CX Leadership Talks

Nienke Bloem CCXP
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This is THE podcast for you as a Customer Experience Leader. To learn where to spice up your CX leadership. Listen to CX colleague’s, thoughtleaders and of course your host Nienke Bloem. She has educated and spoken with CX Leaders all around the globe, is a Recognized Training provider with the CXPA and knows how to make CX work! Honest, fun and always with a practical twist to help you become an even better CX leader.

  1. 15h ago

    #89 Managing vs Leading CX: Make the SHIFT that drives Impact

    Are you managing CX or leading CX? You earned your reputation by getting things done. You delivered projects, improved customer journeys and brought valuable insights into the business. Now your role asks you to set direction, influence strategy and bring others with you. So why are you working harder than ever, while struggling to create the movement you want? In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem explores a challenge many experienced CX professionals recognise: taking on leadership responsibilities while continuing to approach the work in the same familiar way. Drawing on observations from her first two-day CX leadership bootcamp, Nienke looks beyond stronger presentations and more convincing arguments. How do you build alliances, shape a shared ambition and take your position as a leader? Her CX Leadership ANI model: Authority, Narrative and Impact, provides a lens for recognising where your approach needs to grow. From setting the future through your CX Strategy and CX Story to creating ownership beyond the CX team, this episode invites you to reconsider where your leadership attention belongs. In this episode, you’ll learn Why greater responsibility requires a different approach. How excellent delivery can lead to a broader role, while familiar ways of working keep pulling you back. How to strengthen your Authority. Take your position, contribute to strategic conversations and build relationships across the business. Why Narrative matters. Use your CX Strategy and CX Story to set direction, make choices and help colleagues understand their contribution. What building alliances involves. Understand competing priorities, listen, negotiate and create commitment across departments. How to create Impact beyond your own effort. Clarify ownership, scale CX methods and embed customer focus in everyday decisions and behaviour. Nienke also connects these challenges to Michael Watkins’ work on the transition to broader leadership and the Center for Creative Leadership’s research on working across organisational boundaries. Your CX leadership reflection Are you managing today’s CX work, or are you leading the organisation towards the customer experience you want to create? Open next week’s calendar. Choose one strategic conversation to initiate, one alliance to invest in or one responsibility someone else could own.   Timestamped Overview 00:00 Understanding Your Role in CX 04:18 Building Alliances and Commitment 07:46 Leadership shifts for CX professionals 11:42 Building Strategic Relationships and Planning 14:11 Building alliances and leading change 18:13 Opportunities to discuss CX leadership Extra information Explore the leadership research discussed: Michael Watkins: The seven shifts in the transition to business leadership Center for Creative Leadership: Why spanning boundaries is essential for leaders About Nienke Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. She is a global CX thought leader, educator and keynote speaker who helps CX leaders strengthen their leadership, create more impact and make Customer Experience work. With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. She is an author, host of CX Leadership Talks, a Recognized Training Partner of the CXPA and creator of CX leadership programmes including the CX Masterclass and CX Leadership Masterminds. For more information, visit nienkebloem.com or email nienke@nienkebloem.nl.

