience helping brands like Google, Cisco, Amazon, Meta, and Disney achieve double-digit growth brings practical, actionable insight for customer experience leaders at every stage.

Here are three big questions Ania answers on this episode:

• What’s the difference between passive buy-in and active alignment—and how do CX leaders get to the latter?

• Which “celebrity archetype” do you need to channel when working with key executives on journey mapping and change management?

• How can AI-powered tools like JourneyTrack help organizations synthesize data, spot emotional inflection points, and make smarter, faster CX decisions?

Don’t miss this episode—it’s packed with memorable analogies, real-world case studies, and Ania’s expert playbook for leading change. Listen and subscribe now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find Delighted Customers on all your favorite podcast platforms!

JourneyTrack is a proud sponsor of The Delighted Customers Podcast

Learn more about how JourneyTrack can help you leverage AI to improve CX.

 

Meet Ania:

Ania is a self-made entrepreneur who has made a name for herself, serving as a CX/UX advisor to Fortune 500 companies around the world for over two decades. Known for her focus on actionable results and quality, 

Ania’s leadership has resulted in double-digit growth for her first company, Key Lime Interactive, over the past decade. The company has emerged to become one of the leading user experience research firms in the United States. Her work as a CX/UX strategist and researcher demonstrated to her the need for a platform that could take her journey mapping vision to the next level. JourneyTrack is the tool that meets that vision.

Ania's LinkedIn Email Ania mentioned: [email protected] Contact Sales form Book a Demo form JourneyTrack website Journey Impact feature Workshops feature Blog post: How to Get Started with Customer Journey Mapping Blog post: Understanding Journey Mapping, Orchestration, and Journey Management Blog post: How a Journey Mapping Workshop can Drive Business Growth

 

 

Are you struggling to cut through organizational resistance and win real buy-in for your customer experience (CX) initiatives?

You’re not alone. Even the most skilled CX professionals and change leaders often face the uphill battle of influencing executives and key stakeholders—especially when budgets are tight and positional authority is limited. That’s exactly why the launch of the new on-demand course, "Becoming a Trusted Guide: Empowering CX Leadership," is so exciting for anyone looking to make meaningful change in their organizations.

Gabe Smith, CCXP, Content Manager and Associate Director at the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), joins me to preview this new course and spotlights CXPA's new learning platform, CXeducation.com—crafted specifically so you can access high-impact learning anytime, from anywhere in the world. I explain how this program goes beyond traditional training: you’ll discover strategies to shift your mindset, frameworks for building stakeholder trust, and practical tools you can apply immediately in your unique business context. Plus, if you’re working toward your CCXP certification, the course qualifies for critical credit hours.

Here are three pressing questions Gabe and I answer in this episode—each one explored through the lens of this innovative course:

• Why is it so challenging to secure real executive support for CX—and what new frameworks in the course will help you overcome this barrier?

• How does on-demand, asynchronous learning transform professional development for busy change leaders worldwide?

• What actionable steps can you take right now to move from being a “CX hero” to a “trusted guide” and win broader organizational alignment?

Ready to transform how you lead change and champion customer experience in your organization? Dive into this episode and unlock details on the new course that could accelerate your CX career. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find Delighted Customers wherever you enjoy podcasts. Be first in line to benefit—this is a game-changer for anyone serious about leading CX transformation!

Meet Gabe Smith

Gabe Smith, CCXP, is the Content Manager and Associate Director for the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA). With five years at the CXPA and previous hands-on CX experience at the American Cancer Society, his mission is to empower professionals to lead with impact. At CXPA, he drives content strategy, knowledge sharing, and global standards like the CCXP certification and on-demand learning through cxeducation.com. His focus is advancing the CX field and helping you sharpen your leadership.

Show Notes & References

• Discover and enroll in the new on-demand course: www.cxeducation.com

• Explore more resources and the global CX community: www.cxpaglobal.org

• Learn more about Mark Slatin and other courses: www.empoweredcx.com

Don’t forget to subscribe and make the Delighted Customers Podcast your weekly CX leadership advantage!

