Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM

Project Manager

StepUpXchange

StepUpXchange is an exciting new community for professional learning. We're an extension of the CxXchange community and sponsored by JanYoungCX. 

We offer group coaching, courses and workshops that are project based so you can apply what you learn directly to your work. You'll directly impact your customers, your team, your company, and your career. 

Our first offering is on Sept 4 at 9am PT/ noon ET/ 4pm GMT. Jan Young, will lead a 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬: 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂-𝐒𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞.

This is HOT off the presses, so our website isn't even up yet! If you opt into our first event, we'll keep you up to date on 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 as we build it! 

If you're looking for a way to break through to the next level, if you want to learn in a community with progressive professionals, come and step up your career with us!

Founder, CEO

JanYoungCX

As a CS Leader, this is the time to embrace change. Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, you are more likely to be successful if you don’t do it alone. 

As the Founder and Chief Customer Officer, I provide courses, coaching, and consulting in Post Sales Revenue Leadership, Customer Led Growth, and Go-To-Market alignment.

With coaching, courses, and community, you can transform yourself into a post sales revenue leader and change your mindset to step up as a business leader.

If this sounds like something you want to learn more about, check out my free guide:

7 Steps for CS Leaders to Become Revenue Leaders
https://www.janyoungcx.com/7-steps-revenue-leader

You can also join my course waitlist or apply now:
https://www.janyoungcx.com/courses

Or apply for 1:1 coaching at https://www.janyoungcx.com/

Founder & Chief Customer Officer

Pavilion

- Created and taught "Building Your Retention Playbook" course for Executive GTM members of the Pavilion community
-  Presenting at Pavilion Palooza
-  Attended CEO Summit 2024
-  Executive member of the Pavilion community

Instructor, Executive Member

SoCalCX

We are Southern California's only professional community where go-to-market leaders across Product Management, Sales, Account Management, Professional Services, Technical Support, and Customer Success come together to share ideas so we can deliver unparalleled customer experiences for B2B and B2B2C software-as-a-service technology companies.

Co-Founder

CxXchange

CxXchange community started as a weekly office hour, then grew to CS Office Hours, and now a community with weekly SuccessHour sessions, monthly CxX Book Club, job search cohorts, Collaboration Groups for CS Leaders and CSMs in their first 6 month or 6+ months... CxXchange is a place to Xelerate Your career and Xchange ideas. CxXchange is a space for passion, curiosity, and community.

Follow us here
Join the LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14089431/
And soon... visit our youtube page & website: www.thecxxchange.com

Founder

Success Venture Partners

Founding investor in Success Venture Partners, led by John Gleeson.

Founding Limited Partner

RevRoom

RevRoom is a trusted space where curious revenue leaders are collaborating on the future of B2B Go to Market alignment and GTM-Led-Growth.

Founding Member

CS Insider

"Inclusive Innovation" Series Writer & Curator. DM me if you're interested in being a guest author on the subject of customer centric, employee centric, or DEI programs. Check out other articles in the series  here:  https://csinsider.io/inclusiveinnovation

I also serve as Founding Community Lead. What is CS Insider? CS Insider offers community events and gathers Customer Success best practices and resources on a bi-weekly basis for busy and aspiring CS professionals. Did you miss a LinkedIn post, article, podcast, webinar...? Get the CS Insider Newsletter-- it's all there for you!

https://csinsider.io/

Founding Community Lead, "Inclusive Innovation" Series Writer & Curator

Catalyst Software

Invited by CEO Edward Chiu and COO Kevin Chiu to participate in a private community of 100+ executives from CEOs, VPs of CS/Sales, CROs/CCOs, and more to discuss the power of customer-centric companies and the future revenue generation through a more cost-effective and powerful growth engine; your customers.

Customer-Led Growth Advisor

The Success League

Recent Podcasts & Webinars: 
CloudApp - How to Build a CS Digital Program That's Right for You, Rocketlane - Designing Your Onboarding & Adoption Journey & Podcast Interview, Update.AI - How To Build a Career in CS, UserIQ - Advanced Customer Psych, ChurnZero - RYG CS Leadership Hour (San Diego & LA), Minerva - Success Corner Meetup Pioneers Q&A, Cognite - Sales to CS Handoff, Women in CS - The Fundamentals of Customer Success,  User Adoption Podcast - Interview, CS4Rev - Collaborative Revenue Incubator Event, Catalyst Coaching Program - Becoming a Career-Trajectory Changing Mentor, Gain Grow Retain - Customer Base Segmentation & How to Use Discovery Questions to Build Relationships with Executive Stakeholders...