  2. Oct 19

    #88 Synthetic Personas: Five Ways to Scale and Embed CX

    How far are you in using synthetic personas in your CX practice? In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem explores five practical roles for synthetic personas and how they could help you scale CX methods, embed customer-focused behaviour and strengthen your strategic leadership. Her inspiration came from the BFSI Exchange in Berlin, where Alex Terpstra of ABN AMRO shared how synthetic customers were being used in contact-centre training. The opportunity to practise privately, repeat conversations and build skills prompted a bigger question: where else could this help CX professionals? Nienke connects the five roles to the CXPA framework and explains why customer evidence must be the starting point. Her advice: don’t just prompt a synthetic customer. Ground one. In this episode, you’ll explore five ways to use synthetic personas: The Research Partner: explore existing customer knowledge, develop hypotheses and prepare better research questions. Discover why a convincing AI conversation should not be confused with evidence from actual customers. The Promise Challenger: explore how grounded personas could support the development of customer promises, principles and strategic choices, identifying tensions and questions to validate with customers. The Journey Explorer: investigate customer needs, friction and communications across journeys, with particular attention to uncertainty and crisis communication. The Practice Customer: discover opportunities for onboarding, coaching and repeated practice of difficult customer conversations, drawing on the training example shared in Berlin. The Leadership Sparring Partner: explore an application in leadership education: helping leaders practise asking questions, listening and reflecting before they engage directly with customers. Throughout the episode, Nienke connects these opportunities to her ANI model. Scale the systematic use of CX methods. Embed the behaviours that deliver your customer promises. Build external Authority by developing experience you can substantiate and share. The message: use AI wisely, be smart and lead strategically. Timestamped overview: 00:00 Using synthetic personas in CX 04:34 Building customer personas 07:14 Using personas in research 11:36 Validating customer experience strategies 14:28 Using synthetic personas 20:17 Improving leadership through reflection 22:10 Using AI for strategic CX leadership Extra information: Research discussed in this episode: Joon Sung Park and colleagues: AI agents grounded in information about real individuals. Eric Heng Gu, Senthil Chandrasegaran and Peter Lloyd: Synthetic users: insights from designers’ interactions with persona-based chatbots. Already working with grounded synthetic personas? Share your experience with Nienke. She would love to hear from a practitioner for a future conversation on CX Leadership Talks. About Nienke: Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and keynote speaker who helps CX leaders strengthen their leadership, create more impact and make Customer Experience work. With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. She is an author, host of CX Leadership Talks, a Recognized Training Partner of the CXPA and creator of CX leadership programs including the CX Masterclass and CX Leadership Masterminds. For more info: visit www.nienkebloem.com or email nienke@nienkebloem.nl to spice up your CX Leadership.

  3. Oct 16

    #86 How Daikin scaled Customer Experience across Europe - CX Leadership insights with Nicoline Valk

    How do you scale Customer Experience across 17 European affiliates when you cannot lead CX from headquarters alone?  In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem speaks with Nicoline Valk, Department Manager Customer Experience at Daikin Europe. Nicoline shares how Daikin moved from a B2B focus towards a B2B2C approach and how she developed a centralized CX program that allows countries to take local ownership.  At the heart of their conversation is omotenashi: the Japanese philosophy of genuinely taking care of customers, paying close attention and anticipating their needs. Translating that philosophy into a European CX approach requires a different kind of leadership. Nicoline explains how she shifted from steering operations to influencing, connecting and building bridges across countries, cultures and departments.  Nienke experienced the strength of this network firsthand when she spoke at Daikin Europe’s CX Seminar Seminar. She was impressed by the energy, openness and genuine sense of community Nicoline and her team have created across the different affiliates.  In this episode, you’ll learn:  How to shift from operational leadership to leading through influence.  Why a strong internal network is essential when scaling CX across countries and cultures.  How consistent visibility keeps Customer Experience on the agenda and encourages others to take ownership.  How Daikin combines a centralized European framework with local customer insights and action.  You’ll also hear how newsletters, monthly calls, affiliate meetings, customer visits and shared action plans help Daikin turn CX into an ongoing way of working. Nicoline reflects on her own leadership growth, the value of learning from other industries and the achievement she is proudest of: seeing countries embrace CX and move from customer feedback to action.  If you are scaling CX, strengthening your internal network or wondering whether you are visible enough as a CX leader, this conversation offers plenty of practical insights and inspiration.  A small heads-up before you press play: you may notice a few minor audio hiccups along the way. Luckily, the conversation is far too valuable to let those get in the way.    Timestamped overview  00:00 Omotenashi, CX networks and visibility  04:40 Developing a CX strategy within a Japanese company  05:21 From operational excellence to CX leadership  08:12 Moving from B2B towards B2B2C  10:17 Starting with listening and building a European network  12:44 Working across 17 European affiliates  14:44 Lessons learned while building the CX program  15:59 Staying connected to customers  17:07 Building bridges across cultures and departments  19:19 Turning customer feedback into local action  21:37 Keeping the CX network visible and engaged  26:42 Leading through influence rather than hierarchy  27:50 Creating CX engagement with a small central team  30:50 Nicoline’s proudest CX achievement  32:55 Recommended books and learning from mistakes  34:33 Final reflections on CX leadership and visibility  Extra information:  Connect with Nicoline on LinkedIn  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolinevalk/  Nicoline’s recommendations:  Nicoline’s next read is The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle, a book that was recommended to her for its insights into successful teamwork, psychological safety, active listening and creating an environment in which people feel free to make mistakes.  A book she already uses in her own work is The Diamond in the Rough by Steven Van Belleghem. She particularly recommends its practical concept of “friction hunting”: identifying small frustrations in the customer experience and taking concrete steps to resolve them.    About Nienke:       Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.        She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.       Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.        With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Newsletter to stay tuned.

