Mentor · Customer Experience
Kirsten Penaloza
Consultant & Leadership Coach @ Kirsten Penaloza LLC
My passion is helping others be and become the best version of themselves through coaching and mentoring. I lived and worked across continents, allowing me to have a unique perspective on cultural differences at work.
About
I've had an eclectic journey, wearing many hats throughout my career. Starting out as a private teacher, event project manager, and tour guide, I eventually found my true calling in people management and leadership roles within the tech industry. I discovered my passion for helping others achieve their full potential through mentoring and coaching front-line teams and consultants. Now, I've made it my life's purpose to create work environments where people are excited to show up because they feel cared for, challenged, and developed.
Experience
Under the brand name Big Boss Biscuits, I run my own company offering coaching and organizational consulting/ advisory. I also have my podcast and LinkedIn newsletter about all things leadership.
VP of CX overseeing Customer Success, Customer Support, Paid Services, and Compliance
Director of CX overseeing Client Support, Client Success, and Tier 2 (Product Support & White Label Partners).
Expertise
Scaling teams has been one of my favorite things to do. I don't scale for the sake of having lots of people. I scale team with intentionality, anticipating business and client needs, rather than scaling reactively. I do that by creating new roles to meet those needs, which also creates career paths for CX professionals. Building a team means looking for ways to connect talent and skills with tools and resources to make the team efficient (working smarter, not harder).
Management is just one technical aspect of leading a team. My focus is on healthy leadership skills that allow me to bring out the best in team members. It's about inspiring them to seek excellence because they are in a thriving environment that encourages growth. As a leadership coach, I center a conversation around introspection, self-discovery, and reflection.
I've started in the front lines as a support agent on emails, then live chat, and lastly phone and video calls. I pivoted towards customer success and eventually made my managerial and leadership career leading different client experience and technical support teams.
The more I worked with Sr. Leaders and eventually became an executive myself, I learned how essential data is to tell stories and advocate for customers and my teams. I never thought I would say this, but I am passionate about data and storytelling, and find it exciting when I can help others develop their data and storytelling skills.
I have worked for 4 years in hybrid settings and six more than years in fully remote companies. I understand the particular challenges of communication, async collaboration, and tools, and have found great success in building cohesive, communicative, and efficient teams. I firmly disagree with the statement that you can't have the same in-depth or stronger relationships in remote companies as in in-person offices.
Industry
I have made my career in client-facing roles with a strong focus on SaaS companies (eCommerce, ATS, and political tech).
Toolkit
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