Trigger warning: Discussions of body image and emotional abuse.
Note: I do not blame social media; this is about my experiences and how I have seen people trick themselves into thinking the filtered life is real. I also acknowledge that there was emotional abuse happening in parallel with these unrealistic expectations.

I froze. My boyfriend grabbed my stomach and started playfully moving it around. We had only been together (officially) for a few weeks.

Me: “What are you doing?”

Him: “Nothing, we’re just talking.”

It was that blatant, and simultaneously that ignored. …

How Allie became a User Operations Team Lead at The Predictive Index.

Allie is originally from New Jersey, just a short distance away from New York City. She enjoyed high school, attending a vocational-technical-focused county school that recently earned the distinguished honor of being named the number one public high school in the country. Every student had to select a focus, so Allie chose culinary arts and hospitality. Learning under a chef she admired, Allie absorbed as much knowledge as she could about the industry, “I think I didn’t realize at the time, it wasn’t the food I loved as…

Ever had an interviewer play a prank on you?

Recently, I was reminded of an interview that still makes me cringe. In the mid-2010s, I was looking for new international opportunities. After finding out I was losing my eyesight, I decided to explore the world while I could still see (spoiler: I still have a fair amount of sight!). I needed some sort of employment to finance this grand plan, and so I started searching for jobs.

The Interview

Pretty quickly, someone scheduled an interview with me to discuss writing for their entertainment company. It was an industry I knew nothing about…

How Zac became a Customer Success Consultant at Zendesk.

Service. Yes, we all talk about it, especially in the support world. But how many people actually mold their lives around a dedication to service? How many light up when they talk about the people who have taken the time to support them and get genuinely moved at the thought of being able to give just a bit of that back? Without a doubt, Zac fits this description. Zac is humbled by those that have helped him, and he’s excited about the prospect of helping others. …

How Richard became Vice President of Customer Experience at Stratix.

Richard’s work history is impressive. In fact, he works on such large-scale projects that you might assume he’s too busy to be concerned with individual customer interactions. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Our discussion uncovered layer after layer of deep connection to the customers he has worked with through the projects he’s pursued. Three threads run through each role — customer obsession, technology, and leadership. …

How Oswaldo became a Customer Experience Manager at PayJoy.

How did Oswaldo become a Customer Experience Manager at PayJoy? Focus and family. At his core, he is laser-focused on his goals and uses his father’s example to drive him toward success. This attitude has allowed Oswaldo to work on exciting projects with international companies, and often to make something out of nearly nothing — as you’ll see him do throughout his career story.

Family ties

Before he began his journey in CX, Oswaldo watched his father excel as a medical representative, “He was a medical rep for about 30 years, so I…

How Curtis became a User Operations Specialist.

Curtis exudes a natural empathy that is so deeply ingrained in him he doesn’t even recognize it. At one point in our conversation, I mentioned how clearly empathetic he is, and he paused before responding, “I would never have said that about myself if I hadn’t just heard it from you or from other people who say similar things. My husband says things like, ‘You have one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen.’” To Curtis, it doesn’t seem extraordinary. It’s natural.

I think that’s what makes him perfect for human-focused roles. His…

How Tara became a User Operations Specialist.

When I spoke with Tara, she was upfront about her unusual career path, “It’s pretty winding.” Hearing the full story, though, there are common threads in every move she makes. Art, sports, helping people, and perhaps most powerfully, ethics and integrity are always at the core of her work. While she has tried many different roles, her unique path is deeply reflective of her personality and passions.

Discovering her motivations

Tara has always enjoyed athletics, spending much of her childhood artistic roller skating and horseback riding. She also uses art as her outlet, “I just have…