12. From the Mug Bug to CX Expert - The Scrappy Path of Ryen Salo

Ryen Salo is the Client Experience Manager at CherryBecker, a 10-year CX veteran, Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) member and speaker, Finnish sauna enthusiast, and self-described "one and fun" mom living just outside Portland, Oregon. In this episode, Ryen takes us from selling candy and running a seven-dollar blackberry stand in Grants Pass, to driving a 50-mph Mug Root Beer VW Bug for Pepsi Cola, to dropping in and out of college for years before finally finishing her degree through an adult completion program - all while working full-time and being newly married. She breaks down what client experience actually requires (spoiler: it's curiosity), why you have to stop making it about yourself, and why she and Jack are both speaking at the AAM Summit in Palm Springs this May. In this episode: 00:00 - Intro and the bell pepper bump fun fact you will never forget 02:42 - Growing up scrappy in Grants Pass, Oregon and a mom who quietly ran the school 08:15 - Learning differently, the teachers who really saw her, and why grades don't tell the whole story 11:21 - Raising her son in a Title I school and celebrating neurodiversity in 2025 16:06 - The winding college road - Eugene to California to Portland, food stamps, and finally finishing 18:50 - Driving the Mug Bug - Pepsi Cola's 50-mph soda car and sampling at events 26:46 - Working at The Climb (while not outdoorsy at all) and winning the guac off two years running 28:50 - What client experience actually requires - curiosity, listening, and getting out of your own way 33:28 - The CX partnership philosophy - becoming an extension of the client's team 35:45 - The Jefferson Memorial and the five whys - how Jack and Ryen both think about root causes 37:20 - AAM (Association for Accounting Marketing) and what to expect at the Palm Springs summit 42:28 - Lightning round - airports, inbox philosophy, JBL earbuds, and the final scrappy vs. sophisticated verdict Connect with Ryen Salo: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryen-salo/ AAM (Association for Accounting Marketing): https://accountingmarketing.org/ Listen on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3zSMlS41U0FfttadYBYbri?si=f856281edcae4c53 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scrappy-but-successful-consultants-personalities-when/id1878384628 Connect with Jack Tompkins: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-tompkins/ Pineapple Consulting Firm: https://www.pineapplecf.com Speaking: https://www.pineapplejacktompkins.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCalnj5yLU0ZH9y_tVl1J4ng