Customer Success Articles Published at:  TheSuccessLeague.io, CloudApp.com Blog & E-Book, Gainsight's InSided Customer Health Magazine, SmartKarrot.com, CSInsider.co, and Nuffsaid newsletter

Principal Consultant

The Success League is a consulting firm that helps growing businesses plan, build and scale their customer success teams. We offer public and private customized CSM and Leadership Training, Customer Success Program Assessments, Interim Leadership Services, and Consulting Services.

Senior Consultant, Customer Success 

I help Heads of CS become VPs and get a seat at the Executive Table | Customer-Led Growth Advisor | 2X Top 25 CS Influencer | Top 50 CS Influencer | Top 50 Women Leaders in CS | Top 100 CS Strategist | Investor

I help CS Leaders get to the executive level,  excel in their careers, transform their teams with strategic direction, build business value for their customers, and evolve their companies into Customer Led Growth revenue generators.

Shifting economics in tech has required us to move from Growth at Any Cost to Profitable Enduring Growth. That’s a big change after 15 years that led to a tech bubble. For many, it represents your whole career. And the change has been swift. You’re probably wondering when it’s all going to “go back to normal”.   But this is the new normal.  
 
Add to that the change that AI brings– it can be overwhelming!  We can also look at it another way– it’s an opportunity to learn & thrive. 

This is the time to embrace change. 

Luckily, you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, you are more likely to be successful if you don’t do it alone. 

As the Founder and Chief Customer Officer, I provide courses, coaching, and consulting in Post Sales Revenue Leadership, Customer Led Growth, and Go-To-Market alignment.

With coaching, courses, and community, you can transform yourself into a post sales revenue leader and change your mindset to step up as a business leader.

If this sounds like something you want to learn more about, check out my free guide:

7 Steps for CS Leaders to Become Revenue Leaders
https://www.janyoungcx.com/7-steps-revenue-leader

You can also join my course waitlist or apply now:
Go.StepUpXchange.com/csbl-accelerator

Or apply for 1:1 coaching at https://www.janyoungcx.com/

ChatGPT just revealed something about me I never explicitly told it. And it made me realize: Your team is doing the same thing to you right now.

I was working with ChatGPT and asked what it had learned about me over our months of conversations.

What energizes me. 
What feels easy versus challenging. 
What I'm building toward.

Here's what surprised me:
It knew things I'd NEVER told it.

Seriously. We've been talking about CS Leaders, my CS Business Leadership Accelerator, and my content.

But somehow it had formed a clear picture of ME, my likes/ dislikes, even MY GOALS through the patterns in how I talked about everything else.

And that's when I realized something.

I've been thinking about communication all wrong.

We're not just communicating what we say.

We're communicating through our actions, and every pattern we create.


Think about your last team meeting.
You probably thought you were sharing priorities through your agenda.

But your team was also noticing:
→ Which topics you spent the most time on
→ Where you had energy versus what you rushed through
→ What you asked follow-up questions about

THOSE SIGNALS SAID MORE THAN YOUR WORDS.

Or think about your customer conversations.
You might think you're showing value through what you say.

But your customers are noticing:
→ Whether you're really curious about their business
→ If you get excited talking about their success
→ Whether you're focused or just checking a box

We think saying things clearly is what matters most.

But IMPLICIT COMMUNICATION:  the patterns we create, the signals we send, that might be what people actually respond to.

Because your team isn't just listening to what you say about priorities.
🕜 They're watching where you actually spend your time. 
🥳  They're noticing what you celebrate versus what you ignore. 
🗣️  They're feeling when your words say one thing but your actions show another.

Your customers aren't just hearing your talking points.
🎉 They're experiencing whether you really care about their success. 
🚀 They're noticing if you're excited or just going through the motions.
👀 They're looking at what happens afterwards. What do your actions say?


What makes this hard:
Most of us don't realize the signals we're sending. 

We think we're talking about one thing, but we're showing our real priorities through HOW we talk about it.

The opportunity is paying attention to the signals you're sending. 

The opportunity is becoming more intentional about the signals you're sending. Not just what you say, but where your attention goes, what you emphasize repeatedly, and what genuinely lights you up. 💡

Because if AI can figure out these patterns, your team and customers DEFINITELY can.


👉  What do you think your team is picking up about you based on your actions, not just your words?

