Text us your questions and thoughts!

What does it take to leap from vineyards to tech—and thrive? 

In this episode, we sit down with Dimple Athavia, a former winemaker (now, Customer Success Manager at Mimecast) who turned her love of chemistry, nature, and craft into a high-impact career in Customer Success. Her path is curiosity in motion: from studying microbiology and viticulture, to traveling the world for harvests, to building a drinks venture that sparked a deep fascination with digital products, data, and scale.

Dimple shares how she broke into her first CSM role—treating interviews like iterative sprints, translating experience into CS language, and reaching out to a podcast guest for mentoring with a clear, respectful ask. That single outreach led to a new opportunity and a lasting lesson: be specific about what you need, make it easy for mentors to help you, and turn inspiration into action.

We chat about:

• Early love of science leading to a winemaking degree and global harvest work
• Building a CSM career through podcasts, clear outreach and mentorship
• Strategic customer conversations that map goals and influence
• Practical AI use for research, memory support and preparation in CS
• Guidance for emerging leaders on trust, clarity and coaching
  
  

She also shares how AI fits into the modern CSM toolkit—from researching public signals before first calls to surfacing insights and personalizing every touchpoint. For her, data directs attention; real conversations build momentum.

If this conversation sparks an idea for your career or customer strategy, share it with a colleague, hit follow, and leave a quick review to help others discover the show.

💚 This episode is brought to you by Deployflow: https://deployflow.co/

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👉 Follow Dimple: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dimple-a-21a37b150/

👉 Learn more about Deployflow & P-Suite by Deployflow and get a quick squad estimate at: https://deployflow.co/p-suite/

👉 Learn more about Mimecast, a company transforming the way businesses manage and secure human risk: https://www.mimecast.com/

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About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

WE ARE BACK with another Women in Customer Success limited edition episode, where we bring you an exclusive PowerUp Masterclass in partnership with our friends at Gainsight.

In today’s conversation, we’ll explore how Agentic AI is reshaping CS roles and workflows, why it will not replace humans but instead change how we scale, and the practical steps you can take today to prepare your team.

We discuss:

• How AI agents disrupt the old “growth = more headcount” model
• Where AI delivers meaningful value in CS, and where it still falls short
• Practical, low-lift steps to prepare: cleaning your data, setting guardrails, and upskilling your team

You’ll walk away with actionable insights to future-proof your CS strategy and confidently embrace the age of AI and agents.

Featuring

Liam Gilleran, RVP Solutions Consulting & Customer Success, Gainsight

Giorgia Pedenzini, Senior CSM, Gainsight

Marija Skobe-Pilley, Founder, Women In Customer Success

👉 Follow Liam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liamgilleran/

👉 Follow Giorgia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giorgiapedenzini/

👉 Learn more about Gainsight: https://www.gainsight.com/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

We’re excited to welcome Linda Lipovetsky, Senior Principal Customer Advocacy Manager at Unqork, whose career journey demonstrates that landing your dream role is less about polished résumés and more about delivering value, embracing radical transparency, and showing up where it counts. 

From a pandemic hackathon with her 10-year-old son to a gutsy LinkedIn pitch that opened the door to Unqork, Linda’s story is a masterclass in building opportunity through courage and creativity.

As she shares, her “operating system” is radical transparency—oversharing by design (within confidentiality) to break down silos, speed decisions, and help customers plan with the truth. No euphemisms, no carefully massaged answers—just candor that builds trust and accelerates outcomes.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to network into companies by creating a visible impact 
• Self-advocacy strategies that feel natural
• Why traditional metrics like NPS and CSAT fall short (and which signals truly predict renewal and customer trust)
• How CS and Advocacy can claim a bigger seat at the table
• The realities of remote work, energy management, and why staying close to technology gives you long-term career lift

Ready to rethink how you advocate for yourself, your customers, and your career? This episode is packed with practical strategies you can start applying today—so tune in and enjoy!

💚 This episode is brought to you by Deployflow: https://deployflow.co/

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👉 Follow Linda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindahakimlipovetsky/

👉 Learn more about Deployflow & P-Suite by Deployflow and get a quick squad estimate at: https://deployflow.co/p-suite/

👉 Learn more about Unqork, an enterprise application platform that empowers you to rapidly build applications, eliminate technical debt, and securely unlock AI across the business—without a single line of code: https://unqork.com/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

We’re excited to welcome Kelley Turner, whose journey from financial controller to SVP, Global Customer Success at Vitally, defies the traditional career ladder. As she reveals, "My career looked like a squiggle until it all made sense," suggesting that non-linear paths often lead to the richest skill combinations in customer success.

