The Rebels Of SaaS

In the Season 4 premiere of Rebels of SaaS, Cisco leader Frank Murphy shares his profound journey from public service to tech leadership, intertwining his career path with his deeply personal experience of raising and losing a child with severe medical needs. He candidly discusses how navigating unimaginable grief reshaped his approach to empathy, high-impact leadership, and building resilient teams. The conversation explores the critical need to normalize accessibility in product design and the workplace, illustrating this with hands-on exercises like using Braille Legos. By blending raw vulnerability with professional insight, this limited-edition episode delivers a powerful message on supporting your team's humanity while still operating a successful revenue engine. Ultimately, Frank's story challenges listeners across your growing global audience to lead with authentic connection, purposeful curiosity, and a healthy dose of resilience.Courtesy of Frank - Find resources to help with grief + dealing with it here: http://bit.ly/4v4SgyM

In the Season 3 finale of Rebels of SaaS, Dannah welcomes Kate Neal from Gainsight to explore how to effectively operationalize AI across the customer journey. Kate shares her unique career evolution and reveals how AI-native platforms can uncover "human-to-human" signals that traditional health scores often miss. Discover how to transition from reactive troubleshooting to proactive scaling by identifying risk signals months before a renewal. The conversation dives deep into the shifting skill sets required for the next generation of AI-literate CS professionals. Tune in to learn why the future of SaaS belongs to those who embrace AI as a digital teammate rather than just a tool.

In this episode, SaaS veteran Jared Cook joins Dannah Barnett Vaughan to discuss his journey through giants like Adobe and Domo to founding Crush Churn Consulting. Jared reveals how his passion for problem-solving led him to build a thriving, automated Turo car-sharing business that leverages AI and strategic delegation for true time freedom. The conversation dives into the "human element" of customer success, the pitfalls of chasing vanity metrics like NPS, and why "positive rebellion" requires a balance of challenging the status quo with disciplined, data-driven strategy.

Stop settling for "AI hype" and start building actual ROI by bridging the massive gap between executive expectations and team execution. In this episode, Top 100 CS Strategist Jeff Cann reveals why the secret to mastering AI at work actually starts with automating your life at home. We dismantle the "shadow economy" of AI and discuss why 95% of organizations are currently failing to see results from their investments. From custom-built meal planning agents to the future of "agentic assistants" that join meetings for you, Jeff explains how to transform from a "human help center" into a strategic value engineer. Tune in to learn how to lead your Customer Success team through the 2026 AI evolution before the skills gap leaves your organization behind.

In this episode of Rebels of SaaS, I’m joined by Kim Ayala, Director of Customer Success (Americas & APAC) at Akeneo, to challenge the common misconception that "sales" is a dirty word in Customer Success. Kim shares her "rebellious" approach to post-sales leadership, explaining why offering paid solutions is actually a form of deep customer advocacy when it solves a genuine pain point. We dive into the mindset shift required to move from a reactive support role to a proactive revenue driver, highlighting how expansion is the key to breaking through value ceilings. Kim also discusses her strategies for fostering collaborative relationships with Sales leaders and operationalizing forecasting within CS teams to ensure shared accountability. Tune in to learn how to master the art of consultative advising and why "CPR" for your QBRs might be exactly what your organization needs.

In this episode, host Dannah Vaughan sits down with Julie Fox — CS leader, career changer, and co-author of the Customer Success Talent Playbook — to talk about the journey that brought her to customer success and what keeps her fired up about the space. Julie shares the story behind the highly anticipated book, including how a group of six strong-willed women collaborated to create a dual-perspective career guide that CS professionals can return to at every stage of their journey. She dives deep into her passion for digital and scaled CS, making the case that when done right, it's not a cost-saving shortcut but a powerful way to deliver more personalized, human experiences to thousands of customers at once. Julie also unpacks what positive rebellion looks like in SaaS — questioning assumptions, rejecting "that's how we've always done it," and constantly pushing toward greater impact. Whether you're just breaking into CS or leading a team at a high-growth company, this conversation is packed with the kind of real talk and hard-won wisdom you'll want to come back to.