👉  What about your customers?

CS is evolving. Your leadership should too. | Helping CS leaders transition into executive roles & drive business impact | 2X Top 25 CS Influencer | Customer-Led Growth Advisor | Top 100 Female B2B SaaS Pipeline Pioneers

Electric. That’s the only word for it.
 
A downtown SF high rise tower room full of 100 women executives from AI-first and high-growth tech sharing, learning, and stepping up together.

Primary Venture Partners’ On the Business Mastery Day, led by Cassie Young and team, is one of those experiences that reminds you why community matters.

Here are some of the highlights:

👉  Cassie opened with the Core Four, grounding us in what every exec needs to lead with clarity and confidence:
1.  P&L Fluency
2.  First Team Leadership Mentality
3.  Pulse on the Macro Market
4.  "Bat Phone" relationships built on strategic networking

✅  Core Fore at Work
Jeanne DeWitt Grosser's story about walking into a near-impossible target was such an instructive insight into how big goals get built.
 
--> When you’re aiming beyond possible, the question isn’t “Can we?”, it’s “What needs to be true?”
 
That shift turns pressure into a collaborative purpose.

🤔  Is That Founder a Great CEO?
Rebecca Price shared the VC lens on the difference between a great founder and a great CEO, and how investors evaluate leadership readiness.
 
It’s a powerful reminder for executives to assess not just the company they join, but the leadership they’ll be aligning with and their potential to raise capital.

💰  Pricing & Packaging: Your Next Leadership Superpower
Shelley Perry and Ariela Bitran walked through the essentials of pricing and packaging an area that is changing rapidly in every company.

As AI reshapes tech economics, pricing used to be one and done. Now, it’s a dynamically strategic decision that signals how customers work with you.

It reinforced the work I’m already doing within the StepUpXchange CS Business Leadership Accelerator and why I’m doubling down on it.

🙏  Huge thanks to Amanda Kahlow and the 1mind team for hosting the dinner that kept the conversations going.

♻️  Grateful to connect and reconnect with so many leaders across CS, Product, Sales, Finance, and Marketing. Looking forward to continuing the conversations virtually in between Mastery Days.

If you get the chance to attend #OnTheBusinessMasteryDay —> GO.
 
It’s time well spent.

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

Within 48 hours, I coached three CS leaders through a similar challenge:

Shrinking teams. Frozen backfills. Bigger targets.

💠  One had to let go of a team member due to revenue pressure. 
💠  Another is staring down aggressive growth goals with no increase in headcount. 
💠  The third lost one of their highest performers, and was told there's no backfill coming.

And all three said the same thing:
"I don't know what to do. My team is already stretched thin."

Here's the reality I told each of them:
❌  You are not getting new headcount. 
🧑‍🤝‍🧑  You need to plan for losing more. 
🧍  Companies and teams are getting smaller.

Sounds harsh?
Maybe. But it’s also the truth.

And the truth gives you power to ask a better question:
Not:  "How do I stretch my team further?"
But:   “How do I radically rethink what I do, and how I do it?”

Start here:
Are you gap-filling for a product that wasn't completed?

This is bloat.
And it's the most expensive way to deliver software. 
It's time to show how much time and money it takes for a human to do the job the software should be doing.

It’s time to ask:
What are you doing because you've always done it that way?
What really impacts the outcome the customer needs? 
What doesn't need to be done anymore? 
What can you not afford to do anymore?

The BIG Question:
What data and tools have you been missing, and what has it cost?
Human hours lost or spent? 
Customers churned? 
Revenue you couldn't grow because you didn't have the capacity or insights to see it?

Show the cost.
Then redesign for Modern CS.

Here's what a lot of CS leaders miss:
The CS orgs thriving right now aren't trying to do the same work with fewer people.

They redesigned their old CS program and turned it into a 
Modern CS Growth System:
✅  They replaced task volume with outcome clarity 
✅  They use insights to act with precision, not urgency 
✅  They reduced noise so their team focuses where they create real value

One approach keeps you stuck in survival mode. 
The other builds a system designed for today's reality.
--> Which path are you on?

If you're ready to redesign your CS org for constraints that lead to abundance

Join me for the 
📌  NexGen CS Leadership Masterclass 
How Any CS Leader Can Drive Revenue & Executive Impact
Even When You’re Left Out of the Boardroom

📆  Tuesday, Dec 2
🕘  9am PT/ 12pm ET/ 5pm UK
https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2

📌  It’s only LIVE.  [no recording]

I'll walk you through exactly how to build a Modern CS Growth System that thrives under today's reality, not yesterday's playbook.