Drawing from her finance background, Kelley shares how understanding the business mechanics—tracing a dollar from lead acquisition through revenue recognition—equips CSMs with the authority needed to advocate effectively for customers. This financial fluency transforms both customer conversations and internal business cases.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Understanding business financials and how money flows through an organization ( & how it empowers CSMs to speak with more authority to customers)

• Building "bridges" by helping customers navigate overwhelming amounts of information by providing guided pathways to success

• AI adoption and why it requires both "pull" (making it fun and approachable) and "push" (leadership expectations and modeling)

• Why diverse backgrounds in CS teams create complementary skill sets that better serve customers

Ready to transform your approach to customer success? This episode is *the* place to start! 

So tune in and enjoy!

💚 This episode is brought to you by Deployflow: https://deployflow.co/

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👉 Follow Kelley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelleyturner/

👉 Learn more about Deployflow & P-Suite by Deployflow and get a quick squad estimate at: https://deployflow.co/p-suite/

👉 Learn more about Vitally, a Customer Success Platform that helps B2B Customer Success teams better understand their customers, manage their processes, and inform business strategies: http://vitally.io

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

What makes a truly exceptional customer success leader?

In this conversation with Cynthia Taylor, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience at Culture Amp, we explore how strategic branding, international perspective, and a shoulder-to-shoulder leadership style can transform customer success teams.

Cynthia’s journey spans continents and industries, from high school business competitions to leading global teams. Growing up professionally in Australia, she was shaped by tall poppy syndrome - a cultural belief that collective achievement matters more than individual spotlight. It’s a philosophy that mirrors customer success itself, where cross-functional collaboration drives outcomes.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How cultural values shape collaborative leadership.
• Creative ways to use branding, themes, and even Slack emojis to align and inspire teams.
• The evolution of customer success leadership, from being liked to driving outcomes, to building lasting connections.
• Using yearly themes and taglines to rally teams around clear objectives.
• The impact of creating memorable moments like “The Three Amigos” to strengthen cross-departmental relationships.
  
  

These small but mighty “breadcrumbs,” as Cynthia calls them, leave lasting markers of organizational effectiveness. For her, true success means creating teams where people feel they’ve done the best work of their careers - together.

Whether you’re new to customer success or leading at scale, this episode offers fresh CS strategies and leadership lessons that will inspire you. Tune in!

💚 This episode is brought to you by Hook: https://hook.co/

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👉 Follow  Cynthia Taylor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthiataylor20/

👉 Learn more about Hook & grow your revenue on autopilot: https://hook.co/

👉 Learn more about Culture Amp, the world’s leading employee experience platform, revolutionizing how 25 million employees across more than 7,500 companies create a better world of work: https://www.cultureamp.com/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

Leadership doesn't require a title but emerges when you inspire others, lead by example, and deliver value. We’re excited to welcome Stephanie Robinson, Global Account Management Leader at Maze, to the show. In this inspiring conversation, she shares insights from her career journey from Toronto to Amsterdam, highlighting how remote work, cultural awareness, and mentorship shaped her success.

Her fascinating journey from a small Toronto startup to managing global enterprise accounts across Europe showcases a powerful career strategy: the 50/50 rule. Every career move should offer 50% mastery (what you already excel at) and 50% challenge (what stretches you to grow). This balanced approach prevents both stagnation and burnout, while keeping you engaged and fostering professional development.

Having worked remotely long before the pandemic at companies like InVision, Stephanie also shares crucial insights into creating effective personal systems.

We discuss:

• The importance of leading by example and being self-sufficient
• Cultural differences in work styles between North America and Europe 
• Why being adaptable and understanding diverse team dynamics is essential for any leader
• Why women should confidently negotiate compensation and know their market value
• How maintaining relationships with mentors provides crucial support throughout your career
• How to quantify your achievements to better articulate your value during negotiations

From leadership guidance to negotiation tactics to CS tips and tricks, this episode will provide you with insights, direction, and support no matter where you are in your career. Enjoy!

💚 This episode is brought to you by Deployflow: https://deployflow.co/

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👉 Follow Stephanie Robinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjmrobinson/

👉 Learn more about Deployflow & P-Suite by Deployflow and get a quick squad estimate at: https://deployflow.co/p-suite/

👉 Learn more about Maze, the user research platform that makes products work for people: https://maze.co/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

In this episode of the Women in Customer Success Podcast, we sit down with Liz Starling, Head of Customer Success at Anthropic, to explore her fascinating career journey from environmental scientist to business consultant to customer success powerhouse. 

Liz is a seasoned customer success leader with a unique career path and a strong vision for what great customer engagement looks like. From the importance of aligning with the buyer early on to the nuances of presenting and reinforcing customer value, Liz delivers an actionable and passionate masterclass that every CS professional can learn from.

She shares insights on the importance of delivering value to customers and the impact of relationship-building skills. She also offers practical advice on career advancement, lessons every woman should learn, and the role of seeking new challenges in personal growth. 

