“Imposter syndrome normally shows up when you're exposing yourself in a way that you haven't exposed yourself before. And what it's telling you is…'Hey, you're uncomfortable, maybe you need to practice a bit more of this’.” 

In episode #803 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare is joined by Executive and Leadership Coach Natalia Cerezo Martin for an honest and empowering conversation about imposter syndrome, emotional intelligence, and building confidence as a CX professional. 

Natalia shares her inspiring journey, from boldly transitioning from events to the cybersecurity industry - a space far outside her comfort zone - to starting her own business. She discusses cultivating her “Shine File” as a tool to combat self-doubt and celebrate her wins. Natalia opens up about the emotional challenges of stepping into unfamiliar territory, the value of embracing vulnerability, and the power of asking the right questions to fuel personal growth. 

Together, Clare and Natalia explore the realities of imposter syndrome and how it can be a powerful catalyst for success—pushing you to grow, learn, and break through limitations. They discuss the importance of psychological safety on fostering success and how community can be a game-changer. Natalia also reflects on how her connection with WiCX gave her the courage to pivot into coaching and entrepreneurship, proving the transformative power of support and shared experiences. 

Packed with relatable stories, actionable tips, and a reminder to trust in your own abilities, this episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to navigate challenges with confidence and step into their full potential. 🎧 Don’t miss it! 

“With all the will in the world, you cannot change the organisational strategy. It's not up to you to decide. Even if you are fortunate enough to be on the board, you are a contributor to a decision that other people will have a say on. So contribute effectively.”

In episode #802 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare is joined by Founder and CEO Olga Potaptseva for a thought-provoking conversation on aligning customer-centricity with organisational strategy to drive impactful change.

Olga shares her expertise on uniting people, processes, and technology under a shared purpose, breaking down silos to empower teams and enhance the customer experience. Together, Clare and Olga delve into the human side of transformation—exploring how empathy can bridge departmental gaps and foster innovation and collaboration.

Reflecting on her own leadership journey, Olga opens up about embracing her strengths, nurturing potential in others, and evolving her approach to driving meaningful change.

Packed with practical insights and heartfelt reflections, this episode is a must-listen for leaders and teams striving to build purpose-driven, harmonious workplaces. Tune in to discover how to transform your approach  🎧

TW: Please note, this incredibly courageous episode contains discussions of abuse and childhood trauma, as such, listener discretion is advised.

If empathy isn’t the answer, what is? 🤔

Joined by Andreena Leeanne, a Lived Experience Speaker and the Author of the poetry book ‘Charred’, in episode #704, she and Clare explore the concept of intersectionality and its importance when creating spaces for others to show up as their full, authentic selves, discuss whether it’s truly possible to empathise with someone whose lived experience is different to that of our own and foreground why “not seeing” race, colour, and gender isn’t enough if we’re to create a kinder, more inclusive world for everyone. ❌

To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today.

“What do you need Women in CX for?” 🤷‍♂️

In episode #703 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, we’re not prancing around…

Joined by Global CX Specialist, Ian Golding, he and Clare discuss the need for support and collaboration in an industry that often leaves us feeling isolated, foreground the importance of recognising our own privilege, and address the scepticism surrounding the need for women’s communities in 2024.

As well as explaining why we can’t wait for the day that Women in CX doesn’t have to exist, Ian shares his thoughts on today’s “highly political and divisive” CX landscape, whether current CX competencies are a rod for our own back, and ponders the question “In its current state, is CX on the road to extinction?”. 🤔

To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

Why is CX failing, and as leaders, what can we do about it? 🤔

With some “cheeky” questions for former CEO of the CXPA, Diane Magers, in episode #702, Clare and Diane debate the metrification of CX and how it’s become synonymous with a score, the mindset, skills and capabilities we need as CX leaders to succeed not just today but in the next generation, and how we can create clear business value in the here and now, ensuring, that like marketing and sales, our jobs are safe.

So, rather than a focus on lagging indicators, NPS and certification, how can we be proactive, collaborate, and adapt to the business problem to meet the customers’ needs and demonstrate the financial impact of the experience too? 💲

To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

What’s Beanboozled got to do with customer experience?

Armed with disposable lab coats and with the warning sign in place, in episode one of our fully reloaded, increasingly audacious new series, Sandra Thompson details all about her “highly sensory” employee experience workshop and how, through a game of bean roulette, she served up a stark reminder to us all about the taste we leave in customers/employees’ mouths.

As well as highlighting the importance of psychological safety and the significant impact that our actions have on others, Sandra shares her thoughts on the current state of CX, her predictions for 2024 and explains why brushing up on our business acumen is key if we’re to influence the agenda.

To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today!

“All complex problems are solvable when you really understand the flow of value to the person being designed for […] it makes the complexity start to fall away quite quickly because you’ve got something to anchor in that is very real.”

In episode #609 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Christine Hemphill, Founder and Managing Director at Open Inclusion, about…

👂 Her experiences working in the mining, shipping, and banking industries and how CX and listening to the customer were woven throughout her career

♿ How her own personal experience gave her a real understanding of the breadth of human diversity and disability

❌ Founding Open Inclusion and setting out to challenge the dichotomy that experiences can either be delightful or accessible – but not both

🔗 The definition of inclusive CX and how different dimensions of our identity profoundly change our experience of disability

👣 The exclusion footprint and the importance of being conscious of our own when making business decisions

🤔 The limitations of current practices and what CX practitioners can do to make insights more accurate to the breadth of customers’ experiences

🧑 Her thoughts on ‘inclusive personas’ and how these are actually in danger of misinforming design

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“All of us are people, and if on a personal level, we don't follow principles or values of health and well-being, it’s very difficult to build a corporate culture of well-being in our companies. So, I believe that personal and organisational are very much related.”