Can’t make it?

📌 Sign up for the VIP Inner Circle and you’ll be first to know about ​StepUpXchange​ free masterclasses in 2026.  
https://lnkd.in/gpxwVFWB

📌 In the meantime, check out my newsletter. Find it here:  JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

What if we've been thinking about playbooks all wrong?

Here's a question I've been sitting with:

If a process is predictable enough to document in a playbook, is it really where your CSMs should be spending their time?

Think about the typical CS playbook.

Step-by-step instructions. If / then logic. Documented responses for common scenarios.

Now think about AI.

What is AI exceptionally good at?

Following documented steps. Processing if / then logic. Executing consistent responses at scale.

See where I'm going with this?

The work we've been asking humans to do, the work that lives in playbooks, might be exactly the work AI should own.

But here's the interesting part:

When AI takes over the playbook, what's left for humans?

Everything that can't be scripted.

The strategic conversation about a customer's evolving needs. The trust-building moment when something goes wrong. The creative problem-solving that requires context AI doesn't have. The relationship depth that comes from genuine human connection.

And here's what matters most:

These complexities? They're what drive revenue.

Expansion conversations. Strategic account planning. Identifying upsell opportunities. Building executive relationships that lead to renewals.

This is the shift happening in CS right now:

Playbooks aren't going away. They're just changing ownership.

AI agents execute the playbooks. Humans focus on the complexities that generate revenue.

But most teams are stuck in the middle.

They know AI can help. They're just not sure how to redesign their systems to make it work.

The real opportunity for CS leaders:

Build a Repeatable Customer Revenue System that brings AI agents and CSMs together in partnership.

Where priorities are crystal clear. Where AI handles consistency and scale. Where CSMs focus on relationships and strategy that drive revenue.


The question isn't "will AI replace CSMs?"

The real questions are:

What work should AI own that humans are still doing? What revenue-generating work requires human leadership that we're not prioritizing enough? How do we build systems where both work together to drive growth?


I'm curious: 

What's one thing on your team's plate right now that feels like it should be automated but isn't yet? 

Drop it below.



If you've been asking these questions too, you might enjoy my newsletter that I send out on Saturdays:  
✍️  JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

I also have a Masterclass coming up Dec 2, NexGen CS Leadership
🗣️  https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2

Thanksgiving always makes me pause and look around at the people and moments that shaped my year.

This one surprised me. 

Travel has been a highlight. 

I started the year in London with Cinthia Silva at The Customer Conference. We organized a CxXchange evening event that week and discussed how AI is reshaping CS... but there was limited talk of agents in that conversation. 🤔

I spent almost five weeks on the road this fall, speaking, learning, and meeting so many of you in person-- including 
 📌  Virginia D. Bloom, who I once coached. She has now become an award winning executive and my presenting partner at the ChurnZero conference in Chicago.
📌  More in the comments, running out of space!

It reminded me how energizing it is to be connected to a community that truly cares about our craft.

💪  I restarted some of my stacked habits from our Atomic Habits days in the CxXchange Book Club. For more than a month I have done daily planks and wall sits. 

A recent conversation with Maryann Lazzeri nudged me into a 30 day plank challenge for December. It feels good to push myself again!

I am thankful for the friends and colleagues who have become real parts of my life. 
🧑‍🤝‍🧑  Some from the early Gain Grow Retain days. 
🧑‍🤝‍🧑   Many from CxXchange and StepUpXchange. 
🧑‍🤝‍🧑  And many through LinkedIn who started as comments or DMs and became true friendships.

💻  I am grateful for the chance to reimagine and rebuild the StepUpXchange CS Business Leadership Accelerator for an AI driven era. 

CxXchange has blossomed this year into a fully volunteer led community with more than 4k CS pros. The board and every volunteer give their time and their heart💙🧡

Seeing how many careers have been shaped by the connections inside the community is something I will never take for granted.

🙏  I'm so thankful for the work we get to do together. 

For the communities we are building that help CS leaders rise.


👉  When do you reflect on your year? I would love to hear your plans and what you're thankful for!


P.S.
If this inspires you to come be a part of our communities...