In this episode Dannah Vaughan sits down with Eleni Vorvis, a Top 100 CS Thought Leader, to explore the rapidly growing world of fractional leadership. Eleni shares her 20-year journey from accidental customer support to strategic consulting, offering "real-talk" on how founders can leverage senior expertise to build scalable frameworks. The conversation dives deep into the discipline required to transition from a full-time role to a consultant, including how Eleni used strength training to maintain resilience during a past layoff. A key highlight is Eleni’s passionate defense of "soft skills," which she rebrands as strategic—the ultimate human superpower that AI cannot replicate. Whether you're a founder looking for efficiency or a CS pro considering the leap into fractional work, this episode provides a blueprint for thriving in the modern SaaS landscape.

Join Carl Lenocker—entrepreneur, author, and Customer Success Executive Leader at Splunk—as he shares why human relationships are your competitive advantage in the AI era. Carl discusses the future of CS, dynamic dining techniques, and how to command $250K+ salaries by investing in skills AI can't replicate.

On this all-new episode of the Rebels of SaaS Podcast, Dannah Vaughan sits down with customer success leader Seán Reid to explore why the future of CS is still deeply human in an AI-driven world. Seán shares his unconventional journey from journalism, marketing, and stand-up comedy into executive customer success leadership. Together, they unpack what it really takes to earn—and keep—a seat at the executive table by speaking the board’s language of revenue and lifetime value. Seán challenges traditional health scores and introduces a smarter, relationship-driven approach to predicting renewals. The conversation dives into why relationships, not dashboards alone, ultimately protect revenue and drive growth. With insights, laughs, and a few pop culture surprises, this episode is a must-listen for modern SaaS leaders.

Here’s a clean, clear 5-sentence Spotify episode summary you can paste directly:In this episode of Rebels of SaaS, we sit down with Chad Horenfeldt, VP of Customer Success at SienaAI and author of The Strategic Customer Success Manager. Chad shares the personal journey behind writing his book and how his background in history, consulting, and SaaS shaped his approach to modern customer success. We explore what it means to shift from reactive, “firefighting” CSM work to becoming a true strategic partner. Chad also dives into how technology and AI are transforming post-sales roles — and why continuous learning and intentional career ownership matter now more than ever. Tune in for insights, practical frameworks, and encouragement to think bigger about your impact.

Join us for an innovative conversation with Parul Bhandari, co-author of the Customer Success Talent Playbook and founder of Customer X Success consultancy. Parul shares the incredible 22-month journey of collaborating with six CS leaders to create a groundbreaking book focused on hiring, growing, and retaining talent in customer success. We dive into why intentional talent strategy is more critical than ever as AI transforms the CS landscape and raises the bar for how we demonstrate value. Learn about the red flags to watch for in CS leadership roles, the importance of proper role definition and compensation, and why community matters now more than ever. Parul offers candid insights on pushing yourself outside your comfort zone and the validation that comes from collaboration with peers. This episode is essential listening for any CS leader navigating today's rapidly evolving market. Discover practical strategies for elevating yourself and your team in an increasingly competitive environment.

Alexandra Sagaydak, boutique consulting founder and former Chief Customer Officer, is back with a perspective shift on competition in B2B SaaS. With 10+ years in customer success, she now helps startup CEOs identify revenue growth gaps and navigate fundraising. In this episode, Alexandra challenges the stigma around competitive analysis—arguing that studying your competitors accelerates learning rather than threatening your success. She shares her journey from corporate executive to entrepreneur, discussing the freedom that comes with building your own brand and speaking openly about industry truths. Alexandra's key insight: stop pretending you don't check your competitor's G2 page and start embracing what you can learn from them. Whether you're a founder struggling with customer personas or a CS leader looking for fresh perspectives, this conversation delivers actionable wisdom--enjoy!

In this action packed episode we sit down with Sriharsha (Sai) Guduguntla, Co-Founder of Hyperbound AI, who went from meeting his co-founder in high school chorus to building viral AI technology that's transforming sales training at scale.Sai shares how solving their own problem led to a product that went viral across every platform. We explore why the "iPhone generation" needs to relearn face-to-face skills, training 2,500 reps simultaneously, and why their bots are "the rudest on the internet."Plus: The death of cold outbound, building in-person culture with victory gongs, and advice for his younger introverted self.This rebel founder shows how accidental innovation becomes essential technology.