In episode #608 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Marina Bezuglova, the Executive Director of Healthcare, CEE, at Ipsos, about…

📚 How she found her way into the Women in CX community and found help and support in publishing and translating her book

⚕️ Her background in Psychology, holding a PhD in Medicine, and how an interdisciplinary approach allows for the formation of new knowledge and innovative solutions

🤝 Combining her interest in research, medicine and people working in social and market research at GfK, before becoming a top manager and leading the development of customer experience research and continuous improvement

🗯️ Growing from “useful crises” and the importance of being a mindful and empathetic leader, particularly in times of disruption and transformation

❌ The relationship between stress and creativity and how if we neglect our most basic needs, we’re unable to negate mental blockers and develop out-of-the-box solutions

🗣️ The role that both cognitive and emotional empathy play in decision-making and how storytelling can bring the customer/patient’s reality into focus

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“It's true that one of the biggest fears is when you decide that you want to do things differently, you don't want to be in a system where you're stuck to two walls, especially when you become freelance and you say, from now on, I just depend on myself.”

In episode #607 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Sonia Etxebarria, Founder and Strategist at Akuyari, about…

👭 How she made her way into the Women in CX community and went on to found her own customer-centric design agency, Akuyari, collaborating with other members to do so

👩‍💼 Working in Telco and Logistics before making the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship and doing things her own way

💪 The importance of recognising the value that you bring and playing to your strengths to win in business

🗣️ Challenging the negative connotation around ‘selling’ and self-promotion, particularly as women

🎨 Her passion for service and experience design, the importance of research and discovery, and fashioning her own methodology

💬 Why it’s critical to conduct qualitative research to understand feelings and motivations and use quantitative research to validate findings

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“P is the positive emotion, but that's short-lived. What we want is that lasting impact. So, we want to be thinking about other elements of well-being that will help our products and services have that lasting, ongoing impact that means people love using them.”

In episode #606 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Susannah Simmons, The Software Adoption Doctor, about…

👩‍💻 Her career journey so far and how her ability to ‘make the complex simple’ enables her to support software companies “to do a better job”

💭 Working on both the customer and supplier side of software adoption and how this experience informs her approach

🗣️ Challenging her introversion by stepping outside of her comfort zone and having to fight for credibility as a woman despite her expertise

🤔 The difference between experience and well-being and why it’s important that businesses consider customer, user, and employee well-being when implementing technology

🤝 Practical steps that businesses can take to consider user well-being in change management to support ‘commitment, not compliance’ and reduce the threat

🚀 How, through considering user well-being, we’re able to think beyond just the transactional level and create products and services that enrich lives

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“As a woman, I didn't behave, act, or talk like my male counterparts. Oftentimes, I was the note taker, or the one coordinating beverages, but the silver lining… I was in the room, I was hearing the conversations, and she who controls the pen controls the actions.”

In episode #605 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Lauretta Campestre, Associate Vice President, Success Strategy at CallMiner, about…

📞 Her career journey so far, starting out on the frontline at a debt collection agency, quickly realising her skill and desire to help others, and working her way up to Client Success

👩‍💻 Making the move from contact centres to software and tech and how she leaned upon her own resourcefulness and resilience during the transition

📊 Connecting the dots between conversations that happen in the contact centre and how CX professionals can leverage this data to inform their CX strategy

🏫 Dropping out of school, entering the workplace at 17 and how her gender and inexperience shaped peoples’ perception of her

👭 How women are shaping the future of CX and Tech through diverse collaboration and the role that women’s communities play in this

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“I experience the world as a black woman; can a white man fully empathise with that experience? Probably not.”

To what extent are we able to empathise with a person who looks different from ourselves or has a different lived experience from that of our own? 🤔

Well, that’s just one of the discussion points raised in the latest episode of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast!

In episode #604 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Ejieme Eromosele, GM, EMEA at Quiq, about…

📰 Taking calculated risks, discovering Customer Success as a career path, and her role in driving digital transformation at The New York Times

⛔ Her perfectionism and desire to make her parents proud and the debilitating impact of this

🧠 The importance of emotional intelligence and managing your own emotions and activations as a leader

🤖 How advances in technology are actually allowing us more time to ‘be human’ and to connect with one another

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

“I wanted to leave to almost grow. I was part of the furniture… I didn’t like the feeling of being that. I wanted to have the confidence to step out of the shadows… and believe more in myself.”

In episode #801 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare is joined by Chief Operating Officer Katie Costello for a heartfelt discussion on navigating career transitions, facing redundancy, and turning uncertainty into a powerful opportunity for growth. 💪

Katie shares her personal story of stepping out of her comfort zone after leaving her long-term role at Waitrose. She opens up about the emotional highs and lows of job searching, the importance of self-belief, and how she found clarity by taking things one step at a time.

With practical tips on updating your CV, preparing for interviews, and embracing expert support, Katie offers listeners a roadmap for navigating career changes with patience and self-compassion.

Clare and Katie also explore the power of community and connection - how networking and leaning into professional communities can offer not just practical guidance but also emotional support. Katie’s message is clear: be kind to yourself, seek support, and remember your worth.