Join us for a special episode featuring Lou Carbone, widely regarded as the father of the experience management movement. As the founder, president, and chief executive, Chief Experience Officer of Experience Engineering, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm dedicated to customer and employee experience management, Lou brings over 30 years of expertise to the discussion. He pioneered the field with his groundbreaking 1994 article "Engineering Customer Experiences," which may have originated the term "customer experience."   Lou is also the author of the book Clued in, How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again and Again and has worked with major companies like Pizza Hut, KFC, Avis, H&R Block, General Motors, IBM, and Taco Bell. He has lectured and taught at leading institutions like Harvard Business School and Cornell School of Business and is currently a Professor of Practice at Michigan State University in the Customer Experience Management Program.   Why listen?   Lou believes the profession is at a crossroads and will challenge conventional thinking about CX, exploring the current state of the profession and offering insights into moving beyond traditional approaches to create truly distinctive value.   He will discuss how organizations can shift their focus from how customers feel about the brand to how they cause them to feel about themselves after interacting with the brand, highlighting the critical role of emotional imprinting in designing memorable experiences that drive value. Tune in as we explore: •What does it mean when we say "customers cannot not have an experience," and how does this fundamental truth shape the approach to experience management? •How can organizations move beyond fixing problems ("fixing broken") to design experiences that leverage emotional imprinting and lead to "distinctive economic value"? •In a world where the definition of CX is fragmented, how can understanding "next practices" rooted in emotion, psychology, and neuroscience help prove the ROI and Return on Strategy of experience management initiatives? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review the Delighted Customers podcast on your favorite platform! Your support helps us bring you more insightful conversations with leaders shaping the future of customer experience.  

Apple Podcasts (US): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-delighted-customers-podcast-with-mark-slatin/id1635863804

Spotify: Search "The Delighted Customers Podcast with Mark Slatin" in the Spotify app or website

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/928496db-78cc-4f1e-ba61-d62a1fa1af06/the-delighted-customers-podcast-with-mark-slatin

radio.net: https://www.radio.net/podcast/delighted-customers-podcast

Official Website & Other Platforms: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast

"It's Not About the Coffee": A Starbucks President's Recipe for Delighting Customers with CX

 

Join us for an insightful conversation with Howard Behar, a pivotal figure in Starbucks' legendary growth. As the President of Starbucks North America and the founding President of Starbucks International for 21 years, Howard participated in the company's expansion from just 28 stores to over 15,000. He also served on the Starbucks board of directors for 12 years before retiring. He's also authored two books on leadership titled "It's not about the Coffee" and "The Magic Cup," book titles that encapsulate his core philosophy.   In this episode, Howard tackles a fundamental challenge faced by rapidly growing businesses: How do you scale operations from a small number of locations to a global empire while preserving the deeply personal customer experience that made you successful? Howard argues that the answer lies not just in the product, but in a relentless focus on people – both employees and customers – understanding that Starbucks was always "in the people business serving coffee, not the coffee business serving people".   Listen in as Howard shares firsthand how this philosophy drove extraordinary growth and answers critical questions, including: •How did the philosophy "we're in the people business serving coffee, not the coffee business serving people" shape Starbucks' approach to customer experience? •How did Starbucks manage its rapid expansion from 28 stores to over 15,000 while maintaining a consistent, personal customer experience? •How did leadership make decisions about investing in initiatives and supporting teams, particularly when facing the challenge of proving the ROI of customer experience?   Discover actionable insights on servant leadership, empowering employees, the power of listening, and taking calculated risks to build a truly people-centric organization that delights customers and achieves remarkable growth.   Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation with Greg Kihlstrom! Listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or find us on your favorite podcast platform   Meet Howard   Howard Behar's extensive career spans over 50 years in consumer-oriented businesses.   He served at Starbucks Coffee for 21 years, retiring after participating in the company's growth from 28 stores to over 15,000 across five continents.   He held pivotal leadership roles as President of Starbucks North America and the founding President of Starbucks International.   Howard also served on the Starbucks board of directors for 12 years before retiring.   He is the author of two books on leadership. Books by Howard Behar:  

• It's not about the Coffee
• The Magic Cup

  Show Notes and References:   Howard Behar has agreed to share his personal mission statement document for inclusion in the show notes.    Connect with Howard Behar (Generously Provided by Howard):   - Cell Phone: 206-972-7776 (Call or Text - he will get back to you)   - Email: [email protected]

What if AI-powered technology could not only solve your customers' problems faster but also anticipate their needs—and why do so many organizations still get it wrong?

