When you are doing a PhD dissertation, or writing a book, or working on some major project that takes a lot of your time, attention, and emotional energy, there is a tendency to start to resent that thing. I guess it is a natural outcome of all that investment. While I may have resented the dissertation process, I never really resented my dissertation topic because it focused on the ways in which commerce brings together people who might not otherwise come into contact. Those Metropolitan Detroit corner convenience stores that I was doing fieldwork in were not just places of business, but also of community and cultural connection. After all, we can look at the entire history of humanity and see how trade and commerce were the primary vehicles through which people come into contact with one another. From those contacts comes evolution and growth.

While commerce is global, it is also local. While it might have shared characteristics in some ways, it also is going to be distinctive in other ways. And that’s the beauty of culture. Whether it is food, music, art, architecture, language, or business, the same idea is going to be executed in different ways. Whether the differences are great or small, it is important to recognize and appreciate them. By understanding those differences, it might just inspire us to do what we do with more creativity.

That’s why I’m lucky to welcome Bruno Guimarães to Experience by Design podcast. Bruno is one of the leading voices of customer experience in Brazil, and beyond. He has been named one of the top influential CX professionals in the world, with a mission to inspire and assist individuals and companies in achieving excellence in CX.

He has worked with companies in Brazil to bring customer experience to that country, adding the unique Brazilian flavor to a global profession. This includes being a CX Solution Strategist for Brazil and Southern Latin America. He also is the Founder of Amigos do CX, a community for CX practitioners not only in Brazil, but anywhere.

We explore his journey to CX through marketing, advertising, and sales. He lays out the early origins of organizing a CX community to create a space for professionals to share support and knowledge. He describes how Brazil is a CX hotspot at the moment, with more and more companies trying to find a path to excellence in CX. However, as he points out, a limiting factor can be practitioners not understanding the businesses and industries they are trying to support. Thus, along with a strong foundation in CX, professionals also need to have a strong foundation in business as well.

We also talk about his work to bring other global CX voices together through his LinkedIn daily posting project, where he invites CX professionals from around the world to share their work and wisdom about CX. This has resulted in great collections on What I Learned, now in its third year.

We also talk about his marathon training, which I am happy to report resulted in a personal best time at the Boston Marathon in 2026.

Bruno Guimarães Website: https://www.brunoguimaraescx.com.br/

Bruno Guimarães LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brunorguimaraes/

Amigos do CX: https://www.amigosdocx.com.br/