This episode is packed with insight, inspiration, and actionable advice for anyone facing change in their career. Don't miss it! 🎧

In episode #603 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Samantha Conyers, the Chief Experience Officer at EXCO, about…

🇹🇹 Pioneering CX in the Caribbean and the growth of the industry in recent years

🧰 Her practical approach to CX having led, designed, and implemented experiences from scratch

🗯️ The negative reputation that surrounds the term ‘consultant’ within the region

⚖️ Bootstrapping, burnout, micro-managing in the pursuit of perfection, and the elusive work-life balance

⏩ Implementing AI to ‘shorten the route’ to human connection and empower agents and employees

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #602 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Charlotte Kennett, the Senior Director of Global Customer Experience at SS&C Blue Prism, about…

✨ Embracing your uniqueness and using it to your advantage

🤝 The relationship between CX and Marketing

👩‍💼 The importance of authenticity, especially in leadership roles

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Federating communities and accelerating the time to value

📊 How metrics indicate that the work being done is tangibly improving revenue

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership.

⚡ Season 6 is here ⚡ In episode #601 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Natasha den Dekker, the Lead User Researcher at Santander, about… 🆚 The similarities and differences between CX and UX and the intersections between them both 🪓 The various disciplines User Experience is split into and what those roles look like 🆘 How failure is one of life’s biggest lessons and is vital for our personal development 🗣️ The importance of being an assertive leader and using modal verbs to communicate more efficiently 🤝 Embracing and celebrating our diversity and the unique insight it brings to CX/UX For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #510 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to DeAnna Avis, Founder of Starfish CX and Engagement Lead at Watch This Sp_ce, about…

💼 Her impressive career trajectory from working at Teledyne e2v and leading the CX transformation at Solus ARC (Aviva) to becoming an independent consult

🤝 Her integrative approach to coaching and how this enables her to view the ‘whole’ person

🙋‍♀️ Her experience as a Mexican American immigrant and how this informs her passion for blending CX and DEI to drive positive change

⚠️ The fundamental issues surrounding identify that need to be addressed and how Customer Experience professionals can pave the way for change

✨ Embracing the concept of being an intrapreneur – creating a vision for yourself, and your future, and stepping into it

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #509 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Fiona Blades, the President and Chief Experience Officer at MESH Experience, about…

📱 Participation Marketing and the deep impression this leaves on consumers

🎼 Viewing Brand Experience as an orchestrated score of multiple components that construct the brand in someone’s mind

🔤 Utilising text technology to reverse engineer Brand Experience and tailor investment

📊 How the experiences of today impact the metrics of tomorrow

🔮 The future of CX and how it lies in Share of Experience and agile working

Do you understand which areas of your brand resonate most with customers? If so, do you tailor your investments to this? Let us know in the comments! ⬇️

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

In episode #508 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt talks to Kristin Haynes, the CEO of Senyah Projects, about…

🤝 Her experience with Capability Co and their work on the shift from job titles to innate human capabilities

📃 How the Human Capability Standards are ensuring the workforce of tomorrow is focused on skills such as innovation, creativity, and leadership

🎯 Teaching young people to focus on their core skills to provide direction, rather than feeling pigeonholed by traditional education systems

🗣️ The importance of coaching in leadership and how leaders should embody vulnerability and courage

🔑 The three key levers essential for businesses to succeed and how they can be adapted for the workforce of the future

What are the innate human capabilities that make you effective in your role? Let us know in the comments below! ⬇️

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Lynn Hunsaker, the Chief Customer Officer at ClearAction Continuum, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her route into CX, overcoming shyness and allowing herself the permission to speak, the power of community and networking (getting out what you put in), and the operational and execution silos that exist within our organisations.

Listen in to the full episode as Lynn talks about…

👂 Her route into CX and role as a VoC Manager

🗣️ Finding her voice in typically male-dominated environments

💸 Reducing the need for remedial customer experience investments

🚧 The organisational silos that exist and the role we play as CX professionals in “smoothing” these

💡 Her 4 universal tips for engaging stakeholders and securing “win-win-wins”

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Crystal D’Cunha, President & CEO at The INSIDE View Inc., joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her WiCX journey so far, including coming on board as a Founding Member prior to our official launch and being a part of our early co-design phase, her route into CX, always putting her “team members” first, regardless of her role or title, applying DEI best practices, the similarities and difference between EX and CX Design, the importance of the onboarding experience, igniting leaders first to ensure that they’re properly equipped to lead, and the ROI of EX and EX metrics.

Listen in to the full episode as Crystal talks about…

💭 Challenging her own self-limiting beliefs on her route to becoming a ‘mompreneur’

🔥 Igniting leaders and exciting employees

🎨 The importance of EX Design from the point of interviewing, onboarding and throughout

🚀 Ensuring, as organisations, that we’re “good enough” to secure top talent

🤝 The similarities, differences and overlaps in EX and CX design principals

📊 The ROI of EX and EX metrics to consider

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Melissa Moore, Founder of The Retail Advisor, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about the moment she realised she’d been in CX all along, putting on her “brave pants” and launching her own podcast, ‘The Retail Tea Break’, the disjunct that exists between those in the “ivory tower” and our frontline workers, and how we must engage, empower, and listen to our frontline workers if we wish to ensure long-term success in business.

