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The Kiwi CX Collective
Welcome to the C-Suite Conversations, the official podcast of CCNNZ, created for and by the contact center and customer experience community. Join us as we take a deep dive into the three core pillars of performance in our industry—Product, Process, and People. Each episode features a relaxed, in-person interview with a top-level leader, celebrating their wins, exploring the lessons they've learned, and getting to the heart of what's really working in their operations. This isn't about shiny case studies; it's about real, honest conversations that will help you feel seen, inspired, and better equipped to lead your team.
The Kiwi CX Collective
The Invisible Load: Why Resilience is Your Best ROI with Debbie Schultz - S1EP12
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In the modern contact centre, resilience isn't just a "nice-to-have"—it's a business imperative. When your team is facing profanity, racism, and personal attacks on a Monday, it’s no surprise they are less likely to show up on Thursday. But how do we bridge the gap between keeping the phones ringing and keeping our people mentally safe?
In this episode of The Kiwi CX Collective, we sit down with Debbie Schultz, the founder and CEO of Blue Sky Minds. From her early days in a tartan uniform as a bank teller in Edinburgh to her 20-year career in L&D and banking analysis, Debbie has seen it all. Today, she is on a mission to help New Zealand organisations build mentally healthy, high-performing teams.
Debbie shares the science and heart behind her flagship program, Mastering Adversity Together (MAT), and how she worked with leaders at AA Insurance to prove that protecting your team's wellbeing directly fuels organisational performance.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The 26% Breakthrough: How evidence-based training led to a massive reduction in emotional recovery time for frontline agents.
- The "Window of Tolerance": A simple, non-judgmental framework to help agents recognize when they are "rattled" (hyper-arousal) versus "numb" (hypo-arousal).
- Listening with No Agenda: Why the most powerful tool for a team leader is to stop coaching, stop mentoring, and just listen to validate.
- The Remote Isolation Gap: With 58% of some teams working from home, Debbie discusses the unique challenges of handling personal attacks when you aren't sitting next to your teammates.
- AI as a Safety Net: Leveraging real-time sentiment analysis to flag agent distress so team leaders can "check in" before the agent even has to ask.
- The "No Cancel" Policy: Why AA Insurance treats wellbeing huddles with the same strategic priority as business risk.
- Psychosocial Risk Management: A look at the shifting legal landscape and why "you can’t pour from an empty cup" is a warning every leader should heed.
About Our Guest:
Debbie Schultz is the founder and CEO of Blue Sky Minds. With a deep background in organisational learning and development, she specialises in designing programs for high-stress environments. Her work is trusted by major New Zealand brands to boost retention, increase empathy, and reduce unplanned leave through practical, bite-sized wellbeing tools.
Connect with Debbie:
- LinkedIn: Debbie Schultz
- Website: Blue Sky Minds
- Book a Coffee: You can book a virtual coffee or a 15-minute chat directly through her website.