Join us this week as we welcome Boaz Maor, CCO at Redirect Health. He turned the most controversial SaaS metric into a churn-fighting machine with 23% response rates. His rebel philosophy: "That's how we do things" is banned - yesterday's approach is just a data point, not tomorrow's blueprint.From intentionally switching industries to stay curious, to democratizing data insights across teams, Boaz shares how questioning every assumption led to breakthrough results. Plus: why he believes American healthcare is "capitalism gone wrong" and how he's helping fix it.Perfect for customer success leaders and anyone ready to challenge the status quo.

Customer Enablement expert James Sonderegger joins Rebels of SaaS to discuss revolutionizing post-sales through AI-powered training, his "Augmented Leadership" model that combines the Eisenhower Matrix with intelligent delegation, and why leading with empathy is the ultimate rebellion in tech. From drummer to enablement leader, James shares how customer education directly impacts ARR and why putting humanity before process creates lasting customer success.

Join us this week as we welcome Lídia Gallardo from, Co-Founder of GenCS and Founder of CSM Table. Lídia shares her journey from teacher to coder to customer success leader and why she hates the phrase "we have always done it that way." Discover how she's building community spaces where Spanish-speaking CS professionals can connect and grow together. Learn why she believes in cooperation over competition and community as "a space where we unlearn and learn and build and rebuild." This episode explores what real rebellion in SaaS looks like - challenging assumptions and creating meaningful connections. From reading five books at once to building movements that matter, Lídia shows what it means to think differently. Perfect for anyone ready to rebel their SaaS off (TM).

Customer Success executive Andrea Bumstead shares her game-changing approach that went viral on LinkedIn - the 15-minute Quarterly Business Review that actually gets executives to show up. After being rejected for four VP roles, she pivoted to fractional consulting and discovered that companies desperately need immediate help but aren't ready for long-term commitments. Andrea reveals how customer success teams are "sitting on all the money" and shares a powerful example of how an 8% price increase generated $1.4 million for one client who hadn't raised prices in 10 years. She breaks down her rebellious framework for proving customer value in just three key areas: current value delivered, potential value missed, and actionable recommendations. This episode is packed with tactical insights on commercial negotiations, revenue impact calculations, and why customer success leaders need to think more like revenue drivers than support functions.

In this season opener, host Dannah Barnett Vaughan interviews Bob London, a former corporate marketing executive turned consultant who specializes in customer discovery and listening. The conversation covers London's journey from corporate layoffs to building a successful consulting practice around what he calls "Radically Authentic Discovery" (RAD).

In this engaging conversation, Dannah Barnett Vaughan and Melissa Peters explore the themes of rebellion and innovation within the B2B SaaS industry. They discuss Melissa's journey through customer success, the importance of collaboration and alignment in teams, and the challenges of navigating change in the workplace. The conversation emphasizes the need for community, understanding, and the courage to challenge the status quo, ultimately defining what it means to be a rebel in the professional world.

Join host Dannah Barnett Vaughan and guest Clare Knight, founder of The Onboarding Lab, as they explore the psychology and strategy behind exceptional customer onboarding. Clare reveals how positioning onboarding specialists as trusted technical experts (like Apple Geniuses) creates immediate customer trust, shares Pixar's "brain trust" approach to combat groupthink, and explains why discovering what "value" truly means to customers requires going beyond surface-level conversations. Learn how effective collaboration between teams, psychological safety for experimentation, and the "five whys" technique can transform your onboarding process from a simple handoff to the central hub connecting your entire organization.

Ejieme Eromosele dishes the unfiltered truth about customer success leadership in today's SaaS wilderness. From compensation plans that actually make sense to why your sales and CS teams need to stop living on different planets, this episode serves up the reality check you didn't know you needed. Ejieme and Dannah bond over food (because who doesn't?) before diving into why traditional CS playbooks are now as outdated as your 2019 tech stack. If you're still treating customer success like glorified support with a fancier title, this episode should be top of your list -- enjoy rebels!

In this unfiltered episode of Rebels of SaaS, Jeff Kushmerek, CEO of Infinite Renewals, serves up the real-world tea on customer success without the sugar coating. Jeff pulls no punches as he dismantles industry buzzwords, advocates for charging for what your post-sales is worth, and reveals why proactivity—not endless feature debates—is what actually saves your customers. Join us for a "really real" conversation that cuts through the CS echo chamber with practical advice that's as refreshing as it is rebellious. Warning: Contains zero gratuitous LinkedIn quotes in boxes.