Listen in to the full episode as Melissa talks about…

👣 Her route into CX and realising she’s put the customer at the heart all along

🛒 Starting out on the shop floor and how this ‘operational grounding’ informs her role today

🚧 The disjunct between the ‘ivory tower’ and those working on the frontline (and how the pandemic accentuated the sense of ‘us versus them’)

💥 Experiencing bullying within the workplace and how she channelled this pain into power

🤝 Why we need more “joined-up” thinking to engage and empower our employees long-term

✍️ The importance of focusing upon qualitative and quantitative research, and service KPIs, as opposed to ‘productivity measures’

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Agnes So, the Head of Customer Support and Engagement at HotDoc, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her route into CX, starting in customer service, her lightbulb moment that subsequently sparked her passion for Customer Experience, feeling like a failure when making the difficult decision to deprioritise her art, before realising ‘art’ within CX through storytelling, problem-solving, and inspiring and engaging others, and her drive and determination to make a real impact within the health tech space in Australia.

Listen in to the full episode as Agnes talks about…

💡 The lightbulb moment that sparked her passion for CX

🎨 Deprioritising her art practice before realising the art and science of CX

💥 How the pandemic created a shift in patient behaviour and accelerated the adoption of digital

📱 HotDoc’s mission to become the “Uber of Healthcare”, creating a seamless, end-to-end experience for the customer

🙋‍♀️ The future of health tech, empowering patients to take control

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Can women really have it all? 🫣

In episode #002 of the WiCX Talk Trends Podcast, sponsored by CallMiner, join Clare Muscutt as she talks to Jill Donahue, Senior Director of Business Strategy & Analytics about:

👩‍💻 Jill's journey to CallMiner and the importance of diverse experiences in career development.

👨 How allyship, especially male allyship, is crucial for advancing gender equality.

💸 The pay gap and the societal expectations that impact women’s career choices and progression.

⚖️ How the pandemic has exacerbated challenges for women, particularly in balancing work and caregiving responsibilities.

⭐ If the 'trad wives' movement reflects a societal shift in how women choose to define their roles.

👭 How mentorship and sponsorship are essential for women's career advancement.

🔮 The future of gender equality and how it relies on changing the system, not just individual behaviour.

On a mission to ensure women are at the centre of important industry conversations, join Clare Muscutt, and inspiring guests as we debate the hottest topics and explore current trends, helping you to stay ahead of the curve of the latest developments shaping customer, employee and women’s experiences.

Interested in being featured on the podcast? Reach out to us at partnerships@womenincx.community.

Alex Acosta, CX Quantitative Analyst at DICK's Sporting Goods, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk not only about her route into CX, having her sight set on consumer insights and her passion for using data to tell stories and influence senior stakeholders, but also a subject much closer to home, overcoming childhood abuse and living with an eating disorder.

With Monday the 10th of October recognised as World Mental Health Day, in this episode Alex shares a powerful message, not just for leaders, but for everyone, and that is “to lead with empathy”, create a culture of openness and honesty that enables employees – people – to show up each day as their full selves and to feel safe in sharing their challenges.

Because we never know what someone else is going through.

So, this week, and every other, be kind.

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Anne Gray, the Managing Director at Solutioneers, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her route into CX, recognising a golden thread of excellence woven throughout all of her roles, the importance of not just good but consistent customer service, her journey to motherhood and infertility struggles, finally allowing herself to be at peace, finding support on her solopreneur journey with someone “just a few steps ahead” and her research into Digital Transformation and measuring a transformation’s success.

Listen in as Anne talks about…

🧵 The ‘golden thread of excellence’ woven throughout her career

💯 The importance of consistently good service in maintaining brand reputation

🧪 Her research in the field of Digital Transformation and measuring a transformation’s success

👶 Her infertility journey and how her life came to a standstill for almost 10 years

✨ Finding your peace and being unafraid to reinvent yourself

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

TW: Discussion of abuse and childhood trauma. Listener discretion is advised.

In episode #414, Clare is joined by CX Design & Career Coach, Amélie Beerens, for what is both a challenging and inspiring conversation.

Suffering from what she believed to be burnout from work, Amélie recalls being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of childhood trauma.

Confiding in one another, Clare and Amélie recall similarities in their experiences of trauma, discuss the enduring impact and share their individual journeys towards healing.

Because our experiences of abuse do not define us.

Listen in as they talk about…

🚩 The symptoms of PTSD and how it manifests

🤝 Seeking professional support to heal

🧠 Recognising trauma and the impact on relationships

💬 The importance of finding safe spaces to talk

💕 Hope, resilience and realising that trauma is not a life sentence

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community

Olga Potaptseva, Founding Director of the European Customer Consultancy, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about how her university studies sparked her interest in customer research, how she came to (somewhat serendipitously!) lead a loyalty development programme at GfK, aligning CX with the business strategy, failing forwards (in life and in CX!), what it means to be a ‘customer-enabled’ organisation and her advice to women in CX about creating the life that you want.

Listen in as she talks about…

🔬 How studying Marketing and Economics sparked her interest in Customer Research

🙋‍♀️ Leading a loyalty development programme at GfK, before rolling out a global methodology

📊 Utilising customer data and insights to deliver business results

✨ The importance of self-belief in crafting the career and the life that you want

🤔 What it means to be a ‘customer-enabled’ organisation

📚 Her library of CX ‘micro-actions’ – things we can implement with virtually no budget

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Ellie Sutton, the Senior Customer Experience Lead at Waitrose & Partners, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about Anthropology as a route into CX, realising that she had a different way of doing things, knitting together customers and operations, being her own advocate in a male-dominated environment and how she used this to her advantage, the importance of brand as a key differentiator, how digital and retail are no longer distinct business units and how we must harness digital to enhance our propositions.