  4. Oct 6

    #87 How do you prove you’re a CX leader? Introducing CXLM with Ian Golding

    Normally, CX Leadership Talks lands on a Monday. Not this week. This special episode arrives on Tuesday, 6 October, because it is Global CX Day and Nienke Bloem and Ian Golding have something BIG to celebrate and reveal. In this episode, Nienke is joined by long time CX colleague and friend Ian Golding. Together, they reflect on how the CX profession has developed, why leadership in Customer Experience deserves more recognition, and one question that has been on both their minds: How do you actually prove the impact you have made as a CX leader? Because knowing Customer Experience is one thing. Leading it is something else. That question led to a secret project Nienke and Ian have been working on behind the scenes: CXLM, Customer Experience Leadership Master. An accreditation designed to recognise experienced CX leaders for how they lead, influence, scale Customer Experience and deliver measurable impact. And very importantly, it has to be earned. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why CX leadership deserves its own recognition Leading Customer Experience transformation is very different from running a CX project. Nienke and Ian explore why experienced CX leaders should be able to demonstrate the impact of how they lead. What CXLM is and what it is not CXLM is an earned accreditation based on your own leadership experience, evidence and results. It is not linked to completing a course or programme with Nienke or Ian. How the accreditation process will work Applicants will need at least five years of CX experience and will provide a written application, references and a video presenting their leadership case. Nienke and Ian will assess applications independently against six criteria. Why the accreditation has to be earned Knowing Nienke or Ian does not help. Neither does having trained with them. The intention is to build a robust and transparent process based on evidence, independent assessment, confidentiality and detailed feedback. What happens next The waitlist opens today, on Global CX Day, followed by a founding cohort to test and strengthen the process. A readiness diagnostic is also being developed to help CX leaders decide whether they are ready to apply. Timestamped overview: 00:00 Celebrating Global CX Day and why this episode is on Tuesday 06:24 Getting into Customer Experience work 07:27 How Nienke and Ian first met 12:53 Why CX leadership deserves recognition 15:55 Introducing CXLM 18:20 Building a robust accreditation process 20:44 How CXLM candidates will be assessed 24:40 Who can apply and why knowing Nienke or Ian doesn’t matter 29:11 The waitlist and founding cohort 30:53 Developing the CXLM readiness diagnostic 33:41 Launching the secret project Extra information: Interested in CXLM? Join the CXLM waitlist here: https://nienkebloem.typeform.com/CXLMWaitlist People on the waitlist will be the first to hear about the development of the accreditation, the founding cohort and future opportunities to apply. A small listening note: Nienke and Ian recorded this episode at the WTC at Schiphol, tucked away in a corner after spending the day working together on CXLM. So yes, you may hear a little real life Schiphol and workspace sound in the background. Consider it part of the atmosphere. 😉 About Nienke: Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and keynote speaker who helps CX leaders strengthen their leadership, create more impact and make Customer Experience work. With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. She is an author, host of CX Leadership Talks, a Recognized Training Partner of the CXPA and creator of CX leadership programs including the CX Masterclass and CX Leadership Masterminds. For more info: go to www.nienkebloem.com or send her an email at nienke@nienkebloem.nl to spice up your CX Leadership.

