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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.
Episodes
Monday Jan 26, 2026
Monday Jan 26, 2026
In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem is joined by James O’Connor, one of the early architects of customer experience as a professional discipline.
James brings more than 20 years of experience working at the intersection of customer experience, strategy, operations and technology. He was one of the first CX advisors at Forrester, where he worked closely with CX leaders and executive teams across global organisations. Later, he continued his work in advanced analytics and customer strategy at Bain & Company.
In this conversation, Nienke and James dive deep into a topic many CX leaders struggle with: technology. Not tools for the sake of tools, but how technology can truly accelerate CX leadership, business impact and decision-making.
They talk openly about why CX technology so often disappoints, why imperfect technology sometimes works better than “Ferraris”, and what CX leaders should focus on if they want technology to actually deliver value.
This is a practical, honest and strategic episode for CX leaders who want to move beyond dashboards, vendors and hype, and start using technology as a real leadership accelerator.
Timestamped overview
00:00 Mentorship that transforms CX leadership
05:01 Journey into Customer Experience
07:53 Strategizing CX with accountability
11:26 Progress over perfection
15:02 Why CX leaders need technology
18:10 Misaligned initiatives and technology use
22:04 Good enough tools deliver
23:27 AI catalyst for business insights
29:00 Driving business impact collaboratively
32:32 Understanding tech’s business value
36:50 Importance of an operating model
39:16 Building a strong core
41:55 Prioritize people over tools
46:17 Accelerating impact using existing resources
48:27 Maximizing existing resources effectively
Books mentioned in this episode
- Endurance by Alfred Lansing
- The Martian by Andy Weir
Video’s on the Future of CX Leadership
Nienke gave her insights on the future of CX in a video serie: 5 Shifts for CX leaders – the future of CX leadership. You can find them here.
Connect with James
You can connect with James on LinkedIn.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a fellow CX leader and let Nienke know what your biggest takeaway was.
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 Greetz to stay tuned.
Monday Jan 12, 2026
Monday Jan 12, 2026
This first episode of 2026 is an invitation for CX leaders to pause, reflect and look ahead.
In this episode, Nienke Bloem CCXP explores why CX leadership is entering a new phase and why 2026 asks something different from those leading customer experience in complex organizations. Instead of jumping to tools or quick fixes, she starts with the real challenges CX leaders face today, from lacking strategic mandate and struggling to scale CX, to feeling constantly pulled into operational firefighting.
From there, Nienke introduces the big CX theme for 2026 and shares a clear, practical model that helps CX leaders reflect on their role at three levels: strategic, tactical and operational. With personal stories, concrete examples and a powerful lighthouse metaphor, she shows how CX leaders can move from being busy to being intentional, from reacting to steering.
This episode is for you if you want to lead CX with more clarity, confidence and impact in 2026, without losing the joy and playfulness of the work.
By the end of this episode, you won’t have a long to-do list.
You’ll have one honest question to answer:
Are you ready for the next level?
Timestamped overview:
00:00 2026 Theme for CX leaders
03:09 CX leadership theme unveiled
09:27 Strengthening CX leadership strategy
14:32 Scaling Customer Experience challenges
15:39 Scaling CX for growth
20:22 Intentionality in leadership and action
25:05 Self-assessment for CX improvement
28:20 Scaling methodologies and customer journeys
30:27 Streamlining education and Customer Experience
33:22 Strategic thinking and leadership habits
36:42 Focusing energy on growth levels
39:24 Leading the next CX chapter
Extra information:
You can read the blog with additional information 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 CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.
Monday Dec 29, 2025
Monday Dec 29, 2025
How do you want to lead in 2026?
In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke Bloem helps CX leaders move from intention to direction. Not by creating a long to-do list, but by making conscious, strategic choices about where to focus.
With 2026 themed as Strategizing CX, this episode is an invitation to slow down, zoom out, and design your year with clarity. Nienke guides you through five must-win battles every CX leader should define for themselves: impact and results, strategy vision and purpose, engagement and cultural change, personal growth and development, and work-life balance and well-being.
This is not a quick listen. It’s a working session. You’ll be encouraged to grab a journal, think bigger than you normally do in CX, and translate ambition into concrete focus. Along the way, Nienke shares personal examples, lessons from CX leaders she mentors, and practical questions to help you decide what truly matters and what can wait.
The episode closes with a powerful exercise: writing a letter to yourself from the end of 2026, already successful.
If you want to lead CX more strategically, align your work with what really matters in your organization, and still protect your energy and joy, this episode is for you.
