Navigating the Customer Experience

Send us Fan Mail
What if the most valuable thing a customer could do for your business was complain? In this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, Yanique Grant sits down with Michael Podolsky, co-founder and CEO of PissedConsumer.com and Wisebrand.com, to explore the power of negative feedback and why organizations that take it seriously are the ones that build lasting customer loyalty.
Michael built PissedConsumer.com after a deeply frustrating personal experience as a customer left him with no recourse and no resolution. Starting with just $200 and no venture backing, he has grown the platform over the past 20 years into a consumer advocacy powerhouse serving over 30 million users. His message to businesses is consistent: complaints are not your enemy. They are your most honest source of business intelligence.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
87% of consumers contact a company directly before leaving a negative review online. That statistic sits at the heart of everything Michael teaches. By the time a review is posted, the customer has already tried to reach you. The review is not the problem. The missed connection is.
In this conversation, Yanique and Michael explore how organizations of all sizes can shift the way they receive and respond to consumer feedback, including how to categorize complaints by severity, how to establish timelines for resolution, and why the department most often blamed for service failures is rarely the one responsible for causing them.
KEY TOPICS COVERED
From a Bad Vacation to 30 Million Users
Michael shares the origin story behind PissedConsumer.com, which was born from a travel experience that left him with no recourse as a consumer. That frustration became the foundation for one of the largest negative review platforms in the world.
Collective Complaints: A New Way to Get Businesses to Respond
PissedConsumer.com recently introduced a collective complaint feature that groups consumer feedback around a single issue and gathers signatures to amplify the message. Companies that routinely ignore individual complaints have begun responding to collective ones.
Complaints as Small Gifts
72% of consumers who leave negative reviews are trying to protect future customers from the same experience. They want things to improve. Michael's position is that every complaint is a gift, and businesses that receive it that way build stronger relationships than those that deflect or dismiss.
Customer Service Is Not a Deflection Mechanism
Michael addresses one of the most common and costly mistakes in large organizations: treating customer service as a buffer designed to keep consumers away from the business rather than a function empowered to fix the actual problem. When customer service has real authority and clear escalation paths, the feedback loop works.
Empowering Your Team with AI
Michael shares how his organizations have deployed agentic AI systems using multiple models across departments including recruitment, operations, marketing, and deep research. His belief is that business leaders must integrate AI and human institutional knowledge now, not later.
The Last Generation to Manage Only Human Teams
Perhaps the most thought-provoking moment in the conversation comes when Michael reflects on where AI is taking the workforce. His message to his own employees: in nine months, the company will either need 70% fewer people or will be ten times more productive. Every single person chose productivity.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Getting Past No by William Ury. Michael has carried this book on negotiation and conflict resolution for over 40 years. For anyone who deals with difficult customers, challenging conversations, or resistant stakeholders, this is the read he points to first.
CONNECT WITH MICHAEL PODOLSKY
LinkedIn: Search Michael Podolsky, PissedConsumer
 Website: pissedconsumer.com
 Website: wisebrand.com
FOLLOW NAVIGATING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
X (Twitter): @NavigatingCX
 Facebook: Navigating the Customer Experience Community
 LinkedIn: Yanique Grant
 Website: yaniquegrant.com

Send us Fan Mail
NAVIGATING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE Episode 274 | Lead With Clarity: Burnout, Cultural Intelligence, and the Strategy Every Leader Needs
What happens to your customers when the leader serving them is running on empty? In this episode, Yanique Grant sits down with Dr. Kerriann M. Peart, organizational psychologist, executive coach, and founder of Island Rooted Co., for a conversation that connects leadership well-being directly to customer experience outcomes.
Dr. Peart brings over 20 years of experience in organizational psychology, public health, and executive coaching, and her work challenges the idea that high performance should come at the expense of people. Drawing on her own journey as a Caribbean woman who navigated three cycles of burnout while building her consulting practice in corporate America, she offers leaders a grounded, practical framework for leading with clarity, cultural intelligence, and personal strategy.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
How burned-out leaders show up to customers in three distinct patterns, and which one is the rarest and most powerful
Why happy employees are defined by competence AND capacity, and how both translate directly to the customer experience
How the anchored bias of "this is how we have always done it" is damaging customer interactions in Caribbean businesses
The difference between a growth mindset and an agile mindset, and why leaders in culturally diverse environments need the latter
Why humble leaders go further and last longer than those who demand to be followed
The one personal strategy shift that will change how customer experience professionals show up, even on their hardest days
BOOKS MENTIONED
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
CONNECT WITH DR. PEART
LinkedIn: Search Kerriann Peart
Website: peartconsulting.org
FOLLOW NAVIGATING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
X: @NavigatingCX
Facebook: Navigating the Customer Experience Community
LinkedIn: Yanique Grant
Website: yaniquegrant.com/podcasts

