Beyond The Job Title | Underrepresented Career Stories

Episode Summary

Ashna Patel and her journey, spanning from her Indian roots to her flourishing career in the USA, stands as a testament to adaptability and resilience. We delved into the challenges of navigating change, the profound impact of mentors and coaches, strategies for seizing opportunities within the tech sphere, navigation imposter syndrome, embracing one's mistakes as a pathway to growth, and much more.

  • (00:00) - Intro | remember what helped you get to where you are today
  • (03:10) - Who is Ashna and What Is Her Mission?
  • (04:23) - From India to USA | A Journey of Adaptation
  • (10:32) - You Are Not Alone
  • (12:23) - Pivoting to Tech And Customer Success
  • (15:20) - Unlocking Opportunities | Is SDR Your Gateway to the Tech World?
  • (18:32) - Navigating Imposter Syndrome
  • (24:01) - Own Your Mistakes
  • (29:10) - Mentors and coaches can help you grow and get to the next stage in your career
  • (34:14) - Advice for those looking to pivot into Customer Success
  • (39:38) - Adapting to the new economy and AI disruption
  • (43:32) - Rapid-fire Round
  • (48:39) - Outro

Ashna’s Bio

Ashna is a Customer Success Leader, Founder, Writer, Speaker, and Emotionally Intelligent Coach. Over the last 7 years, she’s been focused on being a team leader, creating noteworthy strategies, and optimizing CS processes. Ashna has been honored to be one of the Top 25 Customer Success Influencers of 2021 by SuccessHACKER/Gain Grow Retain/Client Success. She Co-Founded CS Insider, CS Ladies, and CS Raving Fan Bookclub. Currently, she’s working as a Customer Success & Customer Support Manager at Ascent Cloud. 

Referenced
Connect With Ashna
🎙About The Podcast

Join Cesar Romero, as he interviews entrepreneurs, creators, and ambitious professionals from various industries and explores their journeys, struggles, and triumphs. We go beyond the surface-level titles and delve into the passions, hobbies, and experiences that have shaped their lives and careers.

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Creators & Guests

Host
Cesar Romero
Helping startups and SMBs build strong customer relationships that drive product adoption, reduce churn, and increase revenue | Community-Driven | Podcast Host
Guest
Ashna Patel
Co-founder CS Insider | Customer Success Leader

What is Beyond The Job Title | Underrepresented Career Stories?

The lack of diversity in tech can lead to imposter syndrome, bias, and a sense of isolation that hinders your growth and ambition.

Welcome to 'Beyond The Job Title Podcast,' where we shine a spotlight on the journeys of underrepresented tech professionals and allies within the SaaS industry.

Join us as we delve into the personal development and career insights that have fueled their success.

Discover the stories of trailblazing underrepresented SaaS founders, executives, and professionals who have broken barriers and achieved remarkable milestones.

Whether you're seeking inspiration, mentorship, or actionable strategies to advance your career, our podcast is your go-to resource.

Tune in to gain valuable insights, build your network, and navigate your tech career journey with confidence.

Subscribe now and take the next step toward your own success in the world of tech.