📌  StepUpXchange NexGen CS Leadership Masterclass
📆  Tuesday, Dec 2 
🕘  9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm UK
🔗  https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2

📌  CxXchange community
🔗  thecxxchange.com
🧑‍🤝‍🧑  Slack community link on website
📆  Link on website for Events on Dec 2 and soon to be posted Dec 9...

✍️  JanYoungCX newsletter
🔗  JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

What If the Problem Isn't Your Playbook? Maybe it's that Playbooks can't keep up anymore...


I've been thinking about why so many CS playbooks feel outdated within weeks or months of being created.

It's not because teams aren't thorough. 

It's not because the playbooks are poorly designed.

It's because the pace of change has outrun our ability to document it.


Consider this:
How long does it take to build a comprehensive playbook? Weeks? Months?

How long does it take for customer behavior to shift? 
For a competitor to launch something new? 
For AI to change how your customers work?

The gap keeps growing.

This is why the most effective CS teams are shifting their focus.

Instead of asking "what's the right step?" they're asking "what's the pattern?"

Instead of documenting every scenario, they're building systems that help teams recognize what's changing and adapt.


The difference:
❌  A playbook says: "When X happens, do Y." 
✅  A system says: "Here's how to recognize what's happening and decide what to do."

One scales your current knowledge. 

The other scales your team's ability to learn and work in the age of AI.


The question worth asking:
❓  Are you building documentation that captures what worked yesterday? 
❓  Or systems that help your team navigate what's changing today?


✍️  I'm writing about this topic in my newsletter this Saturday. You can grab it here:  JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

🗣️  This is also part of what I'll cover in my next Masterclass, NexGen CS Leadership, on Dec 2. You can sign up here:  https://lnkd.in/gUWPsTRD


I took some pictures without my glasses on. I hardly recognize myself! What do you think?

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

I see you.

Last week I posted about shrinking CS teams and rising revenue expectations.

A few people commented publicly.
But my inbox lit up.

Dozens of CS leaders messaged me privately to say the same thing.

👀 "That’s me too. I’m overwhelmed, and I don’t know where to start."

👀 "My CFO wants me to prove ROI, but I don’t know what he’s looking for really. I’ve tried 3 times, and I’m working 60 hour weeks."

👀 "My team was just cut from 12 to 6, but our projections are supposed to double by year end 2026. I don't know how to make it all work."

Reading those messages stayed with me.
Because you are not alone.
And more importantly, you are not failing.

Here's what most people think:
"If I just work harder, figure out the right tactics, or find the perfect tool, I can make this work."

But that's not true.
You can't tactic your way out of a system problem.

The old CS playbooks were built for bigger teams, bigger budgets, and a different marketplace.

They don't work anymore.

What works now?

A Modern CS Growth System designed for today's reality: 
✅  Half the team, 2x the expectations 
✅  AI handling tasks, humans driving impact 
✅  Revenue language that gets you heard in the boardroom

This is not about working harder. It is about leading differently.

Join me for a live Masterclass:

📌  NextGen CS Leadership
How Any CS Leader Can Drive Revenue and Executive Impact 
Even When You are Left Out of the Boardroom

📆  Tuesday, December 2
🕘  9am PT/ 12pm ET/ 5pm UK
🔗  https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2

👉  We will talk about what is shifting in tech, why so many leaders are feeling this pressure, and the system that can help you step into 2026 with clarity and strength.

There is a path forward.

I’ve guided CS leaders as they rebuild their confidence and their results even when everything looked impossible.

You can do this.
We can do this together.
🧡💙

Save this post. 
Share it with someone who needs it.

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

💠  If you want to know when I offer Masterclasses or learn more about the CS Business Leadership Accelerator, DM me, or come be a part of my VIP Inner Circle:  https://lnkd.in/gpxwVFWB

💠  If you want to get my newsletter about Modern CS + AI, you can find it here:  janyoungcx.com/#newsletter

Your December strategy should make you impossible to ignore in January.

You have a few work weeks left before the new year starts.

Most CS leaders will use them to:
➰  Wrap up loose ends. 
🤯  Check out mentally. 
🙏  Hope January brings clarity.

The CS leaders who will start strong?
They're using this period of fewer meetings to get strategic right now.

✅  They're planning how to use AI to scale.
✅  They're learning how to drive revenue and executive impact. 
✅  They're mastering systems that increase NRR by 10%+ and grow expansions 50%+. 

They're positioning themselves to earn a real voice at the executive table.

So when January hits, they're not scrambling.
They're leading with clarity and confidence.

That's the difference December makes.