Send us Fan Mail
What does it actually take to lead in an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping every industry, every role, and every assumption about how work gets done? On this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, Yanique Grant sits down with Jack Jendo, founder of BrainDigits, AI strategist, and author of Lead Forward, to explore what the future workplace really looks like and why leadership is the most important skill you can develop right now.
Jack brings a perspective shaped by years of working across the Middle East, Europe, and Australia, building AI-powered programs for governments, corporations, and startups. His message is clear: AI is not just a tool. It is a mindset shift, and leaders who understand this will be the ones who define what comes next.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE
Jack shares the journey that took him from juggling three jobs during university to running agencies across multiple continents and founding BrainDigits. He talks about why he wrote Lead Forward, a book designed for three types of people he encounters every day: entrepreneurs who are just getting started, senior professionals who feel like their career is winding down when it does not have to be, and leaders in the middle who feel pressure but lack clarity.
Jack also introduces a concept that reframes how leaders can use AI: the Digital Twin. Rather than using AI as a general assistant, Jack trains specialized AI versions of himself, one for brainstorming, one for financial strategy, one for business development. He has been building and refining these tools for years, and the result is a thinking partner that reflects his values, his frameworks, and his way of approaching problems.
THE FUTURE WORKPLACE: AI FIRST OR AI ENABLED?
Jack places AI in the same category as transformative inventions like the printing press and the internet. Each of those disrupted every industry it touched. AI is doing the same. But the change is not primarily about tools. It is about mindset and clarity.
He describes two futures emerging for organizations. The first is a company that adopts AI aggressively without understanding what it is doing, relying on automation without the human judgment to direct it. That organization will struggle. The second is a company led by people who know exactly what they need, who operate with ownership and freedom, and who use AI to remove friction and accelerate execution. That is the organization every leader should be building toward.
AI IS THE NEW LEADERSHIP SKILL
Jack and Yanique explore what it means to treat AI as a leadership skill rather than a software category. His view is that every task with a clear process can now be handled by AI. What cannot be automated is knowing what needs to be done, deciding the direction, and leading people through change.
The leaders who will thrive are those who invest in training their AI tools the same way they would develop a trusted assistant. Not with generic prompts, but with context, values, goals, and frameworks. That investment is what turns a general tool into something genuinely useful.
Jack shares that his two primary tools are ChatGPT, where he has trained a custom model called TwinJack over four years for brainstorming and strategic thinking, and Claude, which he has used for automation over the past year. He describes them as complementary, each with a distinct role, and both trained with the same foundation.
KEY INSIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE
Experience compounds. Working across multiple roles and industries, especially early in a career, creates a foundation that multiplies future opportunity.
Retirement is not an endpoint. Jack pushes back on the idea that experienced professionals should wind down. Their knowledge, relationships, and judgment are among the most valuable assets available to any organization.
Scaling happens during crisis. When others pull back, Jack leans in. His approach is to build capacity, strengthen teams, and expand during periods of pressure because that is when the real growth happens.
The guiding question Jack returns to during adversity is simple: remember why you started. It is not about nostalgia. It is about using original purpose as an anchor when clarity is hard to find.
BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Lead Forward by Jack Jendo https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lead+forward+jack+jendo
Start with Why by Simon Sinek https://www.amazon.com/s?k=start+with+why+simon+sinek
Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rich+dad+poor+dad
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason https://www.amazon.com/s?k=richest+man+in+babylon
TOOLS MENTIONED
ChatGPT (Custom GPT / TwinJack): https://chatgpt.com Claude (AI): https://claude.ai BrainDigits: https://braindigits.com
CONNECT WITH JACK JENDO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=jack+jendo Instagram: Search Jack Jendo
Jack responds personally to every message.
FOLLOW NAVIGATING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
X (Twitter): https://x.com/navigatingCX Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NavigatingtheCustomerExperience LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaniquewagrantcx/ Website: https://yaniquegrant.com/podcasts/

