loader from loading.io

Thomas Voigt - Leadership Lessons in Customer Engagement and Growth

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

Release Date: 02/11/2025

Karen Salmansohn – Your To-Die For List: What Matters When Productivity Isn't the Point show art Karen Salmansohn – Your To-Die For List: What Matters When Productivity Isn't the Point

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What makes someone quit a six-figure advertising career to write books that help people think differently? In this episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Karen Salmansohn—bestselling author, behavioral change expert, and the creative force behind NotSalmon.com—whose sharp wit and mortality-driven wisdom will make you rethink everything on your to-do list. Karen shares why fun isn't frivolous—it's fuel. She breaks down the science of why laughter literally shakes ideas loose, explains why her "e-pee-phanies" in the bathroom cracked more creative codes than...

info_outline
Stop Being So Damn Helpful: The Curse of the Over-Responsible Leader show art Stop Being So Damn Helpful: The Curse of the Over-Responsible Leader

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

Are you the person everyone turns to because you'll "just handle it"? The one replying to emails at 11pm, rewriting your team's work, or silently resenting the people you keep rescuing? In this solo episode, Cathleen O'Sullivan tackles a behavior that's as exhausting as it is common: over-functioning in the name of being helpful.  Cathleen reveals why constant helpfulness isn't kindness—it's a control strategy that stifles growth, creates dependency, and keeps you small. She shares the story of a leader who was praised for being dependable but passed over for promotion because she...

info_outline
Darryl Stickel – Share, Don't Scare: The Science of Building Trust When the World Feels Broken show art Darryl Stickel – Share, Don't Scare: The Science of Building Trust When the World Feels Broken

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What makes a complete stranger walk up to you on a bus and say, "I'm really having a hard time today"? In this episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Darryl Stickel—trust researcher, founder of Trust Unlimited, and author of Building Trust—whose life's work reveals that connection isn't magic. It's a skill you can learn, practice, and pull off even when everything feels like it's falling apart.    Darryl shares why trust isn't just about certainty—it's about being willing to get hurt. He breaks down the formula, explains why leaders who admit...

info_outline
Kate Grant – Listen to Your Inner Voice: Leading a Life of Impact Without Apology show art Kate Grant – Listen to Your Inner Voice: Leading a Life of Impact Without Apology

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What does it take to lead with both purpose and perseverance? In this episode of Legendary Leaders, host Cathleen O’Sullivan sits down with Kate Grant—CEO of the Fistula Foundation and author of No Woman Left Behind—whose remarkable journey from Madison Avenue to global health leadership reveals what can happen when compassion meets conviction.    Kate shares how walking away from a thriving advertising career became the first step toward transforming the lives of more than 100,000 women suffering from obstetric fistula—a preventable childbirth injury that still affects over...

info_outline
Donzel Leggett – Transform, Don’t Just Change: The Mindset for a Destiny-Driven Life show art Donzel Leggett – Transform, Don’t Just Change: The Mindset for a Destiny-Driven Life

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What does it really mean to design your own destiny? In this episode of Legendary Leaders Podcast, host Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Donzel Leggett—former Fortune 200 executive, author of Make Your Destiny Happen, and founder of Destiny Development Delta whose career has spanned three decades of transformational global leadership.  From his Key West roots to the pivotal moment he walked away from professional football, Donzel shares how he turned missed opportunities and painful kicks in the butt into clarity about his calling. With warmth and honesty, he opens up about the weight...

info_outline
Lenya McGrath – The Compass Within: Leading with Purpose and Positivity show art Lenya McGrath – The Compass Within: Leading with Purpose and Positivity

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What does it really mean to bring your authentic self to leadership? In this episode of Legendary Leaders Podcast, host Cathleen O’Sullivan sits down with Lenya McGrath—global brand strategist, creative leader, and award-winning marketer whose career has shaped some of the world’s most iconic brands.    From her early days in Sydney’s ad world to leading high-performing teams across continents, Lenya shares how she turned “too happy” feedback into her leadership superpower. With warmth and humility, she opens up about authenticity in the workplace, building psychological...

info_outline
The Productivity Lie: Why Doing Less Makes You a Better Leader show art The Productivity Lie: Why Doing Less Makes You a Better Leader

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What if productivity isn’t about doing more—but doing less, with purpose? In this solo episode of The Legendary Leaders Podcast, host Cathleen O’Sullivan challenges one of leadership’s biggest myths: that constant hustle equals success.    Drawing from her own journey and stories from the leaders she’s coached, Cathleen exposes the “productivity lie” that glorifies busyness and burnout. She reveals why intentionality—not intensity—is what truly sets great leaders apart, and how creating space to think, rest, and reflect can actually amplify your impact.   ...