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Ashna Patel | BJT16
[00:00:00] Ashna: don't think about the situation that you're in for take a moment and think about all that has helped you get to where you are today and because a lot of time and this is a lot of this why they're doing this exercise like you know what I talked to you about like how The experience in working in different industries really got me, you know, it got me to that pivotal moment in tech when I was, it's like, I didn't necessarily thought about it until, you know, some times ago, but I was like, wow, I do have diverse experience and I do that made me who I am today.
[00:00:29] Ashna: And it got me to where I am today. So for me to say that I don't deserve this, or I can't do this, or that I have a self doubt, it's not, that's not right. It's not fair to myself. So I think that's where I feel like I always tell people is just to take a minute, take a moment, and you know, it's almost like pull yourself out of the equation and think about what has helped you come to the point that you are today.
[00:00:51] Ashna: And that's going to make you realize that you have it in you. It's just sometimes you have to push yourself. A little bit harder to, to, to get to the, the next, um, you know, [00:01:00] next step or next stage.
[00:01:01] Cesar: Hey everyone. Welcome back to another episode of beyond the job title podcast. I'm your host. Cesar Romero. And remember, this is the show where we explore the human experiences that shape our professional and personal lives. And my guest for today's episode is Ash not Patel. Ashley is a customer success leader, founder writer, speaker, and coach. And over the last seven years, she's been focusing on. Being a team leader, creating strategies, optimizing processes, and she's been. Honored to be won the top 25 customers to says influencers have to internet one by a success hacker. And. To gain, grow, retain community. she's also co-founded, uh, CS insider CS, ladies, and the CS raving fan book club. And in this episode, We dive deeper into her customer success journey. what our [00:02:00] mission is. Who is Ash now as a person, as a professional. The challenges that came up when she moved from India to the United States, when she was 14. Um, her pivot. To tech and customer success navigating imposter syndrome. Owning your mistakes, the power of mentorship, how to find mentors. Uh, The reward of paying it forward to other people. And advice for those looking to pivot into customer success. So overall, it's a great episode. Especially if you are someone that is. Looking to pivot into customer success or just looking for overall career advice on how to manage. Uh, pivots and imposter syndrome. And please before diving into the episode, if you relate to her journey, and if you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe so that you don't miss out on any future episodes. It means the world to me. And of course, if you have any feedback, uh, get in contact with [00:03:00] me. And be at the ms Um, But yeah Uh thanks so much for tuning in and here's my conversation with ash Patel. Ashna, thanks so much for coming on the show.
[00:03:10] Cesar: I really appreciate you making the time to have this conversation and I wanted to start off with, with something. Um, if, if. Someone were to ask you, right? Like, uh, when you're out and about somewhere to ask you, Hey, Asha, like, what are you all about? You know, like what? Who are you? And what mission are you on?
[00:03:26] Cesar: What? What would you tell this person?
[00:03:28] Ashna: Um, great question. I mean, Asha is, I think it's all about, um, well, you know, just I'm someone that I don't like to keep things within me.
[00:03:35] Ashna: I'm someone that is constantly learning and growing. And when I do that, I'm like, who do I, who do I tell? How can I share this? You know, because I don't want to keep it with me. So whether it's my team at work or people that I support and work with outside. So Ashna, it's someone that has a growth mindset, but also has a mindset that it takes, it's almost like it takes a village.
[00:03:55] Ashna: To learn and and grow and it takes a village like you want to support each other. So [00:04:00] that's what Ashna is. Ashna is all about, you know, helping people around her growing, learning, having a growth mindset and helping scale. people and businesses to that matter. Have
[00:04:11] Cesar: you always been this way or is there a specific point in your childhood or throughout your life that this was like, oh, it's all about helping people?
[00:04:23] Ashna: Yeah, yeah, no, that's a good question. I feel like as long as I can remember. I feel like I've always been this way. It was always someone, even if I think about my school days or even think about my childhood days. So just a little bit more about me, just to kind of give you some context is I, I was born and brought up in India and I moved here in States when I was, um, let's say 14, 14 and a half, but somewhere in between high schools.
[00:04:47] Ashna: And, and I think just having. I feel like just having that exposure to a different culture altogether, it gave me a lot of, like, I think it helped me build the Ashna that I am today. It's, it's, it's [00:05:00] still, I still have those values that I brought from, you know, when I was, uh, back in India. But to answer your question and how this helped is, I was always been one of those person, you know, if I remember school days and whatever, is one of those person like, I want to make friends with everyone.
[00:05:14] Ashna: I was one of the person that in class, I am probably, Best friends with everyone, you know, because it's, it's kind of, it's, I always try to think beyond just the situation beyond, you know, what you're in and you want to look at the human beyond, you know, whatever that you're in. And I think that's kind of, that's just, I talk a lot about emotional intelligence and customer success and other things.
[00:05:34] Ashna: I mean, that's just, those are all, there's some values that I've been. You know, and breaded in me, um, based on how I was. And that really helped me, you know, sculpt myself the way that I am and move into the, the, the couriers, um, that I, I've kind of, you know, built, um, at this point. So I wouldn't necessarily say it was just one moment.
[00:05:50] Ashna: It was just a lot of, of what I was and how I was, and then just getting exposure to a different culture, getting opportunities helped me kind of like structure [00:06:00] myself, I would say, um, with those values.
[00:06:02] Cesar: What was it like to grow up in India and, you know, what were some of those, I guess, values that you brought with you, you know, when you made the transition into, into the U.
[00:06:11] Cesar: S.?
[00:06:12] Ashna: Yeah, I gotta go. Um, I would say, I think, for me, it was a very, I mean, it was very unique, or I remember, I still remember my day one, or day one of going to high school here, and keep in mind, I, I knew English, I could speak and read and I guess I could write and read in English back in India, but I never had a full on conversation with anyone.
[00:06:28] Ashna: So I, you know, I did my school up until I came here in my own language, and it was just. I think just coming here just gave me that sort of a exposure to, and, and I, like I said, I was one of the person that likes to make friends with everyone. So I think those were the values, like, I want to be friends with them.
[00:06:28] Ashna: I want people to come and talk to me. I want to talk to people too. And that really pushed me in the direction because I was, I was a straight A's person back in India. So it's, it's also kind of like, Coming in into different environment, people don't speak your language, you don't understand what they're saying, and you're just like, and I'm like, well, I'm a straight A's person, if I want to win, I'm gonna have to, you know, put on those, uh, you know, just like, like, challenge myself, and, and, and be in it, and I think so that's, that really kind of helped me push myself, um, harder and harder every day in a good way.
[00:06:51] Ashna: And, and that really helped me kind of, you know, just speaking the language that people speak here and, you know, just understanding everything. Um, so that's, uh, but it was, I mean, it's almost like it is different, two different [00:07:00] worlds. I think almost like 16 years ago. So even, even back then, It wasn't this like social media wasn't the way that it is today and people like I'd say world wasn't so like connected as it was today, um, as it is today.
[00:07:12] Ashna: And it was different. I mean, not, not just not being able to just speak and understand. I think that was, that was really different, but that's what really helped me. It's like my values of, of being with friends and helping people. I'm like, I wanted to do that. I wanted to, I know there's opportunities here, so I had to push myself to understand and challenge myself for that.
[00:07:31] Cesar: Two, two follow ups here. What prompted, yeah, what prompted the move to the states and what was the most challenging part for you to adapt, you know, to, to the new environment?