📅 Tuesday, December 2 
🕘  9am PT/ 12pm ET/ 5pm UK
📌  NexGen CS Leadership Masterclass: 
 How Any CS Leader Can Drive Revenue & Executive Impact 
 Even When You're Left Out of the Boardroom
🔗  https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2

I'll show you the Modern CS Growth System used by 100s of CS leaders to increase expansion revenue and earn their seat at the table.

Join us if you want to start 2026 impossible to ignore.


StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

#NewYear #NewStrategy

For additional resources, offers, and updates on my masterclasses, join my VIP Inner Circle:  https://lnkd.in/gpxwVFWB

For insights and strategies on using AI + CS for Executive Impact, check out my newsletter:  JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

Modern CS is evolving. and these 60 case studies prove it.

I’m thrilled to serve as a judge for the 2026 EverAfter AI Creative CS Leaders Awards.

This year’s submissions are inspiring 🚀

There are 60 incredible case studies showcasing how CS professionals around the world are driving measurable impact, experimenting with AI, and reimagining customer value.

This isn’t just an awards showcase, it’s a masterclass in modern CS.
 ✅ You can vote for your top 5
 ✅ You can learn from every one

We’re at a pivotal moment in Customer Success. 

The way we operate, measure, and lead is shifting fast, and no one can do it alone. 

These stories remind us how powerful it is when we share what works, test what’s next, and learn together.

So take 20 minutes. Explore. Vote.

You’ll walk away with new ideas, renewed optimism, and maybe even a few aha moments for your own program.

VOTE HERE
👉 https://lnkd.in/gqtg7xDt

Let’s rise together. 
Because CS is stronger when we build it as a community.

Tagging the nominees I know... who do you know that's been nominated?

Virginia D. Bloom
Linda Lipovetsky,
Julie Fox
LeeRon Yahalomi
Karthick JL
Jeremy Donaldson
Parul Bhandari
★ Rupal Nishar ★
Dannah Vaughan
Keishla C.
Justin Chappell
✨️ Sumitra N.
Ankit Aggarwal
De'Edra Williams,
Alex Turkovic


Inspired by these 60 ideas? 

Keep the momentum going! 

Join CxXchange or StepUpXchange to learn, share, and lead the next wave of modern CS.


CxXchange: a free volunteer led, peer to peer community of 4k CS pros (different kinds of weekly events and a slack community)

Our website has all the info and the links for the slack community and the events calendar:  thecxxchange.com


StepUpXchange:  a private executive community guided by me. A home for CS Leaders combining project-based learning and an executive peer network. 

We open applications periodically when capacity allows, welcoming a limited number of CS leaders each round to ensure a personal, high-impact experience.

If you want more information, DM me. 
👉  Or sign up for the Dec 2 free NexGen CS Leadership Masterclass
https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2

EverAfter AI

2025 Top 100 Customer Success Strategist 🏆 || Data Driven Revenue Leader || CX Thought Leader || Community Advocate || Equity Enthusiast || Speaker || Mentor

Passionate Client Advocate ✅ Trusted Client Success Leader ✅ Financial Wellness Champion ✅

Customer Success & Revenue Exec | Digital and Scaled CS Leader | Top 25 CS Creative Leader x2 + Top 100 CS Strategist x4! | #1 Best Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, Podcast Guest

AI GTM Leader | CS to Revenue Architect | 5x Growth | Ex-Regie.ai, Textio, DreamBox | PE & VC-Backed Operator

Founder | I help B2B SaaS scale Customer Success, boost retention, and grow revenue | Top 200 CS Thought Leaders 2025 | 25%+ NRR Uplift | 20 Yrs | Coach | Consultant | Author

Speaker | Growth & Revenue Leader | 3x Award Winner | Sr. Director, Customer Success at LifeLoop

2025 Top 25 CS Thought Leader| Customer Experience Strategist & Speaker | Columnist for @Inc.com | Best-Selling Author of The Customer Success Talent Playbook | Workshops on Talent, AI for CX and Revenue Growth

CCO/COO/EVP | Modern SaaS | Transformative AI | Investor | Top 100 SaaS Leader

Top 100 CS Strategist 2025 | Post-Sales Orchestrator | Taming Chaos & Driving Profitability via AI Enablement | Support • Customer Success • Implementation Executive | Founder | Ready to Rebel? → rebelsofSaaS.com 💪

Human. Thinker. Learner. Leader. Educator. Customer Success Leader |Top 25 CS Influencer |Top 100 CS Strategist |Advocacy & Growth Focused |Innovative & Strategic Leader |Inclusive Business Leader

Seasoned Executive, Speaker, Mentor, and Thought Leader with expertise in CX, CS, and VOC strategies, programs, and processes that drive customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty.