Press play, take your time, and start shaping your 2026 with intention.
Timestamped overview:
00:00 Strategic success in CX
05:51 Aligning goals and defining success
07:20 Prioritizing CX projects for impact
12:17 Building a strong CX strategy
13:33 Strategy to execution challenges
19:00 Strategizing CX engagement
20:31 Culture shift and behavioral change
25:21 Commit to growth opportunities
29:39 Prioritize strategic time planning
31:28 Habits for wellness and focus
35:23 Future success and CX impact
37:51 Strategizing CX and leadership
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 Greetz to stay tuned.
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Monday Dec 15, 2025
Welcome to a brand new episode of the CX Leadership Talks podcast, hosted by Nienke Bloem! In this very special "Reflection edition for 2025”, Nienke Bloem invites you to slow down, look back, and take stock of your year as a CX leader. She guides you through a thoughtful self-audit, encouraging you to pause, journal, and dig deep into five essential areas: impact and results, strategy and vision, engagement and cultural change, personal growth, and work-life balance.
Drawing on her years of experience mentoring and educating hundreds of CX professionals, Nienke Bloem shares her own reflections and the successes (and lessons) of the leaders she’s worked with.
This episode is packed with practical questions, inspiring stories, and actionable insights that will help you understand where you’ve thrived, where you can improve, and how to set the stage for an even more impactful 2026.
So grab your headphones, settle into your favorite spot, and get ready for an honest, energizing reflection session designed to elevate your CX leadership journey!
Timestamped overview:
00:00 Self-audit for future growth
05:14 Defining success with metrics
08:19 Ranking results: direct vs. Indirect
11:11 Impact measurement and benefit tracking
15:58 Crafting an effective CX strategy
20:15 Strategic planning and reflection
21:42 Strategic success in CX leadership
25:09 Leadership and collaboration reflections
30:21 Success and personal growth
34:30 CX leadership and growth insights
38:05 Reflecting on stress and balance
41:19 Balancing work, life, and inspiration
45:32 Self-generated energy management
48:06 Finding my leadership sweet spot
50:03 Carrying forward purposeful habits
Extra information:
Download your free PDF with all 44 reflection questions 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 CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.
Monday Dec 01, 2025
Monday Dec 01, 2025
Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks! The podcast for CX leaders who want to spice up their leadership.
In this episode, your host Nienke Bloem CCXP connects with Cairo Marsh, founder of Relativ, an experience agency based in Tokyo. Together, they explore why branding alone isn’t enough in today’s world and introduce the powerful concept of “brand being”: how a brand shows up in every experience, online and offline.
Cairo Marsh shares practical strategies for aligning different departments around shared customer goals, the importance of employee incentives and culture, and how CX leaders can leverage moments of belonging to drive loyalty and connection. You’ll also hear insights on balancing quantitative and qualitative research, the necessity of customer experience strategy, and lessons from global and Japanese brands.
Grab your favorite drink and get ready for inspiration and actionable tips to elevate your CX leadership!
Timestamped overview:
00:00 Brand being and belonging
05:33 Branding agencies and broken promises
06:57 Marketing for today and tomorrow
10:57 Thin slicing customer experience
13:47 Overcoming Fragmentation in Teams
18:37 Unified customer engagement platform design
21:58 Prioritizing customers to align goals
25:47 Balancing data and insight
30:00 Defining strategy to stand out
33:47 Authentic leadership and expectations
36:16 Japan's experience design challenge
39:08 Belonging over basic needs
40:50 Building belonging through connection
45:38 Unreasonable hospitality insights
Extra information:
Connect with Cairo on LinkedIn
You can find the information about relativ* here
You can find Cairo's book recommendation 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 CXPA and it is her mission to Make Customer Experience Work and help you deliver business results. Subscribe to her weekly CX Greetz to stay tuned.
Monday Nov 17, 2025
Monday Nov 17, 2025
Welcome to a new episode of CX Leadership Talks!
In this episode, Nienke Bloem CCXP takes you to the International CX Awards in London, where she hosted an evening with more than 450 CX professionals from over 50 countries. Across all those conversations, one theme stood out: the real challenge in CX is leadership engagement.
Not tools.
Not dashboards.
But leadership behavior.
Nienke shares why so many leaders believe they are customer centric while their behavior tells a different story, explains the confronting Bain 80–20 gap, and shows how the Aha moment becomes the starting point for real transformation.
She also shares a powerful example of a Dutch energy company where leaders personally solve customer complaints and what happens when leaders actually meet customers.
