CX Leadership Talks

Nienke Bloem CCXP

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. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. Jun 15

    #80 ANI - The future of CX Leadership

    Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks with Nienke Bloem. In this episode, Nienke introduces ANI: her new CX leadership philosophy built around three elements every CX leader needs to thrive: Authority, Narrative and Impact. After spending months interviewing CX leaders and reflecting on the future of the profession, she discovered a surprising pattern. Most CX leaders do not struggle with customer experience. They struggle with leadership. The conversations were not about journey mapping, Voice of the Customer or CX strategy. They were about stakeholder buy-in, budget, urgency, visibility and impact. In this episode, Nienke shares the story behind ANI, the surprising inspiration that led to the model, and why she believes leadership may become the most important differentiator in the future of customer experience. This episode is personal, reflective and an invitation to think differently about your role as a CX leader. In this episode, you'll learn: Why many CX challenges are actually leadership challenges • The story behind ANI and its three elements: Authority, Narrative and Impact • Why trust, influence and movement matter more than ever for CX leaders • How the best CX leaders turn ideas into organizational impact • Why leadership may be the future of customer experience Timestamped overview: 00:00 Reflecting on personal and career future 05:34 Exploring the future of CX leadership 10:52 Leadership and CX strategy development 12:17 Aligning leadership with impact 16:02 CX Leadership Bootcamp launch Extra information: Curious about the ANI model and the future of CX leadership? Click here for the visual of the model. Take a look at the ANI model and learn more about the upcoming CX Leadership Masterminds Bootcamp, click here to plan a half hour exploration call. 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.

  5. Jun 1

    #79 Executives don’t buy CX activities. They buy confidence.

    Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks with Nienke Bloem.  In this episode, we tackle one of the biggest blind spots in CX leadership: stakeholder management.  Because most CX leaders are strong in CX management. They know journey mapping, VoC, dashboards and improvement projects. But influencing senior stakeholders strategically? Building alliances? Creating organizational movement? That is where many CX leaders still play far too operational.  Nienke shares personal stories from her own leadership journey, including a painful lesson from her time at KPN, and explains why executives do not buy activities… they buy confidence.  This episode is practical, honest and packed with ideas to help you become more strategic in how you build influence, authority and momentum for Customer Experience inside your organization.  In this episode, you’ll learn:  Why many CX leaders unintentionally operate too tactically in stakeholder management  Why executives buy confidence instead of activities  How to use the Mendelow Matrix more strategically  Why relational authority is critical for CX leadership  Practical ways to engage stakeholders with more impact   Timestamped overview:  00:00 Customer experience leadership insights  05:43 Reflecting on CX leadership challenges  08:07 Focusing on relational authority  10:09 Planning effective leadership discussions  13:53 Engaging with stakeholders  19:10 Developing strategic CX leadership  20:21 Wrapping up and goodbyes  Extra information:  Download the free Strategic Stakeholder Management Playbook for CX Leaders here.   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.

  6. May 18

    #78 The Maxima moment: How one meeting multiplied my visibility

    Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks! The podcast for CX leaders who want to spice up their leadership. In this personal and inspiring solo episode, your host Nienke Bloem CCXP dives into one of the most defining visibility lessons of her career, sparked by an unforgettable encounter with Queen Máxima. Discover how one highly visible moment unexpectedly changed the trajectory of Nienke’s CX leadership journey and why visibility plays such a crucial role in building authority, influence and impact inside organizations. Together, we explore why so many brilliant CX leaders stay invisible for too long, how visibility strengthens leadership and why remembered leadership matters when driving customer centric change. Get ready for Five practical tips, fresh leadership insights and honest reflections on visibility, authority and impact in the world of CX leadership. Timestamped overview: 00:00 Reflecting on a career-defining moment04:37 Starting Women in Financial Services06:47 Meeting royalty at the event11:43 Women in financial services conference15:18 Highlighting invisible leaders in CX16:25 Discussing CX leadership insights19:45 Exploring Herminia Ibarra’s leadership insights23:35 Navigating strategic conversations26:43 Discussing the ANI model32:21 Volunteering for speaking opportunities35:37 Attending a Harvard live event37:14 Becoming a CX authority Extra information: If you are a Dutch-speaking woman in the Netherlands and want to strengthen your strategic visibility, stakeholder influence and authority, have a look at Stratego for CX Women. This fall, Nienke launches the renewed CX Leadership Bootcamp in the Netherlands, focused on Authority, Narrative and Impact for CX leaders who want to increase their influence and business impact. And yes… next year it goes global 😊. To make your appointment, click here! Connect with Nienke on LinkedIn or visit her website for more information and upcoming programs. www.nienkebloem.com About Nienke: Nienke Bloem is a global Customer Experience (CX) thought leader, keynote speaker and educator. She helps CX leaders move from doing customer experience to leading it by building strong CX strategies, crafting compelling CX Stories and driving measurable business impact. Spicing up CX Leadership 😊 Nienke is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and a Recognized Training Provider of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA). With over 20 years of corporate experience, she combines business strategy, leadership and customer experience to help organizations turn CX into real results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned or visit her website for more information! Her mission is simple: Make Customer Experience Work. And yes, she always wears her signature blue dress 😊