Listen in as Ellie talks about…

🧠 Studying Anthropology – why people think the way that they do – before moving into food retail as a graduate trainee

 🤔 How she approached things differently, listening to customer feedback and “knitting” this together with operations

 🙋‍♀️ Being her own advocate and viewing CX in supermarket retail through a female lens

 🛍️ Post-pandemic shopping habits and the acceleration of digital – using this to enhance propositions

 📈 CX, service and proposition design, cherry-picking experiential elements and integrating these into a mass-market

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

BONUS CONTENT!

In episode #411 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, Clare Muscutt and Digital Experience Strategist, Anna Noakes Schulze take on the Metaverse! 🤖

Listen in as Anna talks about what the Metaverse is, where the term first came from, Gen Alpha as the “gateway drug”, the connection between Web3 and the Metaverse, and the complex terminology surrounding the tech at play (we’re taking it back to basics), and the impact of Web3 and the Metaverse on Customer Experience as a whole – what it means to us as CX professionals and practitioners and what we need to know to stay ahead of the game!

Don’t get left behind! Listen in closely as they…

🤔 Discuss what the Metaverse *actually* is

🗯️ Unpick complex jargon surrounding the technologies at play (5G, blockchain, NFT… 🤯)

🔦 Shed light on the recent “crypto controversies”

👉 Highlight the impact and the implications of the Metaverse on Customer Experience

🧠 And share a number of ways that we can increase our own knowledge and understanding in this space

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community/membership

Chelsea Costelloe, the Chief Excitement Officer at EXCO, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about co-founding the Caribbean’s first all-female-led CX consulting agency, the positive shift in the region as more CX titles are appearing, facing scepticism as a young, female director, gender equality in the Caribbean, experiencing sexist comments in the workplace and how, if ignored, these ‘blurred’ lines can become much more insidious and utilising journey mapping as a tool, as opposed to a goal in itself, to spur action, inspire your teams and avoid the dreaded journey mapping ‘burnout’.

Listen in as Chelsea talks about…

🤝 Co-founding the Caribbean’s first all-female-led CX consulting agency, EXCO

🙋‍♀️ Being a ‘Chief Excitement Officer’ (and what the role entails)

📚 The state of CX in the Caribbean and her personal mission to drive CX awareness and education in the region

🗯️ Gender equality, gender-based violence and experiencing sexist comments in the workplace

🛠️ Journey Mapping as a tool to achieve your goals, not a goal in itself

😩 Journey Mapping “burnout” and how to avoid it

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

Serena Riley, the Vice President of Experience Management at SkySpecs and the Founder and CEO of Joy & Moxie joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about starting out in IT – a typically male-dominated environment – her role as the VP of Experience Management within a start-up and navigating the scale-up phase, building her personal brand, Joy & Moxie, her mission to empower women to design for the future that they want, becoming a role model for her young daughter, removing the barriers that she faced for the future generation of female leaders and leaning into your own power by being who you truly are.

Listen in as Serena talks about…

💻 Starting out in IT before “maxing out” and needing something to reignite her fire

📞 CX and customer support in a tech start-up and the scaling-up phase

👭 Stumbling upon the Women in CX community on LinkedIn and feeling immediately aligned

🙅‍♀️ Being a “people-pleaser” and beating her perfectionism

💪 Becoming a role model for her daughter and being able to help her to get where she wants to go “quicker and easier”

♀️ The differences in the way that we parent owing to gender and the impact that this has

✨ The importance of being yourself and acknowledging that you have the power to design the future that you want

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

Gemma Colby, the Head of Customer Experience at YELL UK, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her route into CX, recognising only in retrospect that she’d been doing it all along, putting theory into practice as she ran a contact centre, her own experiences with great leaders and how these shaped her approach and, in her opinion, the key skills and capabilities necessary to be a successful CX leader driving changes and improvements that impact the business’s bottom line.

Listen in as Gemma talks about...

🔮 Being ‘predestined’ to work in CX, realising only in retrospect that she’d been doing it all along

😊 Starting out in operations and wielding her passion for people to make customers feel special

🙅‍♀️ Combatting her Imposter Syndrome and redefining what success “should” look like

🧠 Adopting a growth mindset and how creating a sense of “interconnectedness” is key to being a great (CX) leader

💬 The importance of trusting ourselves and recognising what “drives and drains us”

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

Naima Mwina Mwawasi, the Founder & Managing Director of Content CX Consulting, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her CX journey – from working on the frontline as an Inflight Manager at Emirates to founding her own CX consultancy – experiencing CX within different countries and cultures and how this sparked her desire to raise the bar in Kenya, being ‘derailed’ by love at a young age and dropping out of school before returning to complete not only her undergraduate but her Master’s degree too and dealing with disapproval as she challenged African society’s rigid gender roles.

Listen in as Naima talks about…

🛫 Her CX career journey, from working on the frontline at Emirates to founding Content CX Consulting

🗺️ How experiencing CX and service delivery within different countries and cultures sparked her desire to raise the bar in Kenya

💍 Being ‘derailed’ by love, consequently dropping out of school and getting married at 21

🙋 How – from humble beginnings and with her parents as her inspiration – she became a financially independent woman “slaying life” and following her dreams

📈 The current state of CX in Kenya and the impact of sudden economic growth, rising customer expectations and technological advancement

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

“The biggest challenge I think the CX industry has got is the fact that it’s become an industry.”

Joined by John Sills, Managing Partner at The Foundation, in episode #709 of the Inspiring Women in CX podcast, we explore the alarming disparity between the booming CX technology market and actual improvements in the experience felt by customers.

