👉Love customer experience and love travel? You’ve found the right podcast, a show about creating great customer experience, with a dash of travel talk. 🎤Each episode, we’ll talk with our guests about customer experience, travel, and just like the best journeys, explore new directions we never anticipated. Listen here or watch on YouTube youtube.com/@cxpassport 🗺️CX Passport is a podcast that purposely seeks out global Customer Experience voices to hear what's working well in CX, what are their challenges and to hear their Customer Experience stories. In addition, there's always a dash (or more!) of travel talk in each episode.🧳Hosted by Rick Denton, CX Passport will bring Customer Experience and industry leaders to get their best customer experience insights, stories and hear their tales from the road...whether it’s the one less traveled or the one on everyone’s summer trip list.
I'm Rick Denton and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport
Music: Funk In The Trunk by Shane Ivers
CX Passport is a podcast for customer experience professionals that focuses on the stories, strategies, and solutions needed to create and deliver meaningful customer experiences. It features guests from the world of CX, including executives, consultants, and authors, who discuss their own experiences, tips, and insights. The podcast is designed to help CX professionals learn from each other, stay on top of the latest trends, and develop their own strategies for success.
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🎤 “The one with the Holiday First Class Lounge Collection (Part 1)”🎧 CX Passport takes a break but wouldn’t leave you without an episode.
Enjoy this compilation of great First Class Lounge visits with Sharon Boyd, Todd Sears, Julie Cockerill, Erik Lautier, Katie Stabler & Katie Miller
Hosted by Rick Denton, CX Passport guides you through a conversation on customer experience and travel.
Rick Denton:
You're listening to CX Passport, the show about creating great customer experiences with a dash of travel talk. Each episode well talk with our guests about great CX, travel...and just like the best journeys, explore new directions we never anticipated. I'm your host Rick Denton. I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport. Let's get going. This week will be a little bit different. Because of the holiday period I'm taking a couple of weeks off as are the guests of CX passport and won't have a new recording this week. But I've collected a few of the first class lounge episodes together and I think you'll have an enjoyable experience with them. So join me in the first class lounge this time we're going to spend a little bit of time here but we'll certainly we'll continue to have some fun let's start by heading to the UK and talking with Sharon Boyd. little change of pace here though join me here in the first class lounge we'll move quickly here and hopefully have some fun. Okay dream travel location from your past
Sharon Boyd:
I went to the Maldives my honeymoon beautiful was very aware that probably when we got to our 50th anniversary if we ever made it there, it won't be underwater at that point. So it was very much going okay, that's a one time any chance potentially let's live it.
Rick Denton:
It is it's a it's definitely on my bucket list for sure. So speaking of that, a dream travel location you've not been to yet
Sharon Boyd:
I don't know why but I'd love to go to the Middle East and just explore hmm, yeah, I'm not really sure what that looks like. But yeah, just all you care about the amazing customer experiences that there are over there in certain areas. Yeah, I'd love to experience some of that. Watch some of that and learn from it.
Rick Denton:
Yeah, absolutely for sure. favorite thing to eat REMAX maybe just one hair louder. favorite thing to eat? aimags Ah, very good. There it is. That almost sounded like a guilty pleasure. But no, there are no so there's no such thing as a guilty pleasure. They are all just pleasures. But on the flip side of that, what is the thing your parents forced you to eat? But you hated as a kid? Carrots. Ah, okay. I'm getting a lot of vegetables in that question, by the way.
Sharon Boyd:
Yeah, my, my dad used to buy massive bags of carrots. And then I mean, there was six children saying you needed to buy in bulk. But it was all the stories of you'll be able to get to see in the dark and the rest of it. None of our six children. Obviously all adults now or our own children eat carrots. The knock on effects over the generations.
Rick Denton:
That's fantastic. All right, one travel item you will not leave home without.
Sharon Boyd:
Well, normally one of my children gives me a little animal of some kind to take with me. I'm not sure I have a choice. So I just don't say Oh, thank you. That's lovely. But yes, there's always an item that goes in my bag from one of my children.
Rick Denton:
Oh, I love that heart connection to the home. That's fantastic. Time to head back to the United States and talk with Todd Sears. With those kinds of travels, Todd, you clearly need the first class lounge. So why don't you join me here in that first class lounge. We'll move quickly and hopefully have a little bit of fun. And in your case, let's get you a little bit of rest. But what is a dream travel location from your past?