In this episode, we dive into the world of tech networking with special guest Kristi Faltorusso, Chief Customer Officer of ClientSuccess. While networking can significantly boost your career, we explore common pitfalls to watch for. We discuss how to identify and avoid the "virtual coffee" schedulers who consistently no-show, strategies for dealing with business card collectors who never follow up, and spotting those who build "communities" that are actually sales funnels. We also share tips for setting boundaries to ensure you don't give away your expertise for free. Plus, we take a delightful detour to discuss cheese (because why not?). Join us for practical networking advice that helps you "Rebel your SaaS off!"

Success Panda founder Brad Davis challenges conventional wisdom in this must-listen episode. Learn how creating genuine fans—without expecting anything in return— authentically helps others while simultaneously creating the ultimate business strategy. Davis offers a refreshing message to job seekers: stop worrying about the "perfect path" and start building meaningful connections. Discover why giving first not only creates unexpected opportunities but transforms careers in ways you never imagined.

Join us for this compelling episode of Rebels of SaaS, Jay Sanchez reveals how neurodivergence becomes a superpower in Customer Success. Learn how Jay's team has heightened sensory awareness-predicting customer behavior 3-4 weeks before traditional metrics, turning potential crises into $2.4M in saved revenue. Jay breaks down a unique framework for leveraging ADHD in crisis management and shares tactical approaches for transforming neurodivergent traits into strategic advantages. Discover how embracing neurodiversity in tech isn't just about inclusion—it's about unlocking unprecedented business results.

In this episode we challenge all things CX metrics, connect around CS strategy and share advice around how to model Customer Success strategy. Join us for our conversation and don't forget to Rebel your SaaS Off!

In this episode of Rebels of SaaS, we chat with Emily Garza, a powerhouse in Customer Experience and Head of Engagement, to explore the intersection of AI, project management, and bold career moves. Emily takes us through her journey—from her early days at AT&T to leading post-sales teams across SaaS, sharing the lessons she’s learned along the way.

This week, we’re thrilled to welcome Bob Mathers, a seasoned expert and consultant in the Customer Success industry. Beyond his professional expertise, Bob’s a guitar enthusiast and a dedicated community contributor who values authenticity above all. In this episode, he delivers powerful insights on why we need to break free from the same old, stale conversations in Customer Success and how to shake things up for real impact. Sounds rebellious, doesn’t it?

Want to secure a seat at your executive table? Ready to drive real results within your Customer Success organization? Join us this week as we pull back the proverbial SaaS curtain with Customer Success Legend, Irit Eizips! Irit shares CS leadership strategies, expert insights, and her signature warmth and wisdom throughout this entire episode. We’ll also dive into her time at Gainsight and explore how her organization, CSM Practice, is helping CS executives level up their game. This is an episode you won’t want to miss! Tune in and Rebel you SaaS off with us!

Join us this week as Rod Cherkas, Founder of HelloCCO and global author, offers a strategic perspective on revenue growth specifically tailored to Chief Customer Officers (CCOs) and post-sales executives. The core message centers on unlocking revenue potential from existing customer bases - an approach that challenges traditional SaaS sales growth strategies. Need more respect in the boardroom, or more budget for your department? Rod has advice!

Want to learn how product marketing can help drive revenue for your SaaS organization? This episode is a must-listen! Join me as I chat with product marketing expert Sonam Jain, who shares expert advice on how to harness the revenue-generation power train that is product marketing. 💡 From strategy to execution, Sonam breaks down actionable insights you can implement today.

Ever wonder how powerful connection can be for your career? In the age of AI, there’s one thing that remains uniquely human: the relationships we build. In this episode, we talk with Sarah Bierenbaum, Founder of The Nimble Penguin, about the transformative impact of connecting with people different from ourselves. Discover how embracing diversity in relationships can open doors and enrich your life both personally and professionally!

Join us as we welcome Laura Krauss this week to our show! Laura has decided to turn the pain of layoff into action by creating a community for laid off tech professionals, as well as an awesome new book! She also shares her love for charcuterie and Legos obsession with us. Brick by brick, it is an episode not to be missed!