[00:07:42] Ashna: Yeah, what problem? The change was just like, uh, it wasn't only me and my whole family came in. So it's just a better opportunities, better future, you know, just, uh, it's not, but it's not that, you know, India also has that, but, you know, I've had extended family here and we know it.
[00:07:49] Ashna: So it's, it's just. You know, get getting more opportunity, more exposure. You know, I, my parents never really had kind of like, well, we're moving and this is it. It's not like that. We're moving. We're going to get exposed to this other [00:08:00] environment. You'll have more opportunities. And we'll see if you ever want to go back in the future.
[00:08:04] Ashna: I'm sure if you don't want, that's fine too. So it's more like giving more options and more opportunities. So that's, that was kind of what prompted for the whole family. But, um, to answer your second question, um, I think it's just going to a junior year of my high school, day one, getting into my, and my first class was English.
[00:08:24] Ashna: Let me tell you that. And, and getting into that class, sitting on a bench. I mean, it was a small high school, so I think that really helped me because I got a real, like, one on one attention from my, you know, teacher and whatnot. But it's just sitting in there for like, what was it, 40 minutes or 45 minutes?
[00:08:37] Ashna: I don't remember. It's been a long time. Just sitting in there and I'm, I'm, and I'm completely blinking because I'm like, I have no idea what they're saying or what they're talking about. I can't say anything. I just, you know, maybe I can write or, or like, but it's, it was just, I think that was the hardest part.
[00:08:53] Ashna: And, and a lot of the, you know, because I was such a, you know, I want to say like a straight A's or like I had some, you know, kind of like I had some [00:09:00] expectations for myself, you know, and, and I, I saw myself like in that moment, I remember just saw myself deflating and, and, and I was like, okay, I'm going to be a failure.
[00:09:07] Ashna: I'm not going to get C's or F's and I'm not going to like, that's not me. And that's just all kind of, so I think that was the hard part to kind of. It wasn't something that I was used to because I've always been, you know, such a person that I pushed hard to myself and I was just, and it felt like things just weren't in my control.
[00:09:25] Ashna: And that was the hardest part to adapt. But, um, also kind of, then it pushed me in the direction of like challenging myself. Well, if I have a situation, that means I also have solutions around me. So let's tap into those solutions. And if I want to make friends, If I want to talk to someone, if I want to, you know, unders or them to understand me, I'm going to have to speak their language.
[00:09:44] Ashna: And for that, I'm going to have to learn their language. And for that, I'm going to have to do what it takes for me to to to learn. So, it took a lot of watching, you know, shows and listening to music and and reading and writing and speaking and all that. But, uh, I think but that was the hardest thing, I think.
[00:09:56] Ashna: It was just adapting. Um, I think the language was the biggest barrier, I would say. [00:10:00]
[00:10:00] Cesar: There's so many parallels, what you're mentioning, right, with the mindset of, um, pushing through discomfort, pushing through the challenge, um, being uncomfortable the first day, right, you don't know the language. And there's so many parallels with someone that might be transitioning into a new career, into a new job, into a new company, right?
[00:10:19] Cesar: They might not know the industry, you might feel uncomfortable, but that drive to continue pushing forward because you know that on the other side, right, it's it's what you've been looking for, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Opportunity.
[00:10:32] Ashna: Yeah, yeah. And I think it's also kind of like you, you get into a situation like this sometimes and you always in this like you said there's perils and you almost feel like you're alone.
[00:10:41] Ashna: Or like, you know, I am the one with this kind of situation. And believe me, 99. 9% of the time, you're not alone. And I'm saying this is because there's might be anomaly here or there, but you know, the most of the time you're not. And I felt like that too. I was in a small high school with no other, you know, people of my culture, my background, or that could speak my [00:11:00] language whatsoever.
[00:11:01] Ashna: But then I realized there were other exchange students out there. Um, you know, in the high school. And I was like, okay, they didn't speak the same language, but they were going through similar struggles in a way. And so for me, then that gave me hope as in like, I'm not alone. This is not like, it's may not be so normal, but it's also not the only unique thing that's happening.
[00:11:22] Ashna: And I need to, you know, find my way out of it. And then that's something that I always. And when I even coach people and help people looking to break into CS, like, well, I'm transitioning from this industry to this industry. I'm like, you're going to feel like you're alone, but you're not. There's a whole lot of people out there doing it.
[00:11:36] Ashna: And, and it's, it's, and I think that's the benefit. And I think the benefit of living in a country or getting exposure to opportunities, it's more about experience and, and, and, you know, mindset that you bring to the table more than anything else. And especially customer success and to come back to customer success, it's tremendous.
[00:11:52] Ashna: It's, it's a field where you can really bring a diverse experience and transition into customer success because there's [00:12:00] so many transferable skills into that. So I think that's, that's what I would say for listeners. It's like, you're not alone. You're
[00:12:06] Cesar: not. Yes. Find your people. Right. And I want to come back.
[00:12:08] Cesar: I want to come back to customer success, but I wanted to shift gears into, into your career. Right. And I wanted to ask you. You know, when you look back at your career journey, was there one decision or one pivotal moment that you made that had a profound impact on your personal and professional life, right?
[00:12:20] Cesar: And how did that shape the trajectory?
[00:12:23] Ashna: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, I think, I feel like looking back at ever since I started working, you know, it, it, it shaped me to, to be in a, in a, I guess a feel that I'm in, in a place where I am, or, or, or the way, or, I guess. You know where I want to go tomorrow. It has shaped me.
[00:12:23] Ashna: If I sit down here, we were actually doing this exercise with some of other other people that I know. It's like, where did you start it? And how did you end up where you are? So kind of like, and I think about it, I have, you know, experienced in, in retail, in food, in manufacturing industries, hospitality, and then I came into tech.
[00:12:41] Ashna: So I think that the pivot whole moment, I would say was coming into tech. And it wasn't something like, Oh, I'm, I'm ready for tech. Like I, I meant for tech or whatever, or I was meant for customer success specifically too, or, or anything of that matter, it was just, I think the moment when, and this was almost six, seven [00:13:00] years ago, then, um, I was.
[00:13:01] Ashna: I was working in a manufacturing firm and then pivoting and looking into kind of like, you know, working in that manufacturing firm really helped me understand business in general, like, you know, how each of the departments are connected to one another, you know, how to even to make one order successful, how, like, what sort of a journey.
[00:13:12] Ashna: Like I'm not talking about a customer's journey. I'm talking about like internal journey, like how the internal teams in a business goes through everything and how each of those departments are connected, starting from marketing to sales to post sales to, you know, just manufacturing, you know, industry and logistics and other things, how it was all connected.
[00:13:27] Ashna: And that made me realize of my passion about helping them. Bye. Bye. People can really come in place of of post sales. I wanted to work with customers. I wanted to work with people to make their lives easier and happy because that's what I was. And so it made me realize that if I wanted to take my passion and if I wanted to put that passion into work that I do that that spoke post sales.
[00:13:52] Ashna: And so that's when I decided that, you know, um, I was ready to, to move on and I was looking to switch gears and, um, into a different [00:14:00] industry and tech kind of came about. It was like, Hey, everybody, most people are going into tech and tech seems pretty nice. And I also like to thank my husband for that because it was also the time he was, I met him at that time.
[00:14:10] Ashna: And he's a software. a developer. So he was like, well, why don't you try tech industry? Cause he's, you know, I was like, okay, well maybe we'll end up speaking the same language in the house. Um, you know, just, it was a little internal joke, but I did. And, and I started with being SDR, the company that I am today with the goal that I, yes, I would, I wanted to do post sales at some point.