  5. Aug 24

    #84 The power of dreaming out LOUD

    There are four serious working months left in 2026. Your first instinct might be to look at the roadmap, the KPIs and everything that still needs to get done. But what if, before going straight into execution mode, you did something completely different? In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem explores the power of dreaming out loud — not only about the future of Customer Experience in your organization, but also about the CX leader you want to become. Drawing on her own dreams, from walking a pilgrimage and speaking on the main stage of the Global Speaker Summit to her ambition of taking the CX Leadership Masterminds around the world, Nienke challenges you to look beyond the end of 2026. Go three years ahead. Imagine it is August 2029. What has changed because you were there? Because dreaming isn't the opposite of leadership. Dreaming is leadership work. You can't lead people towards a future you haven't dared to imagine. In this episode, you’ll learn: Dream about the impact, not the projects Forget your current roadmap for a moment. Nienke challenges you to imagine the future state of CX in your organization: what are customers experiencing differently, what has changed for employees and what measurable impact have you and your team created? Define the CX leader you want to become Your organizational CX dream is only half of the story. Who do you want to be as a CX leader three years from now? What are you known for, which rooms are you invited into, what authority have you built and what work are you no longer doing? Why saying your dream out loud matters A dream that stays in your head is easy to edit, shrink or forget. Once you give it words and share it with others, people can see opportunities, make connections and sometimes even help make it happen. Turn dreaming into movement Positive thinking alone is not enough. Nienke introduces the idea of mental contrasting: first imagine the future you really want, then ask what is standing between you and that future — and decide what you are going to do about it. Choose one move before the end of 2026 You don't need a giant three-year action plan. Choose one action for your organizational CX dream and one for your own leadership dream that will move you a little closer to August 2029. Timestamped overview: 00:00 Encouraging long-term dreaming 05:53 Dreaming as leadership in CX 08:31 CX leader's future impact vision 13:05 Dreaming big and building authority 15:34 Pursuing dreams and taking action 19:39 Planning international expansion 22:35 Deciding when to say yes or no Extra information: In the episode, Nienke refers to research on vision in leadership and the work of psychologist Gabriele Oettingen on mental contrasting: dreaming about a desired future, then identifying the obstacles standing between you and that future and translating those into action. Nienke also shares one of her own dreams out loud: taking the CX Leadership Masterminds Bootcamp on a global roadshow, bringing CX leaders together in several international locations. Want to explore your own next step as a CX leader with Nienke? You can book a half hour call here. Your challenge after listening: Take a piece of paper and answer these two questions: What do you dream to have an impact on as a CX leader? What is the future state you want to create? Who do you dream of becoming as a CX leader? What is your personal leadership future state? Then ask yourself: What is one thing I can do before the end of 2026 that moves each dream closer? And most importantly: say it out loud. About Nienke: Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. She’s a global CX thought leader, educator and keynote speaker who helps CX leaders strengthen their leadership, create more impact and make Customer Experience work. With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. She is an author, host of CX Leadership Talks, a Recognized Training Partner of the CXPA and creator of CX leadership programs including the CX Masterclass and CX Leadership Masterminds. For more info: go to www.nienkebloem.com or send her an email at nienke@nienkebloem.nl to spice up your CX Leadership.

  6. Aug 10

    #83 Design Love In: Have we taken Love out of business?

    What if we spend too much time in CX fixing what is broken? In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem shares three insights from Marcus Buckingham’s book Design Love In and explores what they mean for Customer Experience leaders. This is not just a book review. It is about what the book made her rethink about positive customer moments, purpose in business and the role CX leaders can play in bringing more Love into organizations. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why you should study the 5s We are trained to analyze complaints, detractors and low scores. But what can we learn from the moments customers and employees truly love? And how can we create more of them? Why purpose and emotion belong in business strategy Beyond targets, KPIs and ROI: what do you actually want customers and employees to experience because your organization exists? Why love is a CX leadership topic CX leaders can bring this conversation into the organization through stories, leadership conversations, book clubs or even a small secret movement. Timestamped overview: 00:00 Importance of purpose in business 06:30 Focusing on positive customer moments 10:24 Adding emotion to business strategy 12:31 Personal motivations for pilgrimage 17:48 Advocating CX within organizations 19:56 Organizing a company book club 23:22 Gratitude for book recommendations Extra information: The book discussed in this episode is Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business by Marcus Buckingham. Your challenge after listening: find one 5 in your organization. A moment customers or employees genuinely love. Study why it works — and see what you can make bigger. About Nienke: Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. She's a global CX thought leader, educator and keynote speaker who helps CX leaders strengthen their leadership, create more impact and make Customer Experience work. With over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. She is an author, host of CX Leadership Talks, a Recognized Training Partner of the CXPA and creator of CX leadership programs including the CX Masterclass and CX Leadership Masterminds. For more info: go to www.nienkebloem.com or send her an email at nienke@nienkebloem.nl to spice up your CX Leadership.