Todd Sears:
You know, one of my favorite places is St. Barts Believe it or not. I love all the cities we get to go to all over the world. But St. Barts is probably my favorite dream location I go every year, I spent two weeks at least I got the advice my first year that you can add one day every year you go. So I hope to be you know, 60 days at some point. But it's a wonderful place. It feels like home even though it's a vacation destination. Everyone there is just there to have fun enjoy themselves and it feels like it's a family I know all of you know I have a lot of friends there. And it's not just a vacation. It really is an escape.
Rick Denton:
I like that idea of adding one day, every every repeat trip. I'm absolutely going to start using that for sure. Well thinking about so you're gonna go back to st part but what is a dream travel vacation you've not been to yet. You know,
Todd Sears:
I would really love to go to Eastern Europe, the Balkans. I'd love to go to Croatia. We actually had the opportunity to enter Europe summit seven years ago, the prime the Deputy Prime Minister then Montenegro came to my summit and spoke and he announced that our summit that Montenegro would support marriage equality as part of their business. to become part of the European Union, which they ultimately did, and he's actually just as a sidebar, he's the guy that Donald Trump pushed out of the big EU photo. Oh, I remember years ago I do remember that yeah, yes. So that was him. And so we have a very open VIP if you will, invitation to go to Montenegro that I really hope to do once things are open so Montenegro Croatia that whole world is is beautiful exciting, a huge opportunity for progress to by the way Yeah, I don't think there'll be a vacation I'll ever take where there won't be some sort of equality component to it. But that's where I'd love to go
Rick Denton:
nice to have the open ended VIP invitation there but I do want to get to easier what is a favorite thing to eat?
Todd Sears:
Gummy Bears bizarre I like it that's that's the only sweet I like I don't like desserts I don't chocolate guy when we go out to eat everybody gets dessert but me but if I have my my secret guilty pleasure it's always gummy bears that's like my my comfort food when I'm on when I'm in need of a sugar fix
Rick Denton:
you when that when I've not had gummy bears show up yet. But it gives me a fond childhood memory. My dad had a he was a physician had an ear nose and throat practice. And there was a patient that was from Germany. And she actually set up an arrangement with him that she paid him and gummy bears the the originals from John so it was sort of a Haribo just kind of a friendly relationship but I remember as a kid seeing her you know hand over the the gummy bears when she was getting treated in the office.
Todd Sears:
Oh my God, I wish I had that.
Rick Denton:
Dangerous set of the size of a house said these aren't video podcasts. Okay? You go whatever direction you want. On the flip side, what what is the thing your parents forced you to eat? But you hate it? It's a kid. You know? It's
Todd Sears:
bizarre nothing. Absolutely nothing. I eat everything. My dad gave me oysters the first time when I was three. Wow. Yeah, it's really kind of funny. There is literally nothing that I was forced to eat as a kid I was just kind of either easy like that or I just liked everything but yeah, there was there was nothing that I didn't like and you're very few things now that I don't like I you know, I'm kind of lucky that way I guess
Rick Denton:
that really is and perhaps a lot of it has to do with a parent exposing a child that most oysters at age three because then if you're if you're enjoying that you're gonna enjoy just about anything else at that point. Some kids I guess
Todd Sears:
Yeah, yeah, that's right. Thank god yes. Not chicken nuggets.
Rick Denton:
What is with all your travels, what is one travel item you will not leave home without
Todd Sears:
headphones. I literally had music going all the time. I make playlists my my my side hobby is DJ so I actually have like a little baby DJ rig that I take on long flights with me so I can make playlists and mixes and and then I'll name them after the trips and that's how I keep myself sane on trips but also just all the time I'm always always always listening to music
Rick Denton:
starting in the UK heading to the US let's just keep going that direction but head further west and way further south as we go and talk with Julie Cockerill in Australia well after a travel and experience like that, I think you're gonna need to hit the first class lounge so join me here in the first class lounge we'll move quickly here and hopefully have some fun taking Mount Everest off the list for a second what is a dream travel location from your past
Julie Cockerill:
look anywhere in Italy really But San Giuliano in Tuscany oh my gosh incredible.