[00:14:30] Ashna: Um, but I knew, And I still excelled every every role that I got in, you know, right after that. So I think the pivotal moment is when I decided to move on to a tech industry. And then that just like. It opened up lots of doors for me that I didn't even know that there were there almost six, seven years ago for me.
[00:14:47] Ashna: Um,
[00:14:47] Cesar: I love that you mentioned looking at your past experiences and seeing, you know, reflecting on what resonated with you, right. And for you, it came up like the post sales, being with a customer, helping the customer. Um, and then, okay, you know, once you [00:15:00] know that, like how do you take that into, into tech, right.
[00:15:02] Cesar: Or whatever industry you're looking to pivot. And it's so important, right. Because a lot of people struggle with like, you know, should I do sales? Should I do post sales? Should I do operations? Should I do this? Like I'm like a Swiss army knife and it's a, it's a struggle, right? Because sometimes it's, it's hard for us to, to pinpoint.
[00:15:20] Cesar: Right. Um, but if you look back at your past experiences, there's, there's, Something that stands out right and we should pay attention to that because most likely. That's where you're going to find your flow right that's where you're going to find your, your impact. Now I'm, I'm curious, it's SDR like the entry gateway to tech.
[00:15:39] Cesar: Like, like, do most people need to pay the price of like, you got to be an
[00:15:41] Ashna: SDR? No, I wouldn't, I wouldn't necessarily say that. I think things are different today than how it was before. You know, for me, it was more like, um, I had a choice when I applied for that role. I had a choice between customer success manager role and SDR role.
[00:15:57] Ashna: I took that route because I [00:16:00] had, I did not have experience in tech before that. I've had some sort of an account management, you know, Inside sales representative, uh, you know, experience. And I kind of knew what I wanted to do, but I wanted to give myself a chance and I wanted to give the company that I was going into a chance to, but I had my, my eyes on, you know, customer success.
[00:16:17] Ashna: And I was vocal about that. And obviously I aced the role that I was in, so I aced the SDR role that I was in. And, and so I think it's, it's not about, you know. I wouldn't necessarily say that's the that's that's like the the doorway or or you know whatsoever Um, it can be you know I can't tell you that being an sdr and getting exposure to those some of those skill sets like sales skill sets Really helped me um and and in Like, you know, going forward in my career in being customer success, um, individual profession and even in leadership and other things that I'm in right now, it does help, but I wouldn't necessarily say that's the only, like, I, I remember there's even in customer success, there's roles like junior customer success or customer success associates, um, you know, some companies are also doing internships of, uh, programs for that too.
[00:16:59] Ashna: And, and it depends, it [00:17:00] depends on, right? You know, what industry and, and what's, what excites you, but I'm also a big believer of like skills, skills, sorry, sales, uh, skill sets can really also help you, um, you know, become. A, uh, very more efficient, uh, customer success individual. It's, it's something, but you don't necessarily need to live through the role to, to, to achieve that.
[00:17:17] Ashna: Um, there's other ways to kind of, you know, work through that and then get, gain those skill sets. But, uh, that's, that's kind of my, um, answer. So it really depends. It can't be, you know, or you can, there's other avenues today that they weren't necessarily, uh, back in the day.
[00:17:29] Cesar: Yeah, no, I agree with you about sales, right?
[00:17:32] Cesar: It's something that we all use, whether it's on a personal level or professional, the ability to communicate how to solve a problem, right? I think that will never go out of style.
[00:17:45] Ashna: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not just sales, but I think if especially for customer success, it's like for an individual to really understand, you know, how each of the functions work is it's critical.
[00:17:52] Ashna: It's, you know, not just sales, but like marketing, you know, if, if, especially this is kind of, I know I'm going a little off topic here, but especially if you're new to customer success, or if you're breaking into customer success, or you've [00:18:00] starting out to be a new customer success manager in an industry, it's like spend time, but not just your.
[00:18:05] Ashna: Peers, but also your cross functional peers and whether they sit in marketing, sales, finance, product support, because you're going to learn so many different things from all of them. And you're going to realize how much of you as a customer success person sit kind of in the, in the middle of it. And, and, and, you know, you're like, you can make an impact that can, that can associate with others and others are making impact every day that can associate with you.
[00:18:27] Ashna: So I think that is very, um, I mean learning all those functions can always, always help you. Right, I
[00:18:32] Cesar: always use the analogy of Soccer. So I like soccer. If you're if you're a soccer player, um, and you have a position, right? That doesn't mean that you don't need to know what the other players do, right? Like, you still need to know how to win the game so that you're a better player, right?
[00:18:32] Cesar: So that's how I, I see, um, whether you're a customer success or in sales or in product, you need to know what the other departments, how do the other departments communicate, right? So that you're more effective.
[00:18:32] Ashna: Exactly. Exactly.
[00:18:32] Cesar: Now, now, Anshana, with every pivotal moment, right, there's always this moment of doubt of imposter syndrome, right?
[00:18:39] Cesar: Like we all experienced this, these feelings. And I wanted to ask you, you know, what was your experience with, with this and, you know, if you have any advice on how to, I don't think you overcome them completely, but you, you learn better to how to dance with the feelings of imposter and, and, you know, that, uh, that come up.
[00:18:56] Ashna: Yeah, yeah, and you're so right. I mean, I've, I've been there [00:19:00] many times. I'm not even saying it was just a one off thing is that and I'm sure I'm gonna go back to that area or stage again in the future. It's just, you know, like you said, it's not something that you completely overcome, but it is also something that you can, you can gradually, you know, Kind of like almost like teach and coach yourself to, to, to, to be out of, uh, you know, eventually and imposter syndrome is one of those things.
[00:19:21] Ashna: It's like, you know, sometimes our mind just seeks a lot of validation, you know, validation that is not enough to be given by our own self. And we just tend to get into this, this more like a doubting phase. It's like, I'm not good enough or I can't do this. Or, you know, this is. This is happening and I can't but what I always recommend people that faces and because this is one thing I go through, uh, you know, often and facing imposter syndrome while you do self doubt I would say it's like think don't think about the situation that you're in for take a moment and think about all that has helped you get to where you are today and because a lot of time and this is a lot of this why they're doing [00:20:00] this exercise like you know what I talked to you about like how The experience in working in different industries really got me, you know, it got me to that pivotal moment in tech when I was, it's like, I didn't necessarily thought about it until, you know, some times ago, but I was like, wow, I do have diverse experience and I do that made me who I am today.
[00:20:18] Ashna: And it got me to where I am today. So for me to say that I don't deserve this, or I can't do this, or that I have a self doubt, it's not, that's not right. It's not fair to myself. So I think that's where I feel like I always tell people is just to take a minute, take a moment, and you know, it's almost like pull yourself out of the equation and think about what has helped you come to the point that you are today.
[00:20:40] Ashna: And that's going to make you realize that you have it in you. It's just sometimes you have to push yourself. A little bit harder to, to, to get to the, the next, um, you know, next step or next stage. And, and don't think, I think this is also something about imposter syndrome. It's like, we, we have the self doubt because we always think about the situation that we're in as a whole, as a gigantic thing.
[00:20:58] Ashna: So it's like another thing I always, [00:21:00] I would say, it's like, break it down. You know, what really helps you, it's like, break, break these things, break the situation down into tiny pieces. It's like, okay, I, I, I have this something in my hand. I'm going to go. You know, I don't have this experience, but I've got this, this role, and I've got this, immediately your imposter syndrome kicks in.
