Numbers and Narratives

If you’ve ever wondered why “offline” marketing is suddenly one of the most trackable parts of the modern growth stack, this episode is for you. I’m joined by Grant Durando (Right Side Up), the agency partner who first got me into podcast marketing and taught me how the audio ecosystem actually works, from attribution to execution to scaling beyond Meta. In this conversation, we get practical abou...

What if your marketing measurement didn’t just tell you what happened—but actually told you what to do next? In this episode, I’m joined by Peter Grafe, co-founder of Blue Alpha, to break down what they’re building: an action system for marketing that combines media mix modeling (MMM), incrementality testing, and AI agents to deliver real-time insights and campaign-level budget recommendations. We...

What happens when a lifelong English major turns thousands of customer conversations into a data-driven playbook for business growth? In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, we sit down with Joe Gilgoff (CX Joe) to unpack a career that spans early-stage startups, breakout consumer brands like AG1, Daily Harvest, and SeatGeek, and a bold leap into entrepreneurship. Joe shares how he transformed...

How do you scale customer support from 10 people to more than 2,300—while keeping humanity, psychology, and operational excellence at the center? In today’s episode, we sit down with Jason Katz, former early Peloton leader and now founder of Lentil Labs, to explore how customer experience transforms when technology, empathy, and data-driven insights collide. Jason shares the wild hypergrowth journ...

What happens when you treat vinyl not just as music, but as an asset class? In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, we sit down with Cory Huff, a self-described technology nerd and marketing enthusiast who helped build recommendation engines at Discogs, the world’s largest music marketplace. We dig into how hardcore vinyl collectors think, why “collection value” matters more than taste, and wha...

Every marketer (and probably every finance leader) have wondered how incrementally valuable their work is. Colette Nataf got to experience that question, on both sides of the coin. - Unlimited budget (not a joke) - $0 in Facebook Ads spend (also not a joke) Colette is one of the best leaders in the growth marketing space. And she does that while navigating the extremely tough (and regulated) healt...

This week, we sit down with Liz Reeves, Director of Client Care Operations at a North Carolina-based healthcare software company backed by Bertelsmann, to unpack a deceptively simple question: how do you use AI to reduce admin work without diluting the human experience? We go deep on “human first, human last,” the realities of a highly regulated industry, and why agentic AI belongs behind the scen...

What happens when cutting-edge AI meets customer experience in some of the world’s most highly regulated industries? In this episode, we sit down with Sarah York, Chief Experience Officer and Fractional CMO, to unpack how AI is reshaping the way companies connect with their customers from startups to established enterprises. Sarah shares how data-driven insights and automation can elevate the cust...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, we sit down with Hannah Carlson, founder of Inertia Growth, to explore how AI and automation are transforming the way companies operate, sell, and scale.  Hannah breaks down how smaller teams can now compete with giants by working smarter, not harder, using automation, AI-powered insights, and smarter workflows to fuel growth. We dig into how marketing, s...

In this illuminating episode of Numbers and Narratives, hosts Ibby Syed and Sean Collins sit down with Justin Michaud, Director of Customer Care at Life360, to explore the cutting-edge world of AI in customer support. Justin shares his experience leading a team that supports multiple products, including Life360, Tile, and Geobit, and how they've revolutionized their customer service approach...

In this insightful episode of Numbers and Narratives, hosts Ibby Syed and Sean Collins sit down with Alejandro Villacís, the head of customer experience at FCP Euro, to explore the intersection of AI and customer service in the automotive aftermarket industry. FCP Euro, known for its exceptional customer care and lifetime replacement guarantee, faces the challenge of maintaining personalized servi...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, host Sean Collins sit down with Saverio Bianchi, founder of Atelier & Avenue, a boutique e-commerce and digital transformation consultancy. With over 20 years of experience working with luxury brands like Ferrari, LVMH, and L'Oreal, Saverio offers a unique perspective on the current state of direct-to-consumer (DTC) businesses. He discusses the c...