Sharing his perspective on the state of CX today, advocating for real immersion into customers’ lives over endless feedback surveys, and emphasising the role of empathy and understanding over technological solutions, listen to the full episode now.

To join the world’s first online community for women in customer experience and technology, visit www.womenincx.community/membership and sign up today.

Thirza Schaap, the Founder of CX Unraveled, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about taking a leap of faith as she left her role in corporate and co-founded her own CX consultancy, talking with a psychologist about juggling motherhood and work – and what this looked like for her – the 7 factors key to achieving sustainable ‘customer-obsessed’ culture, including identifying those onside, those unlikely to be convinced and those sitting on the fence about Customer Experience and its impact upon an organisation and about the importance of empowering frontline staff through the communication of strategy, training and rewards.

Key talking points include…

💪 How Thirza ‘took the plunge’, leaving her corporate role and co-founding CX consultancy, CX Unraveled

⚖️ Discussing “mum-guilt” and what a healthy work-life balance looked like for Thirza

📋 Outlining the 7 factors key to achieving a ‘customer-obsessed’ culture, including the importance of empowering frontline employees and targeting those “in the middle”

🤔 Thirza’s advice on where to start when creating culture change within your own organisation, analysing your current state and identifying areas for improvement.

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

Elena Rozanova, the Head of Customer Relations at Rosbank and Women in CX community member, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about escaping the war in Ukraine and the realities experienced by Ukrainian female refugees.

Elena was in Kharkiv when the war started and spent a week living in bomb shelters with a friend and her daughter before beginning the journey to Poland as a refugee herself.

In this episode, she shares her lived experience and calls on other CX specialists to use their skills to aid crisis efforts and help refugees to settle in new countries.

Listen in as Elena…

👉 Recounts her own experience fleeing Ukraine under the constant threat of bombardment

👉 Shares the contrasts in humanity she experienced as a refugee

👉 Discusses empathy for others in light of her escape, not as a Customer Experience professional, but as a ‘Human Experience’ professional

👉 Puts forward how CX thinking can help in crisis situations, mitigating fear and uncertainty for those affected

👉 Highlights what we can all do to help, from offering accommodation to removing language barriers

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

Stine Ringvig Marsal, the Founder & CEO of Experience Management Consult, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about ‘tripping’ into CX (didn’t we all!), her passion for Service Design, how to ‘do’ CX and make it work *without* having an astronomical budget, combatting the ‘fluffy bullsh*t’ to reclaim credibility as an industry and viewing CX as a ‘support function’ as opposed to a religion or culture.

Bye-bye CX blabber!

Key talking points include…

🧰 How Stine applies her Sociologist’s toolbox to CX

🎢 Her journey to becoming Tivoli Garden’s first-ever Customer Experience Manager

🤝 The importance of ‘fusing’ employee and customer experience in a regulated industry 

💡 How her own life experiences enabled her to ‘step out’ of the mainstream

🙅‍♀️ Why, as practitioners, we must challenge how CX ‘should’ be done 

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

Hayley Pugh, Senior Research Executive at Kantar, UK, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her journey into CX via a Graduate scheme and trialling different rotations, thriving in a sink-or-swim scenario, ‘embracing’ uncertainty, her passion for UX and the pillars necessary for businesses to provide seamless omnichannel experiences – particularly with ever-changing consumer expectations in the digital space! Thank you, Amazon!

Key talking points include discussing…

🎓 Graduate schemes as a route into CX

💥 The boom of digital transformation since the pandemic  

✅ Meeting customer expectations at every touchpoint (and identifying barriers!)

📳 The pillars necessary to deliver seamless omnichannel experiences

🤖 The consequences of cutting corners in tech implementation

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to womenincx.community 

Liz Berks, Co-Founder of 4Sight CX, Saudi Arabia, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about her journey from Market Research and Insights into CX, the ‘energy and drive’ for Citizen Experience in Saudi Arabia, the dangers of an over-reliance on surveys, ethnographic research and the emerging technologies available to us, and the difference between a VoC programme and the ‘true meaning’ of customer voice.

Key talking points include discussing…

🛠️ The development of CX in Saudi Arabia

💬 The use of qualitative insight to drive CX

📳 How mobile ethnography and ‘insight communities’ can help organisations to build a comprehensive picture of who their customers really are

🙅‍♀️ And how to leverage the data available to you to get closer to customers, even when you have zero budget

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to www.womenincx.community 

Jennie Lewis, Strategic Services Lead at Airship, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX podcast to talk about navigating the CX tech space as a woman, finding her niche – understanding not only the technology but the customer perspective too – and dealing with dismissal by finding her voice and ‘partnering up’.

Key talking points include discussing …

🤖 The challenges faced by women in tech

🤝 Driving customer centricity in SaaS companies 

💡 Applying the principles of Design Thinking

🤨 And how to be more customer focused in product-led environments

For more information on joining the world’s first online community for women in Customer Experience, head over to womenincx.community

#womenintech #womenincx #saas

Sarah Sargent, Director of Customer Services at Swan Housing Group, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX Podcast to discuss her own CX journey, beginning in hospitality, how she challenged traditional gender roles and paved her own way to success despite societal expectation and resistance, and how she now draws upon this personal strength and past experience in order to action CX initiatives within the housing and not-for-profit sector.

Additionally, Sarah talks about how the Grenfell Tower tragedy sparked change within the social housing sector, the importance of co-creation and community engagement in centralising the voice of the customer, and also how we can harness data and tech as a tools to deliver value for the customer, employee and business.