Send us Fan Mail
10 Years, 272 Episodes, and a Lifetime of Lessons: A Mother-Daughter Conversation
This episode is unlike any other in the 272-episode history of Navigating the Customer Experience. To celebrate 10 years of podcasting, host Yanique Grant invited her daughter Summer to turn the tables, Summer takes the microphone and interviews her mom about the journey, the hard lessons, and what the next decade holds. It's personal, honest, and deeply human.
What You'll Hear in This Episode
Yanique shares why she launched the podcast in May 2016 not because podcasting was trending, but because she was genuinely passionate about customer experience and saw a free platform to connect with professionals globally. She credits a podcast coach from Canada with helping her get off the ground, and reflects on how much harder it would have been without today's AI tools.
She opens up about what kept her going through 272 episodes — including taking on solo production after losing her internal team member — and names the guests who have stayed with her over a decade: Matt Swain, Joey Coleman (twice!), Jimi Gibson, Jason Feifer, Jay Baer, Paul Brunson, and Rochelle Gapere.
She talks about the doors podcasting has opened — from sitting on a podcast panel in Arlington, Washington, to serving as Master of Ceremonies at a major BPO Mindshare event in Canada with 100+ global attendees.
And she gets vulnerable about the one thing she'd do differently: stop trying to sound "North American" and just sound like Yanique.
Key Takeaways
Start with purpose - passion is what sustains a 10-year run, not hype
Get support early - a coach at the start changes everything
Be yourself on mic - your voice, your accent, your personality are assets
Consistency compounds - 272 episodes, one at a time
Credibility creates opportunity - the podcast opened doors Yanique never planned for
Relationships are the real ROI
Featured Resources
Mac Whisper - AI transcription tool
Claude (AI) - claude.ai - show notes and production workflow
Buzzsprout - podcast hosting
CapCut — video editing
Connect with Yanique 🌐 yaniquegrant.com 🐦 X/Twitter: @NavigatingCX 👥 Facebook: Navigating the Customer Experience Community 💼 LinkedIn: Yanique Grant
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and yaniquegrant.com

Send us Fan Mail
What does it take to walk into a room full of strangers and walk out with real connections? In this episode of Navigating the Customer Experience, host Yanique Grant sits down with Alexandra Silva Labarr, internationally recognized speaker, author, and founder of Xandra Marketing and PR. Known as the Networking Queen, Alexandra brings over 25 years of experience in marketing, business development, and sales to a conversation that is practical, personal, and deeply inspiring.
Alexandra's journey is one of remarkable resilience. After decades in corporate America, she bet on herself and launched her own marketing firm just before COVID hit, shutting down the in person networking she had built her reputation on. Instead of retreating, she pivoted, went digital, gave back to her community, and emerged stronger. Today, Xandra Marketing and PR helps businesses take full ownership of their marketing, from social media and branding to digital presence and messaging strategy.
Her story starts at 13 years old, when she lost her mother. That experience taught her that finding the right people and leaning on them is not weakness, it is strategy. That understanding became the foundation for everything she has built since, including her Power of Networking Community, now with 15 chapters across South Florida. She is also the author of three books: The Power of Networking, Show Up Scared, and Show Up Scared: Teen Edition, which became an Amazon bestseller and has taken her into schools and universities across the country.
In this episode Alexandra walks us through her Seven Essential C's of Networking and highlights the two people struggle with most: Courage and Common Ground. She explains why most people have courage and confidence backwards, and why showing up scared is the only real path to confidence. She also gets practical, giving you a step by step approach for exactly what to say at a networking event, how to approach a group already in conversation, how to introduce yourself without leading with a pitch, and how to craft a 30 second commercial built around the pain you solve.
Alexandra also shares her thoughts on follow up, encouraging listeners to pick up the phone and let people hear their voice, because authenticity lives in your voice and people do business with people they can feel.
Topics covered include the Seven C's of Networking, courage vs confidence, building common ground, crafting your 30 second commercial, follow up strategy, AI tools for entrepreneurs, and details on the Show Up Scared teen event at the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove on June 23rd.
Featured Resources:
The Power of Networking by Alexandra Silva Labarr available on Amazon
Show Up Scared by Alexandra Silva Labarr available on Amazon
Show Up Scared: Teen Edition by Alexandra Silva Labarr available on Amazon
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie available on Amazon
It's Not Who You Know, It's Who Knows You available on Amazon
Books by John C. Maxwell available on Amazon
Books by Brené Brown available on Amazon
Claude AI: claude.ai
Show Up Scared Teen Event: June 23rd at the Mayfair Hotel, Coconut Grove, FL. Visit alexandrasilvabar.com for full event details and tickets.
Connect with Alexandra Silva Labarr:
Google her name and everything will appear including her website, social media profiles, upcoming events, and speaking opportunities. She is especially active on LinkedIn and responds to every message personally.
Website: alexandrasilvalabarr.com
Connect with Navigating the Customer Experience:
Follow us on X @NavigatingCX and join our private Facebook group, Navigating the Customer Experience Community. You can also find us on LinkedIn and at yaniquegrant.com.
If this episode added value to you, please share it with a fellow business owner, leave us a review, and subscribe so you never miss a new episode. Thank you for listening and until next time, keep navigating forward.