Customer Success doesn’t need a rebrand—it needs clarity.

In this episode, Alyssa Nolte talks with Katie Yagodnik about the credibility gap facing CS teams and how to fix it from the inside out. They unpack the disconnect between CS’s actual impact and how it’s perceived across the business, then get tactical about how to prove value without sacrificing trust.

We cover:

Why CS has a branding problem (and how that’s hurting internal influence)

The difference between CSQOs and CSQLs, and how to start tracking them today

How to build the same trusted relationships internally that you do with your customers

Why great CS leaders think like RevOps, not just account managers

If you're tired of CS being seen as “just support,” this episode will help you reframe the conversation.

Guest: Katie Yagodnik

Host: Alyssa Nolte

Customer journey maps can be a powerful tool, but only if they reflect reality... not just your internal strategy. In this episode, Emily Garza joins Alyssa to unpack the risks of assuming your neatly mapped journey matches what customers actually experience. Drawing from years of experience in CX strategy and post-sale growth, Emily explains why listening beats labeling, and why real retention starts with real relevance.

Together, they explore what it takes to build a living, breathing customer experience strategy that adapts, evolves, and actually works.

3 Key Takeaways:

1. Most journey maps reflect internal org structure, not customer behavior - and that’s a problem.
2. Segmentation based on behavior, not just revenue, leads to more relevant and effective experiences.
3. Retention improves when teams use journey maps as a conversation starter, not a finish line.

In a world obsessed with speed, automation, and scale, what happens to the human side of Customer Success?

In this episode, Alyssa Nolte sits down with longtime CS leader Renu Ahluwalia to unpack what we lose when efficiency takes priority over empathy... and how the best teams are reclaiming trust, honesty, and real connection.

From rethinking “value” to navigating conflict without escalation, Renu shares hard-won lessons about building sustainable relationships in high-pressure environments. They explore why the strongest CS strategies start with alignment, not appeasement—and how to scale without losing your soul.