Tune in to hear them talk about:

👉 Hospitality as a pathway to CX.

👉 The switch from business to customer measures.

👉 Challenging traditional gender roles.

👉 CX in the housing and not-for-profit sector.

👉 How the Grenfell Tower tragedy sparked change.

👉 The importance of co-creation and community engagement groups.

👉 The challenges presented by data (or lack of!).

👉 Breaking down the stigma surrounding social housing.

👉 Harnessing digital to support customers.

👉 Sarah’s advice for women in CX.

For more information about how you can join the world's first online community for women in customer experience, visit www.womenincx.community

Adi Tobias, Head of Customer Experience Strategy & Operations at Uber, joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX Podcast to discuss her own unpredictable pathway into CX, how she dismissed existing boundaries to carve out her own role, and the importance of CX agility in platform-based businesses. She also examines how, retrospectively, her ADHD diagnosis was a catalyst for where she is now: feeling blessed to have a brain that thinks differently when it comes to CX.

Tune in to hear them discuss:

👉 Blank-sheet-of-paper CX jobs

👉 Hybrid approaches to CX 

👉 CX in platform-based businesses

👉 The power of test-and-learn in CX

👉 Being diagnosed with ADHD

👉 Neurodivergence as a CX superpower

👉 Coping skills for living in a neurotypical world

👉 Building neurodiverse teams

👉 The importance of finding a sponsor

👉 The power of partnering with different thinkers 

👉 Adi’s advice for businesses to create equity and inclusion.

For more information about how you can join the world's first online community for women in customer experience, visit www.womenincx.community!

Gita Samani, Director of Strategy at Astound Commerce joins Clare Muscutt on the Inspiring Women in CX Podcast to discuss Digital Transformation from a CX point of view and how to avoid the pitfalls of making technology led decisions and evolve your tech stack to enhance customer and employee experience. In this episode Clare and Gita talk about their similarities as women in tech, including experiencing the perils of perfectionism that led them to both recently experiencing burnout. Tune in to hear them discuss:

• How Gita got into CX
• The relationship between Business Analysis and CX
• The challenges with digital transformation
• How to stop CX being the outcome of technology choices
• How to make tech drive customer, employee and business value
• The importance of delivering brand through digital touchpoints
• How to avoid technology-led decisions 
• Evolving your tech stack to enhance customer and employee experience 
• Managing burn out 
• The pandemic impact 
• Overwhelm, perfectionism and retesting priorities
• The importance of self care
• The difference between being selfish and setting boundaries
• Gita’s advice for women in CX

To find out more about joining the Women in CX community, visit www.womenincx.community

Sarah Curran-Usher MBE joins Women in CX Founder and podcast host Clare Muscutt to discuss the evolution of retail customer experience from bricks-and-mortar to pure-play online stores over her 20 years working in the fashion industry. From the importance of getting the basics right to the opportunities presented by the latest data and technology advances, this podcast highlights what it takes to 'sell' CX to senior leaders by balancing the emotional and commercial aspects of CX initiatives, and vitally discusses the need for more women at board level who appreciate the balance required to support decisions that value people as much as numbers.

Tune in to hear more about: - The moments that shaped Sarah's career - How she embraced her 'disruptive' nature - Using her different thinking to fuel success as an entrepreneur - The highs and lows of starting, scaling, and selling her own business - Becoming an 'entrepreneur in residence' - The dangers of CX 'gimmicks' - Acquisition vs retention in retail - How to get C-suite onboard - The differences in female leadership - Balancing customer, brand, and commercial priorities - Using behavioural customer data to drive better decisions - Developing your own resilience  - Sarah's advice for women in CX

You can find out how to join the world's first online membership community for women interested in CX by visiting www.womenincx.community

Would you rather?

1. Clean the bathroom 🧽
2. Contact customer service 📞

Joined by Danita Belcher, VP of Sales, Worldwide Contact Center at RingCentral, in episode #001 of the ‘WiCX Talk Trends’ podcast, a new series dedicated to bringing you the latest news and insights from female leaders in CX and technology, we delve into the results of RingCentral’s recent study on customer service experiences, explore the potential upside of AI-enhanced customer service, and foreground some of the challenges associated with integrating AI into customer service operations.🔌

With almost one-fifth of respondents saying they would prefer to deal with a vermin infestation in their home than contact customer service, is it up to AI to save the day? 🤔

Want more? Check out the full survey results here: https://www.ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/can-ai-fix-bad-customer-service/?BMID=CMRCXINMCM

Continuing our mission to amplify the voices of women in CX and technology, sharing diverse perspectives on the latest trends shaping our industry, we’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to be featured on the podcast, please contact us at partnerships@womenincx.community.

Amy Cashman, CEO of Kantar UK's Insights Division, joins Women in CX Founder and podcast host Clare Muscutt to discuss the importance of establishing 'red lines' to create work–life balance, challenging the perception of female senior leadership to set positive examples for women in the workplace, and how brand values impact both the customer and the employee experience.

“Lean into who you are and don’t feel that you have to change to be successful.”

The conversation also delves into…

• The evolution of CX insights

• How brands can amplify or undermine women’s confidence

• The creation of proof-points to deliver on brand promise

• How Amy reached CEO level

• Using CX to create (and to prove) ROI for organisations

• How to create environments within which women thrive

• How evidence of D&I is more important than brand statements

• The importance of authenticity

Visit https://womenincx.community/ for more inspiring content, and to find out how to join the world's first online membership community for women in customer experience.