On this episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, we unlock the real reasons why companies struggle to implement AI and automation tools effectively, even as consumer expectations for personalization and seamless experiences reach new heights. Greg Kihlstrom, martech and CX expert, demystifies the hype around chatbots and agentic AI, showing us where most companies stumble and what it really takes to reverse-engineer remarkable customer journeys. If you’re wondering why some AI initiatives delight while others fall flat (and what you can do about it), this episode pulls back the curtain.

You should tune in to hear from Greg Kihlstrom, a thought leader at the intersection of marketing, technology, and customer experience, whose podcast network and consulting insights are helping brands evolve—whether you're leading a Fortune 500 organization or an ambitious mid-market player. His deep dive into what’s really working at marketing and CX conferences—and what’s next for both large and small companies—makes this discussion especially valuable for anyone navigating the fast-changing landscape of customer engagement.

Here are three burning questions Greg answers on the show:

• What are the real barriers that have kept companies from leveraging AI (like chatbots and agents) effectively in the customer journey?

• How can AI empower customer service teams to pinpoint root causes and improve experiences—without losing the uniquely human touch?

• For leaders at mid-sized companies, what are practical steps for selecting technology partners and overcoming siloed data challenges as they implement customer-centric AI?

Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation with Greg Kihlstrom! Listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or find us on your favorite podcast platform.

Meet Greg Kihlstrom

Greg Kihlstrom is a best-selling author, speaker, entrepreneur, and host of The Agile Brand Podcast. With 15+ years of experience at the crossroads of marketing, technology, and CX, Greg is the former founder and CEO of a successful digital agency in Washington, D.C., now working as an independent consultant to leading brands and organizations. He is the founder of The Agile Brand Podcast Network, a prolific writer on the evolving roles of martech and organizational change, and a key influencer in bridging the gap between digital transformation and meaningful customer outcomes. Greg is also recognized for his thought leadership on AI innovation, process improvement, and the future of customer experience.

Connect with Greg Kihlstrom on LinkedIn: Greg Kihlstrom LinkedIn

Show Notes & References

• Subscribe to Greg’s newsletter: "AI Isn’t a Goal or a Strategy" on LinkedIn

• Learn more about The Agile Brand Podcast Network: https://www.theagilebrand.com/

• Catch up with the Delighted Customers podcast on your favorite platform for more episodes!

What does it really take for smaller banks and mid-sized businesses to triumph over industry giants while still delivering exceptional customer experiences?

This burning question lies at the heart of the latest episode of the Delighted Customers podcast, where we dig deep into the unique advantages that smaller organizations hold in fostering emotional connections, empowering employees, and personalizing customer interactions—even when their resources pale in comparison to mega-corporations. The impact of this question stretches across industries: if you feel outmanned or outspent by competitors, Tara Brady’s strategies could just be the difference-maker. She reveals exactly how you can leverage your agility and authenticity to delight customers and transform employees into powerful brand advocates.

You should listen to Tara Brady, Chief Experience Officer at Provident Bank, because she has walked the walk—from big banks to credit unions to her current leadership role at a thriving regional institution. Tara brings practical, actionable insights on how to create customer and employee advocacy, how to turn real feedback into process improvements, and why empathy and emotional connectedness are your secret weapons. If you’re navigating the David versus Goliath landscape—whether in banking or beyond—Tara’s perspective will help you see your “smallness” as a superpower.

Here are three compelling questions Tara answers during the show:

• How can banks without massive technology budgets still compete with—and even exceed—the customer experiences offered by mega banks?