[00:21:16] Ashna: Like, ah, I'm not, I'm not good enough, this other person has this much of experience, or blah blah blah. You know, it's, all of that is gonna kick in. Again, it's practice number one. Take yourself outside of it. Think about what all you've done to get to where you are today, how much you've pushed yourself, how much you've worked hard.
[00:21:30] Ashna: And then second, think about where you, where you need to go. And your journey is different than everybody else's journey. And that's, what's going to help you push forward. Um, and then think about a plan, basically, like break that down into small pieces. Okay, one step at a time. I'm going to make sure I'm going to ace my day one.
[00:21:45] Ashna: I'm going to make sure I'm going to ace my week one. I'm going to make sure I'm going to, you know, ace my, uh, first month. And, and that's what helps you. It's like when you look at it as a, as a larger picture, it never helps break it down into tiny, uh, different pieces.
[00:21:57] Cesar: I love that. And you know, even for this podcast, [00:22:00] I have, I was having imposter syndromes.
[00:22:01] Cesar: I was like, who am I to reach out to Ashna? But then I was like, but then I was like, wait, let's flip that. Like, you're just someone that's curious about her journey and you want to ask her questions. Yeah. And if you just make the flip and also something else I mentioned that is very key. If you make a plan, right?
[00:22:19] Cesar: Like if you make a plan. of the steps that you need to take of the research, right? Because that gives you more, more confidence and you start to see, Oh, wait a minute. It's not as bad as I thought. Like I just, I just followed these steps. I can do this.
[00:22:33] Ashna: Because I think what happens is we have this, we have this fear, a fear of failure.
[00:22:38] Ashna: I would say it's like fear of failure because if we win something that we know what to do, if we fail or at something, then this The fear is the constantly hanging over our head and I think sometimes that brings us a lot of self doubt and that imposter syndrome, a lot of those things kick in because our mind is like, I don't know what I would do.
[00:22:58] Ashna: And we constantly want to kind of have it [00:23:00] in this stage of like, I want to know exactly, like, I want to be in control of, of things, kind of, and, and when we have a fear of a failure, it's, it's also the area where, like, I don't, like, we don't know what can happen, so, and that's why, like, example that you gave me, like, you, you had that depository, like, who are you to reach out to me, and for me, you know, you never know, maybe I was sitting here and be like, who am I to go on, on a podcast and say something like this, you know, so you never know, because we're just so into, you We're not thinking, we're thinking from a situation that you're in, but we're not thinking outside of it.
[00:23:27] Ashna: And so if you think about, like you said, then you had a time to be like, no, I'm just curious about her journey. I've got a plan. I want to talk to her. And for me, it's like, well, I'm curious to share about my journey because I know like some other people can benefit from that. And it's a win win on both sides.
[00:23:40] Ashna: So I think that's what it is. It's like we, we tend to assume so much. And that's what I say, assumptions never helps. Um, and, and I think we have to take ourselves outside of it and then think about it, um, to, to, to that. And, and a lot of time, it's just nothing to be honest, like imposter syndrome syndrome is like a lot of them.
[00:23:57] Ashna: It's, it's nothing, but it happens, you know, and we have to go through it.[00:24:00] Now, speaking
[00:24:01] Cesar: of, of failure, um, do you have. I call it the favorite failure. Do you have a favorite failure of yours that taught you a very important lesson that you still carry, uh, to this day?
[00:24:13] Ashna: Uh, you know, I'm sure that there's many , um, because that's what, that's what, that's what makes you, who you are, teaches you every day.
[00:24:13] Ashna: But I remember, you know, I'm someone that is very, um, proactive and I like to, like, I'm, I'm, I like to say I'm like highly emotional intelligence person. I can read a room, I can read, you know, or just, um, whether it's Zoom or in person, like I'm constantly evaluating Yeah. You know, situation. And I feel like, um, and.
[00:24:13] Ashna: I remember this was like not even my current company. I think it was previous company. And like I said, I was working for a manufacturing firm and just the scenario that comes to my mind, obviously, like, I don't have a particular thing that really comes from the scenario just popped in. So I'm going to share, share with you about this.
[00:24:27] Ashna: And it's like, I had miss place an order, a larger order that I needed to and and executed a shipping that was supposed to go to marketing. I was supposed to take two days, which ended up going to take like five days or something, like just to summarize the whole situation here a little bit. And, and it's like, I had done every, but I think back then I realized, As I, as I reflected on that situation and kind of like, as I, you know, there's a few things that I've reflected how I handle the situation and what I could have done differently to avoid that in the future.
[00:24:59] Ashna: [00:25:00] So I always kind of like, you know, that that's always been something like when you have a situation at hand. You know, think about short term and long term fix. Like, okay, what do I need to, reflect and what do I need to do this right now? And also like, how else I can fix this tomorrow so that it doesn't happen, you know, again.
[00:25:14] Ashna: So I think, um, I wouldn't necessarily say it was like a biggest failure, but what I did like that my instant, my values and, and my, how ethical person I am really kicked in and I was You know, one of those person like I stepped up and I was like, Hey, I made a mistake. I'm ready to take on whatever charges that when I say charges, like whatever consequences are of this situation, because I'm someone that, you know, I don't usually make mistakes because I'm always constantly revaluing, valuating, like, you know, in that constant kind of situation.
[00:25:46] Ashna: So, and, and so that's kind of something that I reflected of myself. Like I was ready to take, like I was, I took responsibility of that, but also what I learned is that. It's like patience, it needs to be there, like I was comfortable, [00:26:00] so comfortable in a situation that, that made me, you know, commit a mistake, um, that, you know, now it's, it was, it was, we were able to fix it, but it then required a lot of, like, you know, more hours and more time, energy, money, all of that, you know, so it's, it's there, and I think that made me Realize is that you it's like, you know how they say you want to double check triple check five five time checks, you know anything and I used to do that already, but it's like never be so comfortable in a situation.
[00:26:27] Ashna: And I know like this may sound a little weird, but I think that's that was a lesson that I learned. It's like when you start to become so comfortable, you know, immediately. It's like you want to kind of like Have this, um, instant trigger that I get based on that situation that happened is, is that, okay, I'm getting comfortable.
[00:26:40] Ashna: I want to make sure like I'm doing like triple checking for time checking because what we don't realize is that one, like your one, um, Kind of like what the actions that you take can have impact on other people's and other people's lives and it's about people at the end of the day. So it's a story.
[00:26:58] Ashna: It's like, basically, it's [00:27:00] just a story that I told you, but it made me just, just, it kind of like really helped me. Um, reiterate some of my values that I've had. Like I may help me understand my own values. Like, okay, I do take responsibilities. I'm accountable. You know, I'm always going to do this, but also at the same time, help me understand, like, I want to make sure that I am, I am doing this right because I think about other people because it's every action that I take does impact other people, whether it's today, personal life, professional life, whatever that may be.
[00:27:27] Ashna: So you have to think about that. You have to think, you have to put yourself in customer's shoes. Thank you. And you know, when I say customers like you have to put someone else's shoes to think about it. So I guess that's that kind of experience that, um, comes to my mind is, is it's not that I, I wasn't like that before.
[00:27:40] Ashna: It was maybe intentionally I was, but that moment and that experience really made me think about it and made me realize that, okay, that's, that's, that's important that you think about it. You know, you don't want to get too comfortable that you, you miss out on how your actions are impacting others.
[00:27:56] Cesar: I love that they mentioned that it's in those moments of [00:28:00] challenge and failure that our values are tested, right?
[00:28:03] Cesar: Like, yes, anybody can say, I have a growth mindset. I take accountability. Um, but right in, in the tough moments, that's, that's where, you know, you get measured, right? Yeah. Which is great that you were able to, okay, you know, reflect, have the girl mindset to take responsibility and be accountable, right? For those results.