  7. May 4

    #77 Leading from the middle: Sally Foley-Lewis on empowering CX Leaders to drive change

    Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks! The podcast for CX leaders who want to spice up their leadership.  In this inspiring episode, your host Nienke Bloem dives into an incredibly valuable conversation with global keynote speaker, educator, and "burger lady" Sally Foley-Lewis. Together, they explore the true power - and challenges - of leading from the middle. Discover why the best is in the middle, how to influence without formal authority, and how to proceed until apprehended.   Get ready for practical tips, fresh insights, and a healthy dose of CX leadership inspiration!  Timestamped overview:  00:00 Introducing Sally Foley-Lewis  06:15 Food as a universal concept  09:46 Discussing AI impact on organizations  14:16 Empowering middle managers  18:01 Importance of creating CX strategy  19:45 Navigating stakeholder management and authority  23:09 Importance of clear communication  26:15 Leading from the middle  30:15 Thinking strategically as a leader  32:32 Building strong internal networks  37:26 Importance of receiving feedback  40:20 Building professional networks  44:52 Connecting and collaborating with others  45:35 Show closing and contact info  Extra information:  Connect with Sally on LinkedIn or visit her website.   Sally's book recommendations:  The Best is in the Middle by Sally Foley-Lewis  Managing oneself by Peter F. Drucker   Here you can find the survey Sally invites you to fill in.     About Nienke:  Nienke Bloem is a global Customer Experience (CX) thought leader, keynote speaker, and educator.  She helps CX leaders move from doing customer experience to leading it by building strong CX strategies, crafting compelling CX Stories, and driving measurable business impact. Spicing up CX Leadership  Nienke is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), and a Recognized Training Provider of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA).  With over 20 years of corporate experience, she combines business strategy, leadership, and customer experience to help organizations turn CX into real results.  Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned or visit her website  for more information!  Her mission is simple: Make Customer Experience Work. And yes, she always wears her signature blue dress 😊

  8. Apr 20

    #76 How to turn every presentation into a CX Leadership Moment

    Do you know how to use every presentation to actually move people? Not just inform them or update them, but make them remember, feel something, and take action. Because every time you step into a room, you have that opportunity as a CX leader. To create clarity, build energy, and influence decisions and direction. And yet, most presentations don’t land. They don’t change anything. Not because the content is wrong, but because the design is. We start with slides, data, and content instead of starting with intent. In this episode of #CXLeadershipTalks, Nienke Bloem CCXP takes you into one of the most underestimated leadership skills in customer experience: how to prepare your presentations so they create real impact. The good news? It doesn’t have to be complicated. It starts by answering four simple, powerful questions! Grounded in research on memory, decision-making, and behavior, and built on her experience working with hundreds of CX professionals, this episode shows you a simple but powerful shift. From intention to presenting information and creating movement. So you don’t just share CX. You strategize CX and Lead it.   Timestamped overview: 00:00 Do you know how to move people with your presentation 02:00 Why most presentations don’t create impact 04:00 Presentations as a CX leadership moment 06:00 The shift from content to intent 08:00 The four questions that change everything 10:00 Question 1: Who is your audience 13:00 Question 2: What do you want them to remember 16:00 Question 3: What do you want them to feel 19:00 Question 4: What do you want them to do 22:00 Why “any questions?” kills your impact 24:00 Closing: From presenting CX to leading CX   Extra information: Want to receive the CX Presentation Playbook with the four questions and a practical checklist? You can download it here. You’ll receive the playbook and will also receive Nienke’s weekly CX Leadership updates. And of course, never end your presentation with a Thank You Slide, watch her incredible valuable Youtube Video here.   About Nienke Nienke Bloem is a global Customer Experience (CX) thought leader, keynote speaker, and educator. She helps CX leaders move from doing customer experience to leading it by building strong CX strategies, crafting compelling CX Stories, and driving measurable business impact. Spicing up CX Leadership Nienke is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), and a Recognized Training Provider of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA). With over 20 years of corporate experience, she combines business strategy, leadership, and customer experience to help organizations turn CX into real results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned or visit www.nienkebloem.com for more information! Her mission is simple: Make Customer Experience Work. And yes, she always wears her signature blue dress 😊

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.