• What practical steps can organizations take to bridge employee and customer experience, ensuring both groups are genuinely heard and empowered?

• Why is building emotional connections more than just a “nice to have”—and how does it directly affect loyalty, advocacy, and your bottom line?

Meet Tara Brady

With over 19 years’ experience in Customer Experience (CX), Tara Brady is a successful brand evangelist known for coaching and leading organizations and teams to new heights in delivering exemplary, impactful, and results-focused customer experiences that drive sales and brand loyalty.

Tara believes that today’s consumer market means striving for excellence in customer AND employee experience is mandatory – and no longer optional or ‘nice to haves.’ As a leader, she operates from the premise that happy, empowered employees are the face of the brand for consumers. This is reflected in her holistic approach to CX that integrates employee experience as a foundational element.

Her multiple CX redesigns and transformations stem from working directly with customers and leading teams and users to deliver excellence. Known to surprise teams by showing up and working on-site to serve customers directly, test processes, and gather employee and customer feedback, her hands-on approach is a differentiator. This real- world laboratory shapes the innovations that transform customer and employee experiences.

TARA’S CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE USER EXPERIENCE MANIFESTO: Stellar experiences are built strategically – and require data/analytics, employee input and feedback, thorough understanding of an organization’s goals and vision, KPIs, and a project management approach – including timelines, deliverables, benchmarks, and assessments.

Outstanding CX/UX experience isn’t a matter of being ‘friendly’. Rather, it is ALL about having responsive technology, expertly trained and engaged employees empowered with all they need to serve customers, clearly defined value statements, executive support, defined journey maps, and more! ‘Friendly’ may be a factor in CX success, but it’s not a strategy. CX/UX is not something that’s ‘done’ and then revisited in a few years. Customers change. Products change. Company goals change. Technology changes. And employees change.

This means ongoing assessing, re-evaluating, re-calibrating, re- designing, and training to maintain excellence and the company’s competitive advantage.

Connect with Tara Brady on LinkedIn

Show Notes & References

• Learn more about Provident Bank: provident.bank

• Referenced research: Forrester’s CX Index and Bruce Temkin’s work

• Find JourneyTrack for CX journey management: JourneyTrack.io

Listen and subscribe to the Delighted Customers podcast to unlock Tara’s proven strategies. You can find the show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, as well as all your favorite podcast platforms. Don’t miss these invaluable insights that can elevate your approach no matter the size of your organization!

Join us for a compelling conversation with Bruce Temkin, a true pioneer in the world of customer experience (CX) and the co-founder of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA), the founder of the XM Institute at Qualtrics, and now, head of Humanity at Scale. In this episode, Bruce shares his journey from shaping the foundations of CX to launching a bold new initiative focused on helping leaders drive sustainable success by putting people first.

We dive into Bruce’s unique approach to making “squishy” concepts like customer experience concrete and actionable, including the creation of the Temkin Experience Ratings and the importance of accessible, meaningful data. Bruce offers candid insights on the evolution of CX metrics, the limitations of traditional surveys and NPS, and why emotion is the most powerful driver of loyalty.

Discover how Humanity at Scale expands the conversation beyond CX, challenging leaders to rethink the false tradeoff between business success and human-centric leadership. Whether you’re a CX professional, business leader, or simply passionate about making organizations more people-focused, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and inspiration from one of the industry’s true thought leaders.

Meet Bruce

Bruce Temkin is an Experience Management (XM) visionary and is often referred to as the “Godfather of Customer Experience.” He leads Humanity at Scale and hosts the Humanity at Scale podcast.  He most recently founded the Qualtrics XM Institute, which provides thought leadership and training to help organizations around the world and is also building a global community of XM professionals who are radically changing the human experience. 

Prior to Qualtrics, Bruce led Temkin Group, which provided research, advisory, and training that helped many of the world’s leading brands build customer loyalty by engaging the hearts and minds of their customers, employees, and partners. He is also the co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Customer Experience Professionals Association. Prior to Temkin Group, Bruce spent 12 years with Forrester Research during which time he led the company's B2B, financial services, eBusiness, and customer experience practices and was the most-read analyst for 13 consecutive quarters. Bruce has a mechanical engineering degree from Union College and a master’s in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Fred Reichheld is an expert on customer loyalty and a legend in the world of customer experience management. 