[00:28:22] Cesar: So I think it's, uh, it's very important, right? To, to, to keep that in mind.
[00:28:25] Ashna: Um, yeah, yeah. And I. Then I think one more thing I would also say it's like it's also it's also okay if what values you're saying are not getting reflected in those moments because I want to make sure like people because also that was also the time when I realized that I do get scared of situations sometimes and I'm like I don't know what to do you know it's it that happens it's but Then it also helps you kind of understand or say if my values that I'm saying doesn't reflect my actions, then there's changes I need to adapt in my life or changes I need to adapt in the things that I do that can help me, you know, with those values that I'm saying that [00:29:00] there are.
[00:29:01] Ashna: So it's, it's, it's a win win situation when you're getting to, you know, it's, it's just how you, how you interpret that whole situation and, and what, what lessons you learned from it. That's, that's what matters.
[00:29:10] Cesar: Exactly. Um, now, Asha, we, we all have mentors and role models, right, that inspires us. Um, and I wanted to ask you if you have a mentor or perhaps a story of someone that has made a profound impact in your career.
[00:29:24] Ashna: Yeah, I mean, I it's hard to just say one person to be honest because it's no it's true because I'm I'm a person like I like I said earlier I said growth mindset person so I'm always looking for ways to grow and I'm also a person that has taken. You know, every opportunity every, every meeting, any situation, I can try to find the positive, the learning opportunity out of that.
[00:29:49] Ashna: And so for me to just put a pinpoint in one person, it's really hard, or even one book I mean there's been many, many, you know, there's might be. You know, I think I would say it depends on situation, you know, it depends on where I was. There was a critical moment when I was, um, was an HR and accounting assistant years ago, earlier in the course of my career, and I used to have someone that, that was Senior to me, and it was, it was kind of like a mentor and their guidance really helped me, you know, get to the next stage that I needed to in my career.
[00:29:49] Ashna: Then there was a critical moment, um, you know, in my, when I was working at the manufacturing department. So it's, it's kind of like, it's hard to say just that was just one person, but it's, it's also, it's based on situation. I could tell you an example of like recently, as I got so exposed to the customer success.
[00:29:49] Ashna: Community or global community and started to, you know, coach myself, coach others, other people, myself as well. You know, it's funny, I'm going to say this, but like every time I coach people, I learn so much myself. So I think, I don't want to talk about just one person that may have impacted. There are so many out there that are impacting me right now.
[00:29:49] Ashna: Because I am learning with open arms. With, with every, everything in every, every area that I can. Whether I'm watching a webinar. Whether I am learning something on my one on one with my own manager at work. Or whether I am coaching someone. I am constantly learning and taking that in. Which is helping me shape myself and what I want to do.
[00:29:49] Ashna: to do next. So I think that's, that's what I would say. But just to give an A, I will say one person, um, because I want to give this, Jan Young. She is, she's a, she's at, um, the Success League, I believe, and she is, um, a principal [00:30:00] consultant, um, and she's been phenomenal, phenomenal. I mean, she, I met her almost three years ago, and there's many, many more, like I one name.
[00:30:06] Ashna: Um, but she's been kind of like, my go to person for many, many things. And it wasn't kind of like she's helping me with just one, one thing or worse situation. It's just her constant, like, I see her and I see her working so hard. And that itself is an inspiration to me. So it's like, she doesn't even have to say anything.
[00:30:23] Ashna: And just like seeing and observing her, it becomes so like, you know, valuable to me. So that's, uh, that's one person that has been impacting me. Um, right now at the moment, but other than that, it's just it's situation. It's hard to say pinpoint just one person. It's like every situation. Um, I can probably name three books right now that has impacted me.
[00:30:30] Ashna: Um, but it's, it's, you know, it depends on situation.
[00:30:30] Cesar: That, that's so important that you mentioned that because a lot of people say, how do I get a mentor? What do I find a mentor? And if you pay attention, mentors are everywhere, right? People that share their thought leadership on not necessarily on LinkedIn, but it could be in a book or it could be on any platform, right?
[00:30:47] Cesar: And if you just pay attention, right? If you just follow what they're saying, uh, maybe get curious and reach out to them and ask them a question. Right. So, yeah, I agree with you, right? Mentors are everywhere if you are intentional [00:31:00] about it. Yeah,
[00:31:00] Ashna: yeah, yeah, exactly. I think that's, that's the main piece. It's like, I am big believer, like seek out to seek mentorship or find your coach, you know, for a situation.
[00:31:08] Ashna: But think about, you know, when you're, it's almost like when you're working with your customer, you don't just Go to your customers and just be like, okay, use this product or use that product. No, you have to tell them what's in it for them. You know? So it's like, when you seek out it's, it's do your, do your, uh, you know, research, do your due diligence.
[00:31:22] Ashna: And, and if you're seeking out to a specific person for you to, you know, for them to be your mentor, then tell them like, what is it that about their journey or their whatever that inspired you, which you want to have it reflected. And it's, it's, it's a mutual relationship. Is it going to, you know, is it going to work?
[00:31:37] Ashna: Is it really going to help you? Um, and I think that's, that's what's important, but I am a big believer of like find your co like find coaches, find mentors, because that will help you. It doesn't have to be a long life relationship where it can't be, but also it could be situational, uh, base too. And also in other times, open your eyes.
[00:31:55] Ashna: There's abundance of resource around you. Um, you know, all around you that you can learn [00:32:00] from.
[00:32:00] Cesar: Now, on the flip side, is there a mentee or someone that you coached recently that, uh, you saw a big change in them, you know, because of your mentorship, because of your coaching? Yeah,
[00:32:14] Ashna: yeah. I mean, I feel like I've coached many, so it's hard to kind of say like just the, just one person again.
[00:32:14] Ashna: Um, Sorry, I'm not giving you like one, one direct answer. I see that. But, but it's, you know, I, I mean, there's, there's many, but recently I did, um, co, I did coaching through woman in customer Success. Mm-hmm. , um, mentorship actually. And I coached someone, uh, the person that I coached, uh, we, we had a, well, it was a three month cohort, and at the end of the third month, like we sat down, we got, we were kind of giving each other feedback and, and, and it's, this is also like, This is also why feedback is so important and, and, you know, rather than assuming something like asking, that's so important because I just, you know, I shared my feedback and then that person shared their feedback and, and just sitting there and realizing it's like, what, and like, I've made a difference.
[00:32:44] Ashna: Like I've, it was, the impact was still visible in everything that they were sharing and it was genuine. So it's kind of like. And that made me realize of like everything that I shared during those coaching sessions or mentorship sessions. It's like, um, I am so authentic and I, I, I get into, you know, really [00:33:00] trying to help you with under, you know, help you understand why you're asking what you're asking, get deep down into those situations, but also help you, help you like.
[00:33:08] Ashna: Find resources on your own. So I think that's the biggest thing about coaching and is that you don't just hand them something. You guide them to something. And that's why coaching is is really important. So the person I think that's the person that comes out of it. I mean the impact was I mean, we started a journey just like kind of like helping them understand a little bit more of like what career opportunities that they can have in the future.
[00:33:31] Ashna: And I just like to dive deeper into it and by the end of Three months. I mean, she was like, I have pages of notes that I took and all this bits and like small little things that I can, I can, that's going to help me make an impact. And I'm already starting to implement some of those things. And it's, I can already see those.
[00:33:48] Ashna: So, um, situation. So it's, it's. And this is kind of the feedback I always get with every like mentor, you know, mentee I have, or like the coaches I have. It's just, it's not just [00:34:00] about like, I have this goal and you help me achieve it. It's along the, it's about the journey, along the way. They get so much else from me, small little things that they get.