In this episode you’ll learn:
• Why leadership behavior is the true engine of customer centricity
• How the Dunning Kruger effect and the 80–20 gap show blind spots in leadership
• What happens when leaders step in, meet customers, and make customer centricity a habit
Nienke closes with insights from her new keynote We only win when everyone is in, where customer centric leadership becomes a real team sport.
Timestamped overview:
00:00 Leadership Drives Customer Experience Success
03:56 Customer Centricity: Challenging Perceptions
09:45 Customer-Centric Leadership Insights
12:19 Leaders Solving Complaints Personally
14:49 Leadership Growth Through Story Sharing
19:50 "True Customer-Centric Leadership"
24:07 "Leadership Behavior Shapes Impact"
25:26 "Greetings from CX Awards"
Explore working together:
If you want to find out whether Nienke’s new keynote We only win when everyone is in is the right fit for your leadership event or 2026 plans, send an email to nienke@nienkebloem.nl to plan an exploration call. Or look her up at nienkebloem.com
About Nienke:
Nienke Bloem CSP CCXP is known as the Customer Experience speaker in the blue dress. She is a global CX thought leader, keynote speaker and educator with over 20 years of corporate experience. She is author of two CX books, creator of the CX Game and a Recognized Training Partner of the CXPA. Nienke is on a mission to make Customer Experience work through strategy, behavior and leadership. And helping you spice up your CX 😊
Monday Nov 03, 2025
Monday Nov 03, 2025
Welcome to a brand new episode of CX Leadership Talks!
In this episode, Nienke Bloem CCXP shares a personal story from her time at KPN that completely changed how she looked at leadership. A Valentine’s Day blog, a bold email to the CEO, and one big aha moment led her to realise that real CX leadership starts when we stop judging and start joining.
Too often, CX leaders complain that management “doesn’t get it.” But our job isn’t to criticize leaders, it’s to help them lead. Nienke talks about how to bridge that leadership gap and become a trusted partner instead of a frustrated observer.
You’ll learn three practical ways to lead your leaders:
• Help them make decisions by bringing options, not just problems
• Help them connect with customers by organising and guiding their first experiences
• Help them as humans by showing care and curiosity
Timestamped overview:
00:00 Valentine's Day customer service story
04:13 Leaders ignoring customer stories
10:03 Mindset shift for better leadership
11:50 Elevating CX leadership mindset
14:56 Facilitating decisions through preparation
18:48 Practical planning for board visits
22:53 Connecting leaders with customers
25:19 CX Leadership masterminds 2026
Listen now and discover how to lead your leaders, build bridges instead of walls, and make Customer Experience work through true collaboration.
Don’t just manage CX. Lead it.
About Nienke:
If this episode hits home, there are two ways to go further.
Book Nienke’s new keynote We only win when everyone is in for your next leadership event.
Or, if you’re Dutch and ready to grow as a CX leader, join the CX Leadership Masterminds 2026, the eight-month journey to strengthen your CX strategy, story, and impact.
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.
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 Greetz to stay tuned.
Monday Oct 20, 2025
Monday Oct 20, 2025
Welcome to a brand new episode of CX Leadership Talks!
What if CX leadership was more about heart than KPIs? In this fresh, feel-good episode, your host Nienke Bloem CCXP explores what happens when we swap frameworks and dashboards for belief, curiosity and connection, inspired by none other than Ted Lasso.
From her sunny spot in the south of France, Nienke shares how a cheerful TV coach can teach us five timeless lessons about leadership, culture and courage. Because let’s be honest, too many CX leaders focus on metrics when what really moves people is meaning.
In this episode of CX Leadership Talks, Nienke breaks down five Ted Lasso leadership lessons that every CX leader can use to bring more heart into their work:
- Be a goldfish, let go faster and lead lighter.
- Believe in your team, courage grows from trust.
- Be curious, not judgmental, curiosity opens doors.
- Find your biscuits, build connection through consistency and care.
- Laugh at yourself, authenticity beats perfection every time.
This episode is about leading with heart, humour and humanity. Nienke invites you to bring a little more Lasso energy into your CX leadership, to believe before you measure, to connect before you control, and to make customer experience work with joy.
🎧 Listen now and discover which of the five Ted Lasso lessons will spice up your leadership next.
Timestamped overview:
00:00 Ted Lasso leadership insights
05:42 Customer Experience lessons from Ted
08:13 Be a goldfish
11:34 Believe in your team
14:30 Be curious, not judgmental
18:05 Building loyalty through gestures
20:54 Learn from mistakes
23:39 Building Customer-Centric leadership
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 Greetz to stay tuned.