He and his "co-pilot" Rob Markey, created Net Promoter System, arguably one of the most used loyalty metrics in the world.

He shared so many gems in our conversation that I decided to produce this edited version as a sort of "greatest hits" episode.

In this episode:

1. Why did Fred feel a sense of urgency to write his book, "Winning on Purpose"?

   • Fred shares a personal story about receiving a cancer diagnosis, which spurred him to focus on writing the book to correct misconceptions and realign the philosophy behind Net Promoter Score (NPS) and customer experience with genuine customer love and improvement.

2. What is the core message of "Winning on Purpose"?

   • Fred emphasizes that the central message is that customer love and referrals should be at the core of a business’s purpose. Companies need to prioritize customer satisfaction and loyalty over other metrics to achieve true, sustainable success.

3. They key metric that most companies don't measure but should be

   • Fred discusses the importance of tracking and measuring customer referrals to drive business growth.

4. What is the "earned growth" model and why is it important?

   • Fred introduces the concept of "earned growth," which focuses on measuring how much business growth comes from returning customers and referrals. 

 

Ok, this one is a bit different.  

I've been asked many times over for a sampling of The Trusted Guide Roadmap™ Master Class and really couldn't share a nice condensed slice of it...until now.

It was quite by accident.  

I used an AI tool that automated two virtual hosts, I'm calling them Abe (A) and Ivy (I), who took much of the material from a recent asynchronous course and with a press of a button, converted it into an 11-minute podcast episode! 

I thought, 'Wow, this is so interesting...maybe others will think so too."

The episode starts with a personal failure of mine that illustrates why the hero's trap is so easy to fall into and so devastating.  

The hosts capture the essence of the Master Class section on this topic in a fun way.

I hope you find it entertaining and insightful.  

I'd love to hear your feedback!

 

Navigating the Power Core: A Strategic Approach to Customer Experience

Join us as we dive deep into the world of customer experience with Shelly Chandler, a seasoned CX strategist with 25 years of experience across B2B and B2C industries. In this eye-opening episode, Shelly shares her journey from banking to diverse sectors, offering unique perspectives on leading CX transformation from within the product realm.

Discover why aligning with your organization's "Power Core" is crucial for CX success, and learn how to navigate C-suite expectations by connecting CX initiatives to business objectives. Shelly also addresses common pitfalls in the CX profession and provides invaluable advice for practitioners looking to make a lasting impact.

Shelly answers these questions:

• What is considered "product" in different industries, and why is it important?

• How has the role of customer experience within organizations changed in recent years, particularly in relation to the "Power Core"?

• What advice does Shelly give to CX professionals when starting in a new role or trying to drive change?

Whether you're a CX novice or a seasoned professional, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you elevate your CX game and drive meaningful change in your organization. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from one of the industry's most versatile experts!

 

Meet Shelly

Shelly Chandler is a senior customer experience strategist and leader delivering proven results that increase revenue, reduce costs and solidify customer loyalty. In the specialized profession of Customer Experience that that spans all organizational functions, her career as a customer catalyst has helped companies to drive action within organizations that are ready for customer growth.

Shelly especially enjoys transforming blue-sky visions into tangible, executable programs, creating strategic change with others to enhance customer experience. Shelly has worked in many different industries, adding strategic value and broad understanding of the CX profession over the past 25 years. Key verticals include B2B and B2C, Hospitality, Retail, Automotive, Transportation, Manufacturing, SaaS, and Financial Services, with brands such as PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, Moen, Penske, Walmart, Forsta, and American Tire.

Specialized Skills: CX Strategy, Insights Development and Metrics, Customer Journey Mapping/Orchestration, and Experience Design are Shelly’s areas of expertise, along with public speaking, coaching and volunteering.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-chandler-cxleader/ [email protected] 704-995-7939