We discuss:

• Career crossroads & seeking new challenges
• Transitioning from Environmental Scientist to Consultant to CS Leader
• The importance of delivering customer value
• How to create opportunities for career advancement
• Tips for aligning pre-sales and post-sales efforts

You'll also enjoy a fun, rapid-fire round where we get to know Liz on a more personal level. This episode is such a treat. So sit back and enjoy!

💚 This episode is brought to you by Hook: https://hook.co/

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👉 Follow Liz Starling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-starling/

👉 Learn more about Hook & grow your revenue on autopilot: https://hook.co/

👉 Learn more about Anthropic, an AI safety and research company working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems: https://www.anthropic.com/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

We sit down with Lara Barnes, Chief Customer Officer at Crownpeak and a champion of authentic leadership, to unpack the true meaning of goal setting, resilience, and growing your career with purpose.

With over 25 years of experience in high-growth, customer-centric tech companies, Lara has led global Customer Success teams at Microsoft, Facebook, Oracle, and Sitecore. She shares her rise from senior director to SVP to CCO, offering insight into the unique challenges women face in corporate settings and the critical roles of perception, sponsorship, and values in career advancement.

Lara opens up about navigating corporate politics, embracing vulnerability, and becoming a people-first leader grounded in heart, clarity, and courage. She reveals the mindset shifts that helped her succeed while staying true to herself, and how goal setting became a powerful catalyst for transformation.

We also explore her personal mission-turned-passion project in functional neurology, inspired by her journey to help her son overcome learning and behavioral challenges. What began as a search for answers has evolved into a purpose-driven venture, now helping hundreds of families thrive.

You’ll discover:

• How showing up as your authentic self builds trust and impact
• What functional neurology is and how Lara helps bring a sparkle of hope to parents and children
• The value framework, and how will it change the way CSMs are operating
• How to develop your leadership style and lead with heart 
• Playbook to building your path to leadership (& the golden trio: Evidence, Perception and Sponsorship)

Don't miss this enlightening conversation!

💚 This episode is brought to you by Deployflow: https://deployflow.co/

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👉 Follow Lara: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larakelly/

👉 Learn more about Deployflow & P-Suite by Deployflow and get a quick squad estimate at: https://deployflow.co/p-suite/

👉 Learn more about Crownpeak: https://www.crownpeak.com/

👉 Learn more about Lara's work with children with neurological disorders: https://www.braindevelopment.co.uk/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

How do you pivot from fashion to a leadership role in Customer Success with no SaaS experience?

We kick off Season 5 with Melissa Garcia, Senior Director of Member Success at Chief.

Melissa joins us to share her unconventional journey from a career in fashion merchandising to becoming a leader in Customer Success. She opens up about what it really takes to break into SaaS, how she built confidence in a completely new industry, and why leading with empathy is her greatest superpower.

We explore how mentors shaped her path, the lessons she learned navigating change, and her bold takes on modern CS practices, from ditching outdated QBRs to delivering “value you can’t Google.”

You’ll discover:

• How to pivot into Customer Success without a SaaS background
• Why “value you can’t Google” is key to becoming indispensable
• Ways to own your voice in customer conversations (even when facing imposter syndrome)
• Why traditional check-ins often fail (and what to do instead)
• The transformative power of small steps, and the growing impact of women in CS leadership

If you're looking to break into CS, grow your leadership skills, or lead more human-centered conversations, this episode is a treasure trove packed with practical insights and heartfelt wisdom.

💚 This episode is brought to you by Hook: https://hook.co/

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👉 Follow Melissa Garcia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-garcia-nyc/

👉 Learn more about Hook & grow your revenue on autopilot: https://hook.co/

👉 Learn more about Chief, the private network executive women rely on to raise their leadership game: https://chief.com/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm

Text us your questions and thoughts!

Welcome to another Women in Customer Success limited edition episode, where we bring you an exclusive PowerUp Masterclass in partnership with our friends at Gainsight. In today’s conversation, we tackle AI's biggest myths, explore practical use cases, and discuss how leading CS teams are already leveraging AI to mitigate risk, personalize at scale, and drive revenue growth.

You’ll hear lots of practical examples of the daily use of AI in customer success. Buckle up and tune in.

Featuring

Eduardo Amorim, VP of Customer Success, Sendcloud

Kate Neal, Senior Director of Customer Success, Gainsight

Marija Skobe-Pilley, Founder of Women In CS

👉 Follow Eduardo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardo-a-b4468459/

👉 Follow Kate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katemneal/

👉 Learn more about Gainsight: https://www.gainsight.com/

__________________________________________________
About Women in Customer Success Podcast:

Women in Customer Success Podcast is the first women-only podcast for Customer Success professionals, where remarkable ladies of Customer Success connect, inspire and champion each other.

Follow:

Women in Customer Success

• Website - https://www.womenincs.co/podcast
• LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/womenincs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenincs.co/

Host Marija Skobe-Pilley

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mspilley/

Check out our Courses:

• The Revenue CSM - https://womenincs.co/the-revenue-csm