info_outline
Neil Ghosh – The Power of Empathy: How Small Acts Create Big Change show art Neil Ghosh – The Power of Empathy: How Small Acts Create Big Change

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What does it really mean to do more good—and how can empathy spark genuine impact in our everyday lives? In this heartfelt episode of The Legendary Leaders Podcast, Cathleen O’Sullivan sits down with Neil Ghosh, social impact strategist, entrepreneur, and bestselling author of Do More Good, a book featuring voices from global icons like the Dalai Lama and Bill Clinton to everyday changemakers making a difference in their own communities. With over three decades of experience across 50+ countries and sectors, Neil has devoted his career to one question: How can we do more good together?...

info_outline
Jones Loflin - From Busy to Focused: Leadership Lessons from the Hive show art Jones Loflin - From Busy to Focused: Leadership Lessons from the Hive

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

What can honeybees teach us about leadership, focus, and living with intention? In this episode of The Legendary Leaders Podcast, host Cathleen O’Sullivan welcomes back Jones Loflin—speaker, coach, educator, and co-author of Focused as a Bee.  Drawing from his beekeeping journey with his daughter Sydney, Jones reveals how small shifts in focus can create big changes in how we lead and live. Their book is both a practical guide and a heartfelt tribute to Sydney’s late best friend Alicia, reminding us that life is too short to glorify busyness.  Jones opens up about co-authoring...

info_outline
Laura Venezia - Compassionate Leadership Lessons show art Laura Venezia - Compassionate Leadership Lessons

The Legendary Leaders Podcast

Get ready for an inspiring conversation with our host Cathleen O’Sullivan  and Laura Venezia, an educational leader whose passion for nurturing others has taken her across the U.S., China, Hong Kong, and now Germany. In this episode of Legendary Leaders, Laura reflects on her early love of teaching, the challenges and lessons of working internationally, and how her commitment to kindness and inclusion continues to guide her as a leader. She shares practical advice on balancing technology with real connection, building collaborative relationships, and embracing those everyday moments...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

Are you ready to transform your approach to customer success and discover how aligning your leadership with customer needs can drive sustainable growth? In this captivating conversation on Legendary Leaders, Cathleen O'Sullivan sits down with Thomas Voigt, founder of TV Consulting and the Customer Success Academy. Thomas shares his remarkable journey from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship. Tune in for an episode filled with inspirational insights and practical strategies for driving success and growth.

 

Episode Timeline: 

07:50 Struggled with solopreneurship, returned to employment at GWI for five years.

13:50 Learning from discomfort enhances leadership and personal growth.

16:15 I questioned what truly sparked joy beyond societal expectations of success.

27:37 Career ambitions thwarted by poor job market; led to self-reflection and acceptance.

33:55 Embraced entrepreneurship for freedom, launched TV consulting and Customer Success Academy.

48:58 Practicing daily routines like breathing exercises helps manage stress and maintain wellness.

53:28 Leverage fear and joy to drive ambition on LinkedIn by consistently engaging and adding value, fueled by a love for routine and exploration.

56:03 Embrace life's challenges, prioritise values over achievements.

01:10:23 Outsourcing customer success can work if teams are properly onboarded. 

01:11:34 AI enhances customer success by streamlining admin tasks and enabling efficient outsourcing, with AI Copilots improving work processes.






Key Takeaways: 

 

  • The power of understanding and accepting your inner critic (whom Thomas named "TED") rather than trying to silence it completely

  • How implementing a human-first approach to customer success can transform business relationships and drive sustainable growth

  • Practical insights on integrating AI and technology in customer success while maintaining the human element

 

ABOUT Thomas Voigt.

Hey there, I am Thomas! I'm passionate about helping scale up businesses and unravel the mysteries of creating the perfect product/market fit. My adventure kicked off in advertising in Germany, where I honed my skills and guided media companies and advertisers in decoding consumer insights. I helped build new TV channels targeting high-value viewers, generating 8-digit revenue in their first years. In 2011, I moved to London to help Discovery Inc. understand its global audiences, set up intelligence tools, and build its digital businesses. After this, I took a sharp turn and dove into growing revenue for scale-up companies, scoring 140% net retention and building Customer Success teams that generated 8 digits in annual recurring revenue. Fast-forward to today, I'm a revenue leader and consultant, steering companies into their customers' loving arms and fine-tuning their revenue engines for sustainable growth.

 

Connect with Thomas:

Website: www.tvconsulting.net

 

Social Media Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-voigt/

 

Connect: 
 

Find | Cathleen O’Sullivan 

Business: cathleenmerkel.com  

Email: cmc@cathleenmerkelcoaching.com 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathleen-merkel/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legendary_leaders_cathleenos/

 

 

FOLLOW LEGENDARY LEADERS ON APPLE, SPOTIFY OR WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO YOUR PODCASTS.