Rick Denton:
Yeah, did you climb the towers there did you get the the views in that stunning just there?
Julie Cockerill:
Look do you know what for me the that's one moment where we're sitting at breakfast and the windows open and you have the beautiful Tuscan view that is the iconic postcard picture and you just go yep, I'm here facing
Rick Denton:
cancel your return flight home and decide to live there for from there on. Yes, I have had that. I want to be back there. Amen to that dream travel location you've not been to yet.
Julie Cockerill:
I am really excited about Northern Europe. So anywhere in Scandinavia, or Poland or Northern Germany. And then the other thing that I really want to do is hiking futon.
Rick Denton:
Oh, that's a new one. I have not heard that one on the podcast before Wow. That's gonna be fantastic. I hope you get there soon. What is a favorite thing to eat?
Julie Cockerill:
Oh, I like a lot of stuff. But my My Favorite Things are prawns which is shrimp and oysters.
Rick Denton:
I like both of those and um, now his listeners may not know but we're recording this in the US evening the Australian morning. So I'm starting to think about what dinner might be maybe it needs to be some prawns and oysters. I like that that thinking there. What is a thing your parents forced you to eat but you hate it as a kid.
Julie Cockerill:
Tomatoes.
Rick Denton:
Really interesting.
Julie Cockerill:
I think still not a fan?
Rick Denton:
Interesting. Yeah, one of my faves. That's that's a new one as well. What is it about tomatoes? They forced it force it on you and you just couldn't handle it anymore.
Julie Cockerill:
Um, look, I think it's the it's the yucky stuff inside the seedy stuff. It's a it's a textural thing.
Rick Denton:
Got it. Okay, that makes some sense. One travel item you will not leave home without
Julie Cockerill:
definitely toothbrush. And I've, you know, trekking through to Everest base camp, you get used to not washing hair, washing your face or so that what I've learned is I can do with just my toothbrush. But I love a Sudoku, I get on that plane and I immerse myself in the Sudoku and, and then it's dinnertime,
Rick Denton:
back to the US we go. Although it's a little bit of a trick. When I recorded this, this guest Erik Lautier was in the US but he's actually moved to France. So perhaps we can consider this both a US and a French first class lounge. Erik little change of pace here. Join me in the first class lounge. We'll move quickly here and hopefully have some fun. What is a dream travel location from your past?
Erik Lautier:
Okay, without question, it is Ping kill island that okay, and Gkl. So when I was in business school, I went to INSEAD and I spent one of the terms in Singapore. And there was a little private island off the coast of Indonesia, called Pinkel. And they would basically run out the island for for a weekend. And when you get enough MBA students together to you know, pull in like 100 bucks each or whatever it was, you can get the whole island. And so he we all went and it was just this this paradise, right? I mean, it was it was, you know, kind of Robin Crusoe esque, but it was absolutely stunningly beautiful. We had a great time, lots of food, lots of beverages, it was, you know, about as wonderful as like, imagine for a vacation. So, that was sort of a dream location that someday I hope to revisit.
Rick Denton:
Well, in that vein, what is a dream travel location that you've not been to yet so you can't do Panchal island, but where would you want to go that you've not been to yet?
Erik Lautier:
You know, so there's another island known as Iceland, which I'd like to make it to at some point, very different, obviously, not tropical, but there's a there's just a beauty to it. And you've got thermal baths you've got diving in between glaciers and crystal clear waters and just something that I've never experienced before. And for me, that's, that's part of the excitement is show me something new, show me something different. You know, and that's in tying it back to to career choices. That's been the excitement of being in the digital space is the constant evolution means there's always something new, there's always something exciting, there's always something that I haven't seen before, that keeps me engaged in it. And I think that probably mirrors my interest in different travel locations.
Rick Denton:
Very nice. I Iceland's on my list as well. There was the recent shots and scenes of the lava flows, and the hikers and people getting right up pretty close to the lava flows, it seemed like and it just reminded me how beautiful and how different Iceland is and so Absolutely, it's on my list as well. What is a favorite thing to eat?
