One year in...

In partnership with

Hey CS Pros,

This week’s newsletter is a bit of a personal one. Five years ago, I started my podcasting journey as the host of Planhat’s The Customer Success Channel. I loved it, but a year ago, I decided to take a leap and launch my own show—The Customer Success Pro Podcast. And today, I’m celebrating one year of running my own podcast! 🎉 

Looking back at some of my earliest episodes, I can’t help but cringe (and laugh) at how much of a newbie I was to podcasting. But here’s the thing…growth only happens when you show up consistently. For five years, I’ve released an episode every single month. And let me tell you, running a podcast on your own adds a whole new level of stress and commitment.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because of you.

@thecustomersuccesspro

1 Year of My Own Podcast! 🎙️🎉 A year ago, I took the leap and launched The Customer Success Pro Podcast. Looking back at my early episodes... See more

But first, today’s sponsor

↓

Automate Prospecting Local Businesses With Our AI BDR

Struggling to identify local prospects? Our AI BDR Ava taps into a database of 200M+ local Google businesses and does fully autonomous outreach—so you can focus on closing deals, not chasing leads.

Ava operates within the Artisan platform, which consolidates every tool you need for outbound:

• 300M+ High-Quality B2B Prospects

• Automated Lead Enrichment With 10+ Data Sources Included

• Full Email Deliverability Management

• Personalization Waterfall using LinkedIn, Twitter, Web Scraping & More

Book a demo and supercharge your sales team

What Makes a Great Podcast Host?

People often ask me what makes a great podcast host, and here’s what I’ve learned over the years:

• Deliver value. Every episode should teach, inspire, or challenge your audience.

• Be a natural conversationalist. The best interviews feel like real conversations.

• Ask more questions. The best insights come from curiosity.

• Talk about what you love. Passion is what keeps you going when things get tough.

But the biggest key? Consistency. The only reason I’ve made it this far is that I kept showing up…month after month, year after year.

And I’m going to keep showing up because I have the best listeners in the world.

If you are an avid listner of the podcast, GUESS WHAT? Starting next week I will be releasing solo episodes on top of my interviews. Yes I will be sharing a new podcast every week instead of every month.

One of my biggest personal goals in 2025 was to continue to invest in things I love, and I LOVE podcasting. So starting from April you will get one monthly episode from me and my guests and then you will get 2-3 solo episodes from myself sharing more insights, best practices, and knowledge all around customer success.

Catch Up on Every Episode!

If you’ve missed an episode or want to revisit your favorites, here’s a look at every episode from the past year. Each one is packed with insights from some of the best minds in Customer Success.

My podcast would be nothing without my amazing guests, so make sure to relisten to your favorites below:

• Rachel Provan: Psychological Mindset Shift from Reactive to Proactive Customer Success

• Kristi Faltorusso: Customer Success Career Path to the C-Suite

• Erika Villarreal: How to become a Strategic Customer Success Manager

• Jared Orr: How to Get Hired in Customer Success in a Tough Job Market

• Daphne Costa Lopes: Driving Customer Retention and Customer Growth at Scale

• Madelyn DePrey: Leading with Value and Increase Revenue

• Alex Turkovic: Using AI in Your Daily Customer Success Routine

• Carly Agar: How to Get Promoted into an Enterprise CSM

• Jay Nathan: Customer Success Metrics That Drive Growth

• Stijn Smet: First time Customer Success Leader to a Revenue Leader

• Ejieme Eromosele: From CS to Sales Growth: Turning Upsells into New Sales

• Guy Rahamim: The Power of Data Driven Decision Making in Customer Success

• Saahil Karkera: How to Scale a Customer Success Team Without Losing Customer Value

Each guest shared incredible insights to help you level up your CS game. If you haven’t already, go check them out!

A Huge Thank You!

To everyone who has left a review, sent me a message, or even come up to me in person to say how much you enjoy the podcast. Thank you. ❤️ You have no idea how much your words mean to me. I save every kind message I receive because knowing that this podcast is making an impact keeps me going.

That's all for now.

I hope you’ve found this newsletter helpful. If you did find it helpful, feel free to forward it to a friend or a colleague; sharing is caring! If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact us.

Cheers to your CS success,

Anika

PS - CSM RevUP Academy is currently full. Don't miss your shot at joining next time! Get the strategies and playbooks and build your confidence into a revenue-generating CS Pro. Join the VIP Waitlist today to be first notified when the doors open again.