  7. Jul 13

    #82 Would they miss you? The CX budget cut test

    Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks with Nienke Bloem! Today, we dive into a thought-provoking challenge every CX leader must face: Would they miss you if your CX team disappeared tomorrow? Drawing inspiration from a recent Qualtrics event, Nienke Bloem explores the true business impact of CX teams and introduces the crucial "budget cut test." Are you and your team seen as a must-have driving results, or just a nice-to-have delivering activities? With real-world examples and actionable self-assessment questions, this episode will empower you to prove your value, connect your CX work directly to business outcomes and ensure your seat at the table - even when tough budget decisions loom. Join Nienke Bloem for a candid, energizing conversation to help you sharpen your CX leadership and make your impact truly indispensable! Want to get more information about the ANI model? You can take a sneak peek here or listen to this episode in which Nienke takes a deep dive into this model. Timestamped overview: 00:00 The budget cut test and CX leadership 06:05 Importance of context in CX data 06:53 Evolving CX teams beyond sentiment 11:55 Measuring impact from workshops 13:54 Assessing Customer Experience impact 17:30 Discussing business leadership challenges 20:24 Seasonal farewell from the southern hemisphere About Nienke: Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books. Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations. With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the Customer Experience Professionals Association and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Newsletter to stay tuned.

  8. Jun 29

    #81 Why some CX Leaders create impact and others don't – ANI deepdive

    Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks, recorded from the sun-soaked island of Texel during an intense European heatwave.     In this special solo episode, Nienke Bloem CCXP dives deep into the ANI model — her new CX leadership philosophy that will transform the way you look at customer experience leadership. 🤩    Discover the three layers of the ANI model and learn how to grow your CX leadership from the inside out.  Three key takeaways for CX leaders:  Authority starts with you: Building both internal confidence and external credibility is foundational for driving CX transformation. It's not just how you see yourself, but how others perceive your influence and expertise.    Lead with a clear narrative: Having the right leadership instruments - like a compelling change story, a strategic roadmap, and a business case - helps translate insight into organizational influence and direction.    Impact means delivering measurable value: True CX leadership delivers results for both customers and the business. Embedding CX in culture, tracking outcomes, and holding yourself accountable are essential steps to driving sustainable success.  Packed with practical insights, personal stories, and actionable strategies, this episode is perfect for anyone ready to become the captain of their own CX ship.  Curious about the full ANI model, I created a visual overview for you here.   Timestamped overview:  00:00 Masterminds cohort for leadership growth  04:44 Building internal and external authority  07:41 Authority and personal growth program  13:16 Guiding CX with leadership skills  17:22 Scaling Customer Experience (CX) methods  19:19 Strategizing for company impact  23:47 Sharing my big idea journey    About Nienke:   Nienke Bloem is often called the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress.   She's a global CX thought leader, educator and a global keynote speaker who inspires audiences with best practices and proven methodologies. She leads a speaking practice, a CX game company and a training business; she breathes Customer Experiences and is author of two CX books.   Her two-day Customer Experience Masterclass is known as the best program to prepare for your CCXP and she is the go-to person for CX leaders who want to advance their leadership and bring direct results from their Customer Experience transformation programs. Since 2020, she hosts a CX Leadership Masterminds program and helps leaders spice up their leadership and deliver an engaging CX Story including a solid CX Strategy. Besides, she is a modern-day pilgrim and found the parallel with leading customer centric transformations.   With her over 20 years of corporate experience, she speaks the business language. Her keynotes and education programs in Customer Experience are inspiring and hands-on. She is one of the few Recognized Training Partners of the Customer Experience Professionals Association and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Newsletter to stay tuned.

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About

This is THE podcast for you as a Customer Experience Leader. To learn where to spice up your CX leadership. Listen to CX colleague’s, thoughtleaders and of course your host Nienke Bloem. She has educated and spoken with CX Leaders all around the globe, is a Recognized Training provider with the CXPA and knows how to make CX work! Honest, fun and always with a practical twist to help you become an even better CX leader.

Information

  • Creator
    Nienke Bloem CCXP
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    88
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    CX Leadership Talks