About Maranda
I've never been the person who stays quiet.
Executive. Author. Speaker. Leadership shaped by experience, not theory.
I grew up in rural Michigan in a house that didn't always have plumbing or heat. Somehow, that kid found her way into technology boardrooms, building teams, leading through growth and change, and eventually becoming a Chief Customer Officer.
Over the last twenty years, I've led across Customer Success, Operations, Support, Services, and HR in early- and growth-stage companies, including B2B, vertical SaaS, and PE-backed businesses. I've learned a lot about growth, customers, people, and leadership, usually by doing the work first and figuring out the lesson afterward.
Today, I'm also an author and speaker, sharing the stories, mistakes, and hard-earned lessons that shaped how I lead. I believe the best businesses are built by people who can hold high standards and still remember there are humans on the other side of every decision.
The Career
Twenty years of doing the work — and saying what needed to be said.
From early-stage startups to PE-backed vertical SaaS companies, Maranda has spent her career building and leading the functions that sit closest to customers and people. Her experience spans Customer Success, Support, Services, Operations, and HR, often stepping into organizations during periods of rapid growth, transformation, or complexity.
Chief Customer Officer
Leads end-to-end customer organizations across Customer Success, Support, Onboarding, Professional Services, Solutions Architechts/Engineering, and post-sale growth, with responsibility for retention, expansion, customer outcomes, and scalable operations.
Vertical SaaS & PE-Backed Growth
Deep experience operating in vertical SaaS and private equity-backed environments, where customer value, operational discipline, retention, and efficient growth all have to work together.
Cross-Functional Operator
Has owned and built multiple functions across early- and growth-stage technology companies, including Customer Success, Support, Services, Operations, and People. Comfortable building from zero, scaling what works, and fixing what doesn’t.
People & HR Leadership
Brings a substantial HR and people-leadership background to her approach, with experience across hiring, organizational design, performance management, leadership development, and culture.
The Book
Why I wrote it.
I didn't write this book because I had everything figured out. I wrote it because I kept meeting people — brilliant, capable, exhausted people — who were living the same story I had lived. And nobody was saying it out loud.
Saying the Hard Parts Out Loud is a business memoir about building a career, becoming a leader, and figuring out who you are along the way. It's about ambition and belonging, resilience and self-doubt, the people who shape us, the mistakes that teach us, and the experiences that change how we lead.
It's not a self-help book. It's not a leadership framework. It's a true story — and it's for everyone who has ever sat in a meeting thinking 'someone needs to say something' and then didn't.
What I believe
The things I'll never stop saying.
01
Honesty is a leadership skill.
Not bluntness. Not cruelty. Honest, clear, direct communication — the kind that respects people enough to tell them the truth.
02
Silence is a choice.
Every time we don't say the hard thing, we're making a decision. Sometimes that's the right call. But we should own it as a choice, not a default.
03
Resilience isn't a personality trait.
It's a skill. It's built through hard things, not around them. And it looks different for everyone.
04
Graceful exits are underrated.
Knowing when to leave — a job, a relationship, a room — is one of the most powerful things a person can do. It takes more courage than staying.
Let's connect
I'd love to hear from you.
Whether you want to talk about the book, explore a speaking opportunity, or just say that something I wrote hit home — my inbox is open.