[00:34:09] Ashna: Um, so that's been a, it's, it's always good to see those, um, beautiful smiles and good feedback, I would say.
[00:34:14] Cesar: Yeah, that's that's why you do what you do right to to make that impact on on people. Um, now if someone were to looking to break into customer success, uh, start their CS journey or perhaps, you know, advance in their in their career, what, uh, what advice would you have for them?
[00:34:29] Ashna: Uh, good, good question. I think One of the thing I would say, because I myself have grown quite a bit in, you know, from SDR to CSM to enterprise to team lead and to managing team. And I think one of the thing is, biggest thing is lead by example. You know, it's if you, if you know what you want, well first actually understand your why.
[00:34:47] Ashna: So it's kind of like, you know, why do you want to be in customer success? Why do you want to, you know, are you ready to grow? Why do you want to grow? Whether it's going from CSM to senior CSM or enterprise CSM or strat, strategic CSM, or even getting into [00:35:00] leadership role, whatever, like what's your, why does it really match your, you know, kind of like, don't always say it's like, does it really match like what you're trying to achieve?
[00:35:07] Ashna: You know, um, is it. And I think it's, you have to realize like it has to be more than just the money. And I'm going to be completely blunt about it because money can, can make you happy for a short period of time. But if you're not truly happy, not doing it for the right reasons, it's not going to make you happy for, for a longer period of time.
[00:35:23] Ashna: And I think, so it's have a growth mindset, learn about, you know, the role that you want to learn all about that role, you know, and, and for that network. I think that's the biggest, the biggest gift that you can give yourself, uh, to advance your career. It's to network, network, you know, there's, especially in customer success, I can tell you, there's so many people out there that are hope, you know, happy to jump on a 30 minute calls with you and help you just like share about their kind of like this, what I do in my day to day and every company is different.
[00:35:49] Ashna: Every industry is different network, understand your niche, niche, understand And then, you know, and then realize, like, understand where, where you have gaps in your skills that you can work on. [00:36:00] And then going back to how I said earlier, there's abundance of resources around you, learn, learn and have a growth, you know, open mindset and go for it.
[00:36:07] Ashna: So that's, that's basically what I would say, but rely on your network, especially for someone that is. In an organization looking to move up or, you know, laterally or, or just move around in their, in their roles, they're, they're at the benefit because they're already in the company they have, like, if you were CSM looking to be a senior CSM or enterprise CSM, go talk to your enterprise CSMs, go, you know, have a conversation with them and talk to them, maybe like do a little lunch and learn or something and just ask them, like, tell me about the challenges that you face.
[00:36:36] Ashna: Tell me about your day to day, tell me about your biggest, you know, Like moment, like happy moment. Like, how do you, how do you engage with their customers? What sort of communication strategies do you have? Tell them, you know, learn about all of that, make a note of all that. And I think that's because the more you learn, the more it's going to give you exposure to that role and then start to visualize yourself in that role, because that's, what's going to really help you be like, okay, if I'm in [00:37:00] the role, I would do this.
[00:37:01] Ashna: And if I'm put into the situation, what would I do? How would I do? Start living. That's what happens. It's like you live by example. You don't just look at the, you know, the situation or challenge at hand. You start to think about what do I do about this? You know, because and that's that's when you kind of work through that.
[00:37:16] Ashna: So that's the biggest advice. It's network internally, externally, there's abundance of people and resource and technology. You can network, you can really network.
[00:37:26] Cesar: Yeah, especially in this day and age, right? We live in this abundance. And now it's not lack of information or resources. It's more of a Lack of initiative, right?
[00:37:36] Cesar: Like if you don't have the initiative, the proactiveness of first figure yourself out, right? Like what kind of role customer success or it could be sales, right? Um, and then once you kind of have an idea, then yes, reach out to people because then you'll get all that data, right? Of like, what's actually to be in the shoes of a customer success manager, right?
[00:37:58] Cesar: What's the day to day and what you [00:38:00] mentioned too, right? Like You might find out that by talking to a few enterprise CSMs that you might not want to be an enterprise CSM, right? Because you, you're, you prefer to do SMBs, right? Yeah. Right. So all of that, it takes a lot of work.
[00:38:15] Ashna: It does. It does. And I would also add, like, have an open discussion with your Direct managers as well about it.
[00:38:20] Ashna: Like, Hey, I have some sort of interest and I've had a couple of discussions with, you know, whatever enterprise CSM or this team lead or whatever. And, and then, you know, take it a step further and be like, would you be okay if I shadow a couple of calls to kind of see like how they're, you know, working with customers or if their leader and how are they, you know, like leading a team meeting or how are they executing a presentation or something?
[00:38:39] Ashna: It's just like, what's next? Think about those next and see like how can you educate yourself with those and I think that's what it is but it's have that open mindset and open discussions and and and don't just like I think it's important that you do talk to your managers or directors and whoever because it's like it's and have it part of like kind of like a growth trajectory [00:39:00] with them.
[00:39:00] Ashna: Like if you're going through a performance review, then think about what's next and talk to your manager. If that's not next, I want to kind of understand what my goal, like what my path is to get to that next. And, and, and what does that look like? How can I, here's my ideas, you know, can I achieve this and things like that?
[00:39:14] Ashna: So it's. It is achievable, but it's like you said, it's just like you have to put your mind to it around it. Yes,
[00:39:21] Cesar: because it takes a lot of work to get that momentum going, right? Now, one, one question I want to ask you here before we wrap it up and it revolves around customer success, right? This, this year has been a very interesting and challenging year to say the least with the economy, with all the shifts happening, especially in tech.
[00:39:38] Cesar: Um, and I wanted to ask you, you know, from all your strategies and methodologies in customer success, if you have had to adapt those. To the current environment, right? Especially when budgets are getting tighter, uh, CFOs are getting more involved in those in those decisions, right? Um, and yeah, you know, I'm I'm just curious.[00:40:00]
[00:40:00] Ashna: I mean, yes. You can and especially in the A. I. And digital, you know, world automation. It's like kind of literally lingering overhead. You know, I've come to this is a situation where, you know, it's not just companies or industries are adopting change. I would say, and this is, I'm putting pressure on change here because this is a change.
[00:40:20] Ashna: It's a, it's like a change of movement all over, you know, you have to get to learn to, to adopt, you have to learn to find ways. And, and, and I cannot stress enough about this. And then I made some posts about this too, and here and there commented on some of these things, but it's, it's just AI. And in the change, it's not talking about the economy right now, but like the AI and the automation or digital, you know, changes.
[00:40:43] Ashna: They're not here to, to replace us. So they're not here to kind of like, you know, they're here to make us like help us be smarter with what we do. And, and I see that I've, I have looked at journeys and I've looked at like, I've, I've kind of like broken down to pieces, like, okay, there are certain things that definitely you can use the AI to, to kind of like, you know, automize [00:41:00] and other things.
[00:41:00] Ashna: And I'm, I'm going down into the singular, singular situation, but it, you know, the way that I see, it's like, it is, it's not easy to adapt. And again, I'm Speaking from, you know, perspective of my experience and not just, you know, everybody else's experience here. It's not easy to adapt, but it's also not impossible.
[00:41:15] Ashna: It's you have to kind of have that strategy at the, at the, you know, at the company level is to be like, okay, how we're going to use this in, in what we have. And, and, but always it starts with. people, you know, invest in your people, invest in the right type of people that'll help you invest in the right processes and how to help you build the right processes.