In this thought-provoking episode of Numbers and Narratives, hosts Ibby Syed and Sean Collins sit down with Haidee Griswold, Director of Technical Product Marketing at Anomalo, to explore the rapidly evolving world of AI and its impact on marketing, business, and everyday life. Haidee shares her extensive experience in bringing AI technologies to life, from early voice assistants to today's g...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, Sean Collins sits down with EJ White, Head of Growth at beehiv, to explore the cutting-edge world of marketing analytics and growth strategies. EJ shares his journey from agency work to leading growth at beehiv, a newsletter-focused email marketing platform that has seen explosive growth. The conversation dives deep into the challenges of communicating ma...

In this insightful episode, Sean Collins sits down with Dean Ginsberg, founder of Winback, to explore the often-overlooked world of email marketing and lifecycle management. Dean shares his journey from running digital transformations for enterprise brands to developing innovative solutions for reactivating dormant email subscribers. He discusses how most companies are leaving significant revenue...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, Sean and Ibby welcome Dan Budick, Senior Director of Customer Solutions at Bilt Rewards. With nearly four years at the company, Dan shares his journey from aspiring sports broadcaster to customer experience leader, offering a unique perspective on the evolving landscape of customer support.  The conversation delves into the transformation of Bilt's c...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, Sean and Ibby sit down with Michael Wolfe, a serial entrepreneur and startup veteran with over 25 years of experience founding and scaling B2B software companies. Michael shares invaluable wisdom on the critical importance of customer discovery and validation in the early stages of building a startup. He emphasizes that while many founders know they shoul...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, Ibby Syed and Sean Collins dive deep into the world of AI-powered customer support with special guest Kenji Hayward, Head of Support at Front. As a veteran in the support industry, Kenji shares his unique perspective on leading support at a company that provides support software. The conversation kicks off with a discussion on the limitations of using def...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, Sean and Ibby dive deep into the world of responsible AI with guest Sarah Payne, AI Strategy and Program Lead at Coinbase. Sarah shares her expertise on implementing AI across workflows while prioritizing ethics and user trust. The conversation explores the challenges of developing AI systems that are not just efficient, but also ethically sound and safe...

In this enlightening episode of Numbers and Narratives, hosts Sean and Ibby sit down with Lisa Stroud, founder of True Beauty Lashes, to explore the fascinating journey from corporate America to entrepreneurship in the beauty industry. Lisa shares her experience transitioning from working with major brands like Unilever to launching her own eyelash and beauty products company.  The conversation de...

In this insightful episode, hosts Sean and Ibby sit down with Meaghan Kaplan from Cleo, an end-to-end caregiving platform, to discuss the intricacies of customer success and commercial operations in today's evolving business landscape. Meaghan, who oversees Cleo's commercial operations department, shares her unique perspective on building strong customer relationships and driving busines...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, hosts Sean and Ibby sit down with Kamron Kunce, VP of Marketing and Customer Experience at RJ Young, to explore the fascinating intersection of marketing and customer experience in the B2B technology sector. Kamron shares his unique journey from the music industry to e-commerce and finally to his current role at RJ Young, a 70-year-old business technology...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, Sean and Ibby sit down with Michael Bair, founder of Bair Consulting, to explore the critical role of customer experience in today's business landscape. With over 20 years of experience across B2C and B2B companies, Michael shares his expertise on how businesses can differentiate themselves through exceptional customer support.  The conversation delv...

In this episode of Numbers and Narratives, Sean Collins sits down with Temilola Agbede, a seasoned e-commerce marketing expert with over 15 years of experience. Temi shares her journey from traditional retail to leading direct-to-consumer channels for major brands like Estée Lauder and innovative startups. The conversation dives deep into the evolving landscape of e-commerce marketing, exploring t...

In this insightful episode of Numbers and Narratives, hosts Ibby Syed and Sean Collins sit down with Maggie Glascott, Senior Email Marketing Manager at Buffer, to dive deep into the world of email personalization and testing. With an impressive resume including stints at Duolingo and StreetEasy, Maggie shares her wealth of experience in crafting effective email strategies for tech companies. The c...