Jim Gonzales, a tech leader with global experience, including at Cloudflare, is on a new journey after his layoff. Taking to the streets of the Bay Area, Jim’s mission is to connect with and share the stories of everyday people in the heart of one of the world’s top tech hubs. Through this powerful social experiment, he uncovers inspiring insights from real people behind the innovation. Follow along for an inside look at resilience, community, and the human side of tech.

Join us this week to chat with Elizabeth Italiano about her journey from selling saran wrap to working for Salesforce. She also shares her love for Lebanese cuisine and homemade pasta. She offers some wonderful advice too about "what not to do" inside of sales and CS.

Join us this week as we welcome tech expert Elizabeth Italiano to the show to share her advice on "what not to do" in SaaS sales and Customer Success.

Anil joins us this week to share best practices around revenue retention and growth. Enjoy this remarkable story of growth and journey from Founder and CEO of BHA Consulting. Spoiler Alert - It starts with customer trust!

This week we welcome Rebecca Novetsky, customer success expert and consultant, to the studio. Rebecca shares the really real behind work/life balance inside of tech. She also shares tips and tricks around how to navigate the difficult job market within the tech ecosystem.

In this episode we discuss what Revops brings to the table inside of the GTM ecosystem within SaaS. Tyler talks why Hubspot is amazing, what it takes to build a revops team, and how to navigate the stress of it all.

This week we dive into community and insights gathered from the path of Priscila Fletcher. Priscila founded Latinos in Success and is a dedicated mentor/coach to many inside of the customer success world. In this episode she shares how to make impact inside of your organization by speaking up. She also talks about "NO" as being a positive thing that can be harnessed to drive success.

Join us this week as we welcome Loren Shumate. Loren shares her experience from being 4X VP of Marketing, Founder of The Revenue Muse, Consultant and ABX/Integrated Campaign coach. We dive deep into the power that the Marketing and Customer Success partnership can yield to drive organizational revenue and client happiness. What could you do if your customers were happier?

Join us this week with Salesforce's very own Maryann Lazzeri. In this episode Maryann shares her journey into customer success and shares tips/tricks on how to use soft skills strategically as a CSM.

Join us this week with no-code dev expert Parth Madhubhai. He shares where AI is going from an overarching perspective, the benefits of it, and its limitations. He also shares how AI is changing the way we can effectively engage with our customers inside of Customer Success!

Join us this week as we welcome the one and only De'Edra Williams to the show! She Shares the overview of what she refers to as Customer Success 4.0! Her personality, vibe and subject matter expertise brings a ton to the advice that she shares during this episode. Enjoy!

Join us this week as we welcome Dillon Young, Chief Creative at Lifetime Value Media. Dillon shares why community is so important within customer success and how support from community can lead to real success. We also talk about legos, girl dinner, and Legos in this episode. Please be advised.

Join us this week as Jesica Chavez, Founder of Latina Success and CX Leader, shares her journey into robotics.

Join CCO of PeopleForce and myself as we talk all things revenue growth! Alexandra shares strategic advice as to how one navigates their customer success team to own revenue expectations.

Your customers buy your product because they get something from it! It is no different than when you drive through your favorite coffee shop to grab a tasty caffeine boost! As a customer success manager it is your job to show the client (particularly the person signing the contract/executive stakeholder) why they should bother with purchasing your product! Join Ryan and I this week as we talk client value, how to showcase it, and how to deliver on it! Ryan shares a modality for client value illustration that he has deployed now inside of 4 different organizations. Enjoy and Rebel on!

Sumi goes to the mat this week and shares tips of and tricks around the execution of business reviews. Enjoy this telling episode of how to navigate your audience in a strategically impactful manner that benefits them in a value driven manner.

Join Nikki Bishop and myself this week as we dive into what building a team really means! Nikki is an engineer by trade that has been led to a life of customer success leadership along an organic and fun path! She has been a COO, speaks regularly at conferences like Pulse/Gainsight, and exudes sheer people first idealogy as she navigates team building. We explore alot of fun topics during our conversation! It is important to hire people you like but do they connect well together? Are they different types of people that can bring different approaches to drive your organization forward? Nikki also shares what it means to say the hard things as a leader, and how to politically navigate the board room to advocate for what you believe to be right.