🚀 CS Creative Leader & Experts’ Choice 2025 | Transforming Complexity into Clarity | Culturally-Fluent, People-First Accelerator | Building A Compassionate World 🌱

I automate CS Operations and fix enablement gaps before inefficiencies drain the revenue.

Chief Customer Officer | Revenue-Architect who uses Digital Swagger to accelerate customer-value optimization and help companies achieve stratospheric revenue growth. Top 25 Customer Success Influencers for 2025

3 Time Top 25 CS Influencer | Customer Success Leader | Podcast Host | Digital Customer Success Obsessed

Lisa DiSpirito Redman M.Ed.

CS Leaders:  You're not failing.

You're being asked to lead without power, influence without data, and perform magic without a wand.

And somehow…
You're still showing up for your customers, your team, and your company.

CS leaders aren't burned out because they lack vision.

They're burned out because they've been stuck in systems that under-resource them, silence their insight, and expect heroics over strategy.

It's even harder now.  
With AI reshaping how we work and economic pressure reshaping how we scale.

But some CS leaders are thriving.
They've:
✅  Increased NRR 10%
✅  Grown Expansions by 50%+
✅  Have CEOs asking "What do you need?"

The difference? 
They’ve mastered the Modern CS Growth System

Join me for a FREE Masterclass where I'll show you:
-->   Where to find hidden revenue opportunities
-->   How to lead with business impact (not just metrics)
-->   Which systems actually scale (and which create busywork)

It's not about more tactics. 
It's about stepping into the leadership role you're meant for.

💡 Ready to lead differently?
Join my upcoming Masterclass

📆  Dec 2, Tuesday
🕘   9am PT/  🕛12pm ET/  🕔 5pm UK
 🔗  https://lnkd.in/gsETU8a2
📌   NexGen CS Leadership: 
How Any CS Leader Can Drive Revenue & Executive Impact
Even When You’re Left Out of the Boardroom


For CS Leaders who know this next chapter requires more than grit:
It requires strategy, alignment, and a new kind of leadership.

#CSBusinessLeadership

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX


This is LIVE only. It won’t be offered again until 2026. 
If you can’t attend, join my VIP Inner Circle so you are first to hear about the next masterclass.
https://lnkd.in/gpxwVFWB

In the meantime, check out my newsletter:
JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

Fear or creation. You get to choose.

Imagine walking into your next job interview with a working prototype of the solution they need.

Not a slide deck about what you could do. 

Not a resume listing what you've done. 

A live demonstration of what you can create.


👀  Here's what that looks like:

The hiring manager describes their biggest challenge. 

You pull up a dashboard you built. 

It's already solving their problem.
They're not imagining what you might contribute. 

They're seeing it in real-time.

By the end of the conversation, they're not asking "Can you do this job?" 

They're asking "When can you start?"


🎯  This isn't hypothetical.

A CS professional did exactly this last week. 

She built a simple AI dashboard before the interview. 

The hiring manager rewrote the job description to match her vision.

She didn't just land the role. 

She elevated what the role could be.


🤔  Now imagine this becoming your standard approach:

You see a problem in your current CS program. 

Instead of writing a proposal and waiting for approval, you build a prototype. 

You show your team what's possible. 

They see it working and want to implement it immediately.

You're not just talking about innovation. 

You're demonstrating it.


🎯  This is already happening.

This week inside the StepUpXchange CS Business Leadership Accelerator, leaders built a Chrome extension in five minutes. 

It analyzed call recordings and QBR decks and generated success plans. 

No coding. 

No engineering team. 

Just curiosity.


👉  Every leader in that session had the same realization: "I can do this."


📆  So imagine six months from now:

You've prototyped three new solutions for your CS program. 

You've demonstrated capabilities your leadership didn't know were possible. 

You've positioned yourself as the leader who creates instead of waits.

When the next opportunity opens up, internally or externally, you're not competing on experience alone. 

You're showing what you can build.


❌  The gap between where you are and where you want to be isn't technical skill.

✅  It's the choice between fear and creation.


If you can prompt, you can prototype. 

If you can imagine it, you can build it.


🤔  The question is:  What will you create first?


