It’s an exciting time to be in Customer Success. Learning resources are everywhere, and it’s very easy to find helpful advice, whether you’re a veteran CS leader or a candidate trying to break into the industry. 

Podcasts in particular have seen an explosion of popularity in recent years as CS professionals around the world launch their own shows in order to share their expertise. This makes it a challenge to find quality podcasts that are both engaging and educational. 

We can help with that! 

We asked Marija Skobe-Pilley, host and founder of the Women in Customer Success Podcast, and Carolina Mantzalos, Chief Cheerleader of the Women in Customer Success Network, which episodes/guests made it to their list of favorites. And just to keep things interesting, we also asked them to include favorite episodes from other podcasts (and included some of our own). 

Check out our top choices below! 

1. Practicing emotional intelligence‍

Episode Name: How to Practice Emotional Intelligence
Guest: Ashna Patel / Manager of Customer Success, Ascend Cloud
Podcast:  Women in CS
Episode #: 45

About the guest:

Ashna Patel is an emotional intelligence expert in Customer Success and has been recognized as a Top 25 Customer Success Influencer for 2021. 

Ashna has also co-founded two prominent CS Groups: CS Ladies, a service organization that empowers and supports women in Customer Success, and CS Insider, an online resource for those who want to level up their careers in Customer Success.

In this episode:

• What emotional intelligence really is
• How you can advocate for emotional intelligence in the workplace
• Ashna’s insights on career development
• How managers and employers can be an effective advocate for their employees

2. Becoming an expert on yourself‍

Episode Name: How to Become an Expert on Yourself
Guest: Ronni Gaun / Co-founder, CS Ladies & Innovation Inquirers
Podcast:  Women in CS
Episode #: 36

About the guest:

Ronni Gaun is a well-known influencer in the CS industry and is one of the Top 100 Customer Success Strategists in 2020. 

During the day she works as an Enterprise Customer Success Manager for Zoom. She also acts as the Director for Coaching and Mentoring at Practical CSM, which provides consultancy, training, and certification services for CS professionals. 

In this episode: 

• Ronni’s challenging career journey
• Becoming an expert on yourself
• Building the profile of your ideal employer
• Getting your priorities straight

3. 10 Customer Commandments‍

Episode Name: The 10 Customer Commandments
Guest: Megan Bowen / CCO & COO at Refine Labs
Podcast: Gain Grow Retain
Episode #: 171

About the guest: 

Megan Bowen is the Chief Customer Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Refine Labs, which is a demand accelerator for B2B companies. In her role, Megan builds and leads teams that can scale and succeed. 

In this episode:

• Megan’s process for writing content
• The customer will forgive your mistakes (if you take responsibility)
• The customer will leave at some point (and that’s okay)
• Respect the customer’s power and adapt to their needs

4. Unlocking human potential‍

Episode Name: Unlocking Human Potential
Guest: Daniel Chait / CEO of Greenhouse
Podcast: Humans of SaaS
Episode #: 7

About the guest: 

Daniel Chait is CEO and co-founder of Greenhouse, a leading Talent Acquisition software company that provides the technology, resources and expertise to make every company great at hiring.

In this episode:

• The biggest hiring mistake Daniel ever made
• Diversity and bias in hiring
• Top hiring challenges faced by companies today
• The pros and cons of hiring based on “gut feel”

5. Building your LinkedIn presence‍

Episode Name: How to Build Your Online Presence on LinkedIn
Guest: Diana De Jesus / Customer Success Manager, Catalyst
Podcast:  Women in CS
Episode #: 18

About the guest:

Diana de Jesus has made a huge brand for herself on LinkedIn, and is recognized as one of the Top 100 Customer Success Strategists in 2020. She’s also created The Customer Success Project, which is a resource hub for folks that want to get into CS. 

In this episode: 

• Building your own brand in Customer Success
• Developing your own online audience
• Making yourself a more attractive candidate
• Improving your motivation

6. Return on Relationship (ROR)‍

Episode Name: How to Benefit from a Return on Relationship (ROR)
Guest: Allison Skidmore / Head of Customer Experience and Engagement APJ, SAP
Podcast:  Women in CS
Episode #: 47

About the guest: 

Allison Skidmore is the Head of Customer Experience and Engagement at SAP and has led global distributed teams for most of her career. She has a keen understanding of customer success and is frequently called upon to speak at CS events. 

In this episode:

• Why developing your relationship acumen is the best way to boost your career
• Allison shares her model for tracking your network
• How to identify hidden opportunities for growth
• How you can build your network strategically

7. Setting your team up for success‍

Episode Name: How to Set your Team Up for Success
Guest: Emily Garza / AVP of Customer Success, Fastly
Podcast:  Women in CS
Episode #: 41

About the guest:

Emily Garza is the AVP of Customer Success at Fastly. Her management expertise and industry experience has earned her recognition as one of the Top 100 Customer Success Strategists of 2021. She’s also the founder of ValueCS, an online customer success resource.

In this episode:

• How Emily used Sales and sales enablement as a stepping stone to CS
• Why you should create your own “Brag Sheet”
• How to set CS teams up for success
• Streamlining the recruitment process

8. Customer Success leadership‍

Episode Name: Kristi Faltorusso on CS Leadership
Guest: Kristi Faltorusso / VP of Customer Success at ClientSuccess
Podcast: Customer Uplift
Episode #: 16

About the guest: 

Kristi Faltorusso is an award-winning Customer Success executive who has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Customer Success Influencers of 2021. She founded CS Real Simple, a resource for customer success professionals, and is a founding member of Gain Grow Retain and CS Ladies. 

In this episode:

• Kristi’s “servant leader” leadership style
• Kristi’s biggest leadership successes and failures
• How to balance staff needs and business needs
• CS Templates and frameworks

9. Bath time epiphany‍

Episode Name: Bath Time Epiphany
Guest: Jaimie Buss / Senior VP of Sales at ZenDesk
Podcast: Humans of SaaS
Episode #: 31

About the guest: 

Jaimie Buss is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales at ZenDesk, which is a SaaS customer experience platform. In her role at ZenDesk, Jaimie has led teams of over 250 sales and business development personnel across North America.

In this episode:

• How Sales and CS can collaborate successfully
• Battling the stigma of gender in leadership
• The price of overwork
• How Jaimie leads through authenticity

10. Customer Success and the FBI‍

Episode Name: What CS & Sales Can Learn From the FBI
Guest: Jack Schafer / Senior VP of Sales at ZenDesk
Podcast: Humans of SaaS
Episode #: 23

About the guest: 

Jack Schafer is a former FBI Agent with two decades’ worth of experience in law enforcement. He is also a psychologist, professor, author, and intelligence consultant. He’s conducted counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism operations and has trained agents on human behavior and persuasion. 

In this episode:

• How Sales and CS can uncover the truth in customer conversations
• Using presumptive statements to draw information out
• How using “the best you” helps you build positive relationships quickly
• The Proximity Relationship Index and how it is applied