Erik Lautier:
Ah, there are so many How do I choose? I so I've got a a weakness for sushi generally speaking, but there's a in particular a little sushi dish, which is a hamachi yellowtail thin slice with a very thin slice of it could be jalapeno or it could be another pepper and forget what kind of sauce they put on that thing but it is absurd. And any sushi restaurant I go to that serves that I order it like without question. So that's sort of my my go to and of course, like the entire thing, you know, if you if you stacked up all those tiny little slices, it might be enough to fill a thimble and it probably cost that much in gold. It is yeah,
Rick Denton:
that's delicious. Boy so you're not finding on your sushi buffet but it definitely sounds fantastic. On the flip side now what is the thing your parents forced you to eat but you hated as a kid?
Erik Lautier:
You know, I would say I was not a fan of broccoli and now I will pop broccoli all day long. Like we throw it in the oven and get it nice and kind of charred on the edges and keep it simple. Just a little lemon juice on there and garlic, a little salt and pepper and little olive oil. And oh my god, Rick, I will I will pop that stuff like candy. I prefer it to candy. So yeah, things change.
Rick Denton:
Right? Well, that's it, I guess. This is an example of hey, parents, you're right, keep forcing because who knows it's gonna set the set kid up for delight of broccoli in the future. What is one travel item you will not leave home without,
Erik Lautier:
you know, it feels so it feels so cliche to say my phone or my laptop, right? I can't, I can't imagine going anywhere without either of those things. I am one of those people who can pack in about five minutes. And I don't need to plan it out. I just want to start doing it. And so, you know, if I end up in some place and I'm like, Oh my God, I don't have this, then I don't know I improvise or I figure something else out or go try to find it. You know, I'm okay with that. I'm okay with that uncertainty and that sort of like Oh, I'm so stupid. Why bring that thing that I needed? Um, so So yeah, I don't have anxiety around you know, oh, no, I can't leave without this. I'm willing to just you know, roll the dice and and see what happens.
Rick Denton:
So Erik may roll the dice. But a lot of our guests do have that one item that they will not leave home without. Let's find out what Katie Stabler in the UK has to say in the first class lounge so Katie, little change of pace here join me in the first class lounge and we will move quickly here and hopefully have some fun. What is a dream travel location from your past?
Katie Stabler:
Oh, it's got to be Singapore, the most beautiful serene city I've ever been to
Rick Denton:
Surrey now that I actually would like you to unpack that a little bit because that's the first time I've heard Singapore and serene reference together. Tell me about that. Because I would love to go there haven't had the chance yet.
Katie Stabler:
I've been to so many cities. I've never been to a city so quiet and beautiful. A Singapore we actually went just before there was about to be a grand prix hosted there as well. Right. And it was still like the traffic noise that hardly any. It was clean. It was just I mean, it was vibrant. Don't get me wrong. It's a great place to be. But yeah, it's just it's a city. I've never experienced the likes of anywhere else. It's amazing. Just wow.
Rick Denton:
Oh, okay. Now, with that new description I was already wanting to go but now I'm really excited about it. So what is a dream travel location that you've not been to yet?
Katie Stabler:
Alaska? So the pandemic we were supposed to go to Alaska for my partner's 40th the pandemic hit councils? Yeah, you're gonna track the national parks, the the glaciers, and somewhere I still love to go.
Rick Denton:
Well, I do hope that you get to go there soon. Another one that I've not been to. But oddly enough, my daughter got to go there this summer and came back with some spectacular stories, and some phenomenal shots and the beauty there is off the charts. So I do hope that you are you are able to get there soon. Now this is a tricky thing to ask a foodie like you but what is your favorite thing to eat?
Katie Stabler:
Is going to be so boring, but I could leave off pizza like seriously, I've got a pizza belly. I can never get full of pizza. Like a pizza oven outside of the garden come rain or shine with that. It's great.
Rick Denton:
Pizza is certainly one of my favorites. In fact, that is what the Denton family had last night. So you know it is one of ours. So on that flip side, what is the thing your parents forced you to eat but you hate it as a kid?
Katie Stabler:
You know, it's kind of the other way around. I think they couldn't force me see anything. And I lived off jam sandwiches. That was all I would eat so
Rick Denton:
So you weren't forced into that. But that was the only category you're eating Interesting. Okay, the jam sandwich. I like that
Katie Stabler:
the jam sandwich.
Rick Denton:
So one thing now we can't count the phone right? The phone doesn't count here. But what is one travel item you will not leave home without?