#womeninbusiness #ceo #customerexperience #research #insights #kantar #womenincx #womenincxpodcast #inspiringwomen #inspiringwomenincx #femalelead #leadership #cx

Have you ever felt excluded? Been interrupted? Or felt shamed?

We have all felt this way at one time or another. But for minorities, this can be a regular occurrence.

Thankfully businesses now recognise the value of diversity and inclusion.

❌ But inclusion isn't an HR policy, D&I training or a hiring initiative. 

❌ It isn’t flying rainbow flags during PRIDE.

✔️ Inclusion is creating a space and culture which enables all employees to feel safe to fully bring themselves to work. 

✔️ To be seen, heard and celebrated for our differences, and valued for who we are.

My awesome guest on the podcast this week, Lara Hussblebee, identifies as a Queer Woman in CX and came on the show to share how she is using Design Thinking and Human Centred Design to help companies understand and empathise with minority groups, on her mission to include the excluded.

This episode reminds us that the most powerful way to include others is to remember the feeling you experienced, at the moment you felt excluded, and connect with it. 

As the most fundamental capability needed to include others is quite simply, Empathy.

The biggest barrier to get over is often language. 

Not feeling awkward talking and avoiding conversations ‘just incase I say the wrong thing’

Lara talked passionately about the positive intent to include others being the most important thing.

We all feel awkward when we are more worried about what to say. So let’s lean into that feeling, start the conversation, feel for one another, ask questions and simply listen

Tune in to hear us geek out on CX Design, and talk about:

🌈 Finding our way into CX

🌈 Design Thinking and Human-Centred Design

🌈 The similarities and difference between design disciplines

🌈 The Future of CX

🌈 Being a proud queer woman in CX

🌈 Usability - serving practical needs

🌈 Empathy - serving emotional needs

🌈 Empathy and Gender

🌈 LGBTQ employee experience

🌈 Rainbow Youth

🌈 Co-creation with minority groups

🌈 Intersectional feminism 

🌈 Including the excluded through HCD

🌈 Using our skills to support charities

🌈 Maxing communities stronger through HCD

🌈 Helping minority groups feel heard, seen and celebrated

🌈 What it means to be a great ally

#LGBTQ #inclusion #humancentreddesign #designthinking #queerwomenincx #customerexperience #employeeexperience #diversity #womenincx #femaleentrepreneurs #inspiringwomen #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #girlboss #howtobeawesomeatcx #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #womenownedbusiness #girlpower #femaleboss #podcast #womenincxpodcast #womenincxcommunity #claremuscutt

“To break the cycle of female rivalry, we have to believe there is more than one seat at the table"

Female rivalry happens when a woman uses her power to keep another woman down, mistreats her, or competes unfairly.

Here are some from my own experience:

🙅🏼‍♀️ Being told by my manager to not share my thoughts and opinions in meetings or with the big boss.

🙅🏼‍♀️ A colleague who took full-credit for my work.

🙅🏼‍♀️ A senior manager took me to a side room to attack me until I was in tears.

🙅🏼‍♀️ Confiding in a peer about about a difficult stakeholder, who then told my boss I was “having trouble building relationships.”

It was great to have my latest guest Sharon Boyd on the show, to talk about our more difficult experiences, but even more awesome to talk how the community of women we find ourselves in now, is completely challenging the stereotype.

Tune in to hear us talk about:

💻 The lack of female role models in corporate

💻 Challenging stereotypes of female competition

💻 How amazing the CX community is

💻 Finding a mentor

💻 The importance of male allies

💻 The Internet of Things (IoT)

💻 CX in Facilities Management (FM)

💻 What it was like taking an MBA

💻 The benefits of coaching

💻 Other ways to invest in yourself

We love being Women in CX!!

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#femalecompetition #moreseatsatthetable #zwomensupportingwomen #womenincx #femaleentrepreneurs #inspiringwomen #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #girlboss #howtobeawesomeatcx #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #womenownedbusiness #girlpower #femaleboss #podcast #womenincxpodcast #womenincxcommunity #claremuscutt

Talking about talking about CX in tech, the importance of communities for women, and the power of women supporting one another to succeed.

'When women support each other, incredible things happen.'

While both men and women benefit from having a network of well-connected peers, women who also have an inner circle of close female contacts are more likely to land executive positions with greater authority and higher pay.

Why? Women trying to rise up into leadership face cultural and systemic hurdles that make it harder for them to advance. 

We overcome the hurdles by forming close connections with others, and learn from the shared experiences of  women who have ‘been there and done that’.

Communities for women are special places that make it easier to meet others, share our challenges and find the support we need to make headway.

That’s why I was thrilled to have Anita Siassios on the show to talk about her experience of building communities for women in Cyber security in Australia and how she is working to include indigenous women too.

Tune in to hear us talk about:  

🤖 How Anita got into CX

🤖 The growing B2C cybersecurity risks 

🤖 Creating communities for women

🤖 Supporting indigenous women in Australia 

🤖 Acknowledging white privilege exists

🤖 The future skills needed by WICX

🤖 Building your CX peripheral vision

Read more and subscribe to our channels:

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#womenincx #femaleentrepreneurs #inspiringwomen #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #girlboss #howtobeawesomeatcx #womenempowerment #womensupportingwomen #womeninbusiness #womenownedbusiness #girlpower #femaleboss #podcast #womenincxpodcast #womenincxcommunity #claremuscutt