Want to try?  You don't have to do it alone.

DM me for more information about the StepUpXchange CS Business Leadership Accelerator.

Your 2024 org chart is likely obsolete in 2026.

Remember spring 2024? We were still debating prompt engineering. 

Now, in December 2025, we're building AI Agents & custom GPTs/ Gems... 

The ground has shifted.

If your December plan is to "optimize" your current playbook for the new year, you've already fallen behind.

Most CS leaders are using this month to: 
❌  Close out tickets. 
❌  Scramble for last-minute renewals. 
❌  Hope the budget cuts stop in Q1.

The Top 1% of CS Leaders? 
They are using December to fundamentally redesign how they deliver value.

They know that 2026 brings: 

✅    New Cost Structures: 
How to protect margins when AI changes pricing models. 

✅   Agentic Workflows: 
Moving human CSMs to high-leverage strategy while agents handle the data. 

✅   Foundation Repair: 
You cannot scale a broken process with AI.


We have to stop asking -->  "How do I do my job faster?" 
And start asking -->   "How should this system work now that AI is part of the team?"

Don't spend December wrapping up loose ends. 
Spend it building a new foundation.


 📌 This is exactly what we build in the StepUpXchange CS Business Leadership Accelerator.

We help you install the Modern CS Growth System, the framework 
-->  You need to survive and thrive the changes ahead
-->  Used by 100s of CS leaders to increase expansion revenue and earn their seat at the table

✅   Swap HEROICS for SYSTEMS: Build Repeatable Customer Revenue Systems that don't rely on team burnout.

✅   MASTER the P&L:  Learn to speak the CFO's language of profit, margins, costs, and NRR.

✅   EARN the SEAT:  Stop focusing on "Customer Happiness", start focusing on Executive Impact.

👉  Learn more here:  https://lnkd.in/gBFjD_yD

#NewYear #NewStrategy

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

For additional resources, offers, and updates on my masterclasses, join my VIP Inner Circle:  https://lnkd.in/gpxwVFWB

For insights and strategies on using AI + CS for Executive Impact, check out my newsletter: JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

⚠️  December is dangerous for CS Leaders. 

It’s tempting to coast. 

It’s tempting to just "get through the holidays." 

It’s tempting to say, "I’ll figure out the Agentic AI stuff in January."


But January 2026 is going to hit like a freight train.

The pace of change regarding AI Agents and automation in the last 6 months has been faster than the previous 5 years combined.


But here's what no one is saying:

AI actually isn't the hard part. 
The prompts aren't the hard part.

The hard part is the Strategy.

If you layer powerful AI agents on top of a broken process, you just scale chaos. 

To win in 2026, you don't need a PhD in coding. 

You need a Modern CS Growth System.

If you wait until Q1 to figure out: 
🔸  How to generate revenue from your customers' business outcomes 
🔸  How to separate "bad fit" revenue from "growth" revenue 
🔸  How to guide AI with deep business insights

...you will spend 2026 playing catch-up.


🎁   Give yourself the gift of clarity this month.

📌 This is exactly what we build in the CS Business Leadership Accelerator.

We cut through the noise. 
We don't just "play with tools".
We install the operating system you need to lead.

Instead of guessing, you will build a Modern CS Growth System:

✅ Repeatable Revenue: 
Stop relying on heroics. Install the "Success Path" elements that make growth inevitable. 

✅ Business Acumen: 
Learn to translate your customer data into the financial language your CFO and Board actually respect. 

✅ AI Leadership: 
Move from "automation" to "autonomy." 

We show you how to direct AI Agents to handle the data & insights, so your team can handle the strategy.


Start the year leading the change, not reacting to it.

👉  Learn more here:  https://lnkd.in/gBFjD_yD


#StrategicPlanning #CustomerSuccess #AILeadership #ModernCS

StepUpXchange
JanYoungCX

For additional resources, offers, and updates on my masterclasses, join my VIP Inner Circle: https://lnkd.in/gpxwVFWB

For insights and strategies on using AI + CS for Executive Impact, check out my newsletter: JanYoungCX.com/#newsletter

📣 We’re going live soon!

If you’re a CS leader looking to expand your strategic visibility and drive real executive-level impact—even without a seat in the boardroom—this session will be worth your hour.

NexGen CS Leadership Masterclass starts at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm UK.

Grab your free spot before we kick off 👇

taplio

Jan Young, MBA, CSPO, CSM's Linkedin Analytics