In honor of International Women’s Day, Dialpad’s Chief Marketing Officer, Jen Grant, gathered an inspiring panel of women leaders to explore their diverse journeys in customer experience (CX).
This candid conversation went beyond just career milestones. Instead, the discussion went deeper, uncovering candid struggles and pivotal victories shared by four inspiring women who've built extraordinary careers in CX.
Joining Jen were four remarkable leaders:
Faith Lear, Head of Corporate Reception at Wound Pros, who pivoted from hospitality into a deeply empathetic healthcare service
Elizabeth Dominicci-Greer, COO of EPHY, who’s known as the operational “fixer” and creative problem solver
Tina Harris, VP of Clinical Affairs at TenderHeart Health Outcomes, whose leadership journey took her from trauma nurse to executive
Margaret Lawrence Rosas, Head of Customer Success at MotherDuck, whose accidental entry into tech transformed into a powerful career dedicated to building exceptional customer communities.
Whether you’re early in your CX career or already leading teams, this insightful conversation promises you'll leave feeling inspired, encouraged, and armed with fresh ideas. Keep reading to discover the unexpected paths these women took, the challenges they've overcome, and how their insights can help shape your own CX journey.
Embrace (and find meaning in) the winding road
If you’ve ever worried your career path might be too messy, you’re not alone. At Dialpad’s panel, leaders shared how their unconventional routes led them to CX success—and spoiler alert: no one’s journey went as planned.
Margaret Lawrence Rosas, Head of Customer Success at MotherDuck, started as a fashion school dropout who admitted, “I thought tech and computers were really dorky and just for boys.” Yet, after taking a receptionist job at a law firm, Margaret unexpectedly fell in love with tech, rising quickly to network administrator.
Eventually, she joined Looker, boldly volunteering to fix a struggling support team. “Let me take this group of eight people,” she recalled saying. The task was challenging—“I cried a lot. I had lots of imposter syndrome. It was hard.” But this bold move became Looker’s famed Department of Customer Love, which was central to the company's success.
Faith’s path was equally winding—from food service and fashion marketing to healthcare. “My career path into healthcare wasn’t congruent at all,” Faith laughed. Her own family's healthcare struggles eventually led Faith to Wound Pros, where she now leads with authentic compassion, emphasizing, “In order for people to know you, you have to know yourself.”
Margaret and Faith remind us that messy, unexpected journeys don’t hold you back—they uniquely equip you to be a better, more empathetic CX leader.
Leading with empathy
Great CX leaders often share one crucial trait: empathy. It’s about genuinely understanding what people are going through, and sometimes it takes a powerful experience to build it.
For Faith, empathy became central during her brief time working at a Michigan unemployment call center during COVID-19. Callers were anxious and desperate, simply wanting answers. She deeply understood their struggles because she'd recently been laid off herself.
Faith recalled, “It was one of the worst customer service positions I ever had—but I got it. I understood exactly what they were going through.” Although the job was tough, it shaped how she approaches customer care today at Wound Pros, where empathy isn’t something she has to force. As she put it simply, “I didn’t have to put myself in their shoes; I was already there.”
Tina Harris, VP of Clinical Affairs at TenderHeart Health Outcomes, shared a similarly powerful story about leading with empathy during the pandemic. Overnight, her healthcare team’s normal patient visits came to a halt, leaving high-risk Medicaid patients isolated and desperate for medical supplies, medications, and even basic essentials like food and water. Tina and her team sprang into action. They found creative ways to coordinate deliveries directly to patients’ homes, ensuring no one slipped through the cracks.
“It was really tragic in a lot of spaces,” Tina said, reflecting on the dire circumstances. But empathy drove her team’s determination to help at all costs. Tina emphasized, “This could be my mother. This could be my father. This could be my child.”
Turn challenges into opportunities
Every CX leader faces challenges—it’s how they handle them that makes the difference. Elizabeth Dominicci-Greer, COO of EPHY, illustrated this perfectly with her memorable “Hot Potato” story.
At a previous company, Elizabeth noticed a troubling pattern: whenever a customer’s problem got too complicated, it was passed around internally like a hot potato, with no one taking responsibility. Customers grew frustrated, and satisfaction plummeted.
Elizabeth tackled this creatively, forming a specialized team she affectionately called the SWAT team (“Special Work Action Team”). Each team member was given a Mr. Potato Head toy as a playful reminder of their role. “Your job is now to catch the hot potato—you’re not allowed to pass it on,” Elizabeth explained.
This simple yet powerful idea quickly shifted the entire culture. Instead of dodging tough issues, employees started actively seeking them out. Soon, customer satisfaction soared, internal silos disappeared, and team morale skyrocketed. Elizabeth recalled proudly, “People wanted to be the one catching the hot potato.”
The power of mentorship—and sponsorship
No successful CX leader makes it alone. Each panelist emphasized that having mentors—and sponsors—is crucial for career growth.
Margaret shared a memorable concept she called the “20/40/60” mentorship model, inspired by a time when, at age 40, she realized how much she was learning from a 20-year-old assistant and a 60-year-old coach.
She explained, “You learn so much from people who are younger and have newer eyes. But sometimes you also need someone older with deeper experience.” Margaret’s approach shows that mentorship isn’t just top-down; wisdom flows both ways.
Elizabeth built on this, explaining the critical difference between a mentor and a sponsor. While mentors guide and advise you, sponsors advocate for you behind closed doors.
Elizabeth emphasized, “You need a sponsor in your company—someone who’s praising you and talking about you when you’re not in the room.” For Elizabeth, sponsorship can make or break your career trajectory.
Tina and Faith highlighted how mentorship is deeply personal. Tina credits early educators who pushed her beyond what she thought possible, sharing, “She taught me everything I knew, pushed me beyond where I thought I could go.”
Faith added that mentorship provided crucial encouragement as she navigated leadership roles remotely, reflecting, “I wanted to be the manager I always wanted and needed.”
Advice for the next generation of CX leaders
As the conversation came to a close, each panelist offered a powerful piece of advice for aspiring CX leaders—insights shaped by years of challenges, growth, and victories.
Faith reminded listeners to be kind to themselves along the way. “Give yourself grace,” she said warmly, highlighting how compassion isn't just for customers—it’s something leaders must also extend to themselves.
Elizabeth encouraged boldness and creativity. She urged listeners, “Don’t be afraid to be memorable, creative, and raise your hand. If you see something, say, ‘Put me in—I want to go fix it.’”
Tina focused on humility and doing your best right where you are. Her advice was simple yet powerful: “Always stay humble, stay open to adventure and opportunities, and do the job you have right now really well.”
Finally, Margaret offered encouragement for those battling self-doubt. “Replace imposter syndrome with a beginner’s mind,” she advised. “There’s strength in not knowing everything—you’ll listen, you’ll learn, and then you’ll lead.”
These closing insights provide a meaningful roadmap for anyone building a career in CX, reminding us all to lead with compassion, courage, humility, and curiosity.
Your CX journey starts here
Throughout this conversation, we’ve seen how winding career paths, genuine empathy, creative problem-solving, and meaningful mentorship have defined four inspiring women’s journeys to CX leadership. Their stories remind us that there’s no single recipe for success—only powerful lessons in embracing change, leading with heart, and boldly stepping forward even when the path isn't clear.
No matter where you are in your CX career, Dialpad is committed to empowering leaders like you. Explore how Dialpad’s innovative solutions help teams deliver exceptional customer experiences, every day.
If these stories inspired you, watch the full webinar recording for even more insights. Your own CX story might just be beginning—and we can’t wait to hear where it takes you next.