5.0
(4 reviews)
CS & Leadership Mentor | 20 years at IBM, Apple, VMware & UKG | break in, level up, or lead
United States of America Active today Usually responds in a few hours

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About

I've spent 20 years in customer-facing and commercial work, including IBM, Apple, AirWatch/VMware, UKG, and more. For the last decade-plus, I've been building and running Customer Success teams. Today I'm Senior Director of Customer Success & Membership at TechSoup, leading a cross-functional team driving engagement, retention, and real impact. I've also started my own business, so I know what it's like to own the outcome with no one to hand it to.

I've sat in the seat as an individual contributor at a high-stakes level, and I make tough calls every day as a decision maker. I've carried a quota, managed enterprise portfolios, scaled a CS org from a handful of people to 15+, and built the operating systems, including KPIs, playbooks, and collaborative ecosystems, that drive results.

I work with people breaking into CS who want to bet on someone who's done it at scale, with professionals sharpening their craft, and with emerging leaders building the presence and strategic thinking to run their own teams. Wherever you are, the job's the same: close the gap between where you are and where you're trying to get, fast, and without the fluff.

I'll also help you use AI the way it should be used: practically, to sharpen your decisions and cut the grind, while keeping the human connection that makes CS work in the first place.

I'm going to tell you what you need to hear to get better, not what you want to hear to feel good. Direct and supportive. I'll show you your blind spots, pressure-test your thinking, and help you build competence you can actually feel in the room.

What mentees say

5 out of 5 stars

Ja'Rod is so great! I'm a UX Researcher and I reached out to learn more about how CS teams operate, and what defines their success, so that I could develop a productive partnership with my CS teammates. I learned that and more from Ja'Rod. He helped me put together an overarching strategy plus tactical tips to bring my goal to life. I appreciate how he shared big picture ideas then went into concrete examples for each piece. (Thanks so much, Ja'Rod! I really appreciate your help.)

Sarah

Sarah

Session: Ask Me Anything - 60 …

5 out of 5 stars

Working with Ja’Rod was a huge confidence boost as I explored the transition from Customer Support to Customer Success. He helped me clearly define what I needed to know to make that move successfully and identify specific skill gaps to focus on, which gave me a much more concrete career plan. Ja’Rod has a deep understanding of Customer Success and consistently grounded his advice in real examples from his own professional experience. He asked great, thoughtful questions to make sure our sessions were tailored to my goals rather than giving generic advice. I also appreciated the targeted resources he shared for deeper learning in areas where I wanted to grow. If you’re considering a move into Customer Success and want a mentor who is knowledgeable, practical, and genuinely invested in your progress, Ja’Rod would be an excellent choice.

Sean

Sean

Lite Plan • 1 month

Sean wrote 1 more review for the same mentorship

5 out of 5 stars

Working with Ja’Rod was a huge confidence boost as I explored the transition from Customer Support to Customer Success. He helped me clearly define what I needed to know to make that move successfully and identify specific skill gaps to focus on, which gave me a much more concrete career plan. Ja’Rod has a deep understanding of Customer Success and consistently grounded his advice in real examples from his own professional experience. He asked great, thoughtful questions to make sure our sessions were tailored to my goals rather than giving generic advice. I also appreciated the targeted resources he shared for deeper learning in areas where I wanted to grow. If you’re considering a move into Customer Success and want a mentor who is knowledgeable, practical, and genuinely invested in your progress, Ja’Rod would be an excellent choice.

Sean

Sean

5 out of 5 stars

A Strategic Partner Who Helped Me Navigate Critical Growth Challenges Working with Ja'Rod over the past few months has been transformative for both me and my team. When we started in June, I was drowning in firefighting mode—handling constant escalations, dealing with a 30% refund rate, and struggling to scale my approach across a team that needed constant hand-holding. What stood out immediately was his ability to listen deeply and ask the right questions rather than jumping to quick fixes. Ja'Rod helped me see patterns I was too close to notice, like how my bottleneck role was actually preventing my team from developing confidence and ownership.

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Standard Plan • 3 months

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