Katie Stabler:
Oh, that's gonna be a book. I don't get enough time to read these days. So it has to be well no, it's probably at least three or four books as many books as I can chew on holiday.
Rick Denton:
Katie Stabler was a contestant on MasterChef UK. Fascinating story. We had a good time talking about that in the full episode. I encourage you to go back and have a listen to it. After we leave Katie Stabler in the UK, we're going to go head back to the US and talk with another Katie Katie Miller of the Orlando Magic and have her first class lounge visit here. I do want to let everyone know that we will be doing this again next week as we go through the holiday period and I offer up the first class lounge treat. We may even have the only guest who brought his own drink to the first class lounge. Hey, before I go, I do want to say happy holidays to everyone. I hope that you have enjoyed CX password. If you have enjoyed passport, please subscribe. Please download tell your friends. Be sure and leave a review reviews are the best way for others to discover CX password. Hope you enjoy this. Enjoy Katie Miller as we close out little change of pace here with all that travel talk. And sometimes getting in and out of Orlando can be a little hectic for the traveler. So it's kind of nice to enjoy the first class lounge. So join me here in the first class lounge we'll move quickly and hopefully have a little bit of fun. What is a dream location from your past?
Katie Miller:
So I hope I don't sound too dorky. But I would say I'm kind of living it now. So growing up in Ohio, I can remember as a child, our one big family trip and it was it was to Disney to drive to Florida and stay at Disney for a week and do all the magical Disney things. And here I am right so it is I mean to two things come together. But as I will say as a parent of two having the ability to take my children to Disney and see those memories. I can see I can see why it resonated.
Rick Denton:
That's brilliant and absolutely destiny for you. Of course to be there in Orlando. You have found your home. What is a dream travel location? You've not been to yet
Katie Miller:
Australia?
Rick Denton:
Oh, yeah. That will be something any anywhere particular just Australia in general.
Katie Miller:
I need to zero in on where exactly I need to go. But I would love to go to Australia. It's on my bucket list.
Rick Denton:
It is one of the continents I've not been to yet and I'm excited to get there. But it's it feels like one of those that I need to dedicate six months to explore Australia and sadly that's just not available on the calendar. But it is a special place. I hope to get there too as well. I hope you get there soon.
Katie Miller:
I was gonna ask if you had any recommendations, so keep me in mind when you when you get there.
Rick Denton:
Here's the recommendation go. Oh, no. Here's a better recommendation. I think the magic need to do a travel game in Melbourne.
Katie Miller:
I'm on board. Okay,
Rick Denton:
let's let's see what you what you can do there. What is a favorite thing to eat? Pizza. Yum. All right. So on the flip side of that, though, what is the thing that your parents forced you to eat? But you hate it as a kid? Ham? Ham? Hey, that's my first no one said ham before? Tell me why.
Katie Miller:
I think that's more I don't know if it was so much my parents or my grandparents but I can remember some large family gatherings where Ham was served as part of the you know, the big dinner table and I think it was probably because my grandparents worked so hard on it. And as silly as this sounds as a child, I never liked the rind on the outside of the ham. And it was you know, you got it you got to eat. You got to eat everything here. The thing that jumps out in my mind
Rick Denton:
that's what I love about doing this because I asked the same question set here in the middle of every guest and guests surprise me ham is a new one for me because you know most many of the categories of broccoli brussel sprouts, the classic one ham is first so congratulations. You get first first come around that one so what is it now
Katie Miller:
I'm good now.
Rick Denton:
And I hear that a lot too. I realize we're diverting a bit here but it is amazing how many people talk about the things they hated as a kid and now they love so I guess a ham is now a part of your your current day. Well done. What is one travel item you will not leave home without can't do the phone. Anything beyond the phone,
Katie Miller:
my Kindle all my books in there.
Rick Denton:
Thanks for joining us this week on CX Passport. Make sure to visit our website cxpassport.com where you can hit subscribe so you'll never miss a show. While you're at it, you can check out the rest of the EX4CX website. If you're looking to get real about customer experience, EX4CX is available to help you increase revenue by starting to listen to your customers and create great experiences for every customer every time. Thanks for listening to CX Passport and be sure to tune in for our next episode. Until next time, I'm Rick Denton, and I believe the best meals are served outside and require a passport.