[00:41:35] Ashna: And then that'll also, that process will help you invest in the right technology. So I think it's people, process, and then technology. And that's, that's, that's here to stay. It's, that's not gonna, you know, replace or anything. I think it's just, If you adopt and if you adopt in the right way, it'll help you be, it'll help you scale your business in efficient and smart way.
[00:41:55] Ashna: I think that's what I see and it's not going anywhere. Unfortunately, it's here to [00:42:00] stay. So
[00:42:01] Cesar: yeah, definitely not going anywhere. I think if you always put people first, I think you might end, you end up winning in the end, right? Because what does your people need right now in this moment of change that can help them thrive, right?
[00:42:16] Cesar: Um, and people know that, right? People know when you make a bet on them. And as opposed to short term revenue, right. Or yeah.
[00:42:25] Ashna: Yeah. And data helps. I think data is, is becomes so important that I always say, like, and if we're just talking a spectrum of customer success, I have this belief and I always talk about, it's like CS customer success equals data plus feelings.
[00:42:40] Ashna: It does. It's like, it requires data by itself is not, not everything, but you know, emotions and just. You know, people aspect or feelings by itself is also not, not. You know, you know, it's a combination of both like you're gonna you have abundance of data coming to you in your businesses, you know, create processes and have people kind of analyzing that [00:43:00] data and then you bring in technology and then you bring in this digital and AI aspect and whatever to it to help you because that data is there.
[00:43:09] Ashna: I cannot stress enough like you have data coming in. And in every direction in your organization, as soon as you start a business, as soon as you have your first customer, you know you have data coming in, which just you just have to kind of can you really read that data?
[00:43:26] Cesar: Yes, and leverage the technology to make a story out of that data.
[00:43:31] Ashna: Exactly, exactly.
[00:43:32] Cesar: Awesome Ashna, I want to wrap up the episode with what I call a rapid fire closing, where basically I ask you a question and you give me your top of mind 30 second answer. Sure. Awesome. Well, first question. Um, do you have a book that has had a great impact on your life? I
[00:43:52] Ashna: have three books.
[00:43:53] Ashna: Actually, and, and, and I think it's hard. There's probably many more, but like some that comes to mind. First and foremost is start with why by Simon Sinek. [00:44:00] I am a huge fan of Simon Sinek and I love his books start with why not only in personal, but also like not only in work, but also, you know, personal life too has helped me impact a lot to dig in to understand the why behind everything I'm reading atomic habits by James clear right now.
[00:44:17] Ashna: And that is actually really like, it's, it's useful to, to, to really like help you with your habits and stuff. And, and then last one is Huge on Emotional Intelligence. So Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman is also another book.
[00:44:29] Cesar: Those are three books are some of my favorites. So, uh, yeah, I'm so
[00:44:31] Ashna: happy.
[00:44:31] Ashna: Yeah.
[00:44:31] Cesar: Yeah. All right. Second question. Um, what are the most, most worthwhile investments that you have made recently? Um, you know, and this could be a physical thing or it could be a relationship. It could be financial. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:44:46] Ashna: Um, ooh, physical thing. I mean, I probably every, every investment that I've made recently is probably worthwhile somehow, whatnot.
[00:44:52] Ashna: But what comes to my mind is I took a customer success leadership certification course, um, last, I think it was [00:45:00] last year, um, and with the success league. And that was pretty amazing because I went through a lot of, a lot of, you know, what I want to do and what I want to achieve. And that's, that really helped me look at just, yeah.
[00:45:11] Ashna: You know, just customer success in general from like starting from scratch, kind of what that looks like if you were to build something in an organization and just going through some of the workshops and exercise and stuff like that. It's just that's been I think it was a really worthwhile investment.
[00:45:24] Ashna: I would say, um, that just comes to my mind.
[00:45:27] Cesar: I love that. We'll make sure to include that link in the in the in the show notes as well. Um, all right. Next question. Is there a quote that you think of often?
[00:45:35] Ashna: Oh, quote that I think of often. I don't know if this is necessarily a quote, but I have, and I don't have it here, but at my, um, outside right now, but at my home, my computer that I have, I have a little sticky, and I've had like five different things written on it.
[00:45:50] Ashna: The first thing, and I There's many on it, but like, I'll tell you about two things that I have, and it's just something that helps me ground myself to, I read it like when I'm on [00:46:00] meetings and I just, it's constantly in front of me. But the first thing that I have is focus on what you can control. And that is, I live by that.
[00:46:07] Ashna: I try to live by that. I try to ground myself back to it. It's just. It's there's so many things out there right now, especially in this environment. It's just, you just don't have focus, you know, you don't have control over. So that's the one thing it's like, focus on what you can control. And then the other thing that I have, it's something that comes to my mind.
[00:46:23] Ashna: It's like, it's about them. So it's when you were talking to people, customers, you know, when I'm in meetings and team, you know, team meetings and whatever that comes to think of it. It's like, it's about them or what's in it for them. You have to constantly think about that. So, yeah, two things that comes to my mind.
[00:46:39] Cesar: I love those. I'm gonna I'm gonna borrow those from you. Please. Um, all right. That's the last question here. Uh, any new habit that you are implementing or experimenting with that. It make an impact on you?
[00:46:53] Ashna: Yes. Actually, I mentioned like, you know, I'm reading Atomic Habits, so there's many habits actually, but we're, we're [00:47:00] reading through, so Jan Young that I talked to you about earlier, um, she's running a customer success office hours and it's through that we started all, like many of us started reading this book, and so we're kind of like all of us, like helping and holding each other accountable and helping us with, with this.
[00:47:15] Ashna: Um, but the, the habit is, I used to do meditation, I used to, you know, and yoga, and a lot, like, I still do all of that, but it's, I, I've lacked consistency to some level, I would say, but I enjoyed, I, I, enjoy is not the right word, I think I've been, like, Meditation in general has been very beneficial for me in the past.
[00:47:33] Ashna: So my new habit, it's kind of like a re habit or I don't know what would you call it, but it's like I'm starting to, to meditate again. Um, and I'm starting that by doing that early in the morning. And, and so that's the, that's, that's something that only just started. So it's like, it's hard to say like the actual impact that I'm going to, you know, I'm seeing, but it does help me.
[00:47:52] Ashna: At least even in the morning, like I jump on calls and stuff, like helps me ground myself and, and helps me with that. So, you know. Yeah. Yoga is the yoga classes I take in the [00:48:00] morning and also meditation.
[00:48:01] Cesar: Yeah. I, I, I practice those as well, like, um, on and off, but every time I do it, I feel more grounded.
[00:48:06] Cesar: Right. And more calm. Yeah. So I, I vouch for that. Um, awesome Asha. Well thanks so much for coming on the show. Sharing a bit more about your personal and professional journey. I really appreciate everything that you're doing, especially paying forward to other customers who says up and coming professionals, uh, and, and even leaders, right?
[00:48:22] Cesar: Uh, so thanks so much. And, uh, yeah, you know, we'd love to have you on another episode down the road to catch up, but for now,
[00:48:28] Ashna: I love that. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. This was great. I mean, it's always good to just talk about, you know, just to ground yourself and just have a little conversation about your journey.
[00:48:37] Ashna: So I appreciate it. Thanks so much for having me.
[00:48:39] Cesar: all right. I hope you enjoyed this episode and thank you so much for listening all the way through. I appreciate you. And I hope that you get some valuable information that you can apply to our personal and professional life. [00:49:00] If this story resonated with you and you would like to support the podcast.
[00:49:04] Cesar: Please make sure to subscribe. So you don't miss out on any future episodes. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I appreciate you. And I look forward to serving you in the next episode.